BABE – a brush cathode discharge for thermal fluctuation measurements

For experimental tests of fluctuation theory in ideal plasmas and plasmas seeded with dust, the ideal environment would be that of stable quiescent plasma. In most laboratory plasmas the homogeneous state of the positive column is often unstable, rare exceptions are the so-called brush cathode discharges, proposed in the 60s, where a specially manufactured cathode allows stable operation in the abnormal glow regime and the only fluctuations present are those due the thermal motion of the particles. Such a device, the BAri Brush Electrode (BABE), has recently been built in a novel configuration that combines the advantages of the inverse design with those of the reflex geometry. The region between the two anodes is essentially field-free and extremely stable in wide range of plasma densities and collisionalities. Unprecedented low fluctuation levels of δn/n ⩽ 10−5 in He and δn/n ⩽ 5 × 10−6 in Ar discharges have been achieved.