Relaxation phenomena in the high temperature S-1 spheromak

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7044138· OSTI ID:7044138

Ono, Y; Ellis, Jr, R A; Janos, A C; Levinton, F M; Mayo, R M; Motley, R W; Ueda, Y; Yamada, M

Operation of the S-1 device in a high current density (j/n/sub e/ greater than or equal to 2 /times/ 10/sup -14/A/center dot/m) regime has created high electron temperature spheromaks (50eV less than or equal to T/sub e/ less than or equal to 130eV). The mechanisms and causes of the periodic relaxation events often observed in these hotter spheromak plasmas were made clear. Also, a relationship between the MHD relaxation cycle and confinement characteristics was revealed for the first time. Resistive loss at the outer edge of the plasma causes a departure from the initial force-free minimum-energy Taylor state to a MHD profile unstable to low-n ideal MHD modes; a relaxation event then returns the configuration to nearly a Taylor state. 11 refs., 5 figs.

• Research Organization: Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 7044138
• Report Number(s): PPPL-2520; ON: DE88011874
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
RELAXATION TIME
CONFINEMENT TIME
CURRENT DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
EQUILIBRIUM
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
& Production