Properties of electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves in a mirror machine
Frequency and wavelength of electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves have been measured in a mirror machine. The dominant frequency occurs near the ion-cyclotron fundamental with width ..delta..f/f < 0.02. For most of the plasma buildup and decay the perpendicular wave numbers are consistent with an ion-diamagnetic drift wave ..omega../sub i/* = k/sub perpendicular( c Ei-italic//cB)(1/n) dn/dx at the ion-cyclotron frequency. With increasing wave amplitude the wave spectral properties do not change but an increase in ion energy diffusion is observed, supporting a wave-particle saturation of the mode.