Transitions between drift waves in a magnetized cylindrical plasma: experiments and fluid model, solved with a spectral method

Abstract

A bifurcation scenario between collisional drift waves with different azimuthal wavenumbers m in a magnetized plasma column is experimentally studied, and compared with a linear two-fluid model solved with a new spectral method. The control parameter is the potential of an internal metallic tube in the experiments, the electron drift along the axis of the cylinder in the model. By increasing this parameter, we find bifurcations from azimuthal modes m = 5 to m = 1. The linear properties of the model agree well with the experimental observations.