Coherent structures in ion temperature gradient turbulence-zonal flow

Journal Article · Wed Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4898207· OSTI ID:22299665

Singh, Rameswar ^[1]; Singh, R. ^[2]; Kaw, P. ^[2]; Gürcan, Ö. D. ^[1]; Diamond, P. H. ^[3]

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1. Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas, Ecole Polytechnique, Route de Saclay, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France)
2. Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar 382 428 (India)
3. WCI Center for Fusion Theory, National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

Nonlinear stationary structure formation in the coupled ion temperature gradient (ITG)-zonal flow system is investigated. The ITG turbulence is described by a wave-kinetic equation for the action density of the ITG mode, and the longer scale zonal mode is described by a dynamic equation for the m = n = 0 component of the potential. Two populations of trapped and untrapped drift wave trajectories are shown to exist in a moving frame of reference. This novel effect leads to the formation of nonlinear stationary structures. It is shown that the ITG turbulence can self-consistently sustain coherent, radially propagating modulation envelope structures such as solitons, shocks, and nonlinear wave trains.

• OSTI ID: 22299665
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 21; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ION TEMPERATURE
KINETIC EQUATIONS
MODULATION
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TURBULENCE
WAVE PROPAGATION