Parametric instabilities and plasma heating in an inhomogeneous plasma

Experimental studies of plasma heating due to microwave irradiation of the magnetically confined plasma column in the Princeton L-3 device is presented. X-band (10.4 GHz) microwave power, both in the ordinary and the extraordinary modes of propagation, is used in these experiments. Plasma heating is observed to occur simultaneously with the occurrence of parametric decay instabilities. The mode structure of the pump wave and the decay ion wave dispersion have been measured with high frequency probes. Detailed measurements of electron heating rates are presented and compared with collisional heating rates. In addition, production of suprathermal electrons and ions is also observed and measured. A comparison is made with recent laser-pellet interaction experiments.

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