Laboratory observations of electron energization and associated lower-hybrid and Trivelpiece–Gould wave turbulence during magnetic reconnection

Citation Fox, W. et al. " Laboratory Observations of Electron Energization and Associated Lower-hybrid and Trivelpiece–Gould Wave Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection. Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. This work presents an experimental study of current-driven turbulence in a plasma undergoing magnetic reconnection in a low-␤, strong-guide-field regime. Electrostatic fluctuations are observed by small, high-bandwidth, and impedance-matched Langmuir probes. The observed modes, identified by their characteristic frequency and wavelength, include lower-hybrid fluctuations and high-frequency Trivelpiece–Gould modes. The observed waves are believed to arise from electrons energized by the reconnection process via direct bump-on-tail instability ͑Trivelpiece–Gould͒ or gradients in the fast electron population ͑lower-hybrid͒.