The linear gyrokinetic spectral code LIGKA (Lauber et al 2007 J. Comput. Phys.226 447–65) is used to examine the Alfvén eigenmode stability properties of the ITER 15 MA scenario. It is shown that a kinetic multi-species treatment i.e. deuterium (D), tritium (T), helium ash (He), beryllium (Be), energetic α-particles and neutral beam deuterium is indispensable for an accurate estimate of linear Alfvén mode properties. Comparisons to analytical expressions are carried out and several frequency ranges and modes such as the geodesic-acoustic/beta-induced Alfvén mode (GAM/BAE), the toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) and the ellipticity-induced Alfvén eigenmode (EAE) are discussed. A scan for the damping of TAEs (including radiative damping, continuum damping, ion and electron Landau damping) with the toroidal mode numbers n = 1–35 is performed. Finally, the instability threshold as a function of the energetic particle β is investigated for one example.
Kinetic Alfvén eigenmodes in a hot tokamak plasma