ISSN:
1089-7666
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
The propagation of a directly launched ion-Bernstein wave is considered in the tokamak edge plasma region in the frequency range Ωi 〈ω〈 2Ωi, and in the limit of small k⊥0ρi. Employing standard perturbation techniques, the wave scattering from a Gaussian spectrum of density fluctuations and the self-modulation resulting from the ponderomotive force nonlinearity are investigated. The results for the typical parameters of the PLT tokamak [Phys. Rev. Lett. 54, 2339 (1985)] and the ALCATOR-C tokamak [Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 1201 (1987)] indicate that the scattering effect becomes important in the edge region as the fluctuation level is increased from 1% to 30%. Also, it is found that at the power levels currently being used in the experiments, large ponderomotive modifications in the plasma density are produced in the near zone of the launcher. In the weak nonlinearity limit, the ion-Bernstein wave is found to be modulationally unstable, thus implying the possibility of localized heating.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.866958
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