The influence of the ion polarization current on magnetic island stability in a tokamak plasma

The influence of the ion polarization current on the stability of a constant-ψ magnetic island in a tokamak plasma is investigated numerically using a reduced two-fluid model in two-dimensional slab geometry. The polarization current is found to be negligibly small when the island is either too narrow or too wide. However, under certain circumstances, there exists an intermediate regime in which the polarization current is appreciable, and has a stabilizing influence on the island. This effect may account for the metastable nature of neoclassical tearing modes in tokamak plasmas.