Toroidal rotation driven by the polarization drift

Phys Rev Lett. 2009 Nov 13;103(20):205003. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.205003. Epub 2009 Nov 13.

Abstract

Starting from a phase space conserving gyrokinetic formulation, a systematic derivation of parallel momentum conservation uncovers a novel mechanism by which microturbulence may drive intrinsic rotation. This mechanism, which appears in the gyrokinetic formulation through the parallel nonlinearity, emerges due to charge separation induced by the polarization drift. The derivation and physical discussion of this mechanism will be pursued throughout this Letter.