449 research outputs found
Gyrokinetic and kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of guide-field reconnection. I: Macroscopic effects of the electron flows
In this work, we compare gyrokinetic (GK) and fully kinetic Particle-in-Cell
(PIC) simulations of magnetic reconnection in the limit of strong guide field.
In particular, we analyze the limits of applicability of the GK plasma model
compared to a fully kinetic description of force free current sheets for finite
guide fields (). Here we report the first part of an extended comparison,
focusing on the macroscopic effects of the electron flows. For a low beta
plasma (), it is shown that both plasma models develop magnetic
reconnection with similar features in the secondary magnetic islands if a
sufficiently high guide field () is imposed in the kinetic PIC
simulations. Outside of these regions, in the separatrices close to the X
points, the convergence between both plasma descriptions is less restrictive
(). Kinetic PIC simulations using guide fields
reveal secondary magnetic islands with a core magnetic field and less energetic
flows inside of them in comparison to the GK or kinetic PIC runs with stronger
guide fields. We find that these processes are mostly due to an initial shear
flow absent in the GK initialization and negligible in the kinetic PIC high
guide field regime, in addition to fast outflows on the order of the ion
thermal speed that violate the GK ordering. Since secondary magnetic islands
appear after the reconnection peak time, a kinetic PIC/GK comparison is more
accurate in the linear phase of magnetic reconnection. For a high beta plasma
() where reconnection rates and fluctuations levels are reduced,
similar processes happen in the secondary magnetic islands in the fully kinetic
description, but requiring much lower guide fields ().Comment: 18 pages, 13 figures. Revised to match with the published version in
Physics of Plasma
Multiscale nature of the dissipation range in gyrokinetic simulations of Alfv\'enic turbulence
Nonlinear energy transfer and dissipation in Alfv\'en wave turbulence are
analyzed in the first gyrokinetic simulation spanning all scales from the tail
of the MHD range to the electron gyroradius scale. For typical solar wind
parameters at 1 AU, about 30% of the nonlinear energy transfer close to the
electron gyroradius scale is mediated by modes in the tail of the MHD cascade.
Collisional dissipation occurs across the entire kinetic range
. Both mechanisms thus act on multiple coupled scales,
which have to be retained for a comprehensive picture of the dissipation range
in Alfv\'enic turbulence.Comment: Made several improvements to figures and text suggested by referee
Comparison between measured and predicted turbulence frequency spectra in ITG and TEM regimes
The observation of distinct peaks in tokamak core reflectometry measurements
- named quasi-coherent-modes (QCMs) - are identified as a signature of
Trapped-Electron-Mode (TEM) turbulence [H. Arnichand et al. 2016 Plasma Phys.
Control. Fusion 58 014037]. This phenomenon is investigated with detailed
linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations using the \gene code. A Tore-Supra
density scan is studied, which traverses through a Linear (LOC) to Saturated
(SOC) Ohmic Confinement transition. The LOC and SOC phases are both simulated
separately. In the LOC phase, where QCMs are observed, TEMs are robustly
predicted unstable in linear studies. In the later SOC phase, where QCMs are no
longer observed, ITG modes are identified. In nonlinear simulations, in the ITG
(SOC) phase, a broadband spectrum is seen. In the TEM (LOC) phase, a clear
emergence of a peak at the TEM frequencies is seen. This is due to reduced
nonlinear frequency broadening of the underlying linear modes in the TEM regime
compared with the ITG regime. A synthetic diagnostic of the nonlinearly
simulated frequency spectra reproduces the features observed in the
reflectometry measurements. These results support the identification of core
QCMs as an experimental marker for TEM turbulenc
Investigating the benefits and perils of importing genetic material in small cattle breeding programs via simulation
Small breeding programs are limited in achieving competitive genetic gain and prone to high rates of inbreeding. Thus, they often import genetic material to increase genetic gain and to limit the loss of genetic variability. However, the benefit of import depends on the strength of genotype-by-environment interaction. Import also diminishes the relevance of domestic selection and the use of domestic breeding animals. Introduction of genomic selection has potentially exacerbated this issue, but is also opening the potential for smaller breeding programs. The aim of this paper was to determine when and to what extent small breeding programs benefit from importing genetic material by quantifying the genetic gain as well as the sources of genetic gain. We simulated 2 cattle breeding programs of the same breed that represented a large foreign and a small domestic breeding program. The programs differed in selection parameters of sire selection, and in the initial genetic mean and annual genetic gain. We evaluated a control scenario without the use of foreign sires in the domestic breeding program and 24 scenarios that varied the percentage of domestic dams mated with foreign sires, the genetic correlation between the breeding programs (0.8 or 0.9), and the time of implementing genomic selection in the domestic compared with the foreign breeding program (concurrently or with a 10-yr delay). We compared the scenarios based on the genetic gain and genic standard deviation. Finally, we partitioned breeding values and genetic trends of the scenarios to quantify the contribution of domestic selection and import to the domestic genetic gain. The simulation revealed that when both breeding programs implemented genomic selection simultaneously, the use of foreign sires increased domestic genetic gain only when genetic correlation was 0.9 (10%–18% increase). In contrast, when the domestic breeding program implemented genomic selection with a 10-yr delay, import increased genetic gain at both tested correlations, 0.8 (5%–23% increase) and 0.9 (15%–53% increase). The increase was significant when we mated at least 10% or 25% domestic females with foreign sires and increased with the increasing use of foreign sires, but with a diminishing return. The partitioning analysis revealed that the contribution of import expectedly increased with the increased use of foreign sires. However, the increase did not depend on the genetic correlation and was not proportional to the increase in domestic genetic gain. This represents a peril for small breeding programs because they could be overly relying on import with diminishing returns for the genetic gain, marginal benefit for the genetic variability, and large loss of the domestic germplasm. The benefit and peril of import depends on an interplay of genetic correlation, extent of using foreign sires, and a breeding scheme. It is therefore crucial that small breeding programs assess the possible benefits of import beyond domestic selection. The benefit of import should be weighed against the perils of decreased use of domestic sires and decreased contribution and value of domestic selection
Nonlinear stabilization of tokamak microturbulence by fast ions
Nonlinear electromagnetic stabilization by suprathermal pressure gradients
found in specific regimes is shown to be a key factor in reducing tokamak
microturbulence, augmenting significantly the thermal pressure electromagnetic
stabilization. Based on nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations investigating a set
of ion heat transport experiments on the JET tokamak, described by Mantica et
al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 135004 (2011)], this result explains the
experimentally observed ion heat flux and stiffness reduction. These findings
are expected to improve the extrapolation of advanced tokamak scenarios to
reactor relevant regimes.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Gyrokinetic studies of core turbulence features in ASDEX Upgrade H-mode plasmas
Gyrokinetic validation studies are crucial in developing confidence in the
model incorporated in numerical simulations and thus improving their predictive
capabilities. As one step in this direction, we simulate an ASDEX Upgrade
discharge with the GENE code, and analyze various fluctuating quantities and
compare them to experimental measurements. The approach taken is the following.
First, linear simulations are performed in order to determine the turbulence
regime. Second, the heat fluxes in nonlinear simulations are matched to
experimental fluxes by varying the logarithmic ion temperature gradient within
the expected experimental error bars. Finally, the dependence of various
quantities with respect to the ion temperature gradient is analyzed in detail.
It is found that density and temperature fluctuations can vary significantly
with small changes in this parameter, thus making comparisons with experiments
very sensitive to uncertainties in the experimental profiles. However,
cross-phases are more robust, indicating that they are better observables for
comparisons between gyrokinetic simulations and experimental measurements
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