Current Profile

How the plasma current is distributed across the radius; it shapes stability.

The radial distribution of plasma current sets the safety-factor profile and hence stability. Tailoring it — with current drive and heating — is a key tool for avoiding tearing modes and optimising bootstrap current.

The radial distribution of plasma current sets the safety-factor profile and therefore stability, so tailoring it — with heating and current drive — is a primary tool for avoiding tearing modes and reaching advanced scenarios. Its slow resistive relaxation is why current-profile control must be applied over the whole discharge.