UC San Diego

We present a paradigm for the generation of small scale coherent vortex (SSCV) in drift wave-zonal flow (DW-ZF) turbulence. We demonstrate that phases of DWs can couple coherently, mediated by the ZF shearing. A SSCV is formed when the phases of the DWs are "attracted" to form a stable "phase cluster." We show that the ZF shearing induces asymmetry between "attractive" and "repulsive" phase couplings, so that a net attractive phase coupling results. The turbulent DWs will (partially)synchronize into a stable SSCV at locations, where the attractive phase coupling induced by the ZF shearing exceeds the "detuning" effects by the DW dispersion and random phase scattering. We also discuss the "self-binding" effect of the newly formed SSCV.