Observation of quasi-periodic frequency sweeping in electron cyclotron emission of nonequilibrium mirror-confined plasma

摘要

Chirping frequency patterns have been observed in the electron cyclotron emission from strongly nonequilibrium plasma confined in a table-top mirror magnetic trap. Such patterns are typical for the formation of nonlinear phase-space structures in a proximity of the wave-particle resonances of a kinetically unstable plasma, also known as the "holes and clumps" mechanism. Our data provides the first experimental evidence for the acting of this mechanism in the electron cyclotron frequency domain. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2016