Kinetic and transport theories of turbulent, axisymmetric, low-collisionality plasmas and turbulence constraints

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Physics of Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.860235· OSTI ID:7233982

Rogister, A; Li, D ^[1]

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1. Institut f uer Plasmaphysik des Forschungszentrums Juelich GmbH, Association EURATOM-KFA, Postfach 1913, 5170 Juelich (Germany)

The kinetic equations describing the evolution of the macroscopic distribution functions of electrons and ions in turbulent, axisymmetric, low-collisionality plasmas are derived in a systematic fashion. The first irreversible time scales are those of electron and ion classical collisions on which the distributions relax, in their lowest order, to Maxwellians. These results are sufficient to derive the nonlinear equations that describe the evolution of the low-frequency'' microturbulence. This turbulence controls the evolution of the Maxwellians on longer time scales and also influences the higher-order equilibrium distribution functions. By taking moments of the kinetic equations obtained on the diffusion time scale, (i) the equations of evolution of the density and pressures of the lowest-order Maxwellians, (ii) an expression for the macroscopic toroidal current driven from the passing electrons by the autocorrelation of the turbulent electric field parallel to {bold B} with the turbulent density, and (iii) a constraint'' equation telling that the anomalous sources and sinks of ion parallel momentum must be balanced by the divergence of the anomalous radial flux of the same momentum are thus obtained. It is noted that the transport is automatically ambipolar, that ion and electron anomalous heat transport are of the same order, that magnetic aspects of the turbulence are considered, although via a low-beta expansion scheme: They contribute to the anomalous bootstrap current which is estimated to be possibly of the order of 15% of the Ohmic current; and that the constraint, a consequence of ion momentum conservation, is automatically satisfied for weak turbulence in the random phase'' approximation if the plasma has up--down symmetry.

• OSTI ID: 7233982
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids B; (United States), Vol. 4:4; ISSN 0899-8221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
KINETIC EQUATIONS
AXIAL SYMMETRY
DEBYE LENGTH
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ION COLLISIONS
LOW-BETA PLASMA
NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY
RANDOM PHASE APPROXIMATION
TRANSPORT THEORY
TURBULENCE
COLLISIONS
DIMENSIONS
EQUATIONS
FUNCTIONS
LENGTH
PLASMA
SYMMETRY
700330* - Plasma Kinetics
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700340 - Plasma Waves
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