Magnetic fluctuations of a large nonuniform plasma column

A broad experimental survey is made of the properties of spontaneously generated magnetic fluctuations in a large linear device in which the plasma density has different cross-field gradient scales. It includes steep gradients at the plasma–wall edge as well as at an interior plasma–plasma interface, thus phenomena of interest to magnetic fusion research as well as to space plasma physics is illustrated. Fluctuations in uniformly magnetized columns and plasmas with an axial gradient in the confining magnetic field are studied. Some of the highlights include the identification of a universal spectrum for drift-Alfvén turbulence and the role of partial reflections in shaping the spectra. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. @DOI: 10.1063/1.1572814#