SPATIOTEMPORAL BIFURCATIONS IN PLASMA DRIFT-WAVES

Experimental data from an experiment on drift-waves in plasma is prese nted, The experiment provides a Space-time diagnostic and has a contro l parameter that permits the study of the transition from a stable pla sma to a turbulent plasma, The biorthogonal decomposition is used to a nalyse the data. We introduce the notion of complex modulation for two -dimensional systems. We decompose the real physical system into compl ex modulated monochromatic travelling waves and give a simple model de scribing the speed doubling observed in the data as the control parame ter increases.