Zonal flow generation and its feedback on turbulence production in drift wave turbulence
- LMFA, CNRS, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Universite de Lyon, Ecully (France)
- Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom)
Plasma turbulence described by the Hasegawa-Wakatani equations is simulated numerically for different models and values of the adiabaticity parameter C. It is found that for low values of C turbulence remains isotropic, zonal flows are not generated and there is no suppression of the meridional drift waves and particle transport. For high values of C, turbulence evolves towards highly anisotropic states with a dominant contribution of the zonal sector to the kinetic energy. This anisotropic flow leads to a decrease of turbulence production in the meridional sector and limits the particle transport across the mean isopycnal surfaces. This behavior allows to consider the Hasegawa-Wakatani equations a minimal PDE model, which contains the drift-wave/zonal-flow feedback loop mechanism.
- OSTI ID:
- 22130437
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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