Design and use of an Elsässer probe for analysis of Alfvén wave fields according to wave direction

We have designed an electric and magnetic field probe which simultaneously measure both quantities in the directions perpendicular to the background magnetic field for application to Alfvén wave experiments in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. This new probe allows for the projection of measured wave fields onto generalized Elsässer variables. Experiments were conducted in a singly ionized He plasma at 1850 G in which propagation of Alfvén waves was observed using this new probe. We demonstrate that a clear separation of transmitted and reflected signals and determination of Poynting flux and Elsässer variables can be achieved.