This research is in the control of plasma instabilities and the study of instability driven anomalous transport. Specifically, the multimode feedback stabilization of plasma instabilities utilizing a new concept of 'normal mode states' will be studied. A state feedback scheme in conjunction with either a state reconstructor or a Kalman filter will be devised. A remote suppressor appropriate for high temperature plasma will also be developed. Furthermore, instability driven anomalous diffusion will be experimentally studied including its relationship with instability parameters. The experimental work will utilize the redesigned Columbia Linear Machine. This research effort is in the feedback control of plasma instabilities and on the anomalous plasma transport induced by them. Instabilities afflict all plasmas irrespective of the type of devices they are part of and their intended applications. These include basic experimental devices, plasma sources for neutral, electron and ion beams, plasma etching devices for solid state fabrication and fusion machines. The instabilities cause non-uniformities in plasma, increased transport and, if violent enough, can cause macroscopic break up. The elimination of these instabilities is sometimes necessary, but their suppression is always desirable for better performance. As redesigning increasingly better equilibria has often failed to eliminate these instabilities completely, feedback control appears to be a very attractive but neglected area of researach.
