RESUMEN
It is found that an m = n = 1 mode with amplitude exceeding a certain threshold can lead to stochastic motion of energetic ions in tokamaks, the large orbit width particles (potatoes) being most easily affected. An n = 1 mode can redistribute particles also in the absence of stochasticity but only when the perturbation is quickly switched on/off, e.g., during a sawtooth crash. In the latter case, the perturbation results in a regular motion of particles around a certain helical orbit, at which a resonance driven by the mode but having no amplitude threshold takes place.
RESUMEN
Three-dimensional gyrokinetic simulations of microturbulence in magnetically confined toroidal plasmas with massively parallel computers showed that, with linear flow damping, an asymptotic residual flow develops in agreement with analytic calculations. Nonlinear global simulations of instabilities driven by temperature gradients in the ion component of the plasma support the view that turbulence-driven fluctuating zonal flows can substantially reduce turbulent transport. Finally, the outstanding differences in the flow dynamics observed in global and local simulations are found to be due to profile variations.