Modeling of plasma turbulence and transport in the Large Plasma Device

P. Popovich; M. V. Umansky; T. A. Carter; B. Friedman

doi:10.1063/1.3527987

Modeling of plasma turbulence and transport in the Large Plasma Device

P. Popovich
, M. V. Umansky
, T. A. Carter
, B. Friedman

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

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Numerical simulation of plasma turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] is presented. The model, implemented in the BOUndary Turbulence code [M. Umansky, X. Xu, B. Dudson, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], includes three-dimensional (3D) collisional fluid equations for plasma density, electron parallel momentum, and current continuity, and also includes the effects of ion-neutral collisions. In nonlinear simulations using measured LAPD density profiles but assuming constant temperature profile for simplicity, self-consistent evolution of instabilities and nonlinearly generated zonal flows results in a saturated turbulent state. Comparisons of these simulations with measurements in LAPD plasmas reveal good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement, in particular in frequency spectrum, spatial correlation, and amplitude probability distribution function of density fluctuations. For comparison with LAPD measurements, the plasma density profile in simulations is maintained either by direct azimuthal averaging on each time step, or by adding particle source/sink function. The inferred source/sink values are consistent with the estimated ionization source and parallel losses in LAPD. These simulations lay the groundwork for more a comprehensive effort to test fluid turbulence simulation against LAPD data.

Original language	English
Article number	122312
Journal	Physics of Plasmas
Volume	17
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3527987
State	Published - Dec 2010
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This work was supported by DOE Fusion Science Center Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC02-04ER54785, NSF Grant No. PHY-0903913, and by LLNL under DOE Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344. B.F. acknowledges support through appointment to the Fusion Energy Sciences Fellowship Program administered by Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education under a contract between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

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title = "Modeling of plasma turbulence and transport in the Large Plasma Device",

abstract = "Numerical simulation of plasma turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] is presented. The model, implemented in the BOUndary Turbulence code [M. Umansky, X. Xu, B. Dudson, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], includes three-dimensional (3D) collisional fluid equations for plasma density, electron parallel momentum, and current continuity, and also includes the effects of ion-neutral collisions. In nonlinear simulations using measured LAPD density profiles but assuming constant temperature profile for simplicity, self-consistent evolution of instabilities and nonlinearly generated zonal flows results in a saturated turbulent state. Comparisons of these simulations with measurements in LAPD plasmas reveal good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement, in particular in frequency spectrum, spatial correlation, and amplitude probability distribution function of density fluctuations. For comparison with LAPD measurements, the plasma density profile in simulations is maintained either by direct azimuthal averaging on each time step, or by adding particle source/sink function. The inferred source/sink values are consistent with the estimated ionization source and parallel losses in LAPD. These simulations lay the groundwork for more a comprehensive effort to test fluid turbulence simulation against LAPD data.",

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AB - Numerical simulation of plasma turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] is presented. The model, implemented in the BOUndary Turbulence code [M. Umansky, X. Xu, B. Dudson, Contrib. Plasma Phys. 180, 887 (2009)], includes three-dimensional (3D) collisional fluid equations for plasma density, electron parallel momentum, and current continuity, and also includes the effects of ion-neutral collisions. In nonlinear simulations using measured LAPD density profiles but assuming constant temperature profile for simplicity, self-consistent evolution of instabilities and nonlinearly generated zonal flows results in a saturated turbulent state. Comparisons of these simulations with measurements in LAPD plasmas reveal good qualitative and reasonable quantitative agreement, in particular in frequency spectrum, spatial correlation, and amplitude probability distribution function of density fluctuations. For comparison with LAPD measurements, the plasma density profile in simulations is maintained either by direct azimuthal averaging on each time step, or by adding particle source/sink function. The inferred source/sink values are consistent with the estimated ionization source and parallel losses in LAPD. These simulations lay the groundwork for more a comprehensive effort to test fluid turbulence simulation against LAPD data.

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Modeling of plasma turbulence and transport in the Large Plasma Device

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