Premium
Whistler wings from moving electrodes in a magnetized laboratory plasma
Author(s) -
Stenzel R. L.,
Urrutia J. M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl016i005p00361
Subject(s) - whistler , plasma , electrode , physics , electron , magnetic field , penetration (warfare) , current (fluid) , optics , computational physics , oblique case , atomic physics , linguistics , philosophy , operations research , quantum mechanics , engineering , thermodynamics
In a large laboratory plasma the current pattern set up by moving electrodes has been measured. It is observed that the current flows oblique to the magnetic fieldB → oat an angle given by the electrode speed acrossB → oand the current penetration alongB → owhich is controlled by whistler waves. The current pattern, characterized as “whistler wings”, occurs irrespective of whether the electrodes collect electrons/ions or emit fast electron beams. These results are relevant to active experiments in space involving electrodynamic tethers, beam injections and large space stations.