894 research outputs found
Transport control by coherent zonal flows in the core/edge transitional regime
3D Braginskii turbulence simulations show that the energy flux in the
core/edge transition region of a tokamak is strongly modulated - locally and on
average - by radially propagating, nearly coherent sinusoidal or solitary zonal
flows. The flows are geodesic acoustic modes (GAM), which are primarily driven
by the Stringer-Winsor term. The flow amplitude together with the average
anomalous transport sensitively depend on the GAM frequency and on the magnetic
curvature acting on the flows, which could be influenced in a real tokamak,
e.g., by shaping the plasma cross section. The local modulation of the
turbulence by the flows and the excitation of the flows are due to wave-kinetic
effects, which have been studied for the first time in a turbulence simulation.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR
Fully electromagnetic nonlinear gyrokinetic equations for tokamak edge turbulence
An energy conserving set of the fully electromagnetic nonlinear gyrokinetic Vlasov equation and Maxwell's equations, which is applicable to both L-mode turbulence with large amplitude and H-mode turbulence in the presence of high E Χ B shear has been derived. The phase-space action variational Lie perturbation method ensures the preservation of the conservation laws of the underlying Vlasov-Maxwell system. Our generalized ordering takes ρ[sub ]i [\sub]<< ρϑ¡ ~ LE ~ Lp << R (here ρ[sub ]i [\sub] is the thermal ion Larmor radius and ρϑ¡ = [B over Bϑ] ρ[sub ]i [\sub]), as typically observed in the tokamak H-mode edge, with LE and Lp being the radial electric field and pressure gradient lengths. We take κ[sub ] perpendicular to[/sub] ρ[sub ]i [\sub] ~ 1 for generality, and keep the relative fluctuation amplitudes eδφ ⁄ Τ[sub ]i [\sub]~ δΒ ⁄ Β up to the second order. Extending the electrostatic theory in the presence of high E Χ B shear [Hahm, Phys. Plasmas 3, 4658 (1996)], contributions of electromagnetic fluctuations to the particle charge density and current are explicitly evaluated via pull-back transformation from the gyrocenter distribution function in the gyrokinetic Maxwell's equation
Nonlinear gyrokinetic theory with polarization drift
A set of the electrostatic toroidal gyrokinetic Vlasov equation and the Poisson equation, which explicitly includes the polarization drift, is derived systematically by using Lie-transform perturbation method. The polarization drift is introduced in the gyrocenter equations of motion, and the corresponding polarization density is derived. Contrary to the widespread expectation, the inclusion of the polarization drift in the gyrocenter equations of motion does not affect the expression for the polarization density significantly. This is due to modification of the gyrocenter phase-space volume caused by the electrostatic potential [T. S. Hahm, Phys. Plasmas 3, 4658 (1996)]. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3467498]Physics, Fluids & PlasmasSCI(E)EI11ARTICLE8null1
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On the dynamics of turbulent transport near marginal stability
A general methodology for describing the dynamics of transport near marginal stability is formulated. Marginal stability is a special case of the more general phenomenon of self-organized criticality. Simple, one field models of the dynamics of tokamak plasma self-organized criticality have been constructed, and include relevant features such as sheared mean flow and transport bifurcations. In such models, slow mode (i.e. large scale, low frequency transport events) correlation times determine the behavior of transport dynamics near marginal stability. To illustrate this, impulse response scaling exponents (z) and turbulent diffusivities (D) have been calculated for the minimal (Burgers) and sheared flow models. For the minimal model, z = 1 (indicating ballastic propagation) and D {approximately}(S{sub 0}{sup 2}){sup 1/3}, where S{sub 0}{sup 2} is the noise strength. With an identically structured noise spectrum and flow with shearing rate exceeding the ambient decorrelation rate for the largest scale transport events, diffusion is recovered with z = 2 and D {approximately} (S{sub 0}{sup 2}){sup 3/5}. This indicates a qualitative change in the dynamics, as well as a reduction in losses. These results are consistent with recent findings from {rho} scaling scans. Several tokamak transport experiments are suggested
Shear-Flow Driven Current Filamentation: Two-Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations
The process of current filamentation in permanently externally driven,
initially globally ideal plasmas is investigated by means of two-dimensional
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-simulations. This situation is typical for
astrophysical systems like jets, the interstellar and intergalactic medium
where the dynamics is dominated by external forces. Two different cases are
studied. In one case, the system is ideal permanently and dissipative processes
are excluded. In the second case, a system with a current density dependent
resistivity is considered. This resistivity is switched on self-consistently in
current filaments and allows for local dissipation due to magnetic
reconnection. Thus one finds tearing of current filaments and, besides, merging
of filaments due to coalescence instabilities. Energy input and dissipation
finally balance each other and the system reaches a state of constant magnetic
energy in time.Comment: 32 Pages, 13 Figures. accepted, to appear in Physics of Plasmas
(049012
Status of Continuum Edge Gyrokinetic Code Physics Development *
