skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Observation of Centrifugally Driven Interchange Instabilities in a Plasma Confined by a Magnetic Dipole

Abstract

Centrifugally driven interchange instabilities are observed in a laboratory plasma confined by a dipole magnetic field. The instabilities appear when an equatorial mesh is biased to drive a radial current that causes rapid axisymmetric plasma rotation. The observed instabilities are quasicoherent in the laboratory frame of reference; they have global radial mode structures and low azimuthal mode numbers, and they are modified by the presence of energetic, magnetically confined electrons. Results from a self-consistent nonlinear simulation reproduce the measured mode structures.

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
20696240
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 94; Journal Issue: 17; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175002; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; 58 GEOSCIENCES; AXIAL SYMMETRY; ELECTRONS; FLUTE INSTABILITY; MAGNETIC DIPOLES; MAGNETIC FIELDS; NONLINEAR PROBLEMS; PLASMA; PLASMA CONFINEMENT; ROTATION; SIMULATION

Citation Formats

Levitt, B, Maslovsky, D, and Mauel, M E. Observation of Centrifugally Driven Interchange Instabilities in a Plasma Confined by a Magnetic Dipole. United States: N. p., 2005. Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175002.
Levitt, B, Maslovsky, D, & Mauel, M E. Observation of Centrifugally Driven Interchange Instabilities in a Plasma Confined by a Magnetic Dipole. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175002
Levitt, B, Maslovsky, D, and Mauel, M E. 2005. "Observation of Centrifugally Driven Interchange Instabilities in a Plasma Confined by a Magnetic Dipole". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175002.
@article{osti_20696240,
title = {Observation of Centrifugally Driven Interchange Instabilities in a Plasma Confined by a Magnetic Dipole},
author = {Levitt, B and Maslovsky, D and Mauel, M E},
abstractNote = {Centrifugally driven interchange instabilities are observed in a laboratory plasma confined by a dipole magnetic field. The instabilities appear when an equatorial mesh is biased to drive a radial current that causes rapid axisymmetric plasma rotation. The observed instabilities are quasicoherent in the laboratory frame of reference; they have global radial mode structures and low azimuthal mode numbers, and they are modified by the presence of energetic, magnetically confined electrons. Results from a self-consistent nonlinear simulation reproduce the measured mode structures.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175002},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20696240}, journal = {Physical Review Letters},
issn = {0031-9007},
number = 17,
volume = 94,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2005},
month = {Fri May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2005}
}