Journal article
Numerical modeling of Large Plasma Device Alfvén wave experiments using AstroGK
Physics of plasmas, Vol.17(2), pp.022105-022105-11
02/2010
DOI: 10.1063/1.3309486
Abstract
Collisions between counterpropagating Alfvén waves represent the fundamental building block of plasma turbulence, a phenomenon of great importance to a wide variety of fields, from space physics and astrophysics to controlled magnetic fusion. Proposed experiments to study Alfvén wave collisions on the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, J. Bamber, D. Leneman, and J. Maggs, Rev. Sci. Instrum.
62, 2875 (1991)] at the University of California, Los Angeles, will benefit significantly from numerical modeling capable of reproducing not only the linear dispersive effects of kinetic and inertial Alfvén waves, but also the nonlinear evolution of the Alfvénic turbulence. This paper presents a comparison of linear simulation results using the astrophysical gyrokinetics code, AstroGK, to the measured linear properties of kinetic and inertial Alfvén waves in the LAPD plasma. Results demonstrate that: (1) finite frequency effects due to the ion cyclotron resonance do not prevent satisfactory modeling of the LAPD plasma using gyrokinetic theory; and (2) an advanced collision operator, recently implemented in AstroGK, enables the code to successfully reproduce the collisionally enhanced damping rates of linear waves measured in recent LAPD experiments. These tests justify the use of AstroGK in the modeling of LAPD Alfvén wave experiments and suggest that AstroGK will be a valuable tool in modeling the nonlinear evolution of proposed Alfvén wave collision experiments.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Numerical modeling of Large Plasma Device Alfvén wave experiments using AstroGK
- Creators
- Kevin D Nielson - University of IowaGregory G Howes - University of IowaTomoya Tatsuno - University of MarylandRyusuke Numata - University of MarylandWilliam Dorland - University of Maryland, College Park
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Physics of plasmas, Vol.17(2), pp.022105-022105-11
- DOI
- 10.1063/1.3309486
- ISSN
- 1070-664X
- eISSN
- 1089-7674
- Number of pages
- 11
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2010
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199783302771
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