Investigation of the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability in a Cesium Plasma

Abstract

Experiments have been performed in a thermally ionized cesium plasma, in which a relative drift between ions in adjacent layers appears to excite the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The relative drifts required are of the order of ci, the ion thermal velocity, or somewhat smaller. The frequency of the oscillations is generally in the range 1–4 kc/sec. A study has been made of the type of waves excited, by means of amplitude and phase measurements.