Three-dimensional reconstruction and temporal tracking of plasma filaments in a limiter tokamak: dynamics and propagation regimes

This thesis investigates the dynamics and propagation of plasma filaments in the scrape-off layer of tokamak plasmas using turbulence simulations performed with SOLEDGE3X. A numerical methodology was developed to identify filamentary structures, reconstruct their three-dimensional geometry across the toroidal direction, and track their temporal evolution. The approach combines threshold-based detection, toroidal sewing of structures belonging to the same filament, and temporal tracking based on spatial overlap and centroid evolution. The reconstructed filaments are then characterized through their geometrical properties, center-of-mass trajectories, and radial and poloidal propagation velocities. The methodology is applied to selected filament populations in order to analyse their spatial deformation, toroidal extension, and propagation behaviour at different poloidal locations. The results provide a framework for the automated three-dimensional characterization of coherent structures in SOLEDGE3X turbulence simulations and for the study of filament transport in the scrape-off layer.