Physics of Intrinsic Rotation in Flux-Driven ITG Turbulence

Technical Report · Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1035870· OSTI ID:1035870

Ku, S. ^[1]; Abiteboul, J. ^[2]; Dimond, P. H. ^[3]; Dif-Pradalier, G. ^[4]; Kwon, J. M. ^[5]; Sarazin, Y. ^[2]; Hahm, T. S. ^[6]; Garbet, X. ^[2]; Chang, C. S. ^[7]; Latu, G. ^[2]; Yoon, E. S. ^[8]; Ghendrih, Ph. ^[2]; Yi, S. ^[5]; Strugarek, A. ^[2]; Solomon, W. ^[2]; Grandgirard, V. ^[2]

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1. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
2. Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)
3. National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
4. Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
5. National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)
6. Seoul National Univ. (Korea, Republic of)
7. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
8. Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Korea Advanced Inst. Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

Global, heat flux-driven ITG gyrokinetic simulations which manifest the formation of macroscopic, mean toroidal flow profiles with peak thermal Mach number 0.05, are reported. Both a particle-in-cell (XGC1p) and a semi-Lagrangian (GYSELA) approach are utilized without a priori assumptions of scale-separation between turbulence and mean fields. Flux-driven ITG simulations with different edge flow boundary conditions show in both approaches the development of net unidirectional intrinsic rotation in the co-current direction. Intrinsic torque is shown to scale approximately linearly with the inverse scale length of the ion temperature gradient. External momentum input is shown to effectively cancel the intrinsic rotation profile, thus confirming the existence of a local residual stress and intrinsic torque. Fluctuation intensity, intrinsic torque and mean flow are demonstrated to develop inwards from the boundary. The measured correlations between residual stress and two fluctuation spectrum symmetry breakers, namely E x B shear and intensity gradient, are similar. Avalanches of (positive) heat flux, which propagate either outwards or inwards, are correlated with avalanches of (negative) parallel momentum flux, so that outward transport of heat and inward transport of parallel momentum are correlated and mediated by avalanches. The probability distribution functions of the outward heat flux and the inward momentum flux show strong structural similarity

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)
• DOE Contract Number: FC02-08ER54959; AC02-09CH11466
• OSTI ID: 1035870
• Report Number(s): PPPL--4740
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
FLUCTUATIONS
HEAT FLUX
ION TEMPERATURE
ITG turbulence
MACH NUMBER
PHYSICS
PROBABILITY
ROTATION
SHEAR
SYMMETRY
TORQUE
TRANSPORT
TURBULENCE
Tokamaks
Transport Theory
Turbulence
flux-driven
momentum transport