Progress with applications of three-ion ICRF scenarios for fusion research: A review

Abstract

The success of magnetic confinement fusion as an energy source relies crucially on reaching the necessary high temperatures for the fuel D and T ions. In a fusion reactor, plasma heating with waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) is the only system capable of providing a large fraction of bulk ion heating. Furthermore, in view of a better understanding of the non-linear physics of alpha heating in ITER and future reactors, generating MeV-range ions and studying the impact of fast ions on plasma stability and confinement becomes progressively more important. This paper summarizes recent theoretical progress and experimental demonstrations of the so-called three-ion ICRF scenario on the tokamaks Alcator C-Mod, ASDEX Upgrade and JET. In particular, the paper highlights several key results relevant for ITER and future fusion reactors.