Turbulent transport reduction by zonal flows: massively parallel simulations
Three-dimensional gyrokinetic simulations of microturbulence in magnetically confined toroidal plasmas with massively parallel computers showed that, with linear flow damping, an asymptotic residual flow develops in agreement with analytic calculations. Nonlinear global simulations of instabilities driven by temperature gradients in the ion component of the plasma support the view that turbulence-driven fluctuating zonal flows can substantially reduce turbulent transport. Finally, the outstanding differences in the flow dynamics observed in global and local simulations are found to be due to profile variations.
Lin
Z
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Post Office Box 451, Princeton, NJ 08543, USA.
Hahm
TS
Lee
WW
Tang
WM
White
RB