Electrostatic turbulence in a reflex discharge

Abstract

A continuous spectrum of low-frequency oscillations is found in many types of gas discharge which are maintained by a flow of current. Previous studies' of such oscillations in reflex discharges have shown that they are not caused merely by local fluctuations in cathode emission, but are a more fundamental characteristic of the plasma. That ion waves can be excited by a longitudinal current has been shown theoretically', and indeed, oscillations in discharges at low magnetic fields have been shown' to be ion waves. It is the purpose of this experiment to see whether the continuum of oscillations at high magnetic fields can be decomposed into ion waves with a distribution of frequencies. This is accomplished by using