Potential vorticity transport in weakly and strongly magnetized plasmas

Chen, Chang-Chun; Diamond, Patrick H.; Singh, Rameswar; Tobias, Steven M.

doi:10.1063/5.0041072

Title: Potential vorticity transport in weakly and strongly magnetized plasmas

Journal Article · 07 April 2021 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0041072 · OSTI ID:1774905

^[1];

^[2]

Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
Univ. of Leeds (United Kingdom)

Tangled magnetic fields, often coexisting with an ordered mean field, have a major impact on turbulence and momentum transport in many plasmas, including those found in the solar tachocline and magnetic confinement devices. We present a novel mean field theory of potential vorticity mixing in β-plane magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and drift wave turbulence. Our results show that mean square stochastic fields strongly reduce Reynolds stress coherence. This decoherence of potential vorticity flux due to stochastic field scattering leads to suppression of momentum transport and zonal flow formation. A simple calculation suggests that the breaking of the shear-eddy tilting feedback loop by stochastic fields is the key underlying physics mechanism. Furthermore, a dimensionless parameter that quantifies the increment in power threshold is identified and used to assess the impact of stochastic field on the L-H transition. We discuss a model of stochastic fields as a resisto-elastic network.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-04ER54738; PHY-1748958

OSTI ID:: 1774905

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1774720

Journal Information:: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 28, Issue 4; ISSN 1070-664X

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Potential vorticity transport in weakly and strongly magnetized plasmas

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