A Helicon Solid-State Plasma Experiment for the Advanced Laboratory

Abstract

This paper reports an advanced undergraduate laboratory experiment concerning the helicon solid-state plasma wave. Student results are reported. The experiment is performed as an inexpensive dip in a liquid helium storage vessel. The experiment is made possible by the design of a small, superconducting magnet. The magnet is capable of attaining 18 kG and costs about $25. The whole experiment can be built by students in a week's time. When the experiment is completed, the student not only understands helicon propagation but also understands the use of the helicon to measure magnetoresistance and Hall coefficients in pure metals.