Nonlinear wave effects in laboratory plasmas: A comparison between theory and experiment

Abstract

The rich nonlinear phenomena that occur in plasmas are reviewed in a systematic way. The foundations of turbulence theory (both weak and strong) and experiments performed in the past decade to verify such theories are presented. The aim is to emphasize those experiments that demonstrate clearly the validity (or failure) of some of the theories. In particular, we discuss experiments that demonstrate the validity and/or limits of weak turbulence theory, strong turbulence theory, parametric instabilities, echoes, trapping of particles in large-amplitude waves, and electrostatic ion acoustic shocks. We present concluding remarks in each section regarding the present status of each of these phenomenon.