A numerical study of helicon wave heating and current driving for the HL-2M steady-state scenario has been performed. Numerical calculations based on fast wave theory show that the high frequency plays a significant role, which results in a predominance of electron absorption and negligible ion absorption. The calculations also show that the desired strong absorption region can be achieved when the frequency is greater than 420 MHz and the electron beta is higher than 1.8%. The helicon wave propagation and current drive have been simulated using GENRAY, CQL3D, and AORSA codes. Modeling analysi...
