Verification of particle simulation of radio frequency waves in fusion plasmas

TL;DR

This paper develops and verifies a particle simulation model for RF wave interactions in fusion plasmas, incorporating kinetic ions and guiding-center electrons, validated through linear simulations matching analytical results.

Contribution

It introduces a first-principles particle simulation model for RF wave interactions in fusion plasmas, implemented in a global gyrokinetic code with real mass ratios.

Findings

Simulation results agree with analytic predictions for plasma oscillations and waves.

The model successfully captures nonlinear RF plasma interactions.

Verification confirms the model's accuracy in cylindrical geometry.

Abstract

Radio frequency (RF) waves can provide heating, current and flow drive, as well as instability control for steady state operations of fusion experiments. A particle simulation model has been developed in this work to provide a first-principles tool for studying the RF nonlinear interactions with plasmas. In this model, ions are considered as fully kinetic particles using the Vlasov equation and electrons are treated as guiding centers using the drift kinetic equation. This model has been implemented in a global gyrokinetic toroidal code (GTC) using real electron-to-ion mass ratio. To verify the model, linear simulations of ion plasma oscillation, ion Bernstein wave, and lower hybrid wave are carried out in cylindrical geometry and found to agree well with analytic predictions.