Turbulent Nature of the Quasicontinuous Exhaust Regime for Fusion Plasmas
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.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Magnetic confinement fusion research
Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena
Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Letters
- Publisher
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Volume
- 137
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 055102–055102
- Publication date
- 3 June 2026
- Language
- EN