Physical Processes That Occur in Self-Organized Tokamak Plasma

Abstract

Processes associated with plasma self-organization in tokamaks are presented in the possible logical sequence. The resulting picture of physical processes in self-organized plasmas is predicted based on the nonrequiibrium thermodynamic approach, which uses the Smoluchowski-type equation for the energy balance. The self-organization of magnetized plasma leads to the formation of the universal MHD structure, where the normalized pressure profiles are similar. Finally, experimental confirmation of the proposed physical picture in magnetic fusion facilities is given.

Keywords

• tokamak plasma confinement
• self-organization
• turbulence
• MHD modes