Suppression of Alfvén Ion Cyclotron Instability in a Mirror by End Plugging

Abstract

The effect of end plugging of the ion on the Alfvén ion cyclotron instability in a mirror-confined plasma is studied. The dispersion equation in the uniform-plasma approximation is derived by assuming a loss cone distribution of the ion, taking into account the end plugging, and is solved numerically. It is shown that the end plugging effect of filling the loss cone mainly causes the reduction of the temperature anisotropy of the ion, leading to the suppression of the instability.