Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2006

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Committee Chair

E. E. Scime.

Abstract

Alfven waves are low frequency, long wavelength electromagnetic waves commonly found in space plasmas. As these waves typically have wavelengths on the order of kilometers, generating Alfven waves in the lab is quite difficult. At the appropriate plasma parameters, (e.g., high density and weak applied magnetic field strength), the wavelength of the Alfven wave will be small enough to fit into a reasonably sized experimental device. Here it will be shown that Alfven waves have been successfully propagated in the HELIX device in argon and helium plasmas.

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