Stability of Tokamak Equilibrium with Internal Transport Barrier against High n MHD Ballooning Mode

Internal transport barriers （ITBs） are phenomena associated with improved confinement mode of tokamak plasmas. Within the region where the ITB locates, the plasma pressure has a large gradient while the magnetic shear s has a minimum so that within and near the ITB, the absolute value of the shear is very low. Physics involved is plentiful, from the macroscopic （ MHD ） stability, to the suppression of microscopic instabilities thought to be responsible for anomalous transport. The treatment of very low shear also poses some theoretical difficulties.