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.     

Zonal flows in tokamak plasmas with toroidal rotation

Zonal flows in tokamak plasmas with toroidal rotation are theoretically investigated. It is found that the low-frequency branch of zonal flows, which is linearly stable in a nonrotating system, becomes linearly unstable in a rotating tokamak, and that the high-frequency branch of zonal flows, the geodesic acoustic mode, can propagate in the poloidal direction with the frequency significantly lower than the frequency of the standing wave geodesic acoustic mode in the nonrotating system.     

Role of the zonal flow in multi-scale multi-mode turbulence with small-scale shear flow in tokamak plasmas

The structural characteristics of zonal flows and their roles in the nonlinear interaction of multi-scale multi-mode turbulence are investigated numerically via a self-consistent Landau-fluid model. The multi-mode turbulence here is composed of a shorter wavelength electromagnetic (EM) ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode and a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability with long wavelengths excited by externally imposed small-scale shear flows. For strong shear flow, a prominent periodic intermittency of fluctuation intensity except for dominant ITG component is revealed in turbulence evolution, which onset time depends on the ion temperature gradient and the shear flow amplitudes corresponding to different KH instabilities. It is identified that the intermittency phenomenon results from the zonal flow dynamics, which is mainly generated by the KH mode and back-reacts on it. It is demonstrated that the odd symmetric components of zonal flow (same symmetry as the external flow) make the radial parity of the KH mode alteration through adjusting the drift velocities at two sides of the resonant surface so that the KH mode becomes bursty first. Afterwards, the ITG intermittency follows due to nonlinear mode coupling. Parametric dependences of the features of the intermittency are elaborated. Finally, associated turbulent heat transport is evaluated.     

Ion velocity shear-induced drift wave and momentum transport in non-Maxwellian magnetoplasma flows

We have investigated the diamagnetic flow in a non-uniform partially ionized plasma with non-Maxwellian electron population to explain the dynamics of ion velocity shear-induced low-frequency drift mode and associated instabilities. The dispersion relations are found, and instability threshold conditions are pointed out along with ion-parallel momentum transport due to drift motion with relative phase shift of fluctuating quantities in a non-conservative system. The real frequencies and instability growth rates are studied numerically and illustrated for typical space and laboratory plasmas. This study should be useful in understanding some aspects of low-frequency time-delayed perturbations with sheared flow leading to drift instabilities and cross-field parallel ion momentum transport in nonuniform magnetoplasmas containing a non-Maxwellian electron population.     

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.     

Nonlinear interactions between drift waves and zonal flows

Phase coherent interactions between drift waves and zonal flows are considered. For this purpose, mode coupling equations are derived by using a two-fluid model and the guiding center drifts. The equations are then Fourier analyzed to deduce the nonlinear dispersion relations. The latter depict the excitation of zonal flows due to the ponderomotive forces of drift waves. The flute-like zonal flows with insignificant density fluctuations have faster growth rates than those which have a finite wavelength along the magnetic field direction. The relevance of our investigation to drift wave driven zonal flows in computer simulations and laboratory plasmas is discussed. Received 5 April 2002 Published online 28 June 2002     

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.     

Ion-Temperature-Gradient-Driven Modes with Nonthermal Electron Distributions in Bi-ion Dusty Magnetoplasma

The effect of nonthermal distributions of electrons on ion-temperature-gradient (ITG)-driven drift modes in the presence of tiny dust particles for bi-ion magneto plasmas is investigated. The dynamics of bi-ions and dust particles is considered for the study of low-frequency (less than the gyrofrequencies of dust and ions) ITG mode. A new dispersion relation is derived and analyzed numerically as well as analytically. Three different distributions for nonthermal electrons (Kappa, q, and Cairns distribution) are used. It is found that the presence of nonthermal electrons in bi-ion dusty magnetoplasma reduces the growth rate of the ITG instability. These results should be useful for laboratory and space plasmas where nonthermal electrons and dust is always present.     

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.     

Detection of zero-mean-frequency zonal flows in the core of a high-temperature tokamak plasma

A low-frequency, spectrally broad (Deltaf approximately 10 kHz) poloidal flow structure that peaks near zero frequency is observed in time-resolved measurements of the turbulence velocity field in the core region (r/a approximately 0.6-0.9) of DIII-D tokamak plasmas. These flows exhibit a long poloidal wavelength (low m) and a short radial coherence length comparable to the ambient turbulence decorrelation length. Characteristics of these observed poloidal flows are consistent with the theoretically predicted residual or zero-mean-frequency zonal flows.     

