Laser scattering measurements of thermal fluctuations in collisional plasmas

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5673791

Mostovych, A N

The thermal density fluctuation spectrum of a high density, low temperature (2eV, 10/sup 17/ cm/sup -3/) collisional plasma was measured in a CO/sub 2/ laser scattering experiment. The measured spectra differed substantially from spectra observed in collisionless plasmas. Fluctuations at the ion-acoustic frequency were strongly enhanced and the width of the resonance was significantly narrowed in comparison to the collisionless case. This can be understood as the collisional undamping of ion sound waves which are otherwise heavily Landau damped. Most kinetic theories, which include collisions, predict such general behavior but differ in their specific predictions. The validity of these theories was evaluated by an examination of their ability to generate the measured fluctuation spectrum.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5673791
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700102* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Diagnostics
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
DAMPING
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ION ACOUSTIC WAVES
ION WAVES
LANDAU DAMPING
LASER RADIATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PLASMA WAVES
RADIATIONS
RESONANCE
SCATTERING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES