Lower Hybrid antennas for nuclear fusion experiments

Julien Hillairet (1) , J Achard (1) , Young-Soon Bae (2) , X Bai (3) , C Balorin (1) , Y Baranov (4) , V Basiuk (1) , A Bécoulet (1) , J Belo (5) , G Berger-By (1) , S Brémond (1) , C Castaldo (1) , S Ceccuzzi (1) , R Cesario (1) , E Corbel (1) , X Courtois (1) , J Decker (1) , E Delmas (1) , L Delpech (1) , X Ding (1) , D Douai (1) , A Ekedahl (1) , C Goletto (1) , M Goniche (1) , D Guilhem (1) , P Hertout (1) , Frédéric Imbeaux (1) , X Litaudon (1) , R Magne (1) , J Mailloux (1) , D Mazon (1) , F Mirizzi (6) , P Mollard (1) , P Moreau (1) , T Oosako (1) , V Petrzilka (7, 1) , Y Peysson (1) , S Poli (1) , M Preynas (1) , M Prou (1) , F Saint-Laurent (1) , F Samaille (1) , B Saoutic (1)

1 IRFM - Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par confinement Magnétique
2 NFRI - National Fusion Research Institute
3 SWIP - Southwestern Institute of Physics
4 Euratom/CCFE Fusion Association
5 Associacao Euratom-IST, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa
6 Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione
7 Association Euratom/IPP.CR

The nuclear fusion research goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power for peaceful purposes. In order to achieve the conditions similar to those expected in an electricity-generating fusion power plant, plasmas with a temperature of several hundreds of millions of degrees must be generated and sustained for long periods. For this purpose, RF antennas delivering multi-megawatts of power to magnetized confined plasma are commonly used in experimental tokamaks. In the gigahertz range of frequencies, high power phased arrays known as " Lower Hybrid " (LH) antennas are used to extend the plasma duration. This paper reviews some of the technological aspects of the LH antennas used in the Tore Supra tokamak and presents the current design of a proposed 20 MW LH system for the international experiment ITER.

Keywords: Nuclear Fusion; high power; phased array; rectangular waveguide; Lower Hybrid; Current Drive; Tore Supra; ITER

Domains: Plasma Physics [physics.plasm-ph]; Plasmas; Electromagnetism

Julien Hillairet, J Achard, Young-Soon Bae, X Bai, C Balorin, et al.. Lower Hybrid antennas for nuclear fusion experiments. EuCAP 2012: 6th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, 2012, pp.1-4. ⟨10.1109/EuCAP.2012.6205828⟩. ⟨cea-01132520⟩