Covering the core and the edge region of a tokamak, respectively, the two gyrokinetic turbulence codes Gyrokinetic Electromagnetic Numerical Experiment (GENE) and X-point Gyrokinetic Code (XGC) have been successfully coupled by exchanging three-dimensional charge density data needed to solve the gyrokinetic Poisson equation over the entire spatial domain. Certain challenges for the coupling procedure arise from the fact that the two codes employ completely different numerical methods. This includes, in particular, the necessity to introduce mapping procedures for the transfer of data between the unstructured triangular mesh of XGC and the logically rectangular grid (in a combination of real and Fourier space) used by GENE. Constraints on the coupling scheme are also imposed by the use of different time integrators. First, coupled simulations are presented. We have considered collisionless ion temperature gradient turbulence, in both circular and fully shaped plasmas. Coupled simulations successfully reproduce both GENE and XGC reference results, confirming the validity of the code coupling approach toward a whole device model. Many lessons learned in the present context, in particular, the need for a coupling procedure as flexible as possible, should be valuable to our and other efforts to couple different kinds of codes in pursuit of a more comprehensive description of complex real-world systems and will drive our further developments of a whole device model for fusion plasmas.
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January 2021
Research Article|
January 11 2021
First coupled GENE–XGC microturbulence simulations
G. Merlo
;
G. Merlo
a)
1
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: gmerlo@oden.utexas.edu
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S. Janhunen
;
S. Janhunen
1
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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F. Jenko;
F. Jenko
1
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin
, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
2
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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A. Bhattacharjee;
A. Bhattacharjee
3
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, USA
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C. S. Chang
;
C. S. Chang
3
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, USA
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J. Cheng
;
J. Cheng
4
Department of Physics, University of Colorado
, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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P. Davis;
P. Davis
5
Rutgers Discovery Informatics Institute, Rutgers University
, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08854, USA
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J. Dominski
;
J. Dominski
3
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, USA
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K. Germaschewski
;
K. Germaschewski
6
Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire
, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA
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R. Hager
;
R. Hager
3
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
, Princeton, New Jersey 08536, USA
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S. Klasky;
S. Klasky
7
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
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S. Parker;
S. Parker
4
Department of Physics, University of Colorado
, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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E. Suchyta
E. Suchyta
7
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830, USA
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: gmerlo@oden.utexas.edu
Note: This paper is part of the Special Collection: Building the Bridge to Exascale Computing: Applications and Opportunities for Plasma Science.
Phys. Plasmas 28, 012303 (2021)
Article history
Received:
August 25 2020
Accepted:
December 09 2020
Citation
G. Merlo, S. Janhunen, F. Jenko, A. Bhattacharjee, C. S. Chang, J. Cheng, P. Davis, J. Dominski, K. Germaschewski, R. Hager, S. Klasky, S. Parker, E. Suchyta; First coupled GENE–XGC microturbulence simulations. Phys. Plasmas 1 January 2021; 28 (1): 012303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0026661
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