Relativistic description of electron Bernstein waves

The application of the extraordinary and ordinary electron cyclotron waves for heating and current drive in overdense, magnetized plasmas is restricted. For frequencies near low harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency these waves are cutoff near the edge of the plasma. For higher frequencies the interaction of the waves with electrons is weak leading to very low absorption of wave power. However, electron Bernstein waves provide means for heating and current drive in overdense plasmas since they have no density cutoffs and are strongly damped near harmonics of the electron cyclotron resonance. This paper discusses properties of electron Bernstein waves that make them an attractive means for delivering energy and momentum to electrons. An approximate analytical model for electrostatic waves in the weakly relativistic and weak damping limits is developed. From this model the propagation and damping characteristics of electron Bernstein waves and their dependence on plasma parameters are derived. It is...