The Large Volume Plasma device(LVPD), a cylindrically shaped, linear plasma device of dimension( $ϕ=2m $, $ L =3m $) have successfully demonstrated the excitation of Electron Temperature Gradient(ETG) turbulence[ Mattoo et al.,[1]]. The observed ETG turbulence shows significant power between $ω\sim (25-90 krad/s )> Ω_{ci}(= 8 krad/s )$, corresponding to the wavenumber, $ k_y ρ_e ~ (0.1- 0.2)$ where, $ Ω_{ci}$ and $ρ_e(=5 mm ) $, ion cyclotron frequency and electron Larmor radius, respectively. The observed frequency and wave number matches well with theoretical estimates corresponding to Whistler-ETG mode. We investigated electromagnetic (EM) fluctuations induced plasma transport in high beta ( $ β\sim 0.01 - 0.4 $ ) ETG mode suitable plasma in LVPD. The radial electromagnetic (EM) electron (ion) flux ( $ Γ^{e,i}_{em} $) results primarily from the correlation between fluctuations of parallel electron current ($δJ_{\parallel ,e,i}$ ) and radial magnetic field ($ δB_r $ ). The electromagnetic particle flux is observed to be much smaller than the electrostatic particle flux,$ Γ_{em}\approx 10^{-5} Γ_{es} $ .The EM flux is small but finite contrary to the conventional slab ETG model. The electromagnetic flux is non-ambipolar. A theoretical model is obtained for the EM particle flux in straight homogeneous magnetic field geometry. The theoretical estimates are seen to compare well with the experimental observations. Sluggish parallel ion response is identified as the key mechanism for generation of small but finite electromagnetic flux.
The Large Volume Plasma Device (LVPD) has successfully demonstrated excitation of Electron Temperature Gradient (ETG) driven turbulence in finite plasma beta condition , where the threshold condition for ETG turbulence is satisfied. The observed mode follows wave-vector scaling and frequency ordering of ETG turbulence. Simultaneous measurement of fluctuations in electron temperature, $δT_e $, plasma density, $δn_e $ and potential,$δV_f $ are obtained. Strong negative correlation with correlation coefficients $ C_{δn_e δϕ_f}\sim -0.8 $ and $ C_{δT_e δϕ}\sim -0.9 $ are observed between density a…
Radially inward turbulent particle flux is observed in the core region of target plasma of Large Volume Plasma Device(LVPD). The region satisfy conditions for ETG turbulence, i.e. threshold condition, $ η_e = L_{n_e} / L_{T_e} > 2/3 $ , where density scale length, $ L_{n_e} \sim 300 cm $ and temerature scale length, $ L_{T_e} \sim 50cm $[S.K. Mattoo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 108, 255007(2012)\cite{Mattoo_PRL}]. The measured flux is dominantly electrostatic ($Γ_{es} \approx 10^{5} Γ_{em}$) although the nature of the measured turbulence is electromagnetic($β\approx 0.6 $). The turbulence has bee…
In electrostatic simulations of MAST plasma at electron-gyroradius scales, using the local flux-tube gyrokinetic code GS2 with adiabatic ions, we find that the long-time saturated electron heat flux (the level most relevant to energy transport) decreases as the electron collisionality decreases. At early simulation times, the heat flux "quasi-saturates" without any strong dependence on collisionality, and with the turbulence dominated by streamer-like radially elongated structures. However, the zonal fluctuation component continues to grow slowly until much later times, eventually leading to a…
Magnetic reconnection, breaking and reorganization of magnetic field topology, is a fundamental process for rapid release of magnetic energy into plasma particles that occurs pervasively throughout the universe. In most natural circumstances, the plasma properties on either side of the reconnection layer are asymmetric, in particular for the collision rates that are associated with a combination of density and temperature and critically determine the reconnection mechanism. To date, all laboratory experiments on magnetic reconnections have been limited to purely collisional or collisionless re…
Naturally stable to ELMs, and with widths larger than EPED predictions, the I-modes are an excellent laboratory for investigating the role of drift micro-instabilities in pedestals since I-mode pedestal are not "limited" by MHD instabilities. We present here a study based on gyrokinetic simulations (using GENE) to model fluctuations and heat transport in the I-mode pedestals in C-Mod. We find the Weakly Coherent Mode observed on C-Mod I-mode to be an electrostatic Ion Temperature Gradient/Impurity density gradient (ITG/Impurity) driven mode. The ITG/Impurity mode match frequency and the impuri…
A study of turbulent impurity transport by means of quasilinear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations is presented for Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X). The calculations have been carried out with the recently developed gyrokinetic code stella. Different impurity species are considered in the presence of various types of background instabilities: ITG, TEM and ETG modes for the quasilinear part of the work; ITG and TEM for the nonlinear results. While the quasilinear approach allows one to draw qualitative conclusions about the sign or relative importance of the various contributions to the flux, the non…
Neoclassical and turbulent heavy impurity transport in tokamak core plasmas are determined by main ion temperature, density and toroidal rotation profiles. Thus, in order to understand and prevent experimental behaviour of W accumulation, flux-driven integrated modelling of main ion heat and particle transport over multiple confinement times is a vital prerequisite. For the first time, the quasilinear gyrokinetic code QuaLiKiz has been applied for successful predictions of core kinetic profiles in an ASDEX Upgrade H-mode discharge in the turbulence dominated region within the integrated modell…
Pair-loaded electron-only magnetic reconnection using laser-driven capacitor coils
Princeton University(普林斯顿大学);University of Michigan(密歇根大学);University Corporation for Atmospheric Research(大气研究大学联盟);Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory(劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室);The Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC(极端光基础设施欧洲研究基础设施公司);National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST)(量子放射线科学和技术国立研究所);Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory(劳伦斯利弗莫尔国家实验室);Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory(普林斯顿等离子体物理实验室);Los Alamos National Laboratory(洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室)
A minority relativistic electron component can arise in both laboratory and naturally-occurring plasmas. In the presence of high-atomic-number ion species, the ion charge state distribution at low bulk electron temperature can be dominated by relativistic electrons, even though their density is orders of magnitude lower. This is due to the relativistic enhancement of the collisional excitation and ionization cross sections. The resulting charge state effect can dramatically impact the radiative power loss rate and the related Bethe stopping power of relativistic electrons in a dilute plasma.
Earth's magnetotail is an excellent laboratory to study the interplay of reconnection and turbulence in determining electron energization. The process of formation of a power law tail during turbulent reconnection is a documented fact still in need of a comprehensive explanation. We conduct a massively parallel particle in cell 3D simulation and use enhanced statistical resolution of the high energy range of the particle velocities to study how reconnection creates the conditions for the tail to be formed. The process is not direct acceleration by the coherent, laminar, reconnection-generated …