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The basic physics of drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows has long been studied within the framework of the wave-kinetic theory. Recently, this framework has been reexamined from first principles, which… Click to show full abstract
The basic physics of drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows has long been studied within the framework of the wave-kinetic theory. Recently, this framework has been reexamined from first principles, which has led to more accurate yet still tractable “improved” wave-kinetic equations. In particular, these equations reveal an important effect of the zonal-flow “curvature” (the second radial derivative of the flow velocity) on the dynamics and stability of drift waves and zonal flows. We overview these recent findings and present a consolidated high-level picture of (mostly quasilinear) zonal-flow physics within reduced models of drift-wave turbulence.
Journal Title: Physics of Plasmas
Year Published: 2021
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