Professor Felix Parra Diaz

Abstract:

We derive a self-consistent equation for the turbulent transport of toroidal angular momentum in tokamaks in the low flow ordering that only requires solving gyrokinetic Fokker-Planck and quasineutrality equations correct to second order in an expansion on the gyroradius over scale length. We also show that according to our orderings the long wavelength toroidal rotation and the long wavelength radial electric field satisfy the neoclassical relation that gives the toroidal rotation as a function of the radial electric field and the radial gradients of pressure and temperature. Thus, the radial electric field can be solved for once the toroidal rotation is calculated from the transport of toroidal angular momentum. Unfortunately, even though this methodology only requires a gyrokinetic model correct to second order in gyroradius over scale length, current gyrokinetic simulations are only valid to first order. To overcome this difficulty, we exploit the smallish ratio Bp/B, where B is the total magnetic field and Bp is its poloidal component. When Bp/B is small, the usual first order gyrokinetic equation provides solutions that are accurate enough to employ for our expression for the transport of toroidal angular momentum. We show that current δf and full f simulations only need small corrections to achieve this accuracy. Full f simulations, however, are still unable to determine the long wavelength, radial electric field from the quasineutrality equation. © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Abstract:

A recent publication [F. I. Parra and P. J. Catto, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50, 065014 (2008)] warned against the use of the lower order gyrokinetic Poisson equation at long wavelengths because the long wavelength, radial electric field must remain undetermined to the order the equation is obtained. Another reference [W. W. Lee and R. A. Kolesnikov, Phys. Plasmas 16, 044506 (2009)] criticizes these results by arguing that the higher order terms neglected in the most common gyrokinetic Poisson equation are formally smaller than the terms that are retained. This argument is flawed and ignores that the lower order terms, although formally larger, must cancel without determining the long wavelength, radial electric field. The reason for this cancellation is discussed. In addition, the origin of a nonlinear term present in the gyrokinetic Poisson equation [F. I. Parra and P. J. Catto, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 50, 065014 (2008)] is explained. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.

Abstract:

Traditional electrostatic gyrokinetic treatments consist of a gyrokinetic Fokker-Planck equation and a gyrokinetic quasineutrality equation. Both of these equations can be found up to second order in a gyroradius over macroscopic length expansion in some simplified cases, but the versions implemented in codes are typically only first order. In axisymmetric configurations such as the tokamak, the accuracy to which the distribution function is calculated is insufficient to determine the neoclassical radial electric field. Moreover, we prove here that turbulence dominated tokamaks are intrinsically ambipolar, as are neoclassical tokamaks. Therefore, traditional gyrokinetic descriptions are unable to correctly calculate the toroidal rotation and hence the axisymmetric radial electric field. We study the vorticity equation, ∇ J = 0, in the gyrokinetic regime, with wavelengths on the order of the ion Larmor radius. We explicitly show that gyrokinetics needs to be calculated at least to third order in the gyroradius expansion if the radial electric field is to be retrieved from quasineutrality. The method employed to study the vorticity equation also suggests a solution to the problem, namely, solving a gyrokinetic vorticity equation instead of the quasineutrality equation. The vorticity equations derived here only obtain the potential within a flux function as required. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.