Complete stabilization of neoclassical tearing modes with lower hybrid current drive on COMPASS-D. RF teams.

Lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) with modest powers ( approximately 10% of the total power input) has been used for the first time to completely stabilize performance limiting neoclassical tearing modes in many COMPASS-D tokamak discharges. The stabilizing effect in these experiments is consistent with a reduction in the free energy available in the current profile to drive tearing modes (i.e., the stability index, delta(')) resulting from favorable current gradients (from the LHCD driven current) around the rational surface.