Anomalous convective transport of the tokamak edge plasma, caused by the inhomogeneous ion cyclotron parametric turbulence

TL;DR

This paper develops kinetic and hydrodynamic theories explaining how inhomogeneous ion cyclotron turbulence drives convective flows in tokamak edge plasma, affecting pedestal density profiles and plasma outflow.

Contribution

It introduces new kinetic and hydrodynamic models for mesoscale flows driven by inhomogeneous turbulence in tokamak edge plasma.

Findings

Sheared poloidal convective flow generation predicted.

Radial compressed flow influences steep pedestal density profiles.

Radial ion outflow limits density gradient growth.

Abstract

In this paper, we develop the kinetic and hydrodynamic theories of the convective mesoscale flows driven by the spatially inhomogeneous electrostatic ion cyclotron parametric microturbulence in the pedestal plasma with a sheared poloidal flow. The developed kinetic theory predicts the generation of the sheared poloidal convective flow, and of the radial compressed flow with radial flow velocity gradient. The developed hydrodynamic theory of the convective flows reveals the radial compressed convective flow as the dominant factor in the formation of the steep pedestal density profile with density gradient exponentially growing with time. This gradient density growth is limited by the formation of the radial oscillating with time ion outflow of pedestal plasma to scrape-off layer.