Nonlinear electromagnetic gyrokinetic simulations of tokamak plasmas

One of the central physics issues currently targeted by nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations is the role of finite-beta effects. The latter change the MHD equilibrium, introduce new dynamical space and time scales, alter and enlarge the zoo of electrostatic microinstabilities and saturation mechanisms, and lead to turbulent transport along fluctuating magnetic field lines. It is shown that the electromagnetic effects on primarily electrostatic microinstabilities are generally weakly or moderately stabilizing. However, the saturation of these modes and hence the determination of the transport level in the quasi-stationary turbulent state can be dominated by nonlinear electromagnetic effects and yield surprising results. Despite this, the induced transport is generally electrostatic in nature well below the ideal ballooning limit.