Experimental observation of the blob-generation mechanism from interchange waves in a plasma

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Feb 8;100(5):055004. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.055004. Epub 2008 Feb 6.

Abstract

The mechanism for blob generation in a toroidal magnetized plasma is investigated using time-resolved measurements of two-dimensional structures of electron density, temperature, and plasma potential. The blobs are observed to form from a radially elongated structure that is sheared off by the E x B flow. The structure is generated by an interchange wave that increases in amplitude and extends radially in response to a decrease of the radial pressure scale length. The dependence of the blob amplitude upon the pressure radial scale length is discussed.