Linear Gyrokinetic Analyses of ITG Modes and Zonal Flows in LHD with High Ion Temperature

Abstract

Ion temperature (T_i) gradient modes (ITG modes) and zonal flows for high T_i discharges in the Large Helical Device (LHD) are investigated by linear gyrokinetic Vlasov simulation. In recent LHD experiments, high T_i plasmas are generated by neutral beam injection, and spatial profiles of density fluctuations are measured by phase contrast imaging (PCI) [K. Tanaka et al., Plasma Fusion Res. 5, S2053 (2010)]. The observed fluctuations most likely propagate in the direction of the ion diamagnetic rotation in the plasma frame, and their amplitudes increase with the growth of the temperature gradient. The results show the characteristics of ITG turbulence. To investigate the ITG modes and zonal flows in the experiment, linear gyrokinetic simulations were performed in the corresponding equilibria with different T_i profiles by using the GKV-X code [M. Nunami et al., Plasma Fusion Res. 5, 016 (2010)]. The simulation results predict unstable regions for the ITG modes in radial, wavenumber, and phase velocity spaces, in agreement with the PCI measurements. Thus, the fluctuations observed in the experiment are attributed to ITG instability. The responses of the zonal flows show clear contrasts in different field spectra that depend on the T_i profile and the radial position. In addition to the dependence on the field spectra, the zonal flow residual levels are enhanced by increasing the radial wavenumber as theoretically predicted.