Toroidal Momentum Pinch Velocity due to the Coriolis Drift Effect on Small Scale Instabilities in a Toroidal Plasma
- Max Planck Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Boltzmannstrasse 2 85748 Garching (Germany)
- National Technical University of Athens, Euratom Association, GR-15773 Athens (Greece)
In this Letter, the influence of the ''Coriolis drift'' on small scale instabilities in toroidal plasmas is shown to generate a toroidal momentum pinch velocity. Such a pinch results because the Coriolis drift generates a coupling between the density and temperature perturbations on the one hand and the perturbed parallel flow velocity on the other. A simple fluid model is used to highlight the physics mechanism and gyro-kinetic calculations are performed to accurately assess the magnitude of the pinch. The derived pinch velocity leads to a radial gradient of the toroidal velocity profile even in the absence of a torque on the plasma and is predicted to generate a peaking of the toroidal velocity profile similar to the peaking of the density profile. Finally, the pinch also affects the interpretation of current experiment000.
- OSTI ID:
- 20953374
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 26; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.265003; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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