Toroidal momentum pinch velocity due to the coriolis drift effect on small scale instabilities in a toroidal plasma.
In this Letter, the influence of the "Coriolis drift" on small scale instabilities in toroidal plasmas is shown to generate a toroidal momentum pinch velocity. Such a pinch results because the Coriolis drift generates a coupling between the density and temperature perturbations on the one hand and the perturbed parallel flow velocity on the other. A simple fluid model is used to highlight the physics mechanism and gyro-kinetic calculations are performed to accurately assess the magnitude of the pinch. The derived pinch velocity leads to a radial gradient of the toroidal velocity profile even in the absence of a torque on the plasma and is predicted to generate a peaking of the toroidal velocity profile similar to the peaking of the density profile. Finally, the pinch also affects the interpretation of current experiments.
Peeters
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AG
Max Planck Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, Boltzmannstrasse 2 85748 Garching, Germany.
Angioni
C
C
Strintzi
D
D