Abstract
An experiment is described in which torsional Alfven waves are excited in a magnetized, partially ionized plasma column. Measurements of the propagation and polarization of the wave field are compared with numerical solutions of the dispersion equation. With decreasing degree of ionization, collisional coupling of ions with neutrals leads to an increased Hall effect, which can be expressed in terms of an effective ion cyclotron frequency. Peaks in axial wave number and damping as well as a change in polarization are found at this frequency. Radial inhomogeneities of resistivity and plasma density lead to a radial variation in amplitude and phase of the wave field.