During the period from November 1988 through April 1989 the experimental plasma physics program at UCLA produced several new results. The experiments were conducted on the toroidal RACETRACK device. Generation of a steady-state high-beta field-reversed configuration in one of the straight sections by the rotating electromagnetic wave technique is now routine and because of understanding gained in the course of experiments we succeeded in extending the range of operation was extended. The pressure balance relation was verified by independent pressure and magnetic field measurements for this field reversed-configuration. Studies of the equilibrium have been extended to spatial and temporal decay of the confining diamagnetic current. It has been observed, that the current decays on the resistive time scale due to electron-ion coulomb collisions. Current injection was also used to study the effects of mirror fields on toroidal currents and to reduce the neutral gas pressure for a given plasma density.

During the period from November 1988 through April 1989 the experimental plasma physics program at UCLA produced several new results. The experiments were conducted on the toroidal RACETRACK device. Generation of a steady-state high-beta field-reversed configuration in one of the straight sections by the rotating electromagnetic wave technique is now routine and because of understanding gained in the course of experiments we succeeded in extending the range of operation was extended. The pressure balance relation was verified by independent pressure and magnetic field measurements for this field reversed-configuration. Studies of the equilibrium have been extended to spatial and temporal decay of the confining diamagnetic current. It has been observed, that the current decays on the resistive time scale due to electron-ion coulomb collisions. Current injection was also used to study the effects of mirror fields on toroidal currents and to reduce the neutral gas pressure for a given plasma density.