arXiv subjects

A. Kendl

Publications and source records attributed to A. Kendl.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gyrofluid Magnetic Reconnection Beyond the {\delta} F Approximation

Magnetic reconnection in a two-dimensional system is studied employing a novel Full-F gyrofluid model with arbitrary- wavelength polarization. In strongly magnetized plasmas, the long wavelength dimension parallel to the magnetic field can be separated from the much smaller perpendicular scales, motivating an isolated two-dimensional description. While previous studies have predominantly employed delta- F gyrofluid models, the present Full-F formulation is applied to simulate Harris-sheet magnetic reconnection with domain aspect ratios L_y/L_x <= 16, investigating tearing-mode growth, plasmoid formation, and the influence of finite ion Larmor radius (FLR) effects. In addition to a linear tearing-mode analysis, a non-modal stability analysis of the linearized system is performed. The evolution operator is shown to be strongly non-normal, exhibiting large condition numbers and extended pseudospectra that indicate the possibility of significant transient amplification, even in marginally stable regimes. Such transient amplification may facilitate the transition from linear tearing growth to rapid nonlinear acceleration. We focus on low-plasma-beta magnetic reconnection on the scale of the drift scale and incorporate ion FLR effects, placing the simulations in the context of magneti- cally confined fusion plasmas such as tokamaks. After discussing numerical resolution and convergence, we present a parameter scan varying the normalized electron skin depth and the ion-to-electron temperature ratio. Finally, the influence of aspect ratio, polarization model, and FLR effects on the reconnection dynamics and plasmoid formation is investigated.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

GREENY: A Full-F 2D Gyrofluid Reconnection Code

We present the 2D gyrofluid magnetic reconnection code GREENY (Gyrofluid Reconnection with Extended Electromagnetic Nonlinearity). After a brief introduction to gyrofluids, magnetic reconnection, and the implemented models, we discuss the numerical framework and the algorithmic treatment of the quasi-neutrality condition and Amper\`e's law. Next, we present solver tests, conservation laws, and the influence of artificial subgrid dissipation on Harris-sheet magnetic reconnection. Finally, we show different applications, initial conditions and present example simulations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2021

Lattice Boltzmann model for collisionless electrostatic drift wave turbulence obeying Charney-Hasegawa-Mima dynamics

A lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) approach to the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima (CHM) model for adiabatic drift wave turbulence in magnetised plasmas, is implemented. The CHM-LBM model contains a barotropic equation of state for the potential, a force term including a cross-product analogous to the Coriolis force in quasigeostrophic models, and a density gradient source term. Expansion of the resulting lattice Boltzmann model equations leads to cold-ion fluid continuity and momentum equations, which resemble CHM dynamics under drift ordering. The resulting numerical solutions of standard test cases (monopole propagation, stable drift modes and decaying turbulence) are compared to results obtained by a conventional finite difference scheme that directly discretizes the CHM equation. The LB scheme resembles characteristic CHM dynamics apart from an additional shear in the density gradient direction. The occuring shear reduces with the drift ratio and is ascribed to the compressible limit of the underlying LBM.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Streamline integration as a method for structured grid generation in X-point geometry

We investigate structured grids aligned to the contours of a two-dimensional flux-function with an X-point (saddle point). Our theoretical analysis finds that orthogonal grids exist if and only if the Laplacian of the flux-function vanishes at the X-point. In general, this condition is sufficient for the existence of a structured aligned grid with an X-point. With the help of streamline integration we then propose a numerical grid construction algorithm. In a suitably chosen monitor metric the Laplacian of the flux-function vanishes at the X-point such that a grid construction is possible. We study the convergence of the solution to elliptic equations on the proposed grid. The diverging volume element and cell sizes at the X-point reduce the convergence rate. As a consequence, the proposed grid should be used with grid refinement around the X-point in practical applications. We show that grid refinement in the cells neighboring the X-point restores the expected convergence rate.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2016

The influence of temperature dynamics and dynamic finite ion Larmor radius effects on seeded high amplitude plasma blobs

Thermal effects on the perpendicular convection of seeded pressure blobs in the scrape-off layer of magnetised fusion plasmas are investigated. Our numerical study is based on a four field full-F gyrofluid model, which entails the consistent description of high fluctuation amplitudes and dynamic finite Larmor radius effects. We find that the maximal radial blob velocity increases with the square root of the initial pressure perturbation and that a finite Larmor radius contributes to highly compact blob structures that propagate in the poloidal direction. An extensive parameter study reveals that a smooth transition to this compact blob regime occurs when the finite Larmor radius effect strength, defined by the ratio of the magnetic field aligned component of the ion diamagnetic to the $\vec{E}\times\vec{B}$ vorticity, exceeds unity. The maximal radial blob velocities agree excellently with the inertial velocity scaling law over more than an order of magnitude. We show that the finite Larmor radius effect strength affects the poloidal and total particle transport and present an empirical scaling law for the poloidal and total blob velocities. Distinctions to the blob behaviour in the isothermal limit with constant finite Larmor radius effects are highlighted.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2014

