Anomalous transport in turbulent plasmas and continuous time random walks
- Association Euratom-Etat Belge pour la Fusion, Physique Statistique et Plasmas, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Code Postal 231, Boulevard du Triomphe, 1050 Bruxelles (Belgium)
The possibility of a model of anomalous transport problems in a turbulent plasma by a purely stochastic process is investigated. The theory of continuous time random walks (CTRW`s) is briefly reviewed. It is shown that a particular class, called the standard long tail CTRW`s is of special interest for the description of subdiffusive transport. Its evolution is described by a non-Markovian diffusion equation that is constructed in such a way as to yield exact values for all the moments of the density profile. The concept of a CTRW model is compared to an exact solution of a simple test problem: transport of charged particles in a fluctuating magnetic field in the limit of infinite perpendicular correlation length. Although the well-known behavior of the mean square displacement proportional to {ital t}{sup 1/2} is easily recovered, the exact density profile cannot be modeled by a CTRW. However, the quasilinear approximation of the kinetic equation has the form of a non-Markovian diffusion equation and can thus be generated by a CTRW.
- OSTI ID:
- 44832
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics, Vol. 51, Issue 5; Other Information: PBD: May 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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