Generation of sloshing ions in a tandem mirror by ion cyclotron resonance heating
Experimental results indicate that ion cyclotron resonance heating at omega = omega/sub C1/ can create a population of sloshing ions in a minimum /B/ end cell of a tandem mirror. This effect can be mathematically modeled by a kick-per-pass operator which strongly heats the cold and warm ions. An anisotropy is seen in the pitch-angle distribution of the warm (over 200 eV) ions as obtained from measurements by arrays of secondary emission detectors. The various issues involved in the creation of such a sloshing population are examined, including charge exchange losses, radial profile effects, Coulomb scattering and RF diffusion. The author presents the functional dependence of this anisotropy with RF resonance position, radius, RF power level, and background neutral gas density. He finds that the interaction of the ICRF waves with the warm to hot RF sustained plasma distribution can be approximately modeled with RF quasi-linear theory or with Monte Carlo kick-per-pass operators. The ion pitch angle distribution is modeled by assuming an initial distribution narrowly centered at the RF pitch angle. This distribution is then predominantly diffused by ICRF to a wider distribution. The midplane pitch-angle standard deviation is measured to be 15 to 25/sup 0/ from a mean at 70/sup 0/, a distribution obtained by placing the ICRF resonance 19-20 centimeters off midplane.
- Research Organization:
- Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6088550
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
TANDEM MIRRORS
ICR HEATING
CHARGE EXCHANGE
COULOMB SCATTERING
IONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
WAVE PROPAGATION
BASIC INTERACTIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
INTERACTIONS
MAGNETIC MIRRORS
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PLASMA HEATING
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
& Production
700103 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Kinetics