Nonlinear Stability of Drift-Tearing Modes

Abstract
The nonlinear stability of drift-tearing modes in the presence of an electron temperature inhomogeneity is investigated. It is shown that linearly growing drift-tearing modes are rendered stable at a very small island width by quasilinear thermal effects. However, both linearly and quasilinearly stabilized modes grow to large amplitude if the initial island width is larger than the linear tearing layer, demonstrating the importance of nonlinear considerations in predictions of stability.