Long-wavelength limit of gyrokinetics in a turbulent tokamak and its intrinsic ambipolarity

Iván Calvo, Felix I. Parra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recently, the electrostatic gyrokinetic Hamiltonian and change of coordinates have been computed to order 2 in general magnetic geometry. Here is the gyrokinetic expansion parameter, the gyroradius over the macroscopic scale length. Starting from these results, the long-wavelength limit of the gyrokinetic Fokker-Planck and quasineutrality equations is taken for tokamak geometry. Employing the set of equations derived in the present paper, it is possible to calculate the long-wavelength components of the distribution functions and of the poloidal electric field to order 2. These higher order pieces contain both neoclassical and turbulent contributions, and constitute one of the necessary ingredients (the other is given by the short-wavelength components up to second order) that will eventually enter a complete model for the radial transport of toroidal angular momentum in a tokamak in the low flow ordering. Finally, we provide an explicit and detailed proof that the system consisting of second-order gyrokinetic Fokker-Planck and quasineutrality equations leaves the long-wavelength radial electric field undetermined; that is, the turbulent tokamak is intrinsically ambipolar.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number115007
JournalPlasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Volume54
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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