Plasma heating in reversed field pinches at the fundamental ion cyclotron frequency

Abstract

The possibility of plasma heating in reversed field pinches (RFP) by radio-frequency (rf) waves at ω≈ωci is studied. A simple cylindrical RFP equilibrium which is symmetric in poloidal and axial directions is considered. RF fields are excited with given poloidal and axial wave numbers by a model antenna. The plasma dielectric properties are described by a hot plasma dielectric tensor in the limit of zero Larmor radius. Collisionless absorption by plasma ions is assumed. The power deposition distribution in the plasma is examined for different plasma parameters. Results demonstrate that effective heating of the central part of the plasma at ω≈ωci is possible for some range of parameters when the m=−1 poloidal mode is excited. This is a hot plasma effect; it disappears in the cold plasma limit.