Abstract
[1] In a magnetized plasma with two ion species, shear Alfven waves (or guided electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves) have zero parallel group velocity and experience a cut-off near the ion-ion hybrid frequency. Since the ion-ion hybrid frequency is proportional to the magnetic field, it is possible, in principle, for a magnetic well configuration to behave as an Alfven wave resonator in a two-ion plasma. This study demonstrates such a resonator in a controlled laboratory experiment using a H+-He+ mixture. The resonator response is investigated by launching monochromatic waves and sharp tone-bursts from a magnetic loop antenna. The observed frequency spectra are found to agree with predictions of a theoretical model of trapped eigenmodes.
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