SELF-CONSISTENT QUASILINEAR FOKKER-PLANCK - MAXWELL MODELLING OF ION CYCLOTRON RESONANCE HEATING IN TOKAMAK PLASMAS

摘要

Models of the radiofrequency (rf) response and of the rf quasilinear diffusion operator ofrntokamak plasmas have been derived with identical approximations; they are under implementation in arnfull-wave code and a bounce-averaged quasilinear Fokker-Planck (QLFP) code, respectively.rnCombined iterative use of the codes will allow self-consistent simulations of ICRH in general tokamakrngeometry, with due account taken of the mutual influence between the distribution function of thernheated species, which is strongly nonmaxwellian under intense ICRH, and the rf wave pattern. Thisrnfirst application focuses on the fundamental cyclotron interaction (i.e. typically on minority heatingrnscenarios), transport across magnetic surfaces and finite Larmor radius effects currently beingrnneglected. Theory and its numerical implementation are based on weak Galerkin formulations ofrnMaxwell’s equations and of the QLFP equation. Two particularly attractive benefits result from thisrnapproach: i) the power depositions associated with each equation are automatically consistent withrneach other; ii) elementary building blocks common to the rf response and the QL operator arernevaluated only once, yielding drastic computer time savings.