The calculation of wave fields in a cylindrical plasma using a multiple shooting technique (Q1115778)

A set of four, coupled, first-order ordinary linear differential equations is derived which gives, at low to ion cyclotron frequency, a realistic description of waves excited by an antenna which surrounds a cylindrical plasma that is non-uniform in the radial direction. The equations describe wave modes with very different wavelengths, and they have been solved using a multiple shooting technique, with automatic selection of the shooting points. The efficacy of this technique is discussed with particular application ot the radio-frequency heating of plasmas using the spatial Alfvén resonance.