Features of accelerated electron beam formation in LHCD experiments on FT-2 tokamak

Abstract

In experiments with lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) on the FT-2 tokamak, lower hybrid (LH) waves have been successfully used for the first time to ensure effective additional heating of plasma electrons from 450 to 600 eV (I Pl = 32 kA, Δt RF = 14 ms, P RF = 100 kW, F = 920 MHz). Several factors influencing the efficiency of plasma heating have been discovered. In particular, significant growth of radiation losses in the LHCD regime has been found, which is probably related to an increase in the intensity of synchrotron radiation from accelerated electrons. The increase in this intensity in the 53–156 GHz frequency range was accompanied by short spikes of microwave radiation, which were observed only in a narrower frequency range (53–78 GHz) and apparently resulted from interaction of a runaway electron beam with significant local mirrors of toroidal magnetic field. A model of the additional heating of plasma electrons due to absorption of the microwave radiation generated by a beam of accelerated electrons is proposed.