Related papers: Predicting the Z-pinch Dimits shift through gyroki…
The Hasegawa-Wakatani equations, coupling plasma density and electrostatic potential through an approximation to the physics of parallel electron motions, are a simple model that describes resistive drift wave turbulence. We present…
Magnetized plasmas with equilibrium density gradients support drift-wave turbulence, which is often regulated by self-generated zonal flows. In this work, we experimentally examine the effect of increasing the magnetic field on turbulence…
Fluid models that approximate kinetic effects have received attention recently in the modelling of large scale plasmas such as planetary magnetospheres. In three-dimensional reconnection, both reconnection itself and current sheet…
Consideration of wave--flow resonance addresses the long-standing problem of how zonal flows (ZF) saturate in the limit of weak or zero frictional drag, and also determines the ZF scale. For relevant magnetic geometries, the frequently…
The two-dimensional ideal fluid and the plasma confined by a strong magnetic field exhibit an intrinsic tendency to organization due to the inverse spectral cascade. In the asymptotic states reached at relaxation the turbulence has vanished…
The magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability (MRTI) governs plasma mixing and transport in a wide range of astrophysical and laboratory systems. Owing to computational constraints, MRTI is often studied using two-dimensional (2D) simulations,…
Gyrokinetic simulations of the fishbone instability in DIII-D tokamak plasmas find that self-generated zonal flows can dominate the nonlinear saturation by preventing coherent structures from persisting or drifting in the energetic particle…
We present two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of the fully kinetic collisionless magnetorotational instability (MRI) in weakly magnetized (high $\beta$) pair plasma. The central result of this numerical analysis is the…
We present a theory of the nonlinear growth of zonal flows in magnetized plasma turbulence, by the mechanism of secondary instability. The theory is derived for general magnetic geometry, and is thus applicable to both tokamaks and…
The effect of magnetic shear and shear flow on local gravitationally induced instabilities is investigated. A simple model is constructed allowing for an arbitrary entropy gradient and a shear plasma flow in the Boussinesq approximation. A…
A key uncertainty in the design and development of magnetic confinement fusion energy reactors is predicting edge plasma turbulence. An essential step in overcoming this uncertainty is the validation in accuracy of reduced turbulent…
A general methodology is proposed to differentiate the likelihood of energetic-particle-driven instabilities to produce frequency chirping or fixed-frequency oscillations. The method employs numerically calculated eigenstructures and…
The understanding of the mechanisms responsible for particle transport is of the utmost importance for magnetized fusion plasmas. A peaked density profile is attractive to improve the fusion rate, which is proportional to the square of the…
The impact of magnetic geometry on zonal-flow generation in ion temperature gradient driven turbulence is investigated by means of linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. The modulation of geodesic curvature on various configurations…
In this work we investigate symmetry breaking in the presence of a turbulent environment. The transition from a symmetric state to a symmetry-breaking state is demonstrated using two examples: (i) the transition of a two-dimensional flow to…
The Probability Distribution Function of plasma density fluctuations at the edge of fusion devices is known to be skewed and strongly non-Gaussian. The causes of this peculiar behaviour are, up to now, largely unexplored. On the other hand,…
An analytical model for zonal flow generation by toroidal ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) modes, including finite $\beta$ electromagnetic effects, is derived. The derivation is based on a fluid model for ions and electrons and takes into…
First principle gyrokinetic simulation of the edge turbulent transport in toroidal plasmas finds a reverse trend in the turbulent transport coefficients under strong gradients. It is found that there exist both linear and nonlinear critical…
We investigate the intermittency of magnetic turbulence as measured in Reversed Field Pinch plasmas. We show that the Probability Distribution Functions of magnetic field differences are not scale invariant, that is the wings of these…
To faithfully simulate ITER and other modern fusion devices, one must resolve electron and ion fluctuation scales in a five-dimensional phase space and time. Simultaneously, one must account for the interaction of this turbulence with the…