Toroidal ion-temperature-gradient driven vortices in an inhomogeneous magnetoplasma with non-Maxwellian electrons

Abstract

Nonlinear equations which govern the dynamics of low-frequency toroidal ion-temperature-gradient driven modes (i.e., ω≪ωci, where ωci is the ion gyro-frequency) are derived in the presence of equilibrium density, temperature, and magnetic field gradients. In the nonlinear case, solutions in the form of dipolar vortices and vortex street are presented for a plasma comprising of Maxwellian ions and nonthermal electrons that are embedded in an external magnetic field. By using Braginskii's transport equations for the Maxwellian ions and Kappa distributed electrons, the coupled mode equations for the system under consideration are derived. The results have been applied in Tokamak plasmas, and it has been observed that the scale lengths over which the nonlinear vortex structures form get modified in the presence of Kappa distributed electrons. The present study is also applicable to tokamaks and stellarators where non-Maxwellian population has been observed in resonant frequency heating, electron cyclotron heating experiments, and in runaway electrons.