Helicon plasmas for space relevant laboratory experiments

Summary form only given. Helicon sources are regarded as potential candidates for the next generation of plasma etching sources. The high efficiencies, steady-state operation, and high densities also make them attractive plasma sources for basic plasma physics experiments. The use of the West Virginia University (WVU) hot helicon source as part of an experiment designed to investigate ion temperature anisotropy driven instabilities under space-relevant conditions will be discussed. The WVU helicon source is "hot" because the ion temperature has been raised by the addition of ion cyclotron resonant heating. The physics objectives of the experiment, the required plasma parameters, and necessary source parameters will be reviewed.