Calculation of the ion transverse velocity distribution function under ion cyclotron resonance heating

The ion transverse velocity distribution functions and the fraction η of ions heated above a certain energy W ₁ are calculated as applied to the ion cyclotron resonance heating method of isotope separation. It is assumed that the longitudinal ion velocity distribution in a plasma source is nonequilibrium. Under high heating temperatures, the averaged ion transverse velocity distribution becomes essentially nonequilibrium and exhibits two maxima. The ion heating efficiency η is calculated for W ₁=40 eV and various values of the parameter p=λ/L, where λ is the wavelength of the electric field of an antenna and L is the heating zone extension. The relative contributions of the time-of-flight and Doppler broadenings are evaluated.