Measurements of the shear Alfven wave dispersion for finite perpendicular wave number

Measurements of the dispersion relation for shear Alfven waves as a function of the perpendicular wave number are reported for the regime in which V-A similar or equal to V-Te. By measuring the parallel phase velocity of the waves, the measurements can be compared directly to theoretical predictions of the dispersion relation for a parameter regime in which particle kinetic effects become important. The comparison shows that the best agreement between theory and experiment is achieved when a fully complex, warm plasma dispersion relation is used.