MaNTA: Nonlinear reaction-diffusion code applied to solution of transport equations for a rotating magnetic mirror

MaNTA (Maryland Nonlinear Transport Analyzerb) is a code being developed for solving nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations. This code employs advanced algorithms suited for this problem including a Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) spatial discretization and a fully implicit BDF scheme for timestepping. We present the code and its utility in solving the transport equations for a rotating magnetic mirror.

Axisymmetric magnetic mirrors, due to numerous problems with stability and confinement, have been largely discounted as a confinement strategy for fusion power production. Adding rapid rotation provides a possible path to viability. The transport equations, described in Abel et. Al [a], allow for the long timescale evolution of the plasma parameters by employing spatiotemporal scale separation. Accurate solution of these equations is critical for research into rotating mirrors. The transport equations used to evolve the profiles, the source terms used to include relevant physics, and the results thus far are presented.

1. a. Abel, I. G., Plunk, G. G., Wang, E., Barnes, M., Cowley, S. C., Dorland, W., and Schekochihin, A. A., “Multiscale gyrokinetics for rotating tokamak plasmas: fluctuations, transport and energy flows,” Reports on Progress in Physics, Vol. 76, No. 11, 2013, p. 116201. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/76/11/116201, URL https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/76/11/116201.