Coherent structures and transport

A current research issue in transport theory is the role played by coherent structures. A coherent structure is a nonlinear fluctuation that has a sufficient degree of self-binding to form a long-lived, localized disturbance. In this panel discussion the issue of the role of coherent structures and the evidence for and against their presence in the laboratory confinement experiment is discussed by plasma physicists who have considered the issues in depth over the past years. (author)