Lower Hybrid Heating and Current Drive: Experimental Results Versus Theoretical Expectations

Experimental data from a number of lower hybrid experiments are compared with theoretical predictions in different domains of interest for reactor applications. While some points still remain undecided (enhancement of the number of resonant electrons in the current drive regime, for which a number of theoretical explanations are proposed) or not yet understood (occasional quenching of the wave penetration in the ion heating regime), a good general agreement of the experimental results with the conventional theories is found in many respects (wave coupling, wave propagation, boundaries of the high-frequency and plasma parameter domains for different types of interactions, ion heating in the majority of cases, parametric dependence of current drive, and power deposition on the electrons).