High frequency fast magnetoacoustic modes in the plasma core

Abstract

Fast magnetoacoustic modes (FMM) [known also as compressional Alfvén eigenmodes (CAE) and magnetosonic modes] with frequencies exceeding or equal the ion gyrofrequency are considered. It is shown that edge-localized FMM, which presumably are responsible for the superthermal ion cyclotron emission (ICE) observed in many experiments on tokamaks and stellarators, represent a particular case of these modes. In general, FMMs with frequencies above/about the ion gyrofrequency have different radial locations and structures. They can extend over a large part of the plasma cross section and even can have maximum amplitudes at the magnetic axis. Modes with the same frequency and the same poloidal mode number are multiple, having different radial structures. These results are obtained in the approximation of cylindrical plasma with one-ion species.