A 1D coupled RF / transport model for ponderomotive density modification of the SOL near high power RF actuators.*

The efficiency of coupling RF power to magnetically confined fusion plasmas depends on the properties of the scrape off layer, which are in turn altered by the application of RF power. The dynamics of this nonlinear interaction are not well understood such that designing a robust coupling scheme has proven elusive. Here we present a simplified 1D (parallel to the confining magnetic field), coupled RF and fluid plasma transport simulation to examine density modification near RF actuators via ponderomotive effects. Our initial approach includes only the parallel component of the force (associate with electron density modification). Progress towards including a ponderomotive tensor term capturing both parallel and perpendicular (associated with ion drifts) components, and determining the requirements on the numerical scheme required for such a coupling will also to be discussed.