Change of zonal flow spectra in the JIPP T-IIU tokamak plasmas

When Ohmically heated low-density plasmas are additionally heated by higher-harmonics ion-cyclotron-range-of frequency heating, heated by neutral beam injection, or strongly gas puffed, the intensity of zonal flows in the geodesic acoustic mode frequency range in the tokamak core plasma decreases sharply and that of low-frequency zonal flow grows drastically. This is accompanied by a damping of the drift wave propagating in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, turbulence by trapped electron mode (TEM), and the increase of the mode propagating to ion diamagnetic drift direction (ITG). In the half-radius region, TEM and high-frequency zonal flows remain intense in both OH and heated phases. ITG and low-frequency zonal flows grow in heated plasmas, suggesting a strong coupling between ITG and low-frequency zonal flow.     

磁场剪切对离子温度梯度模带状流产生的影响

对离子温度梯度模湍流非线性流体方程进行了解耦处理,得到包含磁场剪切效应的带状流与漂移波相互作用的非线性动力学方程.采用调制不稳定性的四波相互作用模型,研究了磁场剪切对带状流产生的影响.研究表明,在k_//值较小的范围内,当|k_//|增加时,带状流的增长率也呈增加的趋势. 关键词： 托卡马克等离子体 离子温度梯度模湍流 带状流 磁场剪切     

Interaction between small-scale zonal flows and large-scale turbulence: a theory for ion transport intermittency in Tokamak plasmas

Interaction between small-scale zonal flows and large-scale turbulence is investigated. The key mechanism is identified as radially nonlocal mode coupling. Fluctuating energy can be nonlocally transferred from the unstable longer to the stable or damped shorter wavelength region, so that the turbulence spectrum is seriously deformed and deviates from the nonlinear power law structure. Three-dimensional gyrofluid ion-temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence simulations show that an ion transport bursting behavior is consistently linked to the spectral deformity with the causal role of ITG-generated zonal flows in tokamak plasmas.     

Nonlinear saturation of trapped electron modes via perpendicular particle diffusion

In magnetized fusion plasmas, trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence constitutes, together with ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence, the dominant source of anomalous transport on ion scales. While ITG modes are known to saturate via nonlinear zonal flow generation, this mechanism is shown to be of little importance for TEM turbulence in the parameter regime explored here. Instead, a careful analysis of the statistical properties of the ExB nonlinearity in the context of gyrokinetic turbulence simulations reveals that perpendicular particle diffusion is the dominant saturation mechanism. These findings allow for the construction of a rather realistic quasilinear model of TEM induced transport.     

Quasilinear analysis of the zonal flow back-reaction on ion-temperature-gradient mode turbulence

There is strong evidence in favor of zonal flow suppression in the Ion-Temperature-Gradient (ITG) mode turbulence, specifically close to the linear stability threshold. The present Letter attempts to analytically calculate the effects of zonal flow suppression of the ITG turbulence by deriving a modified dispersion relation including the back-reaction of the zonal flows on the ITG turbulence based on the quasilinear theory. The results are manifested in a reduction of the linear growth rate and an increase in the effective linear ITG threshold.     

Intermittent transport associated with the geodesic acoustic mode near the critical gradient regime

Turbulent transport near the critical gradient in toroidal plasmas is studied based on global Landau-fluid simulations and an extended predator-prey theoretical model of ion temperature gradient turbulence. A new type of intermittent transport associated with the emission and propagation of a geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) is found near the critical gradient regime, which is referred to as GAM intermittency. The intermittency is characterized by new time scales of trigger, damping, and recursion due to GAM damping. During the recursion of intermittent bursts, stationary zonal flow increases with a slow time scale due to the accumulation of undamped residues and eventually quenches the turbulence, suggesting that a nonlinear upshift of the critical gradient, i.e., Dimits shift, is established through such a dynamical process.     

Zonal flow dynamics and control of turbulent transport in stellarators

The relation between magnetic geometry and the level of ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven turbulence in stellarators is explored through gyrokinetic theory and direct linear and nonlinear simulations. It is found that the ITG radial heat flux is sensitive to details of the magnetic configuration that can be understood in terms of the linear behavior of zonal flows. The results throw light on the question of how the optimization of neoclassical confinement is related to the reduction of turbulence.     

