https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202634601003
Beam Tracing in Phase Space: Paraxial Description of High-Frequency Wave Beams in Turbulent Plasmas
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Boltzmannstrasse 2, 85747, Garching, Germany.
* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published online: 7 January 2026
Abstract
The averaged wave energy density carried by an electron-cyclotron wave beam in a turbulent plasma can be computed by solving numerically the wave kinetic equation. This approach however can be computationally demanding due to the high dimensionality of the problem. In this work, we show how ideas from paraxial optics can be applied to construct an approximate solution of the wave kinetic equation. This construction requires only the solution of a small system of ordinary differential equations.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2026
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
