Transport of parallel momentum by collisionless drift wave turbulence

This paper presents a novel, unified approach to the theory of turbulent transport of parallel momentum by collisionless drift waves. The physics of resonant and non‐resonant off‐diagonal contributions to the momentum flux is emphasized, and collisionless momentum exchange between waves and particles is accounted for.

Two related momentum conservation theorems are derived. These relate the resonant particle momentum flux, the wave momentum flux and the refractive force. A perturbative calculation, in the spirit of Chapman‐Enskog theory, is used to obtain the wave momentum flux, which contributes significantly to the residual stress.

A general equation for mean κ∥(〈κ∥〉) is derived and used to develop a generalized theory of symmetry breaking. The resonant particle momentum flux is calculated, and pinch and residual stress effects are identified. The implications of the theory for intrinsic rotation and momentum transport bifurcations are discussed. © 2008 American Institute of Physics