离子温度梯度模湍流的带状流最小自由度模型

在离子温度梯度模(ITG)湍流背景中,通过最小自由度模型中模耦合方式产生带状流,对此模型做了动力学稳定性分析及数值求解.并在此基础上初步探讨了湍流中漂移波与带状流的能量转移,以及雷诺协强与带状流的关系. 关键词： 等离子体 离子温度梯度模 湍流 带状流     

Generation and stability of zonal flows in ion-temperature-gradient mode turbulence

We address the mechanisms underlying zonal flow generation and stability in turbulent systems driven by the electrostatic ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) mode. In the case of zonal flow stability, we show the poloidal flows typical of numerical simulations become unstable when they exceed a critical level. Near marginal stability of the linear ITG mode, the system can generate zonal flows that are sufficiently weak to remain stable and sufficiently strong to suppress the linear ITG mode. This stable region corresponds to the parameter regime of the nonlinear Dimits up-shift.     

Role of zonal flow predator-prey oscillations in triggering the transition to H-mode confinement

Direct evidence of zonal flow (ZF) predator-prey oscillations and the synergistic roles of ZF- and equilibrium E×B flow shear in triggering the low- to high-confinement (L- to H-mode) transition in the DIII-D tokamak is presented. Periodic turbulence suppression is first observed in a narrow layer at and just inside the separatrix when the shearing rate transiently exceeds the turbulence decorrelation rate. The final transition to H mode with sustained turbulence and transport reduction is controlled by equilibrium E×B shear due to the increasing ion pressure gradient.     

Effect of collisional zonal-flow damping on flux-driven turbulent transport

The effect of collisional damping of zonal flows (ZFs) on ion-temperature gradient (ITG) driven turbulence in a toroidal plasma is investigated by means of a 3D global fluid model with flux boundary conditions. Results from simulations show an increase of the energy confinement time and a stabilization of turbulence with the inverse of the collisionality nu(*). The stabilization mechanism is identified as an effect of the increased shearing rate of ZFs, which shift upwards the ITG turbulence effective threshold. The shearing rate of ZFs is also seen to depend on the injected power. As a consequence, the effective heat conductivity depends parametrically on the input power.     

基于电阻性交换模湍流的环带流动力学

基于电阻性交换模湍流研究了托卡马克等离子体中的环带流激发动力学.利用低自由度近似 对电阻性交换模湍流 环带流系统做了解析和数值求解.结果表明，在足够强的压力梯度（ 驱动力）情况下，电阻性交换模湍流将激励出大尺度环带流或振荡型环带流. 关键词： 等离子体 电阻性交换模湍流 环带流     

Model for the transition to the radiatively improved mode in a tokamak

A model for the transition to the radiatively improved (RI) mode triggered in tokamaks by seeding of impurities is proposed. This model takes into account that with increasing plasma effective charge the growth rate of the toroidal ion temperature gradient (ITG) instability, considered nowadays as the dominant source of anomalous energy losses in low-confinement (L) mode, decreases. As a result the plasma density profile peaks due to an inward convection generated by trapped electron turbulence. This completely quenches ITG induced transport and a bifurcation to the RI mode occurs. Conditions necessary for the L-RI transition are investigated.     

Trapped electron mode turbulence driven intrinsic rotation in Tokamak plasmas

Progress from global gyrokinetic simulations in understanding the origin of intrinsic rotation in toroidal plasmas is reported. The turbulence-driven intrinsic torque associated with nonlinear residual stress generation due to zonal flow shear induced asymmetry in the parallel wave number spectrum is shown to scale close to linearly with plasma gradients and the inverse of the plasma current, qualitatively reproducing experimental empirical scalings of intrinsic rotation. The origin of current scaling is found to be enhanced k(∥) symmetry breaking induced by the increased radial variation of the safety factor as the current decreases. The intrinsic torque is proportional to the pressure gradient because both turbulence intensity and zonal flow shear, which are two key ingredients for driving residual stress, increase with turbulence drive, which is R/L(T(e)) and R/L(n(e)) for the trapped electron mode.     

