Profile consistency: Difference between revisions

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In the case at hand, the (thermodynamic) force or drive is the heat flux ''Q'', whereas the system response is the (thermodynamic) gradient ''∇ T'' (but see below).
In the case at hand, the (thermodynamic) force or drive is the heat flux ''Q'', whereas the system response is the (thermodynamic) gradient ''∇ T'' (but see below).


Another issue to take into account is that a useful measure of stiffness should depend on the quantities (''Δ F'' and ''δ'') in such a way that the extreme case of a totally stiff system would correspond to ''κ = ∞'' (''δ = 0'').
A useful measure of stiffness should depend on the quantities (''Δ F'' and ''δ'') in such a way that the extreme case of a totally stiff system would correspond to ''κ = ∞'' (''δ = 0'').
Thus, assuming that profile stiffness is best evidenced in the normalized gradient (or inverse gradient length) ''∇ T / T'' (based on both experimental observation and, e.g., ETG instability theory), an appropriate stiffness definition for the temperature profile could be:
Thus, assuming that profile stiffness is best evidenced in the normalized gradient (or inverse gradient length) ''∇ T / T'' (based on both experimental observation and, e.g., ETG instability theory), an appropriate stiffness definition for the temperature profile could be:


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where the heat flux ''Q'' has been normalized by the pressure ''nT'' so that ''κ'' has the dimension of a heat diffusivity.
where the heat flux ''Q'' has been normalized by the pressure ''nT'' so that ''κ'' has the dimension of a heat diffusivity.
The stiffness can thus be measured directly by observing the behaviour of the gradients as the drive (''Q'') is changed.
A dimensionless stiffness measure is obtained by normalizing ''κ'' to the background heat diffusivity ''χ'': ''C = κ/χ''.
A non-stiff situation would correspond to ''C = 1'', whereas a stiff situation would yield ''C >> 1''.
One concludes that the stiffness can be measured directly by simply observing the behaviour of the gradients as the drive (''Q'') is changed.


== References ==
== References ==
<references />
<references />

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