Laboratory Experiments on Plasma Waves Relevant to Solar and Space Plasmas

IPELS started 30 years ago and is responsible, in part, for the acceptance of laboratory experiments by space scientists. In the same vein spacecraft observations have suggested new areas for terrestrial investigations. Several noteworthy collaborations have sprung up. Advances in plasma sources and diagnostics have enabled detailed lab studies of Alfvén and whistler waves, magnetic shocks, and studies of time domain structures (TDS). Alfvén waves are thought to power the aurora, are key in the understanding of the solar wind and may offer a solution of the “remediation” problem, that is what to do when the radiation belts are filled with energetic, satellite destroying “killer” electrons. They may also play a role in coronal heating. Whistler waves have been observed for decades in the earth’s radiation belts and can effectively scatter electrons; their complex behavior is still under investigation both experimentally and theoretically. Temporally narrow spikes in electric field have been observed by satellites at a variety of locations in space. TDS can be several Debye lengths across when they are associated with Langmuir waves and much larger when driven by whistlers. In the laboratory TDS have been observed in beam plasma experiments in flux ropes undergoing reconnection. This talk will highlight a number of experiments with emphasis on how they were done, key results and their connections to space and solar physics.