Search for coherent structure within tokamak plasma turbulence

Two‐dimensional tokamak edge density turbulence data are examined for possible coherent or organized structure. The spatial patterns of density fluctuations n appear to consist of localized ‘‘blobs’’ of relatively high or low density which can move irregularly both radially and poloidally through the edge region. However, a statistical analysis of the lifetime, area, direction, speed, and amplitude of these blobs does not as yet suggest any organized structure associated with the blobs beyond that which can be described by time‐averaged correlation functions.

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