Numerical simulation of wave propagation and plasma response excited in field-reversed configuration plasma

Abstract

Abstract A hybrid simulation (a model that treats ions as particles and electrons as fluid) is performed to analyse the propagation of waves excited in the field-reversed configuration plasma and the resulting plasma response. The current of the wave excitation antenna changes in a sine wave, and its frequency is set so that it has an ion cyclotron resonance point inside the separatrix. When the antenna current is maximum, a magnetic field with a magnitude of 40% of the external magnetic field is created on the separatrix. A toroidal magnetic field is excited in the plasma by applying waves. The observed propagation velocity of the toroidal magnetic field is comparable with the shear Alfvén wave outside the separatrix, and is on the same order within the separatrix. This result has a tendency similar to the propagation velocity outside the separatrix reported in the wave experiment in the past FIX machine. The simulation results also show that when the excited magnetic field propagates in the axial direction, the separatrix is compressed or expanded, and the high-density region of the ions formed thereby moves in the axial direction. In addition, the excited magnetic energy is rapidly decreased near the position where the velocities of the shear Alfvén wave and the ion sound wave are equal (local beta value is 0.88). It is found that the decay of the excited magnetic energy occurred at a point outside the ion cyclotron resonance point. This suggests that the compression and expansion of the plasma is caused while maintaining the quasi-equilibrium state according to the change in the external magnetic pressure.