IFS Qualifying Exam

In this talk we present a custom multi-grid Grad-Shafranov solver we have developed to calculate the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibria of a levitated dipole fusion reactor. After discussing the development and inner working of the code, we report the results of calculations made using these equilibria to determine the stability of a dipole reactor to ballooning and interchange modes. We conclude by setting out a number of future avenues of enquiry motivated by the recent experimental revival of the levitated dipole concept.