I3-S1 · The case of the trapped singularitiesBall, Rowena1) Abstract In this work two different views of the physics behind plasma confinement transitions are smoothly reconciled in a unified model for the coupled dynamics of potential energy, turbulent kinetic energy, and shear flow kinetic energy subsystems. The work is presented as a case study in bifurcation and stability analysis. A systematic methodology for characterizing the equilibria of dynamical systems involves finding and classifying high-order singularities then perturbing around them to explore and map the bifurcation landscape. In a broad sense, this paper is about applying singularity theory as a diagnostic tool while an impasto picture of confinement transition dynamics is compounded.
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