Laboratory Investigation of Alfven Wave Physics Related to Space Plasmas

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will utilize the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) located at UCLA to conduct laboratory measurements of shear Alfven waves. The project will focus on two aspects of Alfven wave physics that are of relevance and importance to space plasma physics. The first topic is the wave dispersion relations over a wide regime of plasma parameters including both the inertial and kinetic limits. This topic also includes investigation of direct acceleration of electrons by Alfven waves. The dispersion measurements will focus on the dependence of the perpendicular wave number, which is of central importance for several models of Alfven waves in space plasmas. The second topic is a comparison of lab experiments and theoretical models for field-line resonances. The comparisons will be used to discriminate between theoretical models which include parallel ion flows and those which do not. The project will bring together space plasma experimentalists and laboratory experimentalists, and it will incorporate educational activities for both graduate students and undergraduate science majors.