Abstract
Light scattering is used to study the amplitude, spectrum, and angular distribution of the saturated state of the ion acoustic instability in a He positive column plasma. The ion acoustic waves are driven unstable by the electron current in the column. The properties of the saturated state are studied as a function of the concentration of hydrogen impurities which are found to be present in positive column plasmas. At concentrations of a few percent, the hydrogen ions can cause linear wave damping. Their role in saturating the instability by nonlinear processes is studied by varying the hydrogen concentration.
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Slusher, R.E., Surko, C.M. & Murray, C.A. Light scattering studies of the ion acoustic instability in a positive column plasma. J Stat Phys 39, 755–767 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01008364
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01008364