Theoretical study of increased electron temperature in mirror machines by tuned ion cyclotron resonance heating cycles -: art. no. 022506

The end loss is a serious problem for a mirror fusion device. The purpose of this paper is to study an idea for improvement of end confinement of electrons and ions for a conventional singe mirror machine with a marginal minimum B stable confining magnetic field. By creating an electrostatic electron barrier that confines electrons sufficiently well, an electron temperature of the order of the ion temperature may be reached. This electrostatic electron barrier may be obtained by decreasing the fuel ion density at the mirror plug sufficiently much compared to the central cell density. Microinstabilities may be suppressed or even stabilized by tuned ICRH (ion cyclotron resonance heating) cycles with resonant absorption of the wave just outside one of the mirrors, since a distribution of sloshing ions would be created. Qualitative arguments indicate the possibility with tuned ICRH to reach an energy gain factor well above unity. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics.