Direct Measurement of a Toroidally Directed Zonal Flow in a Toroidal Plasma

T. Nishizawa; A. F. Almagri; J. K. Anderson; W. Goodman; M. J. Pueschel; M. D. Nornberg; S. Ohshima; J. S. Sarff; P. W. Terry; Z. R. Williams

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.105001

Direct Measurement of a Toroidally Directed Zonal Flow in a Toroidal Plasma

T. Nishizawa, A. F. Almagri, J. K. Anderson, W. Goodman, M. J. Pueschel, M. D. Nornberg, S. Ohshima, J. S. Sarff, P. W. Terry, Z. R. Williams

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Zonal flow appears in toroidal, magnetically confined plasmas as part of the self-regulated interaction of turbulence and transport processes. For toroidal plasmas having a strong toroidal magnetic field, the zonal flow is predominately poloidally directed. This Letter reports the first observation of a zonal flow that is toroidally directed. The measurements are made just inside the last closed flux surface of reversed field pinch plasmas that have a dominant poloidal magnetic field. A limit cycle oscillation between the strength of the zonal flow and the amplitude of plasma potential fluctuations is observed, which provides evidence for the self-regulation characteristic of drift-wave-type plasma turbulence. The measurements help advance understanding and gyrokinetic modeling of toroidal plasmas in the pursuit of fusion energy.

Original language	English
Article number	105001
Journal	Physical review letters
Volume	122
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.105001
Publication status	Published - Mar 15 2019
Externally published	Yes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Physics and Astronomy(all)

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.105001

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title = "Direct Measurement of a Toroidally Directed Zonal Flow in a Toroidal Plasma",

abstract = "Zonal flow appears in toroidal, magnetically confined plasmas as part of the self-regulated interaction of turbulence and transport processes. For toroidal plasmas having a strong toroidal magnetic field, the zonal flow is predominately poloidally directed. This Letter reports the first observation of a zonal flow that is toroidally directed. The measurements are made just inside the last closed flux surface of reversed field pinch plasmas that have a dominant poloidal magnetic field. A limit cycle oscillation between the strength of the zonal flow and the amplitude of plasma potential fluctuations is observed, which provides evidence for the self-regulation characteristic of drift-wave-type plasma turbulence. The measurements help advance understanding and gyrokinetic modeling of toroidal plasmas in the pursuit of fusion energy.",

author = "T. Nishizawa and Almagri, {A. F.} and Anderson, {J. K.} and W. Goodman and Pueschel, {M. J.} and Nornberg, {M. D.} and S. Ohshima and Sarff, {J. S.} and Terry, {P. W.} and Williams, {Z. R.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to thank J. Smoniewski and D. M. Kriete for valuable discussions. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Awards No. DE-FC02- 05ER54814 and No. DE-FG02-04ER-54742. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 American Physical Society.",

year = "2019",

month = mar,

day = "15",

doi = "10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.105001",

language = "English",

volume = "122",

journal = "Physical Review Letters",

issn = "0031-9007",

publisher = "American Physical Society",

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T1 - Direct Measurement of a Toroidally Directed Zonal Flow in a Toroidal Plasma

AU - Nishizawa, T.

AU - Almagri, A. F.

AU - Anderson, J. K.

AU - Goodman, W.

AU - Pueschel, M. J.

AU - Nornberg, M. D.

AU - Ohshima, S.

AU - Sarff, J. S.

AU - Terry, P. W.

AU - Williams, Z. R.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank J. Smoniewski and D. M. Kriete for valuable discussions. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, and Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Awards No. DE-FC02- 05ER54814 and No. DE-FG02-04ER-54742. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 American Physical Society.

PY - 2019/3/15

Y1 - 2019/3/15

N2 - Zonal flow appears in toroidal, magnetically confined plasmas as part of the self-regulated interaction of turbulence and transport processes. For toroidal plasmas having a strong toroidal magnetic field, the zonal flow is predominately poloidally directed. This Letter reports the first observation of a zonal flow that is toroidally directed. The measurements are made just inside the last closed flux surface of reversed field pinch plasmas that have a dominant poloidal magnetic field. A limit cycle oscillation between the strength of the zonal flow and the amplitude of plasma potential fluctuations is observed, which provides evidence for the self-regulation characteristic of drift-wave-type plasma turbulence. The measurements help advance understanding and gyrokinetic modeling of toroidal plasmas in the pursuit of fusion energy.

AB - Zonal flow appears in toroidal, magnetically confined plasmas as part of the self-regulated interaction of turbulence and transport processes. For toroidal plasmas having a strong toroidal magnetic field, the zonal flow is predominately poloidally directed. This Letter reports the first observation of a zonal flow that is toroidally directed. The measurements are made just inside the last closed flux surface of reversed field pinch plasmas that have a dominant poloidal magnetic field. A limit cycle oscillation between the strength of the zonal flow and the amplitude of plasma potential fluctuations is observed, which provides evidence for the self-regulation characteristic of drift-wave-type plasma turbulence. The measurements help advance understanding and gyrokinetic modeling of toroidal plasmas in the pursuit of fusion energy.

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JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

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Direct Measurement of a Toroidally Directed Zonal Flow in a Toroidal Plasma

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