Electron cyclotron wave power loss in fusion plasmas: a model comparison ∗

For the modelling of hot reactor-grade plasmas a way to compute local electron cyclotron wave losses efficiently and with good accuracy is required. Thereby the approach to calculating the electron cyclotron absorption coefficient is an essential element. A comparison of three available analytical forms (a 'quasi-exact' one and the asymptotic forms due to Trubnikov and to Robinson) shows that, overall, the use of Robinson's formula is the most suitable choice.