Generation of zonal flows by kinetic Alfven waves

Journal Article · Thu Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 2007 · Plasma Physics Reports

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X07020055· OSTI ID:21100206

Mikhailovskii, A B; Kovalishen, E A; Shirokov, M S; Smolyakov, A I ^[1]; Tsypin, V S; Galvao, R M. O. ^[2]

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1. Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Nuclear Fusion Institute (Russian Federation)
2. Institute of Physics, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil)

The generation of zonal flows by kinetic Alfven waves is analyzed. It is noted that the basic approach underlying the existing theory of this phenomenon is too simplified because it attributes the generation of zonal flows to instabilities of an individual monochromatic wave packet of kinetic Alfven waves. It is shown that, when a monochromatic wave packet is stable, it is necessary to analyze a more complicated situation with a double-peak packet (or, in the simplest case, with two pump waves). It is found that, for a double-peak packet of kinetic Alfven waves, there is a new class of instabilities of zonal flows and that these instabilities are analogous to two-stream instabilities in linear theory. The main types of such instabilities are investigated.

• OSTI ID: 21100206
• Journal Information: Plasma Physics Reports, Journal Name: Plasma Physics Reports Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 33; ISSN PPHREM; ISSN 1063-780X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALFVEN WAVES
MONOCHROMATIC RADIATION
PEAKS
PUMPING
TWO-STREAM INSTABILITY
WAVE PACKETS