Secondary low frequency mode generation by energetic particle induced geodesic acoustic mode (EGAM) observed in LHD experiment is studied using nonlinear gyrokinetic theory. It is found that the EGAM frequency can be significantly higher than local geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) frequency in low collisionality plasmas, and it can decay into two GAMs as its frequency approaches twice GAM frequency, in a process analogous to the well-known two plasmon decay instability. The condition for this process to occur is also discussed.
Taking the collisionless damping of geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) as an example, the physics processes underlying wave particle resonances in the short wavelength limit are clarified. As illus- trative application, GAM excitation by energetic particles in short wavelength limit is investigated assuming a single pitch angle slowing-down fast ion equilibrium distribution function. Conditions for this energetic particle-induced GAM (EGAM) to be unstable are discussed.
Nonlinear self-interaction of finite amplitude energetic particle induced geodesic acoustic mode (EGAM) is investigated using nonlinear gyrokinetic theory. It is found that both zero frequency zonal flow(ZFZF) and second harmonic can be driven by finite amplitude EGAM, with energetic particles (EPs) playing a dominant role in the nonlinear couplings through finite orbit width effects. For ZFZF, the effects of EPs on EGAM nonlinear self-coupling dominate that of the thermal plasmas which are also present; while the second harmonic generation is only possible via finite amplitude coupling though…
A new mechanism for Geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) excitation by a not fully slowed down energetic particle (EP) beam is analysed to explain experimental observations in Large Helical Device. It is shown that the positive velocity space gradient near the lower-energy end of the EP distribution function can strongly drive GAM unstable. The new features of this EP-induced GAM (EGAM) are: 1. no instability threshold in the pitch angle; 2. the EGAM frequency can be higher than the local GAM frequency; and 3. the instability growth rate is much larger than that driven by a fully slowed down EP beam.
Effects of circulating energetic ions (CEIs) on the geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in toroidally rotating tokamaks are theoretically analyzed utilizing the hybrid kinetic-fluid model. The frequencies of GAMs in the presence of toroidal rotation and CEIs are derived by first considering the rigid equilibrium condition. The unperturbed distribution function of CEIs depends on the poloidal angle, eventually influencing the frequencies significantly. The co-CEIs and counter-CEIs do not cancel each other in the balanced tangential neutral beam injection (NBI) case and show destabilizing effect on t…
Nonlinear oscillations of the amplitude of energetic-particle induced geodesic acoustic modes
De Vinci Higher Education, De Vinci Research Center（德芬奇高等教育学院，德芬奇研究中心）；Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics（马克斯·普朗克等离子体物理研究所）；Department of Mathematics “F. Casorati”, University of Pavia（帕维亚大学“F.卡索拉蒂”数学系）
The evolution of the coupled drift wave (DW) and energetic-particle-induced geodesic acoustic mode (EGAM) nonlinear system is investigated using the fully nonlinear coupled DW-EGAM two-field equations, with emphasis on the turbulence spreading in the form of soliton and the nonlinear energy transfer between DW and EGAM. Four scenarios with different combinations of EGAM initial amplitudes and linear EGAM growth rates are designed to delineate the effects of linear EGAM drive and finite EGAM amplitude on DW nonlinear dynamic evolution. In presence of the linear EPs drive, the soliton propagatio…
Effects of circulating energetic particles on the geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) with finite wave numbers are analyzed by using the hybrid kinetic-fluid model. The dispersion relation is derived by adopting the slowing beam ions distribution function in the presence of finite parallel wave number (FPWN), which is shown to affect the GAM as the toroidal rotation to the classical GAMs with zero wave numbers. The effects of CEIs can be divided into two parts. One is contributed by the poloidal angle and kinetic energy dependencies of the unperturbed distribution function, and is independent of th…
The nonlinear dynamics of energetic-particle (EP) driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAM) is investigated here. A numerical analysis with the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code ORB5 is performed, and the results are interpreted with the analytical theory, in close comparison with the theory of the beam-plasma instability. Only axisymmetric modes are considered, with a nonlinear dynamics determined by wave-particle interaction. Quadratic scalings of the saturated electric field with respect to the linear growth rate are found for the case of interest. The EP bounce frequency is calculated a…
Frequency Chirping of Energetic-Particle-Driven Geodesic Acoustic Modes in Tokamaks
De Vinci Higher Education, De Vinci Research Center（德芬奇高等教育中心，德芬奇研究中心）；Center for Nonlinear Plasma Science and C.R. ENEA Frascati（非线性等离子体科学中心与ENEA弗拉斯卡蒂研究中心）；Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics（马克斯·普朗克等离子体物理研究所）
The nonlinear dynamics of energetic particle (EP) driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAM) in tokamaks is investigated, and compared with the beam-plasma system (BPS). The EGAM is studied with the global gyrokinetic (GK) particle-in-cell code ORB5, treating the thermal ions and EP (in this case, fast ions) as GK and neglecting the kinetic effects of the electrons. The wave-particle nonlinearity only is considered in the EGAM nonlinear dynamics. The BPS is studied with a 1D code where the thermal plasma is treated as a linear dielectric, and the EP (in this case, fast electrons) with an n-body ham…
