Numerical simulation of magnetically confined plasmas undergoing cyclotron resonance heating

A set of mathematical and computational tools which can be readily used to study the behavior of magnetically confined plasmas heated by a process known as Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH) is developed. The hot, tenuous plasmas, consisting of electrons and protons, are confined by strong mirror-like magnetic fields. The heating is accomplished by irradiating the plasma with a microwave source whose frequency is adjusted to match the natural cyclotron gyrofrequency of the electrons