Cross-polarization scattering from low-frequency waves in a tandem mirror plasma

Cross-polarization scattering (CPS) diagnostic was applied to the central-cell plasma of the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror in order to study electromagnetic plasma waves with frequencies of less than 200 kHz. In the CPS process, an incident ordinary (extraordinary) wave is converted to an extraordinary (ordinary) wave by magnetic fluctuations in a plasma. The converted wave propagates through the cutoff layer and reaches the opposite diagnostic port. The experimental data suggest that the power spectral density of the CPS signal satisfies the Bragg condition, while the reflectometer detects the waves near the cutoff layer where the wave number cannot be resolved. (author)