dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaShear Flow Generation and Energetics in Electromagnetic Turbulence
| Authors | V. Naulin, A. Kendl, O. E. Garcia, A. H. Nielsen, J. Juul Rasmussen |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0412130 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0412130 |
| DOI | 10.1063/1.1905603 |
Abstract
Zonal flows are recognised to play a crucial role for magnetised plasma confinement. The genesis of these flows out of turbulent fluctuations is therefore of significant interest. We investigate the relative importance of zonal flow generation mechanisms via the Reynolds stress, Maxwell stress, and geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) transfer in drift-Alfv\'en turbulence. By means of numerical computations we quantify the energy transfer into zonal flows owing to each of these effects. The importance of the three driving ingredients in electrostatic and electromagnetic turbulence for conditions relevant to the edge of fusion devices is revealed for a broad range of parameters. The Reynolds stress is found to provide a flow drive, while the electromagnetic Maxwell stress is in the cases considered a sink for the flow energy. In the limit of high plasma beta, where electromagnetic effects and Alfv\'en dynamics are important, the Maxwell stress is found to cancel the Reynolds stress to a high degree. The geodesic oscillations, related to equilibrium pressure profile modifications due to poloidally asymmetric transport, can act as both sinks as drive terms, depending on the parameter regime. For high beta cases the GAMs are the main drive of the flow. This is also reflected in the frequency dependence of the flow, showing a distinct peak at the GAM frequency in that regime.
{
"annotation_id": "31d37c9e-2919-4dab-a36d-dbec43939191",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:00:53.729000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:00:53.729000Z",
"file_hash": "6d8fb313561216cb5ef12c2a08316e47f7855a76f8f06077316890b42448b77b",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Zonal flows are recognised to play a crucial role for magnetised plasma\nconfinement. The genesis of these flows out of turbulent fluctuations is\ntherefore of significant interest. We investigate the relative importance of\nzonal flow generation mechanisms via the Reynolds stress, Maxwell stress, and\ngeodesic acoustic mode (GAM) transfer in drift-Alfv\\\u0027en turbulence. By means of\nnumerical computations we quantify the energy transfer into zonal flows owing\nto each of these effects. The importance of the three driving ingredients in\nelectrostatic and electromagnetic turbulence for conditions relevant to the\nedge of fusion devices is revealed for a broad range of parameters. The\nReynolds stress is found to provide a flow drive, while the electromagnetic\nMaxwell stress is in the cases considered a sink for the flow energy. In the\nlimit of high plasma beta, where electromagnetic effects and Alfv\\\u0027en dynamics\nare important, the Maxwell stress is found to cancel the Reynolds stress to a\nhigh degree. The geodesic oscillations, related to equilibrium pressure profile\nmodifications due to poloidally asymmetric transport, can act as both sinks as\ndrive terms, depending on the parameter regime. For high beta cases the GAMs\nare the main drive of the flow. This is also reflected in the frequency\ndependence of the flow, showing a distinct peak at the GAM frequency in that\nregime.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0412130",
"authors": [
"V. Naulin",
"A. Kendl",
"O. E. Garcia",
"A. H. Nielsen",
"J. Juul Rasmussen"
],
"categories": [
"physics.plasm-ph",
"physics.comp-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1063/1.1905603",
"title": "Shear Flow Generation and Energetics in Electromagnetic Turbulence",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0412130"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "3e46f3d5-dcfb-4d94-abeb-d2fe4d5e5594",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}