Network approach to the pinning control of drift-wave turbulence.

Abstract

Network of coupled oscillators has long been employed as an important approach to explore the complicated dynamics in spatially extended systems. Here we show how this approach can be used to the analysis of turbulence pinning control. Specifically, by use of a model of two-dimensional drift-wave plasma turbulence, we investigate how the performance of the turbulence control is influenced by the spatial distribution of the pinning strength. It is found that the dynamics of pinned turbulence can be well captured by a simple model of networked modes, based on which the dependence of the control performance on the pinning distribution can be analytically obtained. In particular, the model predicts that as the distribution of the pinning strength becomes more nonuniform, the performance of turbulence control will be gradually decreased. This theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the results of numerical simulations, including the sinusoidal and localized pinning distributions. Our studies provide a new viewpoint to the mechanism of mode couplings in drift-wave turbulence, as well as be constructive to the design of new schemes for controlling turbulence in realistic systems.