arXiv subjects

Natalia Tronko

Publications and source records attributed to Natalia Tronko.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

First principles gyrokinetic analysis of electromagnetic plasma instabilities

A two-fold analysis of electromagnetic core tokamak instabilities in the framework of the gyrokinetic theory is presented. First principle theoretical foundations of the gyrokinetic theory are used to explain and justify the numerical results obtained with the global electromagnetic particle-in-cell code Orb5 whose model is derived from the Lagrangian formalism. The energy conservation law corresponding to the Orb5 model is derived from the Noether theorem and implemented in the code as a diagnostics for energy balance and conservation verification. An additional Noether theorem based diagnostics is implemented in order to analyse destabilising mechanisms for the electrostatic and the electromagnetic Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG) instabilities in the core region of the tokamak. The transition towards the Kinetic Ballooning Modes (KBM) at high electromagnetic $β$ is also investigated.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Second order nonlinear gyrokinetic theory : From the particle to the gyrocenter

A gyrokinetic reduction is based on a specific ordering of the different small parameters characterizing the background magnetic field and the fluctuating electromagnetic fields. In this tutorial, we consider the following ordering of the small parameters: $ε\_B=ε\_δ^2$ where $ε\_B$ is the small parameter associated with spatial inhomogeneities of the background magnetic field and $ε\_δ$ characterizes the small amplitude of the fluctuating fields. In particular, we do not make any assumption on the amplitude of the background magnetic field. Given this choice of ordering, we describe a self-contained and systematic derivation which is particularly well suited for the gyrokinetic reduction, following a two-step procedure. We follow the approach developed in [Sugama, Physics of Plasmas 7, 466 (2000)]:In a first step, using a translation in velocity, we embed the transformation performed on the symplectic part of the gyrocentre reduction in the guiding-centre one. In a second step, using a canonical Lie transform, we eliminate the gyroangle dependence from the Hamiltonian. As a consequence, we explicitly derive the fully electromagnetic gyrokinetic equations at the second order in $ε\_δ$.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

Verification of Gyrokinetic codes: theoretical background and applications

In fusion plasmas the strong magnetic field allows the fast gyro-motion to be systematically removed from the description of the dynamics, resulting in a considerable model simplification and gain of computational time. Nowadays, the gyrokinetic (GK) codes play a major role in the understanding of the development and the saturation of turbulence and in the prediction of the subsequent transport. Naturally, these codes require thorough verification and validation. Here we present a new and generic theoretical framework and specific numerical applications to test the faithfulness of the implemented models to theory and to verify the domain of applicability of existing GK codes. For a sound verification process, the underlying theoretical GK model and the numerical scheme must be considered at the same time, which has rarely been done and therefore makes this approach pioneering. At the analytical level, the main novelty consists in using advanced mathematical tools such as variational formulation of dynamics for systematization of basic GK code's equations to access the limits of their applicability. The verification of numerical scheme is proposed via the benchmark effort. In this work, specific examples of code verification are presented for two GK codes: the multi-species electromagnetic ORB5 (PIC) and the radially global version of GENE (Eulerian). The proposed methodology can be applied to any existing GK code. We establish a hierarchy of reduced GK Vlasov-Maxwell equations implemented in the ORB5 and GENE codes using the Lagrangian variational formulation. At the computational level, detailed verifications of global electromagnetic test cases developed from the CYCLONE Base Case are considered, including a parametric $β$-scan covering the transition from ITG to KBM and the spectral properties at the nominal $β$ value.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

Hierarchy of second-order gyrokinetic Hamiltonian models for particle-in-cell codes

