In pure drift-wave turbulence, the basis of the nonlinear behavior of plasma physics can be studied on a fundamental level. In particular, the nonlinear interaction of different scales is important for the saturation behavior. So-called casacades are formed in wave number space. However, the drift waves are not isolated. The interaction with shear flows, which can lead to the suppression of the turbulence level, is of interest here. In a magnetically confined devices, the drift wave is always in competition with the interchange instability.
However, we have also investigated the transition to turbulence, or the heating of ions by the drift wave.