托卡马克等离子体中动力剪切阿尔芬波不稳定性的数值研究

用积分本征模方程研究了在托卡马克等离子体中包含全部动力学效应的动力剪切阿尔芬波模 (无论是否存在温度梯度). 引入了一个新的积分变量，将实平面的积分解析延拓到复平面. 这样可以同时研究增长模和阻尼模. 结果表明，在有离子温度梯度(ITG)的情况下，激发动 力剪切阿尔芬不稳定性所需的等离子体压强梯度比激发理想磁流体动力学气球模不稳定性的 阈值低得多，没有ITG时两者相同. 与动力无碰撞气球模结果不同，当有限ITG存在时，剪切 阿尔芬模存在第二稳定区. 关键词： 动力剪切阿尔芬模 磁流体气球模 阈值压强梯度     

Small-scale turbulence in a closed-field-line geometry

Plasma turbulence due to small-scale entropy modes is studied with gyrokinetic simulations in a simple closed-field-line geometry, the Z pinch, in low-beta parameter regimes that are stable to ideal interchange modes. We find an enormous variation in the nonlinear dynamics and particle transport as a function of two main parameters, the density gradient and the plasma collisionality. This variation is explained in part by the damping and stability properties of spontaneously formed zonal flows in the system. As in toroidal systems, the zonal flows can lead to a strong nonlinear suppression of transport below a critical gradient that is determined by the stability of the zonal flows.     

Transport bifurcation in a rotating tokamak plasma

The effect of flow shear on turbulent transport in tokamaks is studied numerically in the experimentally relevant limit of zero magnetic shear. It is found that the plasma is linearly stable for all nonzero flow shear values, but that subcritical turbulence can be sustained nonlinearly at a wide range of temperature gradients. Flow shear increases the nonlinear temperature gradient threshold for turbulence but also increases the sensitivity of the heat flux to changes in the temperature gradient, except over a small range near the threshold where the sensitivity is decreased. A bifurcation in the equilibrium gradients is found: for a given input of heat, it is possible, by varying the applied torque, to trigger a transition to significantly higher temperature and flow gradients.     

等离子体湍流理论研究的最新进展

评述和分析了磁约束核聚变理论研究、数值模拟和实验研究等方面最近几年共同关心的一个重要问题——寻找托卡马克等离子体湍流中的带状剪切流（zonal flows）。简要介绍了作者最近对电阻性-重力模湍流中的带状剪切流的研究结果。 Progress of the research on the zonal flows in tokamak plasma turbulence is surveyed, especially it is reviewed that the zonal flows observed in the experiments and numerical simulations on atmosphere turbulence and ocean turbulence and the discovery of H-mode in tokamak experiments how lead the researchers in magnetic confinement fusion community to find out the existence of the zonal flow in tokamak plasma turbulence and subsequently give the experimental verification of its existence. Finally, the results of our research on zonal flow generation and evolution in resistive-g mode turbulence are presented in brief.     

HL-2A装置中的带状流三维特性研究和探针设计

HL-2A装置边缘等离子体测地声模带状流的三维特征采用外中平面上三组三台阶探针阵列组成具有环向、极向和径向分辨的独特结构的探针系统进行了研究.其中两组具有极向距离为65mm的三台阶5探针阵列组成极向带状流10探针组,另一组电动式带状流6探针阵列与带状流10探针组之间的环向距离为800mm. 此外,采用快速往复气动6探针组研究了磁分界面附近的温度、密度、雷诺协强及其径向分布.在HL-2A装置上同时观测到测地声模带状流(频率f=7kHz)的极向和环向对称性(m≈0,n 关键词： 三台阶式ZF探针 带状流 三维空间结构     

Zonal flows and transient dynamics of the L-H transition

We elucidate the role of zonal flows in transient phenomena observed during L-H transition by studying a simple L-H transition model which contains the evolution of zonal flows, mean ExB flows, and the ion pressure gradient. Zonal flows are shown to trigger the L-H transition and cause time-transient behavior through the self-regulation of turbulence before a mean shearing, due to a steep pressure profile, secures a quiescent H mode. Surprisingly, this self-regulation lowers the power threshold for the ultimate transition to a quiescent H-mode state.