Helimak is an experimental approximation to the ideal cylindrical slab, a one-dimensional magnetized plasma with magnetic curvature and shear. The Texas Helimak real-izes this approximation to a large degree; the finite size of the device can be neglected for many phenomena. Specifically, the drift-wave turbulence characteristic of a slab is observed with scale lengths small compared with the device size. The device and the general features of its behavior are described here. The device is capable of studying drift-wave turbulence, scrape-off layer (SOL) turbulence, and the stabilization of turbulence by imposing velocity shear.
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