This paper summarizes the results of experiments on electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) of plasma obtained at the axially symmetric magnetic mirror device gas dynamic trap (GDT) (Budker Institute, Novosibirsk). The main achievement is the demonstration of plasma discharges with extremely high temperatures of bulk electrons. According to the Thomson scattering measurements, the on-axis electron temperature averaged over several sequential shots is 660 ± 50 eV with peak values exceeding 900 eV in a few shots. This corresponds to an at least threefold increase as compared to previous experiments both at the GDT and at other comparable machines, thus demonstrating the maximum quasi-stationary (∼0.6 ms) electron temperature achieved in open traps. The breakthrough is made possible with the successful implementation of a sophisticated ECRH scheme in addition to standard heating by neutral beams (NBs). Another important result is the demonstration of the significantly increased lifetime of NB-driven fast particles with the application of ECRH, leading to a 30% higher plasma energy content at the end of the discharge. All available data including the previously demonstrated possibility of plasma confinement with β as high as 60%, allows us to consider fusion applications of axially symmetric magnetic mirror machines on a realistic basis.

Collective scattering of gyrouon radiation and its potennal for plasma diapostics was investigated using the WFAS stellamor. The ion temperature was determined from thermal spectra in neuwd-beom-heated plasmas. The excitation of a n m w band plasma wave by a non.thermd ion component w a observed and the wave characteristics wece investigated experimentally. The results constitute an important step toward a-pmicle diagnostic via scattering of powerful microwave radiation.

Physics aspects of a new system for electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) at the magnetic mirror device Gas Dynamic Trap (GDT, Budker Institute, Novosibirsk) are discussed. This system based on two 400 kW/54.5 GHz gyrotrons is aimed at increasing the electron temperature up to the range 250–350 eV for improved energy confinement of hot ions. The key physical issue of the GDT magnetic field topology is that conventional ECRH geometries are not accessible. The proposed solution is based on a peculiar effect of radiation trapping in inhomogeneous magnetized plasma. Under specific conditions, oblique launch of gyrotron radiation results in generation of right-hand-polarized (R) electromagnetic waves propagating with high N|| in the vicinity of the cyclotron resonance layer, which leads to effective single-pass absorption of the injected microwave power. In the present paper, we investigate numerically an optimized ECRH scenario based on the proposed mechanism of wave propagation and discuss the design of the ECRH system, which is currently under construction at the Budker Institute.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of lower hybrid (LH) turbulence in the W7-AS stellarator are presented. The turbulence is excited by an ion beam, which is generated by a weak neutral hydrogen beam injected transversely to the confining magnetic field. The instability is detected by collective Thomson scattering of powerful gyrotron radiation. From the measured density dependence of the frequency it was identified as an LH type of instability. The spectrum is characterized by a narrow bandwidth in spite of the inherently poor radial resolution of the backscattering geometry. The theoretical model of an LH instability driven by a transverse fast ion component under the double resonance condition (coincidence of the LH frequency with a high cyclotron harmonic of the fast ions) is developed. The instability growth rate is derived. The stabilizing effect of high bulk ion temperatures was observed experimentally, in accordance with theoretical modelling. An instability saturation mechanism similar to the well known stochastic ion heating is proposed.

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