Enhanced plasma losses due to collisional drift waves and their reduction by dynamic stabilization in a weakly ionized plasma

The mechanism of anomalous plasma transport associated with dissipative drift instabilities in a weakly ionized plasma is investigated experimentally. Detailed measurements of the phase difference between electron density and potential fluctuations are presented. The results show good agreement between predicted anomalous losses associated with this phase difference and measured reductions in the plasma density. It is shown experimentally that dynamic stabilization using an oscillating azimuthal magnetic field effectively reduces the plasma losses due to the fluctuations.