NEOCLASSICAL ROTATION OF TOKAMAK PLASMAS IN THE PLATEAU REGIME

The poloidal rotation of tokamak plasmas is studied in the plateau reg ime. It is shown that the relaxation rate is given by upsilon(T)/(qR)< (nu)over cap>O-1/3(1), while the inertia enhancement in this regime is 1 + q(2)<(nu)over cap>O--1/3(1), resulting from the time-dependent pa rallel viscosity, where q is the safety factor, <(nu)over cap> = epsil on(3/2)nu() is the plateau collisionality parameter (epsilon(3/2)<<(n u)over cap><1), epsilon is the inverse aspect ratio, and nu() is the standard neoclassical collisionality parameter. An evolutionary equati on for the radial electric field is derived. (C) 1995 American Institu te of Physics.