Direct determination of ion wave fields in a hot magnetized and weakly collisional plasma

Electrostatic ion cyclotron wave fields are determined in a magnetized and weakly collisional plasma. A phased-locked Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) diagnostic is used to directly measure the wave perturbed ion velocity distribution. Comparing these local LIF measurements with a theoretical model uniquely determines the wave parameters, such as the wave potential, the three-dimensional wave vector, and the effective wave damping. The self-consistent wave–particle interaction is modeled by Boltzmann–Poisson equations in the limit of weak collisions. The wave parameters determined from local measurements agree with those determined from spatial scans.