We are developing an edge gyro-kinetic continuum simulation code to study the boundary plasma over a region extending from inside the H-mode pedestal across the separatrix to the divertor plates. A 4-D (ψ, θ, , µ) version of this code is presently being implemented, en route to a full 5-D version. A set of gyrokinetic equations[1] are discretized on computational grid which incorporates X-point divertor geometry. The present implementation is a Method of Lines approach where the phase-space derivatives are discretized with finite differences and implicit backwards differencing formulas are used to advance the system in time. A fourth order upwinding algorithm is used for particle cross-field drifts, parallel streaming, and acceleration. Boundary conditions at conducting material surfaces are implemented on the plasma side of the sheath. The Poisson-like equation is solved using GMRES with multi-grid preconditioner from HYPRE. A nonlinear Fokker-Planck collision operator from STELLA[2] in (v , v ⊥ ) has been streamlined and integrated into the gyro-kinetic package using the same implicit Newton-Krylov solver and interpolating F and dF/dt| coll to/from ( , µ) space. With our 4D code we compute the ion thermal flux, ion parallel velocity, self-consistent electric field, and geo-acoustic oscillations, which we compare with standard neoclassical theory for core plasma parameters; and we study the transition from collisional to collisionless end-loss. In the real X-point geometry, we find that the particles are trapped near outside midplane and in the X-point regions due to the magnetic configurations. The sizes of banana orbits are comparable to the pedestal width and/or the SOL width for energetic trapped particles. The effect of the real X-point geometry and edge plasma conditions on standard neoclassical theory will be evaluated, including a comparison of our 4D code with other kinetic neoclassical codes (such as NCLAS
Composite Skyrme Model with Vector Mesons
We study the composite Skyrme model, proposed by Cheung and G\"{u}rsey,
introducing vector mesons in a chiral Lagrangian. We calculate the static
properties of baryons and compare with results obtained from models without
vector mesons.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.
ELM triggering conditions for the integrated modeling of H-mode plasmas
Recent advances in the integrated modeling of ELMy H-mode plasmas are
presented. A model for the H-mode pedestal and for the triggering of ELMs
predicts the height, width, and shape of the H-mode pedestal and the frequency
and width of ELMs. Formation of the pedestal and the L-H transition is the
direct result of ExB flow shear suppression of anomalous transport. The
periodic ELM crashes are triggered by either the ballooning or peeling MHD
instabilities. The BALOO, DCON, and ELITE ideal MHD stability codes are used to
derive a new parametric expression for the peeling-ballooning threshold. The
new dependence for the peeling-ballooning threshold is implemented in the ASTRA
transport code. Results of integrated modeling of DIII-D like discharges are
presented and compared with experimental observations. The results from the
ideal MHD stability codes are compared with results from the resistive MHD
stability code NIMROD.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004,
Nice (France
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Reduction of Turbulence by Zonal Flows
Three-dimensional gyrokinetic simulations of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence in magnetically confined toroidal plasmas support the view that turbulence-driven fluctuating E x B zonal flows can significantly reduce turbulent transport. Random shearing of turbulent eddies by zonal flows is analytically studied. It is shown that the fast time varying components of E x B flows, while they typically contribute significantly to the instantaneous E x B shearing rate, are less effective in suppressing turbulence. This is because the shear flow pattern changes before the eddies get distorted enough. We analytically derive the effective E x B shearing rate capturing this important physics, thereby extending the theory of E x B shear suppression of turbulence in toroidal geometry [Phys. Plasmas 2, 1648 (1995)
Two-dimensional turbulence in magnetised plasmas
In an inhomogeneous magnetised plasma the transport of energy and particles
perpendicular to the magnetic field is in general mainly caused by quasi
two-dimensional turbulent fluid mixing. The physics of turbulence and structure
formation is of ubiquitous importance to every magnetically confined laboratory
plasma for experimental or industrial application. Specifically, high
temperature plasmas for fusion energy research are also dominated by the
properties of this turbulent transport. Self-organisation of turbulent vortices
to mesoscopic structures like zonal flows is related to the formation of
transport barriers that can significantly enhance the confinement of a fusion
plasma. This subject of great importance in research is rarely touched on in
introductory plasma physics or continuum dynamics courses. Here a brief
tutorial on 2D fluid and plasma turbulence is presented as an introduction to
the field, appropriate for inclusion in undergraduate and graduate courses.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article
published in European Journal of Physics. IOP Publishing Ltd is not
responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or
any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version
is available online at doi: 10.1088/0143-0807/29/5/00
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