Plasma heating in stellarators at fundamental ion cyclotron resonance

Abstract

Experimental study of the possibility of plasma heating in stellarators at fundamental ion cyclotron resonance [1] have demonstrated that ions are heated efficiently by the excited rf wave. Recent theoretical analysis of this problem [3] for the first time explained why this technique is effective in stellarator magnetic field configuration while it does not work in tokamaks. The results of this analysis indicate that this method of plasma heating in stellarators should be very effective, and it appears to be a new, promising method for plasma heating in stellarators. The model used in this analysis, however, is very restrictive. In our present analysis of the heating efficiency more realistic model is used. We consider propagation and damping of e.m. waves excited by a model antenna near ion cyclotron frequency in a cylindrical plasma with nonuniform density placed in a stellarator magnetic field. We assume rotational-translational symmetry and use cold plasma model. The results of our calculations demonstrate that effective heating of central part of the plasma is possible in stellarators.