ECRH (electron-cyclotron resonance heating)-heated distributions in thermal-barrier tandem mirrors

Conference · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:5707401

Cohen, R H; LoDestro, L L

The distribution function is calculated for electrons subjected to strong electron-cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at the plug and barrier in a tandem-mirror thermal-barrier cell. When ECRH diffusion locally dominates over collisions and a boundary condition (associated with electrons passing to the center cell) imposes variations on the distribution function rapid compared to the variation of the ECRH and collisional diffusion coefficients, the kinetic equation can be reduced approximately to Laplace's equation. For the typical case where velocity space is divided into distinct regions in which plug and barrier ECRH dominate, the solution in each region can be expressed in terms of the plasma dispersion function or exponential integrals, according to whether the passing electrons are dominated by collisions or ECRH, respectively. The analytic results agree well with Fokker-Planck code results, in terms of both velocity-space structure and values of moments. 10 refs., 4 figs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 5707401
• Report Number(s): UCRL-97582; CONF-8709203-1; ON: DE88002390
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
700103 -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Kinetics
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ECR HEATING
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EQUATIONS
FERMIONS
FOKKER-PLANCK EQUATION
FUNCTIONS
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
KINETIC EQUATIONS
LAPLACE EQUATION
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC MIRRORS
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
TANDEM MIRRORS
THERMAL BARRIERS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES