Physical Review Letters -- Print Issue of 7 January 2002 -- Volume 88, pp. 015001

Measurement of Lower-Hybrid Drift Turbulence in a Reconnecting Current Sheet

T. A. Carter, H. Ji, F. Trintchouk, M. Yamada, and R. M. Kulsrud

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, P.O. Box 451, Princeton, New Jersey 08543

(Received 13 June 2001; published 19 December 2001)

We present a detailed study of fluctuations in a laboratory current sheet undergoing magnetic reconnection. The measurements reveal the presence of lower-hybrid-frequency-range fluctuations on the edge of current sheets produced in the magnetic reconnection experiment (MRX). The measured fluctuation characteristics are consistent with theoretical predictions for the lower-hybrid drift instability (LHDI). Our observations suggest that the LHDI turbulence alone cannot explain the observed fast reconnection rate in MRX. ©2001 The American Physical Society

PACS: 52.35.Vd, 52.35.Qz, 52.35.Ra, 52.72.+v

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