Experimental and theoretical investigation of waves and resonances of a bounded hot electron, cold ion magnetized plasma

A plasma column is produced by diffusion along a steady magnetic field by a helical microwave discharge source located at one end of a linear machine. Waves in the plasma are electrostatically excited by a split-cylindrical, slow-wave structure. Movable well-balanced RF double probes are used to measure RF electric field amplitude as a function of frequency. This frequency domain includes the Trivelpiece-Gould (T-G) mode (f_LH<f<f _pe), surface wave mode, electrostatic ion cyclotron mode (f _ci<f<f_LH) and ion-acoustic mode (f<or approximately=f_ci). Experimentally observed resonances and dispersion curves of the bounded plasma system are in good agreement with theory for ion-acoustic waves, surface waves and T-G mode.