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Title: Statistical analysis and modeling of intermittent transport events in the tokamak scrape-off layer

Abstract

The turbulence observed in the scrape-off-layer of a tokamak is often characterized by intermittent events of bursty nature, a feature which raises concerns about the prediction of heat loads on the physical boundaries of the device. It appears thus necessary to delve into the statistical properties of turbulent physical fields such as density, electrostatic potential, and temperature, focusing on the mathematical expression of tails of the probability distribution functions. The method followed here is to generate statistical information from time-traces of the plasma density stemming from Braginskii-type fluid simulations and check this against a first-principles theoretical model. The analysis of the numerical simulations indicates that the probability distribution function of the intermittent process contains strong exponential tails, as predicted by the analytical theory.

Authors:
 [1]; ; ;  [2];  [3]
  1. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, SE-412 96 Göteborg (Sweden)
  2. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Centre de Recherches en Physique des Plasmas, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)
  3. Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, IPP-Euratom Association, Teilinstitut Greifswald, D-17491 Greifswald (Germany)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22403341
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 12; Other Information: (c) 2014 EURATOM; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; DENSITY; DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS; PLASMA DENSITY; PLASMA SCRAPE-OFF LAYER; PROBABILITY; TOKAMAK DEVICES; TURBULENCE

Citation Formats

Anderson, Johan, Halpern, Federico D., Ricci, Paolo, Furno, Ivo, and Xanthopoulos, Pavlos. Statistical analysis and modeling of intermittent transport events in the tokamak scrape-off layer. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4904202.
Anderson, Johan, Halpern, Federico D., Ricci, Paolo, Furno, Ivo, & Xanthopoulos, Pavlos. Statistical analysis and modeling of intermittent transport events in the tokamak scrape-off layer. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4904202
Anderson, Johan, Halpern, Federico D., Ricci, Paolo, Furno, Ivo, and Xanthopoulos, Pavlos. 2014. "Statistical analysis and modeling of intermittent transport events in the tokamak scrape-off layer". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4904202.
@article{osti_22403341,
title = {Statistical analysis and modeling of intermittent transport events in the tokamak scrape-off layer},
author = {Anderson, Johan and Halpern, Federico D. and Ricci, Paolo and Furno, Ivo and Xanthopoulos, Pavlos},
abstractNote = {The turbulence observed in the scrape-off-layer of a tokamak is often characterized by intermittent events of bursty nature, a feature which raises concerns about the prediction of heat loads on the physical boundaries of the device. It appears thus necessary to delve into the statistical properties of turbulent physical fields such as density, electrostatic potential, and temperature, focusing on the mathematical expression of tails of the probability distribution functions. The method followed here is to generate statistical information from time-traces of the plasma density stemming from Braginskii-type fluid simulations and check this against a first-principles theoretical model. The analysis of the numerical simulations indicates that the probability distribution function of the intermittent process contains strong exponential tails, as predicted by the analytical theory.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4904202},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22403341}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
issn = {1070-664X},
number = 12,
volume = 21,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}