Capabilities of MMM to Predict Plasma Profiles and Physics Phenomena in Tokamaks

The Multi-Mode Module (MMM) is a physics-based model designed for multi-species, multi-fluid, and multi-mode anomalous transport calculations in tokamak discharges [1]. MMM can be used in the integrated modeling code TRANSP to carry out predictive, time-dependent transport simulations to compute electron and ion temperatures, electron and impurity particle densities, and toroidal and poloidal rotation profiles. MMM encompasses a variety of modes, including ITG, ETG, TEM, MTM, DRIBM, KBM, peeling, and high-mode number MHD modes. MMM's advantage over fully kinetic models is the significant reduction in computing time and the requirement of only three-dimensional configuration space, as opposed to six-dimensional phase space. Additionally, MMM can utilize quasilinear theory, whereas kinetic models require strongly nonlinear effects such as resonance broadening. MMM's capability to recover both the internal and edge transport barrier, the Dimits shift, isotope effects, heating, and particle pinches is demonstrated, as is its ability to predict plasma profiles.

[1] T. Rafiq et al. Phys Plasmas 20, 032506 (2013).