Journal•ISSN: 0741-3335
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
IOP Publishing
About: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion is an academic journal published by IOP Publishing. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Plasma & Tokamak. It has an ISSN identifier of 0741-3335. Over the lifetime, 8293 publications have been published receiving 185708 citations.
Topics: Plasma, Tokamak, Magnetic field, Electron, Divertor
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: A comprehensive review of zonal flow phenomena in plasmas is presented in this article, where the focus is on zonal flows generated by drift waves and the back-interaction of ZF on the drift waves, and various feedback loops by which the system regulates and organizes itself.
Abstract: A comprehensive review of zonal flow phenomena in plasmas is presented. While the emphasis is on zonal flows in laboratory plasmas, planetary zonal flows are discussed as well. The review presents the status of theory, numerical simulation and experiments relevant to zonal flows. The emphasis is on developing an integrated understanding of the dynamics of drift wave–zonal flow turbulence by combining detailed studies of the generation of zonal flows by drift waves, the back-interaction of zonal flows on the drift waves, and the various feedback loops by which the system regulates and organizes itself. The implications of zonal flow phenomena for confinement in, and the phenomena of fusion devices are discussed. Special attention is given to the comparison of experiment with theory and to identifying directions for progress in future research.
1,739 citations
TL;DR: Particle-in-cell (PIC) methods have a long history in the study of laser-plasma interactions as discussed by the authors, and they have been widely used in the literature.
Abstract: Particle-in-cell (PIC) methods have a long history in the study of laser-plasma interactions. Early electromagnetic codes used the Yee staggered grid for field variables combined with a leapfrog EM-field update and the Boris algorithm for particle pushing. The general properties of such schemes are well documented. Modern PIC codes tend to add to these high-order shape functions for particles, Poisson preserving field updates, collisions, ionisation, a hybrid scheme for solid density and high-field QED effects. In addition to these physics packages, the increase in computing power now allows simulations with real mass ratios, full 3D dynamics and multi-speckle interaction. This paper presents a review of the core algorithms used in current laser-plasma specific PIC codes. Also reported are estimates of self-heating rates, convergence of collisional routines and test of ionisation models which are not readily available elsewhere. Having reviewed the status of PIC algorithms we present a summary of recent applications of such codes in laser-plasma physics, concentrating on SRS, short-pulse laser-solid interactions, fast-electron transport, and QED effects.
1,203 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the phenomenology of edge localized modes (ELMs), an MHD instability occurring in the edge of H-mode plasmas in toroidal magnetic fusion experiments, is described.
Abstract: The phenomenology of edge localized modes (ELMs), an MHD instability occurring in the edge of H-mode plasmas in toroidal magnetic fusion experiments, is described. ELMs are important to obtain experimental control of the particle inventory of fusion plasmas. From an analysis of the ELM behaviour of different magnetic fusion experiments, three distinct types are identified, namely dithering cycles, type III and type I ELMs. A physical picture of these phenomena is established on the grounds of theoretical models put forward to describe the different ELM phenomena.
842 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a scaling law was found that fits well all the cases and which predicts a linear rise of 3 with the current, which corresponds to a safety factor slightly above 2 at the plasma surface.
Abstract: Ideal MHD restricts both the current and the pressure which can be stably confined in a Tokamak. A pressure profile optimisation is carried out for a variety of equilibria, which include JET and INTOR-like plasmas, in order to obtain the maximum β which can be stably confined at constant current. The current is limited to a value corresponding to a safety factor slightly above 2 at the plasma surface. A simple scaling law is found that fits well all the cases and which predicts a linear rise of 3 with the current.
583 citations
TL;DR: Particle simulation of plasmas, employed since the 1960s, provides a self-consistent, fully kinetic representation of general Plasmas and has been used for engineering devices as well as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Particle simulation of plasmas, employed since the 1960s, provides a self-consistent, fully kinetic representation of general plasmas. Early incarnations looked for fundamental plasma effects in one-dimensional systems with ~102–103 particles in periodic electrostatic systems on computers with 100 kB memory. Recent advances model boundary conditions, such as external circuits to wave launchers, collisions and effects of particle–surface impact, all in fully relativistic three-dimensional electromagnetic systems using ~106–1010 particles on massively parallel computers. While particle codes still enjoy prominance in a number of basic physics areas, they are now often used for engineering devices as well.
561 citations