Electron plasma component heating in U-2M torsatron using FMSW in the ω >> ωci frequency range

Fast magnetoacoustic waves with frequencies higher than the ion cyclotron frequency are planned to be used for electron heating in the Uragan-2M device. This is a brief report on a paper about the study of two mutually complementary models, namely (i) a one-dimensional inhomogenous plasma model involving the solution of the full wave equation, and (ii) a three-dimensional WKB study using ray tracing. It is found that for low parallel refraction index the main absorption mechanism is Landau damping, while for high parallel refraction index electron magnetic damping prevails. The three-dimensional aspects of the plasma non-uniformity is predicted to exert a strong influence on the fast wave propagation. 3 refs, 4 figs