Statistical theory of resistive drift-wave turbulence and transport

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.872377· OSTI ID:565323

Hu, G; Krommes, J A ^[1]; Bowman, J C ^[2]

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1. Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)
2. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, D 85748 Garching (Germany)

Resistive drift-wave turbulence in a slab geometry is studied by statistical closure methods and direct numerical simulations. The two-field Hasegawa{endash}Wakatani (HW) fluid model, which evolves the electrostatic potential and plasma density self-consistently, is a paradigm for understanding the generic nonlinear behavior of multiple-field plasma turbulence. A gyrokinetic derivation of the HW model is sketched. The recently developed Realizable Markovian Closure (RMC) is applied to the HW model; spectral properties, nonlinear energy transfers, and turbulent transport calculations are discussed. The closure results are also compared to direct numerical simulation results; excellent agreement is found. The transport scaling with the adiabaticity parameter, which measures the strength of the parallel electron resistivity, is analytically derived and understood through weak- and strong-turbulence analyses. No evidence is found to support previous suggestions that coherent structures cause a large depression of saturated transport from its quasilinear value in the hydrodynamic regime of the HW model. Instead, the depression of transport is well explained by the spectral balance equation of the (second-order) statistical closure when account is taken of incoherent noise. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073; FG03-96ER54346
• OSTI ID: 565323
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 4; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT THEORY
DRIFT INSTABILITY
NOISE
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
STATISTICS
TURBULENCE