Electrostatic probe disruption of drift waves in magnetized microdischarges
- Frontier Research Base for Global Young Researchers, Frontier Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, High Temperature Gasdynamics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-3032 (United States)
Ultrahigh speed images of ExB discharges are collected during electrostatic probing of magnetized microdischarges. Two azimuthally separated floating micro-Langmuir probes inserted into an axisymmetric microscale magnetically confined plasma are used to characterize azimuthal drift waves. The images reveal features associated with probe intrusion, showing how the electrostatic probes may disrupt the otherwise coherent azimuthal waves. The resulting wave dispersion calculated from the probe signals is consistent with the disruptions seen in the images. These images demonstrate how probe measurements of fluctuations and turbulence, even when probe dimensions are much smaller than characteristic discharge scales, must be interpreted with caution.
- OSTI ID:
- 21294103
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 94, Issue 21; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3132587; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Low-power magnetized microdischarge ion source
Shear flow and drift wave turbulence dynamics in a cylindrical plasma device