Field-reversed configurations in an unmagnetized plasma.
An oscillating magnetic field is applied with a loop antenna to an unmagnetized plasma. At small amplitudes the field is evanescent. At large amplitudes the field magnetizes the electrons, which allows deeper field penetration in the whistler modes. Field-reversed configurations are formed at each half cycle. Electrons are energized. Transient whistler instabilities produce high-frequency oscillations in the magnetized plasma volume.
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1547, USA. stenzel@physics.ucla.edu
R L
RL
Stenzel
J M
JM
Urrutia
K D
KD
Strohmaier