Laboratory Observation of a Very Low Frequency Instability in an Argon Plasma

Very low frequency (50 to 500 Hz) self-excited electrostatic waves are detected in a cylindrical argon plasma column with a weak axial magnetic field (10 to 100 G). The waves propagate azimuthally with a phase velocity in the electron diamagnetic drift direction, but with a speed at least an order of magnitude less than the ion acoustic speed. A number of known plasma instabilities are considered as possible explanations, though most of them do not seem to account for the observed characteristics of the waves.