Multiple frequency electron cyclotron heating for the Levitated Dipole Experiment

The use of multiple frequencies of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) in the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) is an important tool that will tailor the plasma profiles. Initial LDX plasmas have been created using 2.45 GHz and 6.4 GHz, both at up to 3 kW. The construction and calibration of the ECRH system will be discussed and initial experimental results will be presented. The effects of different combinations of pulse lengths and powers will be examined in terms of the plasma diamagnetism. Different density profiles will be used to calculate the locations of the resonances and cutoffs. Locations where the plasma absorbs the microwave power will be simulated through computer codes. Equilibrium output of the program DIPOLEQ combined with MATLAB calculations using the Appleton-Hartree dispersion relation provide qualitative representations of where the power is absorbed in typical LDX plasmas.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Mahar, Scott B

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jay Kesner.

• Nuclear Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/34447

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/34447