Simulated and experimental compression of a compact toroid

Journal Article · Wed May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3176967· OSTI ID:964069

Johnson, J N; Hwang, D Q; Horton, R D; Evans, R W; Owen, J M

We present simulation results and experimental data for the compression of a compact toroid by a conducting nozzle without a center electrode. In both simulation and experiment, the flow of the plasma is greatly obstructed by even modest magnetic fields. A simple mechanism for this obstruction is suggested by our simulations. In particular, the configuration of the plasmoid's magnetic field plays a significant role in the success of the experiment. We analyze two types of plasma configurations under compression and demonstrate that the results from the simulations matches those from the experiments, and that the mechanism predicts the different behaviors observed in the two cases.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 964069
• Report Number(s): LLNL-JRNL-412901; APPLAB; TRN: US0904093
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 95, Issue 1; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION
A CENTERS
COMPACT TORUS
COMPRESSION
CONFIGURATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NOZZLES
PLASMA
SIMULATION