Transport barrier onset and edge turbulence shortfall in fusion plasmas

Abstract

A central problem in magnetized fusion plasmas is to understand whether the plasma edge sustains a turbulent state and transitions to improved confinement. The authors simulate the detailed organization of turbulence from the primitive flux-driven kinetic equations including plasma-solid interaction and identify basic mechanisms which allow to cure the oft-reported shortfall of turbulence power in the plasma edge and to describe spontaneous onset of a transport barrier.