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Title: Nonlinear phase bores in drift wave-zonal flow dynamics

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5111987 · OSTI ID:1570246
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics; Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Physics; UC San Diego
  2. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics

A minimal model of nonlinear phase dynamics in drift waves is shown to support phase bore solutions. Coupled nonlinear equations for amplitude, phase, and zonal flow are derived for the Hasegawa-Mima system and specialized to the case of spatiotemporally constant amplitude. In that limit, phase curvature (finite second derivative of the phase with respect to the radius) alone generates propagating shear flows. The phase field evolves nonlinearly by a competition between phase steepening and dispersion. The analytical solution of the model reveals that the phase bore solutions so obtained realize the concept of a phase slip in a concrete dynamical model of drift wave dynamics. Here, the implications for phase turbulence are discussed.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-04ER54738
OSTI ID:
1570246
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 26; ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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