arXiv subjects

T. Adkins

Publications and source records attributed to T. Adkins.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Zonal-flow generation and saturation of electromagnetic ion-scale turbulence in tokamaks

Local flux-tube gyrokinetic simulations of ion-scale turbulence in tokamak plasmas at finite plasma beta are conducted to investigate the generation of zonal flows via turbulent stresses. A parameter scan in the safety factor $q$ and electron beta $\beta_e$ reveals a transition from low- to high-transport states when $\beta_{\mathrm{eff}} \equiv q^2\beta_e$ exceeds a certain critical value $C_{\mathrm{nl}}$. While the linear stability limits for kinetic and ideal ballooning modes also scale as $\beta_e \propto 1/q^2$, they lie above the observed transition, indicating that the effect is not due to linear instabilities but to nonlinear dynamics. At low $\beta_{\mathrm{eff}}$, Reynolds stress dominates and drives zonal flows. At higher values, Maxwell stress becomes comparable, suppressing zonal-flow formation and leading to divergent transport. This nonlinear-transition boundary is determined for both the Cyclone Base Case and a spherical tokamak (ST40) configuration, suggesting that the relation $\beta_{\mathrm{eff}} = C_{\mathrm{nl}}$ may have broader applicability, though $C_{\mathrm{nl}}$ appears to be configuration-dependent. For the Cyclone Base Case, the ratio of energy transfer rates into zonal flows due to Maxwell and Reynolds stresses is observed empirically to scale as $\beta_e$ for $\beta_e$ below a critical value $\beta_{e,\mathrm{sb}}$ (scaling breakdown). The value of $\beta_{e,\mathrm{sb}}$ is found to increase with decreasing aspect ratio, suggesting that the linear scaling remains valid over a wider range of $\beta_e$ for more compact magnetic equilibria. This low-$\beta_e$ scaling provides the basis for a practical method to predict the nonlinear-transition threshold with minimal reliance on highly electromagnetic nonlinear simulations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

High-beta runaway transitions in a fluid model of electromagnetic ion-temperature-gradient turbulence

Gyrokinetic simulations of tokamak turbulence indicate that fluctuation levels increase abruptly and dramatically when the plasma beta exceeds a certain critical value. This increase in fluctuation levels coincides with a transition from a state dominated by zonal flow to one in which turbulent eddies form radially-elongated `streamers'. Here we derive from gyrokinetics a minimal fluid model for electromagnetic ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) turbulence that captures the key features of this transition. Due to the relative simplicity of the model, we are able to conduct a detailed numerical study of the interplay between the turbulence and the zonal flow across a broad range of values of the plasma beta and the ITG. We find that the transition occurs when the Reynolds stress, which tends to strengthen zonal flows, is overwhelmed by the Maxwell and diamagnetic stresses, which tend to weaken them. Power-law scalings of the stress ratios with plasma beta and ITG are obtained, indicating a possible means by which the location of the transition could be predicted with minimal computational cost.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Scaling laws for the cutoff wavenumber of the short-wavelength ion-temperature-gradient mode in a Z-pinch

We use a heuristic fluid model to predict the dependence of the cutoff wave number for the short-wavelength ion temperature gradient (SWITG) mode on ion density gradient, ion temperature gradient (ITG) and ion-electron temperature ratio. In particular, we predict that the cutoff wave number increases linearly with increasing ITG for sufficiently large values of the ITG. Direct numerical solutions of the gyrokinetic dispersion relation using a purpose-built solver confirm the predicted scalings at large ITG values and find a weaker power-law scaling for intermediate ITG values. Combining these wave number scalings with a simple diffusive estimate for turbulent fluxes produces a scaling prediction for the ITG heat flux in SWITG-driven turbulence. Applying the critical balance conjecture additionally provides scalings for the aspect ratio of the SWITG turbulent eddies.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Asymptotic scaling theory of electrostatic turbulent transport in magnetised fusion plasmas

