Electron Transport by Radio Frequency Waves in Tokamak Plasmas

A relativistic kinetic description for momentum and spatial diffusion of electrons by radio frequency (RF) waves and non-axisymmetric magnetic field perturbations in a tokamak is formulated. The Lie perturbation technique is used to obtain a non-singular, time dependent evolution equation for resonant and non-resonant electron diffusion in momentum space and diffusion in configuration space. The kinetic equation for the electron distribution function is different from the usual quasilinear equations as it includes interactions that are non-Markovian. It is suitable for studying wave-particle interaction in present tokamaks and in ITER. A primary goal of RF waves, and, in particular, of electron cyclotron waves, in ITER is to control instabilities like the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM). Non-axisymmetric effects due to NTMs are included in the kinetic formalism.