Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets
Abstract
We describe a laboratory plasma physics experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory that uses two merging supersonic plasma jets formed and launched by pulsed-power-driven railguns. The jets can be formed using any atomic species or mixture available in a compressed-gas bottle and have the following nominal initial parameters at the railgun nozzle exit: ne ≈ ni ~ 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, Te ≈ Ti ≈ 1.4 eV, Vjet ≈ 30–100 km/s, mean charge $$\bar{Z}$$ ≈ 1, sonic Mach number Ms ≡ Vjet/Cs > 10, jet diameter = 5 cm, and jet length ≈ 20 cm. Experiments to date have focused on the study of merging-jet dynamics and the shocks that form as a result of the interaction, in both collisional and collisionless regimes with respect to the inter-jet classical ion mean free path, and with and without an applied magnetic field. However, many other studies are also possible, as discussed in this paper.
- Authors:
-
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- HyperV Technologies Corp., Chantilly, VA (United States)
- Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1193438
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-14-25983
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3778; PII: S0022377814001184; TRN: US1600644
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Plasma Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 81; Journal Issue: 02; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3778
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Citation Formats
Hsu, S. C., Moser, A. L., Merritt, E. C., Adams, C. S., Dunn, J. P., Brockington, S., Case, A., Gilmore, M., Lynn, A. G., Messer, S. J., and Witherspoon, F. D. Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1017/S0022377814001184.
Hsu, S. C., Moser, A. L., Merritt, E. C., Adams, C. S., Dunn, J. P., Brockington, S., Case, A., Gilmore, M., Lynn, A. G., Messer, S. J., & Witherspoon, F. D. Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets. United States. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377814001184
Hsu, S. C., Moser, A. L., Merritt, E. C., Adams, C. S., Dunn, J. P., Brockington, S., Case, A., Gilmore, M., Lynn, A. G., Messer, S. J., and Witherspoon, F. D. Wed .
"Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets". United States. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377814001184. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1193438.
@article{osti_1193438,
title = {Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets},
author = {Hsu, S. C. and Moser, A. L. and Merritt, E. C. and Adams, C. S. and Dunn, J. P. and Brockington, S. and Case, A. and Gilmore, M. and Lynn, A. G. and Messer, S. J. and Witherspoon, F. D.},
abstractNote = {We describe a laboratory plasma physics experiment at Los Alamos National Laboratory that uses two merging supersonic plasma jets formed and launched by pulsed-power-driven railguns. The jets can be formed using any atomic species or mixture available in a compressed-gas bottle and have the following nominal initial parameters at the railgun nozzle exit: ne ≈ ni ~ 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, Te ≈ Ti ≈ 1.4 eV, Vjet ≈ 30–100 km/s, mean charge $\bar{Z}$ ≈ 1, sonic Mach number Ms ≡ Vjet/Cs > 10, jet diameter = 5 cm, and jet length ≈ 20 cm. Experiments to date have focused on the study of merging-jet dynamics and the shocks that form as a result of the interaction, in both collisional and collisionless regimes with respect to the inter-jet classical ion mean free path, and with and without an applied magnetic field. However, many other studies are also possible, as discussed in this paper.},
doi = {10.1017/S0022377814001184},
journal = {Journal of Plasma Physics},
number = 02,
volume = 81,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
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