Experimental Observation of Anisotropic Magnetic Turbulence in a Reversed Field Pinch Plasma

Y. Ren, A. F. Almagri, G. Fiksel, S. C. Prager, J. S. Sarff, and P. W. Terry

Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 195002 – Published 31 October 2011

Abstract

In this Letter we report an experimental study of fully developed anisotropic magnetic turbulence in a laboratory plasma. The turbulence has broad (narrow) spectral power in the perpendicular (parallel) direction to the local mean magnetic field extending beyond the ion cyclotron frequency. Its $k_{⊥}$ spectrum is asymmetric in the ion and electron diamagnetic directions. The wave number scaling for the short wavelength fluctuations shows exponential falloff indicative of dissipation. A standing wave structure is found for the turbulence in the minor radial direction of the toroidal plasma.

Received 6 May 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.195002

Authors & Affiliations

Y. Ren, A. F. Almagri, G. Fiksel, S. C. Prager, J. S. Sarff, and P. W. Terry

Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA