Effect of hot α-particles on ion cyclotron absorption

Ion cyclotron heating involves mode conversion of the incident fast wave to a Bernstein mode, which is generally stongly damped and only propagates in a localized region of the plasma. The usual theoretical approach to this problem involves solution of fourth or higher order equations, but by treating the Bernstein mode as a driven response to the fast wave we obtain a simple second order equation. Comparison of its solutions with those of higher order equations shows that this approach gives good results. The same method can be used to consider the effect of a small population of hot α-particles on ion cyclotron heating, since it does away with the need for a small larmor radius expansion. The results indicate that a small concentration of α-particles can absorb a substantial fraction of the incident energy