Eur. Phys. J. D 56, 209-214 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2009-00297-y

Optical diagnostics of a low frequency instability rotating around a magnetized plasma column

Laboratoire PIIM, UMR 6633 CNRS, Université de Provence, Centre de Saint Jérôme, Case 321, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France

Corresponding author: alexandre.escarguel@univ-provence.fr

Received: 10 July 2009
Revised: 22 October 2009
Published online: 24 November 2009

Abstract

An argon magnetized plasma column is created with primary energetic electrons in the Mistral device. Low frequency instabilities regularly rotating around this column are observed with an ultra-fast camera and a spectroscopic device. Experimental results coupled to a coronal code show the presence of a few percents of fast (hot) electrons inside the ejected plasma. It also shows that ultra-fast camera analysis of the ejected plasma can only give information on the primary electron population. Finally, these results suggest that the radial decrease of the light emitted by the ejected plasma is essentially due to the radial decrease of the mean energy of the hot electrons.