Experimental analysis of mode coupling and plasma turbulence induced by magnetic fields

Abstract

Wavelet spectrum and bispectrum techniques are applied to study the development of temporal turbulence induced by a confinement toroidal magnetic field in a toroidal magnetoplasma created by radio frequency waves. For low magnetic fields the plasma is roughly uniform and the analyzed electrostatic linear frequency spectra are essentially determined by the driven radio frequencies. However, by increasing the toroidal magnetic field, gradients in the plasma radial profiles and broader frequency spectra are observed. Thus, spectral components with frequencies higher than those injected in the plasma are excited. Moreover, this variation of magnetic field also induces nonlinear phase coupling between low frequency coherent peaks and continuous high frequency spectral components.