Coherent structures in the turbulent equilibrium of the simple magnetized torus

Equilibrium, stability and turbulence of axisymmetric states of the simple magnetized torus (SMT) is discussed in a unified manner. It is demonstrated in what sense this configuration does not exhibit a stationary equilibrium state. An electrostatic model for flute structures is formulated, and the non-equilibrium evolution towards a dynamic state dominated by large scale coherent structures and a cascade towards small scales is demonstrated numerically. Experimental results from the BLAAMANN-torus are presented in support of these ideas. (orig.)