A numerical model of radio-frequency wall conditioning for steady-state stellarators

A new self-consistent model of the radio-frequency (RF) plasma production in stellarators in the ion-cyclotron (IC) and electron-cyclotron (EC) frequency ranges is described in this work. This model will be used for RF and ECRH start-up and for numerical analysis of the plasma discharge for the vacuum chamber wall conditioning in stellarator type machines. The self-consistent model includes the system of the particle and energy balance equations and the boundary problem for the Maxwell’s equations. A new feature of this model is account of molecular ions, H₂ ⁺ and H₃ ⁺, in the particle balance equations and possibility to model the ECRH breakdown. PACS: 52.50.Qt, 52.55.Hc.