Turbulent transport remains one of the principal obstacles to achieving efficient magnetic confinement in fusion devices. Two of the dominant drivers of the turbulence are microscale instabilities fuelled by electron- and ion-temperature gradients (ETG and ITG), whose nonlinear saturation determines the cross-field transport of particles and energy. We present a simple asymptotic scaling theory that unifies ETG- and ITG-driven turbulence within a common framework. By balancing the fundamental time scales of linear free energy injection, nonlinear decorrelation, and parallel propagation, the theory isolates the dependence of the heat flux on equilibrium parameters to two key quantities: the parallel system scale and the outer-scale aspect ratio. We show that these quantities encapsulate the essential physics of saturation, leading to distinct predictions for ETG and ITG transport: a cubic scaling with the temperature gradient in the electron channel, and a linear scaling in the ion channel, the latter recovering the ITG scaling recently proposed and numerically verified in axisymmetric geometry by Nies et al. [Phys. Rev. Res. 8, 013295 (2026)]. Extensive nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations confirm that these theoretical predictions in fact hold irrespective of the magnetic geometry (slab, tokamak, or stellarator), including the first numerical confirmation of the cubic ETG scaling anticipated by earlier studies. Our theory depends only on the parallel system scale and the outer-scale aspect ratio, and hence provides a physics-based foundation for fast, geometry-aware transport models, offering a pathway toward reactor optimisation in both tokamaks and stellarators.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Turbulent heating in collisionless low-beta plasmas: imbalance, Landau damping, and electron-ion energy partition

An understanding of how turbulent energy is partitioned between ions and electrons in weakly collisional plasmas is crucial for modelling many astrophysical systems. Using theory and simulations of a four-dimensional reduced model of low-beta gyrokinetics (the `Kinetic Reduced Electron Heating Model'), we investigate the dependence of collisionless heating processes on plasma beta and imbalance (normalised cross-helicity). These parameters are important because they control the helicity barrier, the formation of which divides the parameter space into two distinct regimes with remarkably different properties. In the first, at lower beta and/or imbalance, the absence of a helicity barrier allows the cascade of injected power to proceed to small (perpendicular) scales, but its slow cascade rate makes it susceptible to significant electron Landau damping, in some cases leading to a marked steepening of the magnetic spectra on scales above the ion Larmor radius. In the second, at higher beta and/or imbalance, the helicity barrier halts the cascade, confining electron Landau damping to scales above the steep `transition-range' spectral break, resulting in dominant ion heating. We formulate quantitative models of these processes that compare well to simulations in each regime, and combine them with results of previous studies to construct a simple formula for the electron-ion heating ratio as a function of beta and imbalance. This model predicts a `winner takes all' picture of low-beta plasma heating, where a small change in the fluctuations' properties at large scales (the imbalance) can cause a sudden switch between electron and ion heating.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

The gyrokinetic field invariant and electromagnetic temperature-gradient instabilities in `good-curvature' plasmas

Curvature-driven instabilities are ubiquitous in magnetised fusion plasmas. By analysing the conservation laws of the gyrokinetic system of equations, we demonstrate that the well-known spatial localisation of these instabilities to regions of `bad magnetic curvature' can be explained using the conservation law for a sign-indefinite quadratic quantity that we call the `gyrokinetic field invariant'. Its evolution equation allows us to define the local effective magnetic curvature whose sign demarcates the regions of `good' and `bad' curvature, which, under some additional simplifying assumptions, can be shown to correspond to the inboard (high-field) and outboard (low-field) sides of a tokamak plasma, respectively. We find that, given some reasonable assumptions, electrostatic curvature-driven modes are always localised to the regions of bad magnetic curvature, regardless of the specific character of the instability. More importantly, we also deduce that any mode that is unstable in the region of good magnetic curvature must be electromagnetic in nature. As a concrete example, we present the magnetic-drift mode, a novel good-curvature electromagnetic instability, and compare its properties with the well-known electron-temperature-gradient instability. Finally, we discuss the relevance of the magnetic-drift mode for high-$\beta$ fusion plasmas, and in particular its relationship with microtearing modes.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2024

Suppression of temperature-gradient-driven turbulence by sheared flows in fusion plasmas

Starting from the assumption that saturation of plasma turbulence driven by temperature-gradient instabilities in fusion plasmas is achieved by a local energy cascade between a long-wavelength outer scale, where energy is injected into the fluctuations, and a small-wavelength dissipation scale, where fluctuation energy is thermalised by particle collisions, we formulate a detailed phenomenological theory for the influence of perpendicular flow shear on magnetised-plasma turbulence. Our theory introduces two distinct regimes, called the weak-shear and strong-shear regimes, each with its own set of scaling laws for the scale and amplitude of the fluctuations and for the level of turbulent heat transport. We discover that the ratio of the typical radial and poloidal wavenumbers of the fluctuations (i.e., their aspect ratio) at the outer scale plays a central role in determining the dependence of the turbulent transport on the imposed flow shear. Our theoretical predictions are found to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations of two paradigmatic models of fusion-relevant plasma turbulence: (i) an electrostatic fluid model of slab electron-scale turbulence, and (ii) Cyclone-base-case gyrokinetic ion-scale turbulence. Additionally, our theory envisions a potential mechanism for the suppression of electron-scale turbulence by perpendicular ion-scale flows based on the role of the aforementioned aspect ratio of the electron-scale fluctuations.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2024

