Synergy of turbulent and neoclassical transport through poloidal convective cells

Asahi, Yuichi*   ; Grandgirard, V.*; Sarazin, Y.*; Donnel, P.*; Garbet, X.*; Idomura, Yasuhiro   ; Dif-Pradalier, G.*; Latu, G.*

The role of poloidal convective cells on transport processes is studied with the full-F gyrokinetic code GYSELA. For this purpose, we apply a numerical filter to convective cells and compare the simulation results with and without the filter. The energy flux driven by the magnetic drifts turns out to be reduced by a factor of about 2 once the numerical filter is applied. A careful analysis reveals that the frequency spectrum of the convective cells is well-correlated with that of the turbulent Reynolds stress tensor, giving credit to their turbulence-driven origin. The impact of convective cells can be interpreted as a synergy between turbulence and neoclassical dynamics.