Operation of the Tandem-Mirror Plasma Experiment with Skew Neutral-Beam Injection

Tandem-mirror plasma with sloshing-ion end plugs has been produced. Ion-velocity distribution functions are peaked at 47\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to the magnetic field lines. Low-level ion-cyclotron fluctuations were detected at 1.8 times the plug-midplane frequency and with properties predicted by theory; they did not degrade plasma confinement in the plugs or central cell.