Edge localized mode activity as a limit cycle in tokamak plasmas

A model of edge localized modes in tokamak plasmas is presented. A limit-cycle solution is found in the transport equation (time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau type), which has a hysteresis curve for the gradient versus the flux. A periodic oscillation of the particle outflux and an L-H intermediate state are predicted near the L-H transition boundary. A mesophase in spatial structure appears near the edge.