Collisionless Trapped Ion Temperature Gradient Instabilities

Under the fluid limit, the collisionless electrostatic trapped ion temperature gradient instabilities are investigated by retaining the trapped ion parallel compressibility in the long wavelength limit. The two-scale analysis should be employed in view of the fact that the eigenfunctions vary over the connection width scale with an envelope varying over a secular scale. The results show that the slab branch of trapped ion modes, corresponding to the aperiodic trapped ion instability discovered by Kadomtzev, propagates along ion diamagnetic direction. The toroidd branch is also obtained in low-frequency and long wavelength limit. In this case, besides the unstable one propagating in ion diamagnetic direction, there exists a marginally stable toroidal odd mode propagating in electron diamagnetic direction. The eigenfrequencies and perturbative structures of these unstable modes are given analytically and numerically. The numerical results are in good agreement with the analytical ones.     

Destabilization of TAE modes by particle anisotropy

Plasmas heated by ICRF produce energetic particle distribution functions which are sharply peaked in pitch-angle. At moderate toroidal mode numbers, this anisotropy is the dominant instability drive when compared with the universal instability drive due to the spatial gradient. The universal drive, acting alone, destabilizes only co-propagating waves (i.e., waves propagating in the same toroidal direction as the diamagnetic flow of the energetic particles), but stabilizes counter-propagating waves (i.e., waves propagating in the toroidal direction opposite to that of the diamagnetic flow of the energetic particles). Nonetheless, in a tokamak, it is possible that particle anisotropy can produce a larger linear growth rate for counter-propagating waves, and provide a mechanism for preferred destabilization of the counter-propagating TAE modes that are sometimes experimentally observed.     

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     

EAST装置上W波段多道极向相关反射仪的研制

在EAST装置上安装了X模极化W波段多道相关反射仪,用于测量等离子体芯部密度涨落。该诊断利用低损耗(<3dB)多工器将4个不同频率(79.2GHz,85.2GHz,91.8GHz和96GHz)的微波耦合在一起,通过同一个天线发射。反射波由两个极向分离(~5cm)的天线接收,通过下变频技术实现外差测量。通过对两个极向天线接收的信号进行相关分析,获得芯部湍流垂直速度。对2018年低约束模式(L模)放电进行分析发现,在电子回旋共振加热(ECRH)等离子体中,芯部湍流垂直速度在电子逆磁漂移方向。而在注入同向中性束(co-NBI)后,芯部湍流垂直速度变为离子逆磁漂移方向。     

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     

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利用往返式朗缪尔探针组在HL-2A装置等离子体边缘首次同时观测到明显的低频(ƒ=0~5kHz)和测地声模(ƒ=16kHz)带状流的极向和环向对称性(m~0,n~0),径向结构及其传播特征。并同时推算出流的径向波矢(Kr-LF=0.6 cm-1,Kr-GAM=2cm-1)。双谱分析的结果表明低频和测地声模带状流的形成可能都是由于高频湍流和这种流之间的非线性三波耦合引起的。初步研究了电子回旋加热功率和边界安全因子引起带状流幅度的变化。此外,也观测了带状流幅度在径向方向的改变。     

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     

Observation of toroidal flow antiparallel to the <E(r) x B(straight theta)> drift direction in the hot electron mode plasmas in the compact helical system

A toroidal flow antiparallel to the drift direction is observed in the hot electron mode plasmas when a large positive electric field and a sharp electron temperature gradient are sustained inside the internal transport barrier in the Compact Helical System. This toroidal flow reaches up to 5x10(4) m/s at the plasma center, and it is large enough to reverse the toroidal flow driven by a tangentially injected neutral beam. These observations clearly show the plasma favors flow in the minimum nablaB direction at the transport barrier.     

HL-2A边缘等离子体中捕获电子模的线性数值模拟

利用GTC程序和HL-2A装置的实验数据,对托卡马克边缘等离子体中的漂移波微观不稳定性进行了线性数值模拟。模拟结果表明,在HL-2A边缘等离子体中捕获电子模(TEM)是不稳定的,它均匀且规则地分布在托卡马克的弱磁场区域,而且其增长率随着等离子体的温度梯度和密度梯度的增加而增加。另外,模拟结果还表明,TEM的实频率远远小于离子的漂移频率,这一点与理论研究结果是一致的。     

The application of homodyne spectroscopy to the study of low-frequency microturbulence in the TEXT tokamak

Summary The wave propagation direction of microturbulence in a tokamak plasma has been accurately measured by application of a new homodyne spectroscopy technique. This method has been used in conjunction with a collective far-infrared laser scattering experiment on TEXT. The low-frequency density fluctuations are observed to propagate primarily in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, however, the broadband spectra also possess an appreciable level of fluctuations traveling in the ion drift direction. Application of the homodyne spectroscopy technique represents an inexpensive and easily implemented alternative to the more technically demanding heterodyne schemes available in the far-infrared.