Statistical Analysis of Plasma Dynamics in Gyrokinetic Simulations of Stellarator Turbulence

• A geometrical method for assessing stochastic processes in plasma turbulence is investigated in this study. The thermodynamic length methodology allows using a Riemannian metric on the phase space; thus, distances between thermodynamic states can be computed. It constitutes a geometric methodology to understand stochastic processes involved in, e.g., order–disorder transitions, where a sudden increase in distance is expected. We consider gyrokinetic simulations of ion-temperature-gradient (ITG)-mode-driven turbulence in the core region of the stellarator W7-X with realistic quasi-isodynamic topologies. In gyrokinetic plasma turbulence simulations, avalanches, e.g., of heat and particles, are often found, and in this work, a novel method for detection is investigated. This new method combines the singular spectrum analysis algorithm with a hierarchical clustering method such that the time series is decomposed into two parts: useful physical information and noise. The informative component of the time series is used for the calculation of the Hurst exponent, the information length, and the dynamic time. Based on these measures, the physical properties of the time series are revealed.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Annan fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Other Physics Topics (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Strömningsmekanik och akustik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

gyrokinetic simulations

stochastic theory

information geometry

drift waves

time series analysis

Publication and Content Type

art (subject category)

ref (subject category)