Turbulence in tokamaks generates radially sheared zonal flows. Their oscillatory counterparts, geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs), appear due to the action of the magnetic field curvature. The GAMs can be driven unstable by an anisotropic energetic particle (EP) population leading to the formation of global radial structures, called EGAMs. The EGAMs can redistribute EP energy to the bulk plasma through collisionless wave-particle interaction. In such a way, the EGAMs might contribute to the plasma heating. Thus, investigation of EGAM properties, especially in the velocity space, is necessary for p…
Energetic particles produced by neutral beams are observed to excite energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAMs) in tokamaks. We study the effects of anisotropy of distribution function of the energetic particles on the excitation of such instabilities with ORB5, a gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code. Numerical results are shown for linear electrostatic simulations with ORB5. The growth rate is found to be sensitively dependent on the phase-space shape of the distribution function. The behavior of the instability is qualitatively compared to the theoretical analysis of dispersion r…
Experiments as IceCube or Super-Kamiokande have been successful in detecting highly energetic neutrinos in the. Neutrinos in the ultra-low energy range ($\mathcal{E}<1.0~\rm{eV}$) have been theoretically predicted but their observation remain elusive, and no concrete experimental scheme has been proposed for that job. Here, we propose a novel scheme based on graphene plasmonic metamaterials to designed to detect ultra-low energetic neutrinos. We claim that slow neutrino fluxes, interacting with solid-state plasmas, can generate an instability due to the weak neutrino-plasmon interaction, which…
Geodesic acoustic modes (GAM) are oscillating zonal structures unique to toroidal plasmas, and have been extensively studied in the past decades due to their potential capabilities of regulating microscopic turbulences and associated anomalous transport. This article reviews linear and nonlinear theories of GAM; with emphases on kinetic treatment, system nonuniformity and realistic magnetic geometry, in order to reflect the realistic experimental conditions. Specifically, in the linear physics, the resonant wave-particle interactions are discussed, with the application to resonant excitation b…
Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) and energetic particle modes (EPMs) are often excited by energetic particles (EPs) in tokamak plasmas. One of the main open questions concerning EP driven instabilities is the non-linear evolution of the mode structure. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the properties of beta-induced AEs (BAEs) and EP driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAMs) observed in the ramp-up phase of off-axis NBI heated ASDEX Upgrade (AUG) discharges. This paper focuses on the changes in the mode structure of BAEs/EGAMs during the non-linear chirping phase. Our investigation has shown …
Alfven Eigenmodes (AE) can be destabilized by energetic particles in neutral beam injection (NBI) heated plasmas through inverse Landau damping and couplings with gap modes in the shear Alfven continua. We describe the linear evolution of the poloidal flux and the toroidal component of the vorticity in a full 3D system using the reduced MHD equations, density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particles as well as the geodesic acoustic wave dynamics. A closure relation adds the Landau damping and resonant destabilization effects in the model. We apply the model to study the Alfven…
Two novel nonlinear mode coupling processes for reversed shear Alfven eigenmode (RSAE) nonlinear saturation are proposed and investigated. In the first process, RSAE nonlinearly couples to a co-propagating toroidal Alfven eigenmode (TAE) with the same toroidal and poloidal mode numbers, and generates a geodesic acoustic mode (GAM). In the second process, RSAE couples to a counter-propagating TAE and generates an ion acoustic wave quasi-mode (IAW). The condition for the two processes to occur is favored during current ramp. Both processes contribute to effectively saturate the Alfvenic instabil…
Axions, the hypothetical particles restoring the charge-parity symmetry in the strong sector of the Standard Model, and one of the most prone candidates for dark matter, are well-known to interact with plasmas. In a recent publication [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 120}, 181803 (2018)], we have shown that if the plasma dynamically responds to the presence of axions, then a new quasi-particle (the axion plasmon-polariton) can be formed, being at the basis of a new generation of plasma-based detection techniques. In this work, we exploit the axion-plasmon hybridization to actively produce axions in stre…
In magnetic confinement fusion devices like tokamaks, it is crucial to confine the high energy fusion-born helium nuclei ($α$-particles) to maintain the energy equilibrium of the plasma. However, energetic ions can excite various instabilities which can lead to their enhanced radial transport. Consequently, these instabilities may degrade the heating efficiency and they can also cause harmful power loads on the plasma-facing components of the device. Therefore, the understanding of these modes is a key issue regarding future burning plasma experiments. One of the main open questions concerning…
