Plasma Heating and Diagnostics by Using Electron Bernstein Waves.

Emission of Electron Bernstein Waves

Heating by an electron Bernstein wave in a spherical tokamak plasma via mode conversion.

The first successful high power heating of a high dielectric constant spherical tokamak plasma by an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) is reported. An EBW was excited by mode conversion (MC) of an mode cyclotron wave injected from the low magnetic field side of the TST-2 spherical tokamak. Evidence of electron heating was observed as increases in the stored energy and soft x-ray emission. The incre...

Electron heating by nonlinear whistler waves

Nonlinear whistler-mode phenomena observed in laboratory plasmas will be addressed. Nonlinearities arise when strong waves modify the density, temperature and magnetic field, all of which affect the wave propagation. A brief review of thermal filamentation will be given. The main focus is on the magnetic nonlinearity of whistler modes whose wave magnetic fields exceed the ambient magnetic field...

Comparison between off-resonance and electron Bernstein waves heating regime in a microwave discharge ion source.

A microwave discharge ion source (MDIS) operating at the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of INFN, Catania has been used to compare the traditional electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) heating with an innovative mechanisms of plasma ignition based on the electrostatic Bernstein waves (EBW). EBW are obtained via the inner plasma electromagnetic-to-electrostatic wave conversion and they are absorbed by...

Mode-converted Electron Bernstein Waves for Heating and Current Drive in Nstx

The power coupled to electron Bernstein waves in a triplet mode conversion resonator from a fast X-mode at the plasma edge in NSTX is shown to be > 80% for fc, < f < 2fc,. The EBW damping in the plasma is strong and localized and, thus, should be useful for heating, current drive, or profile control.