High-fidelity simulations of transverse electric waves propagating through Alcator C-Mod

Abstract

This project represents an attempt to model the propagation of microwaves into Alcator C-Mod's plasma in high fidelity and with a reduced number of degrees of freedom. The success of this endeavor would accelerate progress within the field of fusion energy, as simulations of C-Mod's plasmas, or other plasmas in general, can be run more quickly while still maintaining their accuracy. The main procedure involves producing simulations within COMSOL that use mode numbers based on a power spectrum of waves at 4.6 GHz. These simulations are then overlaid to model how the waves will propagate as a function of position, plasma density, and local flux. Future work could focus on verifying the accuracy of the simulations when compared to data acquired from C-Mod as well as ensuring the run-time of the simulations is indeed faster than other methods.