Coherent Structures in Numerically Simulated Plasma Turbulence

O. Kofoed-Hansen, H.L. Pécseli, J. Trulsen

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearch

    Abstract

    Low level electrostatic ion acoustic turbulence generated by the ion-ion beam instability was investigated numerically. The fluctuations in potential were investigated by a conditional statistical analysis revealing propagating coherent structures having the form of negative potential wells which correspond to ion phase space vortices. The results demonstrate the importance of clump formation in ion phase space for the dynamics of the turbulence. The statistical analysis gives results in terms of averages over a conditionally selected subensemble. Because of the intermittent character of the turbulence it proved possible to devise a method, which permits recognition of essentially all coherent structures. With most of the structures recovered we are able to estimate their distributions of amplitude, width and velocity. A statistical evidence for interaction, i.e., binding, of phase space vortices was obtained.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalPhysica Scripta. Topical Issues
    Volume40
    Issue number3
    Pages (from-to)280-294
    ISSN0281-1847
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 1989

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