Analytical and numerical study of the transverse Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in tokamak edge plasmas

Myra, J. R.; D’Ippolito, D. A.; Russell, D. A.; Umansky, M. V.; Baver, D. A.

doi:10.1017/S0022377816000301

Title: Analytical and numerical study of the transverse Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in tokamak edge plasmas

Journal Article · Mon Apr 11 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Plasma Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377816000301· OSTI ID:1463839

Myra, J. R. ^[1]; D’Ippolito, D. A. ^[1]; Russell, D. A. ^[1]; Umansky, M. V. ^[2]; Baver, D. A. ^[1]

Lodestar Research Corporation, Boulder, CO (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sheared flows perpendicular to the magnetic field can be driven by the Reynolds stress or ion pressure gradient effects and can potentially influence the stability and turbulent saturation level of edge plasma modes. On the other hand, such flows are subject to the transverse Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. Here, the linear theory of KH instabilities is first addressed with an analytic model in the asymptotic limit of long wavelengths compared with the flow scale length. The analytic model treats sheared $$\boldsymbol{E}\times \boldsymbol{B}$$ flows, ion diamagnetism (including gyro-viscous terms), density gradients and parallel currents in a slab geometry, enabling a unified summary that encompasses and extends previous results. In particular, while ion diamagnetism, density gradients and parallel currents each individually reduce KH growth rates, the combined effect of density and ion pressure gradients is more complicated and partially counteracting. Secondly, the important role of realistic toroidal geometry is explored numerically using an invariant scaling analysis together with the 2DX eigenvalue code to examine KH modes in both closed and open field line regions. For a typical spherical torus magnetic geometry, it is found that KH modes are more unstable at, and just outside of, the separatrix as a result of the distribution of magnetic shear. Finally implications for reduced edge turbulence modelling codes are discussed.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Lodestar Research Corp., Boulder, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

Contributing Organization:: Lodestar Research Corporation Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; FG02-97ER54392

OSTI ID:: 1463839

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1248339

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-737835; LRC-16-164; applab; 890878; TRN: US1902332

Journal Information:: Journal of Plasma Physics, Vol. 82, Issue 02; ISSN 0022-3778

Publisher:: Cambridge University PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 5 works

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Cited By (2)

Theory based scaling of edge turbulence and implications for the scrape-off layer width Myra, J. R.; Russell, D. A.; Zweben, S. J. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 23, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4966564	journal	November 2016
A reduced model of neutral-plasma interactions in the edge and scrape-off-layer: Verification comparisons with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations Russell, D. A.; Myra, J. R.; Stotler, D. P. Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 26, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5081670	journal	February 2019

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