Dielectric kernels for Maxwellian tokamak plasmas

Abstract: New integral kernels describing the full-wave dielectric response of Maxwellian tokamak plasmas are presented. They realistically account for the rotational transform and for wave dispersion in presence of equilibrium magnetic field parallel gradients. These kernels rely on special functions of three variables that generalize the standard plasma dispersion function; their main analytical properties are given, leading to efficient evaluation. This approach is free from the poloidal Fourier mode expansion of the HF fields which appears in earlier formulations and gives complete freedom for the numerical resolution of the wave equation: it will typically be applied to 2D finite element discretizations, allowing local mesh refinements as required near cyclotron resonance layers and in regions of rapid HF field variations. This first presentation is to lowest order in the Larmor radius for the sake of clarity but will readily generalize to all orders in ($\rho_{LT}/\lambda_\perp$).