Radial convection of finite ion temperature, high amplitude plasma blobs

We present results from simulations of seeded blob convection in the scrape-off-layer of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. We consistently incorporate high fluctuation amplitude levels and finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects using a fully nonlinear global gyrofluid model. This is in line with conditions found in tokamak scrape-off-layers (SOL) regions. Varying the ion temperature, the initial blob width, and the initial amplitude, we found an FLR dominated regime where the blob behavior is significantly different from what is predicted by cold-ion models. The transition to this regime is very well described by the ratio of the ion gyroradius to the characteristic gradient scale length of the blob. We compare the global gyrofluid model with a partly linearized local model. For low ion temperatures we find that simulations of the global model show more coherent blobs with an increased cross-field transport compared to blobs simulated with the local model. The maximal blob amplitude is significantly higher in the global simulations than in the local ones. When the ion temperature is comparable to the electron temperature, global blob simulations show a reduced blob coherence and a decreased cross-field transport in comparison with local blob simulations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Towards a unified linear kinetic transport model with the trace ion module for EIRENE

Linear kinetic Monte Carlo particle transport models are frequently employed in fusion plasma simulations to quantify atomic and surface effects on the main plasma flow dynamics. Separate codes are used for transport of neutral particles (incl. radiation) and charged particles (trace impurity ions). Integration of both modules into main plasma fluid solvers provides then self consistent solutions, in principle. The required interfaces are far from trivial, because rapid atomic processes in particular in the edge region of fusion plasmas require either smoothing and resampling, or frequent transfer of particles from one into the other Monte Carlo code. We propose a different scheme here, in which despite the inherently different mathematical form of kinetic equations for ions and neutrals (e.g. Fokker-Planck vs. Boltzmann collision integrals) both types of particle orbits can be integrated into one single code. We show that the approximations and shortcomings of this "single sourcing" concept (e.g., restriction to explicit ion drift orbit integration) can be fully tolerable in a wide range of typical fusion edge plasma conditions, and be overcompensated by the code-system simplicity, as well as by inherently ensured consistency in geometry (one single numerical grid only) and (the common) atomic and surface process modules

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Drift wave turbulence in the presence of a dust density gradient

We present turbulent properties of electrostatic drift waves in a nonuniform collisional plasma composed of magnetised electrons and ions in the presence of immobile dust particles. For this purpose, we derive a pair of nonlinear quasi-two-dimensional equations exhibiting the coupling between the generalized ion vorticity and density fluctuations associated with collisional drift waves. The effect of a dust density gradient on the initial drift instability and fully developed turbulence is examined numerically.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2010

Transcranial stimulability of phosphenes by long lightning electromagnetic pulses

The electromagnetic pulses of rare long (order of seconds) repetitive lightning discharges near strike point (order of 100m) are analyzed and compared to magnetic fields applied in standard clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) practice. It is shown that the time-varying lightning magnetic fields and locally induced potentials are in the same order of magnitude and frequency as those established in TMS experiments to study stimulated perception phenomena, like magnetophosphenes. Lightning electromagnetic pulse induced transcranial magnetic stimulation of phosphenes in the visual cortex is concluded to be a plausible interpretation of a large class of reports on luminous perceptions during thunderstorms. APPENDIX (Erratum and Addendum by J. Peer, V. Cooray, G. Cooray and A. Kendl): The comparison of electric fields transcranially induced by lightning discharges and by TMS brain stimulators via View E = - dA/dt is shown to be inappropriate. Corrected results with respect to evaluation of phosphene stimulability are presented. For average lightning parameters the correct induced electric fields appear more than an order of magnitude smaller. For typical ranges of stronger than average lightning currents, electric fields above the threshold for cortical phosphene stimulation can be induced only for short distances (order of meters), or in medium distances (order of 50 m) only for pulses shorter than established axon excitation periods. Stimulation of retinal phosphene perception has much lower threshold and appears most probable for lightning electromagnetic fields.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2010

On the effects of channel tortuosity on the close electromagnetic fields associated with lightning return strokes

The electromagnetic fields associated with tortuous lightning channels are usually characterised by a pronounced fine structure. This work investigates and quantifies the effects of channel tortuosity on the return stroke electromagnetic field shapes in the close lightning environment (the range up to 100m from the lightning striking point). General equations for lightning return stroke electromagnetic fields for arbitrarily located observation points are derived from Maxwell's equations. In order to include arbitrary channel shapes, the channel is described by a parametric representation in Cartesian coordinates with the channel length as the free parameter. The return stroke current required for the evaluation of the derived equations is calculated from a current generation type model. The field computations show that amplitudes and waveforms of the electromagnetic fields in the close lightning environment are considerably influenced by the channel shape. In particular, the induction component of the electric fields radiated by a tortuous lightning channel differs significantly from that associated with a straight channel.

physics.ao-ph↗

arXiv2010

Nonlinear gyrofluid computation of edge localised ideal ballooning modes

Three dimensional electromagnetic gyrofluid simulations of the ideal ballooning mode blowout scenario for tokamak edge localized modes (ELMs) are presented. Special emphasis is placed on energetic diagnosis, examining changes in the growth rate in the linear, overshoot, and decay phases. The saturation process is energy transfer to self generated edge turbulence which exhibits an ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode structure. Convergence in the decay phase is found only if the spectrum reaches the ion gyroradius. The equilibrium is a self consistent background whose evolution is taken into account. Approximately two thirds of the total energy in the edge layer is liberated in the blowout. Parameter dependence with respect to plasma pressure and the ion gyroradius is studied. Despite the violent nature of the short-lived process, the transition to nonlinearity is very similar to that found in generic tokamak edge turbulence.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2004

Shear Flow Generation and Energetics in Electromagnetic Turbulence

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-Alfvén 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 Alfvén 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.

physics.plasm-ph↗