A Study on Conductivity Kernel Calculation in Strongly Magnetized Plasma

Plasma interaction with electromagnetic waves can be represented as plasma current in Maxwell's equations, where the plasma current is expressed as the product of the conductivity tensor and electric field vector. Within the linear response regime, these quantities are calculated by tracking charged particle orbits backward in time from test positions using the linearized Vlasov equation with steady-state fields. By repeating this process across multiple spatial positions, the conductivity kernel can be obtained throughout the entire domain of interest.

While conceptually straightforward, this approach is computationally intensive and convergence can be challenging to achieve in certain cases. The computational burden becomes particularly extensive when non-local effects are significant, requiring careful treatment of spatial correlations in the conductivity response.

We present a comprehensive summary of our findings from conductivity kernel calculations in various magnetic fusion plasma configurations. Our primary objective is to identify pathways toward more efficient computational methodologies for these challenging simulations.