Electron-Bernstein-Wave Current Drive in an Overdense Plasma at the Wendelstein 7-AS Stellarator

Electron-Bernstein-wave (EBW) current drive in an overdense plasma was demonstrated at the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator for the first time. The EBWs were generated by O-X-B mode conversion. The relatively high current drive efficiency was consistent with theoretical predictions. The experiments provided first investigations of EBW phase space interaction for wave refractive indices much larger than unity.