Excitation of kinetic Alfven waves by resonant mode conversion and longitudinal heating of magnetized plasmas

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Phys Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.859145· OSTI ID:6636488

Tanaka, M; Sato, T; Hasegawa, A

Simulation of the kinetic Alfven wave is performed using a two-and-one-half-dimensional (2 (1)/(2) -D) macroscale particle (magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scale kinetic) simulation code. An oscillating antenna current is applied in one of the boundary regions to launch MHD perturbations into an inhomogeneous plasma in which a sheared magnetic field is present. It is shown that the applied perturbation is mode converted into the kinetic Alfven wave at the Alfven resonance layers, resulting in resonant heating of both the ions and electrons. When the plasma beta is relatively low, only the electrons are heated along the ambient magnetic field. The electron heating rate is found to be scaled as dT/sub e//sub parallel//dtproportional..beta../sup 1/2//sub e/ , where ..beta../sub e/ is the electron beta and is the wave magnetic field intensity. In contrast, ion heating occurs when the ion beta is close to unity and the temperature ratio satisfies T/sub e//T/sub i/>1. Besides plasma heating, it is found that the plasma particles are accelerated along the ambient magnetic field in the direction of the wave propagation through Landau resonance with the kinetic Alfven wave.

• Research Organization: Institute for Fusion Theory, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima 730, Japan
• OSTI ID: 6636488
• Journal Information: Phys Fluids B; (United States), Vol. 1:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
INHOMOGENEOUS PLASMA
ALFVEN WAVES
PLASMA HEATING
ACCELERATION
ANTENNAS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
CONVERSION
DISTURBANCES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EXCITATION
LANDAU DAMPING
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
OSCILLATION MODES
RESONANCE
SCALING LAWS
SHEAR
SIMULATION
DAMPING
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
LAYERS
MECHANICS
PLASMA
700108* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Wave Phenomena