The reduced-particle model is the central element for the systematic derivation of the gyrokinetic Vlasov-Maxwell equations from first principles. Coupled to the fields inside the gyrokinetic field-particle Lagrangian, the reduced-particle model defines polarization and magnetization effects appearing in the gyrokinetic Maxwell equations. It is also used for the reconstruction of the gyrokinetic Vlasov equation from the particle characteristics. Various representations of reduced-particle models are available according to the choice of the gyrokinetic phase space coordinates. In this paper, the Hamiltonian representation of the reduced particle dynamics at an order suitable for the implementation in particle-in-cell simulations is explicitly derived from the general reduction procedure. The second-order (with respect to the fluctuating electromagnetic fields), full Finite Larmor Radius (FLR) Hamiltonian gyrokinetic particle model as well as the second-order model suitable specifically for the long-wavelength approximation (i.e., containing up to the second-order FLR corrections), are derived and compared to the model recently implemented in the particle-in-cell code ORB5. We show that the same long-wavelength approximate equations can also be derived by taking the proper limit of the full FLR model.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2017

Second order Gyrokinetic theory for Particle-In-Cell codes

The main idea of Gyrokinetic dynamical reduction consists in systematical removing of fastest scale of motion (the gyro motion) from plasma's dynamics, resulting in a considerable model simplification and gain of computing time. Gyrokinetic Maxwell-Vlasov system is broadly implemented in nowadays numerical experiments for modeling strongly magnetized plasma (both laboratory and astrophysical). Different versions of reduced set of equations exist depending on the construction of the Gyrokinetic reduction procedure and approximations assumed while their derivation. The purpose of this paper is to explicitly show the connection between the general second order gyrokinetic Maxwell-Vlasov system issued from the Modern Gyrokinetic theory derivation and the model currently implemented in global electromagnetic Particle in Cell code ORB5. Strictly necessary information about the Modern Gyrokinetic formalism is given together with the consistent derivation of the gyrokinetic Maxwell-Vlasov equations from the first principle of dynamics. Variational formulation of dynamics is also used for simultaneously obtaining the corresponding exact energy conservation law. The result of that explicit derivation is used for verification of the energy conservation diagnostics currently implemented in ORB5 code. This work subscribes into the context of codes verification project VeriGyro currently run in IPP Max Planck Institut in collaboration with others European institutions.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2015

Lagrangian and Hamiltonian constraints for guiding-center Hamiltonian theories

A consistent guiding-center Hamiltonian theory is derived by Lie-transform perturbation method, with terms up to second order in magnetic-field nonuniformity. Consistency is demonstrated by showing that the guiding-center transformation presented here satisfies separate Jacobian and Lagrangian constraints that have not been explored before. A new first-order term appearing in the guiding-center phase-space Lagrangian is identified through a calculation of the guiding-center polarization. It is shown that this new polarization term also yields a simpler expression of the guiding-center toroidal canonical momentum, which satisfies an exact conservation law in axisymmetric magnetic geometries. Lastly, an application of the guiding-center Lagrangian constraint on the guiding-center Hamiltonian yields a natural interpretation for its higher-order corrections.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

Exact conservation laws for truncated gyrokinetic Vlasov-Poisson equations

The purpose of the current work is adapting the results of the Noether method derivation of momentum transport equation for the gyrokinetic Vlasov-Poisson system to numerical implementations. In particular, we are considering the delta-f truncated Gyrokinetic Vlasov-Poisson system and we derive the exact momentum conservation laws via the Noether method.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2013

Stability of compressible reduced magnetohydrodynamic equilibria - analogy with magnetorotational instability

Stability analyses for equilibria of the compressible reduced magnetohydrodynamics (CRMHD) model are carried out by means of the Energy-Casimir (EC) method. Stability results are compared with those obtained for ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) from the classical δW criterion. An identification of the terms in the second variation of the free energy functional for CRMHD with those of δW is made: two destabilizing effects present for CRMHD turn out to correspond to the kink and interchange instabilities in usual MHD, while the stabilizing roles of field line bending and compressibility are also identified in the reduced model. Also, using the EC method, stability conditions in the presence of toroidal flow are obtained. A formal analogy between CRMHD and a reduced incompressible model for magnetized rotating disks, due to Julien and Knobloch [EAS Pub. Series, 21, 81 (2006)], is discovered. In light of this analogy, energy stability analysis shows that the condition for magnetorotational instability (MRI) for the latter model, corresponds to the condition for interchange instability in CRMHD, with the Coriolis term and shear velocity playing the roles of the curvature term and pressure gradient, respectively. Using the EC method, stability conditions for the rotating disk model, for a large class of equilibria with possible non-uniform magnetic fields, are obtained. In particular, this shows it is possible for the MRI system to undergo, in addition to the MRI, another instability that is analogous to the kink instability. For vanishing magnetic field, the Rayleigh hydrodynamical stability condition is recovered.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Weak turbulence in two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics

