A Full Wave Simulation on the Density Dependence of a Slow Wave Excitation in the GAMMA 10/PDX Central Cell with TASK/WF3D

Abstract

Beach heating using a slow Alfvén wave in ion cyclotron range of frequencies would be the first candidate for ion heating in a DEMO-relevant divertor testing linear plasma device if it is applicable to a high-density regime. To clarify its availability, the density dependence of a slow wave excitation is investigated using a full wave simulation with TASK/WF3D code in the GAMMA 10/PDX central cell configuration, where there is an extensive track record of a beach heating. A shielding effect is successfully demonstrated and well understood under a three-dimensional configuration in the limit of cold plasma approximation. As the density increases, excitable left-handed electric field, which contributes to ion cyclotron heating, degrades more and more from a core region, and resultantly the ion absorption region goes outwards with reducing its power. For core densities above 10²⁰ m⁻³, the wave field exists only at a very edge, and ion heating becomes negligible unless the wave frequency is much increased with a correspondent magnetic field enhancement.