Demonstration of fast-electron populations in a low-pressure, low-power, magnetized RF plasma source
- Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States). Princeton Plasma Physics Lab.
- Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States)
- Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States)
Using x-ray spectroscopy, we demonstrate the existence of 0.3–6 keV electrons in a low-pressure, low-power, magnetized plasma source, heated by an external radio-frequency antenna located at one end of an axisymmetric tandem mirror. X-ray measurements on low-bulk-temperature, Te,b ~ 4 eV, hydrogen, neon, argon, and gas-mixture plasmas show spectra with high-energy tails having a near-Maxwellian form with Te,f up to 650 eV. Furthermore, the fast electrons producing these x-rays have densities in the range of 107–109 cm–3 0.01%–1% of the bulk plasma density (up to 3 × 1011 cm–3), and so carry a significant fraction of the plasma energy and represent an important mechanism relevant to power coupling and heat flow in similar plasma sources.
- Research Organization:
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-09CH11466
- OSTI ID:
- 1460986
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1429954
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 3; ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Spontaneous multi-keV electron generation in a low-RF-power axisymmetric mirror machine
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journal | June 2019 |
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