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Gyrokinetic Theory of Rotation in Stellarators
Author(s) -
Helander P.,
Simakov A. N.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
contributions to plasma physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0863-1042
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.200900502
Subject(s) - stellarator , gyroradius , physics , gyrokinetics , turbulence , rotation (mathematics) , plasma , magnetic field , zonal flow (plasma) , classical mechanics , mechanics , quantum electrodynamics , tokamak , quantum mechanics , mathematics , geometry
It is shown that gyrokinetic turbulence is in general unable to significantly affect the large‐scale radial electric field and rotation of a stellarator plasma. This rotation is thus close to that calculated by neoclassical theory without fluctuations. Only if the magnetic configuration is very close to being perfectly quasiaxisymmetric or quasihelically symmetric can the bulk plasma rotation be affected by gyrokinetic turbulence. This conclusion follows from the orderings underlying the derivation of the gyrokinetic equation, and does therefore not require this equation actually to be solved. On the other hand, on small scales with a radial extent comparable to the ion gyroradius, zonal flows may be excited by gyrokinetic turbulence and could modify the ensuing transport (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)