Observation of centrifugally driven interchange instabilities in a plasma confined by a magnetic dipole

Centrifugally driven interchange instabilities are observed in a laboratory plasma confined by a dipole magnetic field. The instabilities appear when an equatorial mesh is biased to drive a radial current that causes rapid axisymmetric plasma rotation. The observed instabilities are quasicoherent in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2005-05, Vol.94 (17), p.175002.1-175002.4, Article 175002
Main Authors: LEVITT, B, MASLOVSKY, D, MAUEL, M. E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AXIAL SYMMETRY
CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
ELECTRONS
Exact sciences and technology
FLUTE INSTABILITY
GEOSCIENCES
Laboratoty studies of space- and astrophysical plasmas
MAGNETIC DIPOLES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
Nonlinear waves and nonlinear wave propagation (including parametric effects, mode coupling, ponderomotive effects, etc.)
Physics
Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges
Physics of plasmas and electric discharges
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
ROTATION
SIMULATION
Waves, oscillations, and instabilities in plasmas and intense beams
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Summary:Centrifugally driven interchange instabilities are observed in a laboratory plasma confined by a dipole magnetic field. The instabilities appear when an equatorial mesh is biased to drive a radial current that causes rapid axisymmetric plasma rotation. The observed instabilities are quasicoherent in the laboratory frame of reference; they have global radial mode structures and low azimuthal mode numbers, and they are modified by the presence of energetic, magnetically confined electrons. Results from a self-consistent nonlinear simulation reproduce the measured mode structures.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.94.175002