RESEARCH ON INTERACTION OF PLASMA STREAMS WITH MAGNETIC FIELDS

Low energy synthesized CS+ plasma streams have been generated. Plasma densities of 10 to the 10th power ion/cu cm have been generated at ion streaming energies of 1 eV. Longitudinal velocity spreads of approximately 10 to the 4th power cm/sec are inferred from transverse velocity measurements and conservation of energy. Low energy streaming Cs+ plasmas have been directed into stationary thermal Cs+ plasmas. Longitudinal wave growth was not observed. Ion Landau damping of ion acoustic waves is greatly reduced by the presence of the streaming plasmas. Beam-related azimuthal drift waves were observed in a Q-machine confining field for this bi-plasma system. Plasma behavior has been observed for streaming plasmas interacting with transverse and longitudinal magnetic fields. Transport and cutoff of the plasma stream by transverse fields is consistent with Fried-Ossakow. Confinement of radially diverging plasma streams by longitudinal B-fields is exponential in B for 0 to approximately 100 gauss. Saturation in confinement is observed for B approximately 100 gauss. Turbulence in plasma stream permits enhanced electron diffusion and limits effectiveness of B-field confinement.