The full dispersion equation for linear Alfvén ion cyclotron waves propagating along a uniform magnetic field in a finite beta turbulent plasma with anisotropic ions is solved numerically for complex wavenumbers. The influence of a stationary, small scale Langmuir background turbulence on the real part of the wavenumber and the spatial growth rate of the Alfvén ion cyclotron instability is investigated. It is found that the presence of turbulence makes the spatial growth substantial before the wave comes out of a finite length laboratory plasma. The applicability of the results to a tandem mirror machine is discussed.
Ion diffusion in a velocity space induced by Alfvén ion cyclotron mode observed in a mirror plasma