Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 March 2009
The theory of linear interaction between internal kink modes and fusionproduced high-energy alpha particles in a toroidal plasma is extended by including finite-banana-width corrections to the alpha dynamics. An important implication of the theory for the stability properties of kink modes is that the finite-banana-width effects increase the value of the poloidal alpha beta required to attain the stable domain of operation as well as that required to excite the high-frequency fishbone instability. Furthermore, these effects lead to a reduction in the instability growth rate in both the low- and high-frequency unstable regimes.