Editing Tokamak (section)

=== Radio-frequency heating ===
[[Image:Gyrotron plateforme.jpg|thumb|Set of hyperfrequency tubes (84 GHz and 118 GHz) for plasma heating by electron cyclotron waves on the [[Tokamak à configuration variable|Tokamak à Configuration Variable]] (TCV). Courtesy of SPC-EPFL.]]

{{see also|Radio frequency heating|Dielectric heating}}
High-frequency electromagnetic waves are generated by oscillators (often by [[gyrotron]]s or [[klystron]]s) outside the torus. If the waves have the correct frequency (or wavelength) and polarization, their energy can be transferred to the charged particles in the plasma, which in turn collide with other plasma particles, thus increasing the temperature of the bulk plasma. Various techniques exist including [[electron cyclotron resonance]] heating (ECRH) and [[ion cyclotron resonance]] heating. This energy is usually transferred by microwaves.