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arXiv · 1703.03257

Distinct turbulence saturation regimes in stellarators

G. G. Plunk·P. Xanthopoulos·P. Helander
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Abstract

In the complex 3D magnetic fields of stellarators, ion-temperature-gradient turbulence is shown to have two distinct saturation regimes, as revealed by petascale numerical simulations, and explained by a simple turbulence theory. The first regime is marked by strong zonal flows, and matches previous observations in tokamaks. The newly observed second regime, in contrast, exhibits small- scale quasi-two-dimensional turbulence, negligible zonal flows, and, surprisingly, a weaker heat flux scaling. Our findings suggest that key details of the magnetic geometry control turbulence in stellarators.

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G. G. Plunk, P. Xanthopoulos, P. Helander. 2017-03-09. Distinct turbulence saturation regimes in stellarators. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.118.105002

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