One of the most intensely studied aspects of magnetic confinement fusion is edge plasma turbulence which is critical to reactor performance and operation. Drift-reduced Braginskii two-fluid theory has for decades been widely applied to model boundary plasmas with varying success. Towards better understanding edge turbulence in both theory and experiment, we demonstrate that a physics-informed deep learning framework constrained by partial differential equations can accurately learn turbulent fields consistent with the two-fluid theory from partial observations of electron pressure which is not otherwise possible using conventional equilibrium models. This technique presents a paradigm for the advanced design of plasma diagnostics and validation of magnetized plasma turbulence theories in challenging thermonuclear environments.

• Received 10 September 2020
• Accepted 26 July 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.104.025205