Numerical study of zonal flow dynamics and electron transport in electron temperature gradient driven turbulence

Li, J.; Kishimoto, Yasuaki

The electron temperature gradient (ETG) driven turbulence in tokamak core plasmas is numerically investigated based on three-dimensional gyrofluid model with adiabatic ion response. Attentions are focused on the zonal flow dynamics in ETG fluctuations and the resultant electron heat transport. A high electron energy confinement mode is found in the weak magnetic shear regime, which is closely relevant with self-organization behavior of turbulence through the enhanced zonal flow dynamics rather than the weak shear stabilization of ETG fluctuations. It is demonstrated that the weak shear is favorable for the enhancement of zonal flows in ETG turbulence.