Abstract
The energetic interaction between drift-wave turbulence and zonal flows is studied experimentally in two-dimensional wave number space. The kinetic energy is found to be transferred nonlocally from the drift waves to the zonal flow. This confirms the theoretical prediction that the parametric-modulational instability is the driving mechanism of zonal flows. The physical mechanism of this nonlocal energetic interaction between and zonal flows and turbulent drift-wave eddies in relation to the suppression of turbulent transport is discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 165004 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 103 |
| Issue number | 16 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 16 Oct 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |