Gyrokinetic simulation of finite-[beta] plasmas on parallel architectures

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:7204427

Reynders, J V.W.

Much research exists on the linear and non-linear properties of plasma microinstabilities induced by density and temperature gradients. There has been an interest in the electromagnetic or finite-[beta] effects on these microinstabilities. This thesis focuses on the finite-[beta] modification of an ion temperature gradient (ITG) driven microinstability in a two-dimensional shearless and sheared-slab geometries. A gyrokinetic model is employed in the numerical and analytic studies of this instability. Chapter 1 introduces the electromagnetic gyrokinetic model employed in the numerical and analytic studies of the ITG instability. Some discussion of the Klimontovich particle representation of the gyrokinetic Vlasov equation and a multiple scale model of the background plasma gradient is presented. Chapter 2 details the computational issues facing an electromagnetic gyrokinetic particle simulation of the ITG mode. An electromagnetic extension of the partially linearized algorithm is presented with a comparison of quiet particle initialization routines. Chapter 3 presents and compares algorithms for the gyrokinetic particle simulation technique on SIMD and MIMD computing platforms. Chapter 4 discusses electromagnetic gyrokinetic fluctuation theory and provides a comparison of analytic and numerical results. Chapter 5 contains a linear and a non-linear three-wave coupling analysis of the finite-[beta] modified ITG mode in a shearless slab geometry. Comparisons are made with linear and partially linearized gyrokinetic simulation results. Chapter 6 presents results from a finite-[beta] modified ITG mode in a sheared slab geometry. The linear dispersion relation is derived and results from an integral eigenvalue code are presented. Comparisons are made with the gyrokinetic particle code in a variety of limits with both adiabatic and non-adiabatic electrons. Evidence of ITG driven microtearing is presented.

• Research Organization: Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7204427
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700340* -- Plasma Waves
Oscillations
& Instabilities-- (1992-)
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRON PLASMA WAVES
EQUATIONS
INSTABILITY
ION TEMPERATURE
PARALLEL PROCESSING
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA FLUID EQUATIONS
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
PROGRAMMING
SIMULATION