Abstract
The physics involved in the coupling, propagation and absorption of RF helicon waves (electronic whistler) in low temperature Helicon plasma sources is investigated by solving the 3D Maxwell-Vlasov model equations using a WKB asymptotic expansion. The reduced set of equations is formally Hamiltonian and allows for the reconstruction of the wave front of the propagating wave, monitoring along the calculation that the WKB expansion remains satisfied. This method can be fruitfully employed in a new investigation of the power deposition mechanisms involved in common Helicon low temperature plasma sources when a general confinement magnetic field configuration is allowed, unveiling new physical insight in the wave propagation and absorption phenomena and stimulating further research for the design of innovative and more efficient low temperature plasma sources. A brief overview of this methodology and its capabilities has been presented in this paper.
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