Preliminary study of plasma modes and electron-ion collisions in partially magnetized strongly coupled plasmas

Magnetic fields influence ion transport in plasmas. Straightforward comparisons of experimental measure-ments with plasma theories are complicated when the plasma is inhomogeneous, far from equilibrium, or characterized by strong gradients. To better understand ion transport in a partially magnetized system, we study the hydrodynamic velocity and temperature evolution in an ultracold neutral plasma at intermediate values of the magnetic field. We observe a transverse, radial breathing mode that does not couple to the longitudinal velocity. The inhomogeneous density distribution gives rise to a shear velocity gradient that appears to be only weakly damped. This mode is excited by ion oscillations originating in the wings of the distribution where the plasma becomes non-neutral. The ion temperature shows evidence of an enhanced electron-ion collision rate in the presence of the magnetic field. Ultracold neutral plasmas provide a rich system for studying mode excitation and decay.