A study of quasi-mode parametric excitations in lower-hybrid heating of tokamak plasmas

A detailed linear and non-linear analysis of quasi-mode parametric excitations, relevant to experiments in supplementary heating of tokamak plasmas, is presented. The linear analysis includes the full ion-cyclotron harmonic quasi-mode spectrum, while the nonlinear one, considering depletion of the pump electric field, is applied to the recent Alcator A heating experiment. The quasi-mode excitations are studied independently for the plasma edge and the main bulk of the plasma, and for the two typical regimes in overall density. It is concluded that the excited spectrum has a frequency close to the initial pump frequency, while the wave-number spectrum may be different from the initial linear spectrum.