Ambipolar magnetic fluctuation‐induced heat transport in toroidal devices

P. W. Terry, G. Fiksel, H. ji, A. F. Almagri, M. Cekic, D. J. Den Hartog, P. H. Diamond, S. C. Prager, J. S. Sarff, W. Shen, M. Stoneking, A. S. Ware

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

The total magnetic fluctuation‐induced electron thermal flux has been determined in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) reversed‐field pinch [Fusion Technol. 19, 131 (1991)] from the measured correlation of the heat flux along perturbed fields with the radial component of the perturbed field. In the edge region the total flux is convective and intrinsically ambipolar constrained, as evidenced by the magnitude of the thermal diffusivity, which is well approximated by the product of ion thermal velocity and the magnetic diffusivity. A self‐consistent theory is formulated and shown to reproduce the experimental results, provided nonlinear charge aggregation in streaming electrons is accounted for in the theory. For general toroidal configurations, it is shown that ambipolar constrained transport applies when remote magnetic fluctuations (i.e., global modes resonant at distant rational surfaces) dominate the flux. Near locations where the dominant modes are resonant, the transport is nonambipolar. This agrees with the radial variation of diffusivity in MST. Expectations for the tokamak are also discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1999-2005
Number of pages7
JournalPhysics of Plasmas
Volume3
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1996

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Condensed Matter Physics

Keywords

  • CONSTRAINTS
  • FLUCTUATIONS
  • HEAT FLUX
  • HEAT LOSSES
  • REVERSE−FIELD PINCH
  • TOKAMAK DEVICES
  • TOROIDAL CONFIGURATION
  • TRANSPORT THEORY
  • TURBULENCE

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