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Anomalous parallel momentum transport due to ExB flow shear in a tokamak plasma

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3227650· OSTI ID:21282097
; ; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL Coventry (United Kingdom)
  2. National Technical University of Athens, GR-157 73 Athens (Greece)

Nondiffusive anomalous momentum transport in toroidal plasmas occurs through symmetry breaking mechanisms. In this paper the contribution of sheared ExB flows to parallel momentum transport [R. R. Dominguez and G. M. Staebler, Phys Fluids B 5, 3876 (1993)] is investigated with nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations in toroidal geometry. The background perpendicular shear is treated independently from the parallel velocity shear to isolate a nondiffusive, nonpinch contribution to the parallel momentum flux. It is found that the size of the term depends strongly on the magnetic shear, with the sign reversing for negative magnetic shear. Perpendicular shear flows are responsible for both symmetry breaking and suppression of turbulence, resulting in a shearing rate at which there is a maximum contribution to the momentum transport. The ExB momentum transport is shown to be quenched by increasing flow shear more strongly than the standard linear quench rule for turbulent heat diffusivity.

OSTI ID:
21282097
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 16; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English