Adding a Vorticity Source to the Hasegawa-Wakatani Equations

Abstract

Instabilities in fusion reactor plasma are an area of ongoing research as they represent the primary hurdle in producing an ongoing fusion reaction for fusion energy production. To study one possible source of these instabilities, computational simulations to solve the modified Hasegawa-Wakatani Equations and the evolution of edge plasmas through time are required. This work shows that the addition of a source of vortices leads to edge instabilities using the TOKAM2D turbulence code. This is an important step into developing our understanding of how instabilities form in plasmas and maintaining a fusion reaction.