Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

How to Ignite an Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma Torch without Any Additional Igniters
Published on: April 16, 2015
Turbulent Nature of the Quasicontinuous Exhaust Regime for Fusion Plasmas
Kaiyu Zhang1, Wladimir Zholobenko1, Andreas Stegmeir1
1Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching, Germany.
Abstract:
We demonstrate a turbulence mechanism that reconciles high plasma confinement with efficient heat exhaust-a central challenge for fusion energy. Global two-fluid turbulence simulations of the reactor-relevant quasicontinuous exhaust regime on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak reveal that a quasicoherent mode drives mesoscopic oscillations of the pedestal boundary across the magnetic separatrix and ejects ballistic filaments (blobs), reproducing both the mean profiles and turbulent fluctuations observed experimentally. This behavior arises from a synergistic interplay between kinetic ballooning modes and resistive X-point modes straddling the separatrix. These first-principles results place extrapolations to future fusion reactors on a firm physical footing.
Related Concept Videos
Turbulent Flow
Nuclear Fusion
A helium nucleus has a mass that is 0.7% less than that of four hydrogen nuclei; this lost mass is converted into energy during the fusion. This reaction produces about...
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Continuous Charge Distributions
The electric charge can also be subjected to an analogical...
Laminar and Turbulent Flow
Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
