Liu, Z.X.Xu, X.Q.Gao, X.Hubbard, A.E.Hughes, J. W.Walk, J.R.Theiler, C.Xia, T.Y.Xia, T.Y.Baek, S.G.Golfinopoulos, T.Whyte, D.Zhang, T.Li, J.G.2017-09-302017-09-302017-09-30201610.1063/1.4972088https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/140908The weakly coherent mode (WCM) in I-mode has been studied by a six-field two-fluid model based on the Braginskii equations under the BOUT++ framework for the first time. The calcula- tions indicate that a tokamak pedestal exhibiting a WCM is linearly unstable to drift Alfven wave (DAW) instabilities and the resistive ballooning mode. The nonlinear simulation shows promis- ing agreement with the experimental measurements of the WCM. The shape of the density spec- tral and location of the spectral peak of the dominant toroidal number mode n = 20 agrees with the experimental data from reflectometry. The simulated mode propagates in electron diamag- netic direction is consistent with the results from the magnetic probes in the laboratory frame, a large ratio of particle to heat diffusivity is consistent with the distinctive experimental feature of I-mode, and the value of the simulated chi_e at the edge is in the range of experimental errors of chi_eff from the experiment. The prediction of the WCM shows that free energy is mainly provided by the electron pressure gradient, which gives guidance for pursuing future I-mode studies.text::journal::journal article::research article