A weak wave turbulence theory is developed for two-dimensional (2D) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). We derive and analyze the kinetic equation describing the three-wave interactions of pseudo-Alfvén waves. Our analysis is greatly helped by the fortunate fact that in 2D the wave-kinetic equation is integrable. In contrast with the 3D case, in 2D the wave interactions are nonlocal. Another distinct feature is that strong derivatives of spectra tend to appear in the region of small parallel (i.e. along the uniform magnetic field direction) wavenumbers leading to a breakdown of the weak turbulence description in this region. We develop a qualitative theory beyond weak turbulence describing subsequent evolution and formation of a steady state.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2012

Equivalent representations of higher-order Hamiltonian guiding-center theory

Two complementary representations of higher-order guiding-center theory are presented, which are distinguished by whether higher-order corrections due to magnetic-field nonuniformity appear in the guiding-center Poisson bracket or the guiding-center Hamiltonian. The equivalence of these two representations implies that the guiding-center gyroaction adiabatic invariant and the guiding-center Hamilton equations of motion are representation-invariants. By using a new perturbative hierarchy in guiding-center theory, second-order corrections are introduced in Hamiltonian guiding-center theory without the need to calculate the guiding-center transformation at second order.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Transport barrier for the radial diffusion due to the ExB drift motion of guiding centers in cylindrical confinement geometry

We consider the radial transport of test particles due to the ExB drift motion in the guiding center approximation. Using an explicit expression to modify the electrostatic potential, we show that it is possible to construct a transport barrier which suppresses radial transport. We propose an algorithm for the implementation of this local modification computed from an electrostatic potential known on a spatio-temporal grid. The number of particles which escape the inner region defined by the barrier measures the efficiency of the control. We show that the control is robust by showing a significant reduction of radial transport, when applied with a reduced number of probes aligned on a circle.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2011

Exact momentum conservation laws for the gyrokinetic Vlasov-Poisson equations

The exact momentum conservation laws for the nonlinear gyrokinetic Vlasov-Poisson equations are derived by applying the Noether method on the gyrokinetic variational principle [A. J. Brizard, Phys. Plasmas {\bf 7}, 4816 (2000)]. From the gyrokinetic Noether canonical-momentum equation derived by the Noether method, the gyrokinetic parallel momentum equation and other gyrokinetic Vlasov-moment equations are obtained. In addition, an exact gyrokinetic toroidal angular-momentum conservation law is derived in axisymmetric tokamak geometry, where the transport of parallel-toroidal momentum is related to the radial gyrocenter polarization, which includes contributions from the guiding-center and gyrocenter transformations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2009

Barriers for the reduction of transport due to the EXB drift in magnetized plasmas

We consider a 1 1/2degrees of freedom Hamiltonian dynamical system, which models the chaotic dynamics of charged test-particles in a turbulent electric field, across the confining magnetic field in controlled thermonuclear fusion devices. The external electric field E = \nabla\bigvee is modeled by a phenomenological potential V and the magnetic field B is considered uniform. It is shown that, by introducing a small additive control term to the external electric field, it is possible to create a transport barrier for this dynamical system. The robustness of this control method is also investigated. This theoretical study indicates that alternative transport barriers can be triggered without requiring a control action on the device scale as in present Internal Transport Barriers (ITB).

math-ph↗