Title: Electrostatic gyrokinetic simulation of global tokamak boundary plasma and the generation of nonlinear intermittent turbulence,
Abstract: Boundary plasma physics plays an important role in tokamak confinement, but
is difficult to simulate in a gyrokinetic code due to the scale-inseparable
nonlocal multi-physics in magnetic separatrix and open magnetic field geometry.
Neutral particles are also an important part of the boundary plasma physics. In
the present paper, noble electrostatic gyrokinetic techniques to simulate the
flux-driven, low-beta electrostatic boundary plasma is reported. Gyrokinetic
ions and drift-kinetic electrons are utilized without scale-separation between
the neoclassical and turbulence dynamics. It is found that the nonlinear
intermittent turbulence is a natural gyrokinetic phenomenon in the boundary
plasma in the vicinity of the magnetic separatrix surface and in the scrape-off
layer.