2007/01/12 by A. G. Peeters, C. Angioni, Peeters, A. G. +3
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Magnetic confinement fusion research #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0701147
4 Pages, 2 Figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters on the 17th of Nov. 2006
arxiv created 2007/01/12 · openalex publication_date 2007/01/12 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this letter a pinch velocity of toroidal momentum is shown to exist for the first time. Using the gyro-kinetic equations in the frame moving with the equilibrium toroidal velocity, it is shown that the physics effect can be elegantly formulated through the ``Coriolis'' drift. A fluid model is used to highlight the main coupling mechanisms between the density and temperature perturbations on the one hand and the perturbed parallel flow on the other. Gyro-kinetic calculations are used to accurately asses the magnitude of the pinch. The pinch velocity leads to a radial gradient of the toroidal velocity profile even in the absence of a torque on the plasma. It is shown to be sizeable in the plasmas of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) leading to a moderately peaked rotation profile. Finally, the pinch also affects the interpretation of current experiments.