On the role of graphite chamber-wall lining in experiments on the ion-cyclotron resonance plasma heating in the globus-M spherical tokamak

Comparative results of experiments on the ion-cyclotron resonance (ICR) heating of plasma in the Globus-M spherical tokamak using a hydrogen-deuterium mixture are presented. The experimental data are analyzed over a long period of time during which the internal surface of the chamber walls was gradually coated with graphite plates. The observed monotonic decrease in the efficiency of ICR plasma heating in the chamber with increasing graphite coverage can be explained by a growth in the high-frequency power absorption in the coating material. Results of numerical simulation of this process are reported.