Turbulence and transport in high density, increased $\beta$ LAPD plasmas

A new LaB$_6$ cathode plasma source has recently been deployed on the Large Plasma Device (LAPD), allowing for the production of significantly higher plasma density ($n_e \sim 3 \times 10^{13}$cm$^{-3}$) and temperature ($T_e \sim 12$eV and $T_i \sim 6$eV). This source produces a smaller core plasma ($\sim$20cm diameter) that can be embedded in the lower temperature, lower density standard LAPD plasma (~60cm diameter, $10^{12}$cm$^{-3}$, $T_e \sim 5$eV, $T_i \sim 1$eV). We will present first results from experiments exploring the nature of turbulence and transport produced by this high density core plasma. In contrast to the edge of the standard LAPD plasma, coherent fluctuations are observed in the edge of the high density core plasma. These coherent modes are dominant at low field ($\sim$400G) with a transition to a more broadband spectrum at higher fields ($\sim$1kG). The combination of increased density and temperature with lowered field in LAPD leads to significant increases in plasma $\beta$ (in fact $\beta \sim 1$ can be achieved for $B \sim 100$G). As the field is lowered, the strength of correlated magnetic fluctuations increases substantially.