Magnetic reconnection in toroidal ηi mode turbulence

Based on three-dimensional simulations of the Braginskii equations we show that for typical plasma-edge parameters the saturation of electromagnetic toroidal eta(i) mode turbulence is controlled by the self-generation and subsequent annihilation of radial magnetic field perturbations. This should be contrasted with the electrostatic limit, where the growth of the linear eta(i) mode is terminated by the onset of sheared flow modes driven by the radial plasma streams. The impact of the saturation amplitude on the transport level is substantial and is not in accord with simple mixing length arguments, suggesting that electromagnetic effects should generally be included in simulations of eta(i) mode turbulence.