A toroidally broad antenna is proposed for ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) of the next generation of large tokamaks. The antenna has a number of attractive mechanical properties that are absent in ICRH antennas of conventional design. The electrical properties of the broad antenna, together with the properties of a conventional antenna of similar dimensions, are evaluated self-consistently. It is found that the power handling capability and the design flexibility of the broad antenna compare favourably with those of the conventional antenna and that both antennas could supply the ICRH heating requirements of a device of reactor dimensions.
Ion cyclotron resonance heating of a tokamak plasma using an antenna without a Faraday shield