The effects of finite electron inertia on helicity-barrier-mediated turbulence

Understanding the partitioning of turbulent energy between ions and electrons in weakly collisional plasmas is crucial for the accurate interpretation of observations and modelling of various astrophysical phenomena. Many such plasmas are "imbalanced", wherein the large-scale energy input is dominated by Alfv\'enic fluctuations propagating in a single direction. In this paper, we demonstrate that when strongly-magnetised plasma turbulence is imbalanced, nonlinear conservation laws imply the existence of a critical value of the electron plasma beta that separates two dramatically different types of turbulence in parameter space. For betas below the critical value, the free energy injected on the largest scales is able to undergo a familiar Kolmogorov-type cascade to small scales where it is dissipated, heating electrons. For betas above the critical value, the system forms a "helicity barrier" that prevents the cascade from proceeding past the ion Larmor radius, causing the majority of the injected free energy to be deposited into ion heating. Physically, the helicity barrier results from the inability of the system to adjust to the disparity between the perpendicular-wavenumber scalings of the free energy and generalised helicity below the ion Larmor radius; restoring finite electron inertia can annul, or even reverse, this disparity, giving rise to the aforementioned critical beta. We relate this physics to the "dynamic phase alignment" mechanism, and characterise various other important features of the helicity barrier, including the nature of the nonlinear wavenumber-space fluxes, dissipation rates, and energy spectra. The existence of such a critical beta has important implications for heating, as it suggests that the dominant recipient of the turbulent energy -- ions or electrons -- can depend sensitively on the characteristics of the plasma at large scales.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2024

Calibration of detector time constant with a thermal source for the POLARBEAR-2A CMB polarization experiment

The Simons Array (SA) project is a ground-based Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization experiment. The SA observes the sky using three telescopes, and POLARBEAR-2A (PB-2A) is the receiver system on the first telescope. For the ground-based experiment, atmospheric fluctuation is the primary noise source that could cause polarization leakage. In the PB-2A receiver system, a continuously rotating half-wave plate (HWP) is used to mitigate the polarization leakage. However, due to the rapid modulation of the polarization signal, the uncertainty in the time constant of the detector results in an uncertainty in the polarization angle. For PB-2A, the time constant of each bolometer needs to be calibrated at the sub-millisecond level to avoid introducing bias to the polarization signal. We have developed a new calibrator system that can be used to calibrate the time constants of the detectors. In this study, we present the design of the calibration system and the preliminary results of the time constant calibration for PB-2A.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2024

On the importance of parallel magnetic-field fluctuations for electromagnetic instabilities in STEP

[ABRIDGED] This paper discusses the importance of parallel perturbations of the magnetic-field in gyrokinetic simulations of electromagnetic instabilities and turbulence at mid-radius in the burning plasma phase of the conceptual high-$\beta$, reactor-scale, tight-aspect-ratio tokamak STEP. Previous studies have revealed the presence of unstable hybrid kinetic ballooning modes (hKBMs) at binormal scales approaching the ion Larmor radius. In this STEP plasma it was found that the hKBM requires the inclusion of parallel magnetic-field perturbations to be linearly unstable. Here, the extent to which the inclusion of fluctuations in the parallel magnetic-field can be relaxed is explored through gyrokinetic simulations. In particular, the frequently used MHD approximation (dropping $\delta \! B_{\parallel}$ and setting the $\nabla B$ drift frequency equal to the curvature drift frequency) is discussed and simulations explore whether this approximation is useful for modelling STEP plasmas. It is shown that the MHD approximation can reproduce some of the linear properties of the full STEP gyrokinetic system, but is too stable at low $k_y$ and nonlinear simulations using the MHD approximation result in very different transport states. It is demonstrated that the MHD approximation is challenged by the high $\beta^{\prime}$ values in STEP, and that the approximation improves considerably at lower $\beta^{\prime}$. Furthermore, it is shown that the sensitivity of STEP to $\delta \! B_{\parallel}$ fluctuations is primarily because the plasma sits close to marginality and it is shown that in slightly more strongly driven conditions the hKBM is unstable without $\delta \! B_{\parallel}.$ Crucially, it is demonstrated that the state of large transport typically predicted by local electromagnetic gyrokinetic simulations of STEP plasmas is not solely due to $\delta \! B_{\parallel}$ physics.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2023

