Inverse Bremsstrahlung current drive

Abstract

The generation of the plasma current resulting from Bremsstrahlung absorption is considered. It is shown that the electric current is higher than the naive estimates assuming that electrons absorb only the photon momentum and using the Spitzer conductivity would suggest. The current enhancement is in part because electrons get the recoil momentum from the Coulomb field of ions during the absorption and in part because the electromagnetic power is absorbed asymmetrically within the electron velocity distribution space.