The high-ß magnetically confined plasmas in spherical tori (ST), like NSTX and MAST, provide a unique opportunity for a wide variety of applications of electron Bernstein waves (EBW). These applications range from heating of the ST plasma to modifying and controlling its current profile. Using the fully relativistic dielectric tensor for a Maxwellian distribution function, this paper presents initial results illustrating the effect of relativity on the dispersion characteristics of EBWs. It is found that, even at temperatures relevant to present STs, the relativistic dispersion properties of EBWs are significantly different from their non-relativistic counterpart.