Monitoring TES Loop Gain in Frequency Multiplexed Readout

We present a method for precise monitoring of the loop gain of transition edge sensors (TES) under electrothermal feedback. The measurement is implemented on the ICE DfMux electronics and operates simultaneously with Digital Active Nulling (DAN). It uses one additional bias sinusoid per TES and does not require any additional readout channels. The loop gain monitor is being implemented on the Simons Array and is an integral part of the baseline calibration strategy for the upcoming LiteBIRD satellite.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2023

Scale invariance and critical balance in electrostatic drift-kinetic turbulence

The equations of electrostatic drift kinetics are observed to possess a symmetry associated with their intrinsic scale invariance. Under the assumptions of spatial periodicity, stationarity, and locality, this symmetry implies a particular scaling of the turbulent heat flux with the system's parallel size, from which its scaling with the equilibrium temperature gradient can be deduced under some additional assumptions. This macroscopic transport prediction is then confirmed numerically for a reduced model of electron-temperature-gradient-driven turbulence in slab geometry. The system realises this scaling through a turbulent cascade from large to small perpendicular spatial scales. The route of this cascade through wavenumber space (i.e. the relationship between parallel and perpendicular scales in the inertial range) is shown to be determined by a balance between nonlinear-decorrelation and parallel-dissipation timescales. This type of `critically balanced' cascade, which maintains a constant energy flux despite the presence of parallel dissipation throughout the inertial range (as well as order-unity dissipative losses at the outer scale) is expected to be a generic feature of plasma turbulence. The outer scale of the turbulence, on which the turbulent heat flux depends, is determined by the breaking of drift-kinetic scale invariance due to the existence of large-scale parallel inhomogeneity (the parallel system size).

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2023

An analytical form of the dispersion function for local linear gyrokinetics in a curved magnetic field

Starting from the equations of collisionless linear gyrokinetics for magnetised plasmas with an imposed inhomogeneous magnetic field, we present the first known analytical, closed-form solution for the resulting velocity-space integrals in the presence of resonances due to both parallel streaming and constant magnetic drifts. These integrals are written in terms of the well-known plasma dispersion function (Faddeeva & Terentev 1954; Fried & Conte 1961), rendering the subsequent expressions simpler to treat analytically and more efficient to compute numerically. We demonstrate that our results converge to the well-known ones in the straight-magnetic-field and two-dimensional limits, and show good agreement with the numerical solver by Gürcan (2014). By way of example, we calculate the exact dispersion relation for a simple electrostatic, ion-temperature-gradient-driven instability, and compare it with approximate kinetic and fluid models.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Electromagnetic instabilities and plasma turbulence driven by electron-temperature gradient

Electromagnetic (EM) instabilities and turbulence driven by the electron-temperature gradient are considered in a local slab model of a tokamak-like plasma. The model describes perturbations at scales both larger and smaller than the flux-freezing scale $d_e$, and so captures both electrostatic and EM regimes of turbulence. The well-known electrostatic instabilities -- slab and curvature-mediated ETG -- are recovered, and a new instability is found in the EM regime, called the Thermo-Alfvénic instability (TAI). It exists in both a slab version (sTAI, destabilising kinetic Alfvén waves) and a curvature-mediated version (cTAI), which is a cousin of the (electron-scale) kinetic ballooning mode (KBM). The cTAI turns out to be dominant at the largest scales covered by the model (greater than $d_e$ but smaller than $ρ_i$), its physical mechanism hinging on the fast equalisation of the total temperature along perturbed magnetic field lines (in contrast to KBM, which is pressure balanced). A turbulent cascade theory is then constructed, with two energy-injection scales: $d_e$, where the drivers are slab ETG and sTAI, and a larger (parallel system size dependent) scale, where the driver is cTAI. The latter dominates the turbulent transport if the temperature gradient is greater than a certain critical value, which scales inversely with the electron beta. The resulting heat flux scales more steeply with the temperature gradient than that due to electrostatic ETG turbulence, giving rise to stiffer transport. This can be viewed as a physical argument in favour of near-marginal steady-state in electron-transport-controlled plasmas (e.g., the pedestal). While the model is simplistic, the new physics that is revealed by it should be of interest to those attempting to model the effect of EM turbulence in tokamak-relevant configurations with high beta and large electron temperature gradients.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Improved upper limit on degree-scale CMB B-mode polarization power from the 670 square-degree POLARBEAR survey

We report an improved measurement of the degree-scale cosmic microwave background $B$-mode angular-power spectrum over 670 square-degree sky area at 150 GHz with POLARBEAR. In the original analysis of the data, errors in the angle measurement of the continuously rotating half-wave plate, a polarization modulator, caused significant data loss. By introducing an angle-correction algorithm, the data volume is increased by a factor of 1.8. We report a new analysis using the larger data set. We find the measured $B$-mode spectrum is consistent with the $Λ$CDM model with Galactic dust foregrounds. We estimate the contamination of the foreground by cross-correlating our data and Planck 143, 217, and 353 GHz measurements, where its spectrum is modeled as a power law in angular scale and a modified blackbody in frequency. We place an upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ < 0.33 at 95% confidence level after marginalizing over the foreground parameters.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2022

Extended electron tails in electrostatic microinstabilities and the nonadiabatic response of passing electrons

Ion-gyroradius-scale microinstabilities typically have a frequency comparable to the ion transit frequency. Due to the small electron-to-ion mass ratio and the large electron transit frequency, it is conventionally assumed that passing electrons respond adiabatically in ion-gyroradius-scale modes. However, in gyrokinetic simulations of ion-gyroradius-scale modes in axisymmetric toroidal magnetic fields, the nonadiabatic response of passing electrons can drive the mode, and generate fluctuations with narrow radial layers, which may have consequences for turbulent transport in a variety of circumstances. In flux tube simulations, in the ballooning representation, these instabilities reveal themselves as modes with extended tails. The small electron-to-ion mass ratio limit of linear gyrokinetics for electrostatic instabilities is presented, in axisymmetric toroidal magnetic geometry, including the nonadiabatic response of passing electrons and associated narrow radial layers. This theory reveals the existence of ion-gyroradius-scale modes driven solely by the nonadiabatic passing electron response, and recovers the usual ion-gyroradius-scale modes driven by the response of ions and trapped electrons, where the nonadiabatic response of passing electrons is small. The collisionless and collisional limits of the theory are considered, demonstrating parallels in structure and physical processes to neoclassical transport theory. By examining initial-value simulations of fastest-growing eigenmodes, the predictions for mass-ratio scaling are tested and verified numerically for a range of collision frequencies. Insights from the small electron-to-ion mass ratio theory may lead to a computationally efficient treatment of extended modes.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

A cryogenic continuously rotating half-wave plate for the POLARBEAR-2b cosmic microwave background receiver

We present the design and laboratory evaluation of a cryogenic continuously rotating half-wave plate (CHWP) for the POLARBEAR-2b (PB-2b) cosmic microwave background (CMB) receiver, the second installment of the Simons Array. PB-2b will observe at 5,200 m elevation in the Atacama Desert of Chile in two frequency bands centered at 90 and 150 GHz. In order to suppress atmospheric 1/f noise and mitigate systematic effects that arise when differencing orthogonal detectors, PB-2b modulates linear sky polarization using a CHWP rotating at 2 Hz. The CHWP has a 440 mm clear aperture diameter and is cooled to $\approx$ 50 K in the PB-2b receiver cryostat. It consists of a low-friction superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) and a low-torque synchronous electromagnetic motor, which together dissipate < 2 W. During cooldown, a grip-and-release mechanism centers the rotor to < 0.5 mm, and during continuous rotation, an incremental optical encoder measures the rotor angle with a noise level of 0.1 $\mathrm{μrad / \sqrt{Hz}}$. We discuss the experimental requirements for the PB-2b CHWP, the designs of its various subsystems, and the results of its evaluation in the laboratory. The presented CHWP has been deployed to Chile and is expected to see first light on PB-2b in 2020 or 2021.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2018

A solvable model of Vlasov-kinetic plasma turbulence in Fourier-Hermite phase space

A class of simple kinetic systems is considered, described by the 1D Vlasov-Landau equation with Poisson or Boltzmann electrostatic response and an energy source. Assuming a stochastic electric field, a solvable model is constructed for the phase-space turbulence of the particle distribution. The model is a kinetic analog of the Kraichnan-Batchelor model of chaotic advection. The solution of the model is found in Fourier-Hermite space and shows that the free-energy flux from low to high Hermite moments is suppressed, with phase mixing cancelled on average by anti-phase-mixing (stochastic plasma echo). This implies that Landau damping is an ineffective route to dissipation (i.e., to thermalisation of electric energy via velocity space). The full Fourier-Hermite spectrum is derived. Its asymptotics are $m^{-3/2}$ at low wave numbers and high Hermite moments ($m$) and $m^{-1/2}k^{-2}$ at low Hermite moments and high wave numbers ($k$). These conclusions hold at wave numbers below a certain cut off (analog of Kolmogorov scale), which increases with the amplitude of the stochastic electric field and scales as inverse square of the collision rate. The energy distribution and flows in phase space are a simple and, therefore, useful example of competition between phase mixing and nonlinear dynamics in kinetic turbulence, reminiscent of more realistic but more complicated multi-dimensional systems that have not so far been amenable to complete analytical solution.

physics.plasm-ph↗