Multi-scale turbulence in the core of tokamak plasmas

Nathan Howard

MIT

Friday, May 4, 2018

3:00pm

NW17-218

PSFC Seminars

Steady advances in high performance computing have enabled the first, realistic simulations of plasma turbulence that simultaneously span the ion and electron spatial scales.   These multi-scale gyrokinetic simulations have provided new insight into the cross-scale coupling of plasma turbulence and are able to explain the anomalously high levels of electron heat transport and incremental diffusivities found in the core of many tokamak plasmas.  Validation of the multi-scale gyrokinetic model has led to the development of a new reduced transport model, TGLF-SAT1, which has in turn enabled more accurate predictions of tokamak performance.  This talk will present an overview of recent multi-scale gyrokinetic simulations of Alcator C-Mod L and H-mode discharges and will discuss the status of multi-scale investigations from around the world.