Wave Propagation to Lower Hybrid Resonance in a Magnetic Field with Shear

Abstract

The ray trajectories of electrostatic wave to the lower hybrid (LH) resonance on the meridian plane of torus is significantly modified as compared with that without shear. The ray starting from the vicinity of the plasma surface rotates spirally around the magnetic axis. The ray reaching the layer S =0, where the perpendicular dielectric constant vanishes, is not terminated but reflected along the second characteristic curve towards another point on the layer S =0. After being reflected successively, rays finally converge on the node point of the layer S =0 on the equatorial plane. In the absence of he layer S =0 the rays infinitely reflect between the cutoff layers near the center and surface of plasma and cover all the region between the layers.