[en] The nonlinear coupling of intense, monochromatic, electromagnetic radiation with plasma is considered in a number of special cases. The first part of the thesis serves as an introduction to three-wave interactions. A general formulation of the stimulated scattering of transverse waves by longitudinal modes in a warm, unmagnetized, uniform plasma is constructed. A general dispersion relation is derived that describes Raman and Brillouin scattering, modulational instability, and induced Thomson scattering. Raman scattering (the scattering of a photon into another photon and an electron plasma wave) is investigated as a possible plasma heating scheme. Analytic theory complemented by computer simulation is presented describing the nonlinear mode coupling of laser light with small and large amplitude, resonantly excited electron plasma waves. The simulated scattering of a coherent electromagnetic wave by low frequency density perturbations in homogeneous plasma is discussed. A composite picture of the linear dispersion relations for filamentation and Brillouin scattering is constructed. The absolute instability of Brillouin weak and strong coupling by analytic and numerical means is described

[en] This paper surveys recent advances in the application of implicit integration schemes to particle simulation of plasmas. The use of implicit integration schemes is motivated by the goal of efficiently studying low-frequency plasma phenomena using a large timestep, while retaining accuracy and kinetics. Implicit schemes achieve numerical stability and provide selective damping of unwanted high-frequency waves. This paper reviews the implicit moment and direct implicit methods. Lastly, the merging of implicit methods with orbit averaging can result in additional computational savings

[en] This paper surveys recent advances in the application of multiple time-scale methods to particle simulation of collective phenomena in plasmas. These methods dramatically improve the efficiency of simulating low-frequency kinetic behavior by allowing the use of a large timestep, while retaining accuracy. The numerical schemes surveyed provide selective damping of unwanted high-frequency waves and preserve numerical stability in a variety of physics models: electrostatic, magneto-inductive, Darwin and fully electromagnetic. The paper reviews hybrid simulation models, the implicitmoment-equation method, the direct implicit method, orbit averaging, and subcycling

[en] The nonlinear coupling of intense, monochromatic, electromagnetic radiation with plasma is considered in a number of special cases. The first part of the thesis serves as an introduction to three-wave interactions. A general formulation of the stimulated scattering of transverse waves by longitudinal modes in a warm, unmagnetized, uniform plasma is constructed. A general dispersion relation is presented that describes Raman and Brillouin scattering, modulation instability, and induced Thomson scattering. Raman scattering (the scattering of a photon into another photon and an electron plasma wave) is investigated as a possible plasma heating scheme. The stimulated scattering of a coherent electromagnetic wave by low frequency density perturbations in homogeneous plasma is considered. A composite picture of the linear dispersion relations for filamentation and Brillouin scattering is constructed. The absolute instability of Brillouin weak and strong coupling is studied by analytic and numerical means

[en] High-power free-electron lasers make new methods possible for heating plasmas and driving current in toroidal plasmas with electromagnetic waves. We have undertaken particle simulation studies with one and two dimensional, relativistic particle simulation codes of intense pulsed electron cyclotron heating and beat-wave current drive. The particle simulation methods here are conventional: the algorithms are time-centered, second-order-accurate, explicit, leap-frog difference schemes. The use of conventional methods restricts the range of space and time scales to be relatively compact in the problems addressed. Nevertheless, experimentally relevant simulations have been performed. 10 refs., 2 figs

[en] A review of computer application in plasma physics is presented. Computer contribution to the investigation of magnetic and inertial confinement of a plasma and charged particle beam propagation is described. Typical utilization of computer for simulation and control of laboratory and cosmic experiments with a plasma and for data accumulation in these experiments is considered. Basic computational methods applied in plasma physics are discussed. Future trends of computer utilization in plasma reseaches are considered in terms of an increasing role of microprocessors and high-speed data plotters and the necessity of more powerful computer application

[en] Computational models of a radiofrequency (RF) heating system and neutral-beam injector are presented. These physics packages, when incorporated into a particle simulation code allow one to simulate the auxiliary heating and fueling of fusion plasmas. The RF-heating package is based upon a quasilinear diffusion equation which describes the slow evolution of the heated particle distribution. The neutral-beam injector package models the charge exchange and impact ionization processes which transfer energy and particles from the beam to the background plasma. Particle simulations of an RF-heated and a neutral-beam-heated simple-mirror plasma are presented. 8 refs., 5 figs

[en] We present the design and implementation for the array processor of FERMI, a code for modeling the physics of field-reversed magnetic-mirror fusion machines. The physical model is described briefly, along with a discussion of important physical effects that this code can model. We show that the code results are in agreement with theoretical predictions

[en] A study of the nonlinear saturation by mode coupling of the dissipative trapped-ion mode is presented in which both radial and poloidal variations are considered. The saturation mechanism consists of the nonlinear coupling via E x B convection of energy from linearly unstable modes to stable modes. Stabilization is provided at short poloidal wavelengths by Landau damping from trapped and circulating ions, at short radial wavelengths by effects associated with the finite ion banana excursions and at long wavelengths by ion collisions. A one-dimensional, nonlinear partial differential equation for the electrostatic potential derived in earlier work is extended to two dimensions and to third order in amplitude. Included systematically are kinetic effects, e.g., Landau damping and its spatial dependence due to magnetic shear. The stability and accessibility of equilibria are considered in detail for cases far from as well as close to marginal stability. In the first case three-wave interactions are found to be important when the spectrum of unstable modes is sufficiently narrow. In the latter case, it is found that for a single unstable mode, a four-wave interaction can provide the dominant saturation mechanism. Cross-field transport is calculated, and the scaling of results is considered for tokamak parameters

[en] MAGIC, a new one-dimensional particle code, simulates magneto-inductive phenomena in a cylindrically symmetric magnetized plasma. The physical model and the computational algorithm used for the code are described. A user's guide to and a listing of MAGIC are also included