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Diffusion of charged particles in tokamak-like stochastic magnetic and electric fields

Journal Article · · Physics of Fluids B; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.860349· OSTI ID:6946618
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, A. Postal 70-543, 04510 (Mexico)
  2. Department of Nuclear Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
In this paper the diffusion of guiding centers induced by stochastic magnetic and electric field fluctuations, with both time and space dependence, is analyzed for the case of tokamak plasmas. General experimental results on tokamak fluctuations are used to derive guiding-center equations that properly describe the particle motion. These equations assume uniform average magnetic and electric fields with random stationary Gaussian fluctuations that constitute a homogeneous and cylindrically symmetric turbulence. By applying Novikov's theorem, a Fokker--Planck equation for the probability distribution function is derived and an expression for the guiding-center diffusion coefficient is obtained. This coefficient not only contains the standard terms due to the stochastic wandering of the magnetic lines and the stochastic electric drift, but also new terms due to the stochastic curvature and {del}{ital B} drifts. The form of these terms is shown explicitly in terms of the correlation functions of the fields.
OSTI ID:
6946618
Journal Information:
Physics of Fluids B; (United States), Journal Name: Physics of Fluids B; (United States) Vol. 4:12; ISSN 0899-8221; ISSN PFBPE
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English