Experimental Evidence for Helical Instabilities in a Semiconductor Plasma

抄録

Details of the magneto-oscillatory plasma effect in N-type germanium (the Oscillistor) have been investigated by using potential probes on the sides of the Oscillistor specimen. The dependence of the oscillations on the angle between the magnetic and electric fields was also examined.
The experimental results give strong evidence for the existence of the helical plasma instability as predicted by Glicksman’s theory. Oscillations in the current through the plasma are observed only when a transverse component of the magnetic field is applied. The mechanism of the current oscillation is not well understood but is closely related to the helical instability. Further study, both experimental and theoretical, is now in progress to clarify this mechanism.