Two dimensional simulation of lower hybrid resonance heating

Abstract

The response of a magnetized plasma to excitation by an external longitudinal electric field oscillating near the lower hybrid frequency is examined by numerical simulation. A two-dimensional, electrostatic finite-size particle code is used with the ion motion described by standard particle-in-cell methods and the electrons simulated in the guiding-centre approximation. The guiding-centre model removes the electron mass from consideration and all time scales are measured in units of the inverse ion plasma frequency. An examination of the parameters that control the ion heating lead to the following conclusions: (1) The heating mechanism is not a collisional process. (2) The ion heating rate reaches a maximum for lambda identical to ko2 rho ci2 approximately=1. (3) The heating rate and final temperature is improved for frequencies slightly greater than the lower hybrid frequency. (4) The ion heating is improved for low densities. (5) Satellite modes appear on both sides of the dominant mode in the frequency spectrum.