Modeling of O-X-B conversion of electromagnetic radiation in tokamak plasmas

Linear conversion of the ordinary wave to the extraordinary wave and then to the Bernstein wave (O-X-B conversion) in a tokamak plasma is considered in the generalized geometric-optical approximation taking into account the relativistic effects in a dielectric permitivity tensor. Using the T-10 tokamak as an example, it is shown that even for a relatively low plasma temperature (about 1 keV at the plasma-column center) relativistic effects exert a notable influence on the cyclotron absorption of Bernstein waves. Power deposition profiles for O-X-B plasma heating are determined. The emission of spontaneously excited Bernstein waves resulting from the B-X-O conversion are considered. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 8, pp. 686–703, August 2006.