Abstract
A theoretical calculation is made of the normal mode structure of collisional drift waves in Q machines, due to the presence of end plates. The two fluid equations for electrons and ions are employed, including the effects of electron temperature perturbations and electron heat flow. Particular emphasis is placed on how a direct electron current along the magnetic field alters this structure. The dispersion relation and the sheath boundary condition resulting from both particle and heat flows are obtained. A slab plasma model is adopted, with a uniform magnetic field perpendicular to both the density gradient and the end plates. The case where the electron flow velocity is comparable to the ion acoustic wave velocity is studied in detail. The dispersion relation indicates that the wave frequency and the temporal growth rate change only very little for devices with end plates. The normal model consists of two oppositely directed traveling drift waves and two small amplitude oppositely directed traveling entropy waves. The drift waves grow spatially in the direction of electron flow and have a small axial phase shift, which varies linearly along the same direction. Good agreement is obtained with recent experimental results.
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