skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Drift-wave turbulence with wave--wave and wave--particle nonlinear effects in a sheared slab

Journal Article · · Phys. Fluids; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.864071· OSTI ID:5537603

Low-..beta.. tokamaks have drift-wave density fluctuations (n/n) with the characteristics of strong turbulence. To describe their spectra, earlier work (Phys. Fluids 26, 169 (1983)) with simple wave--wave nonlinear coupling models in two dimensions is extended to more physical electrostatic models for drift waves in three dimensions. The electrons are treated with a linear nearly Boltzmann response. The cold ions have nonlinear cross-field drift motion and linear parallel motion. Numerical methods based on the direct interaction approximation are applied to both wave--wave and wave--particle nonlinear effects, and the spectral intensity I/sub k//sub x/k/sub y/k/sub parallel/..omega.. (n/n = (rho/sub s//L/sub n/)I/sup 1//sup ///sup 2/) for a sheared slab is calculated. The shear causes a linear coupling of adjacent k/sub x/ and k/sub parallel/ modes. A suggested extension to toroidal geometry is made. Many similarities with experiments are found: Iperpendicular is nearly isotropic in k/sub perpendicular/ and peaked at k/sub perpendicular/rho/sub s/

Research Organization:
GA Technologies, Inc., San Diego, California 92138
DOE Contract Number:
AT03-76ET51011
OSTI ID:
5537603
Journal Information:
Phys. Fluids; (United States), Vol. 26:11
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English