Role of turbulence in the coupling of a magnetic pulse to a collisionless plasma

The coupling of a magnetic pulse to an initially magnetized collisionless plasma is studied experimentally using a high voltage theta pinch. The plasma parameters studied include: the turbulent electric fields, particle heating, magnetic and electric field profiles, and the plasma resistivity. The results indicate that the interaction of the plasma with the magnetic pulse can be understood using a fluid model which includes anomalous resistivity and particle heating. The source of the anomalous resistivity is investigated based on the presently available instability theories.