Ion sound turbulence in a magnetoplasma

An experimental investigation of current-driven ion sound turbulence in a collisionless magnetized plasma column is presented. Frequency and wave vector spectrum of the saturated instability are analyzed. The cross-power spectral density of probe signals shows that waves are localized in k space both in the electron drift direction and along the instability cone of angle ϑ=arc cos(cs/vd) ≲90°. In spite of good plasma uniformity, azimuthal asymmetries in wave propagation are noticed. The self-consistent electron distribution function deviates from a shifted Maxwellian.