BEHAVIOR OF A HOT-ION PLASMA IN THE GAMMA-10 TANDEM MIRROR

Hot ions with a strongly anisotropic distribution are created by radio -frequency waves and are sustained in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror. The main power drain from the hot ions is accounted for by classical trans port processes. The dominant loss is electron drag, which is confirmed in auxiliary electron heating experiments, The anisotropic distributi on of hot ions is also examined in terms of neutron yield from D-D fus ion reactions. The ion pressure and the anisotropy drive unstable wave s near the ion cyclotron frequency. A dispersion relation and spatial distributions of the unstable waves are examined by use of magnetic pr obes and reflectometry cross-polarization scattering measurements. The hot-ion plasma contains a multishell structure of impurities creating concentric layers of pressure-driven azimuthal velocity with strong s hears.