Measurements of the shear Alfvén wave dispersion for finite perpendicular wave number.

Measurements of the dispersion relation for shear Alfvén waves as a function of the perpendicular wave number are reported for the regime in which V(A) approximately V(Te). By measuring the parallel phase velocity of the waves, the measurements can be compared directly to theoretical predictions of the dispersion relation for a parameter regime in which particle kinetic effects become important. The comparison shows that the best agreement between theory and experiment is achieved when a fully complex, warm plasma dispersion relation is used.