• Corpus ID: 55096970

The life-cycle of drift-wave turbulence driven by small scale instability

@article{Connaughton2010TheLO,
  title={The life-cycle of drift-wave turbulence driven by small scale instability},
  author={Colm Connaughton and Sergey V Nazarenko and Brenda Quinn},
  journal={arXiv: Chaotic Dynamics},
  year={2010}
}

• C. Connaughton, S. Nazarenko, B. Quinn
• Published 19 August 2010
• Physics
• arXiv: Chaotic Dynamics

We demonstrate theoretically and numerically the zonal-flow/drift-wave feedback mechanism for the LH transition in an idealised model of plasma turbulence driven by a small scale instability. Zonal flows are generated by a secondary modulational instability of the modes which are directly driven by the primary instability. The zonal flows then suppress the small scales thereby arresting the energy injection into the system, a process which can be described using nonlocal wave turbulence theory. Finally, the arrest of the energy input results in saturation of the zonal flows at a level which can be estimated from the theory and the system reaches stationarity without damping of the large scales.