A new extremum seeking technique and its application to maximize RF heating on FTU

We propose a new global extremum seeking algorithm to optimize the coupling between the emitting Lower Hybrid (LH) antennas and the plasma scrape off layer in the radiofrequency (RF) heating problem in tokamak plasmas. The new algorithm, where the existing disturbances affecting the system are seen as the probing signals, requires less constraining properties than the previous ones and is more robust. In particular, simulation results are presented illustrating the effectiveness of the algorithm on the Lower Hybrid RF heating of the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU).