Low-threshold absolute parametric decay instabilities in experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating in tokamaks

Abstract

We have analyzed experimental conditions for the excitation of absolute parametric decay instabilities accompanying the electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of plasma at the second harmonic of resonance in tokamaks. It has been shown that, in the case of a nonmonotonic radial profile of the plasma density, when a heating beam passes near the equatorial plane of a tokamak, the parametric excitation of resonances of ion Bernstein waves accompanied by the generation of the backscattered microwave radiation can occur. The threshold of absolute instability thus developed is determined by the dissipation of an ion Bernstein wave and can be exceeded in current experiments on the ECRH of a plasma in tokamaks.