Bifurcation Theory of the Transition to Collisionless Ion-temperature-gradient-driven Plasma Turbulence
The collisionless limit of the transition to ion-temperature-gradient-driven plasma turbulence is considered with a dynamical-systems approach. The importance of systematic analysis for understanding the differences in the bifurcations and dynamics of linearly damped and undamped systems is emphasized. A model with ten degrees of freedom is studied as a concrete example. A four-dimensional center manifold (CM) is analyzed, and fixed points of its dynamics are identified and used to predict a ''Dimits shift'' of the threshold for turbulence due to the excitation of zonal flows. The exact value of that shift in terms of physical parameters is established for the model; the effects of higher-order truncations on the dynamics are noted. Multiple-scale analysis of the CM equations is used to discuss possible effects of modulational instability on scenarios for the transition to turbulence in both collisional and collisionless cases.
- Research Organization:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); US - Atomic Energy Commission
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-76CH03073
- OSTI ID:
- 878299
- Report Number(s):
- PPPL-4102; TRN: US0602307
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: Published in Physics of Plasmas 12, 122302 (Dec 2005) 25 pp
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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