Formation and Structure of a Current Sheet in Pulsed-Power Driven Magnetic Reconnection Experiments

Dataset · Wed Jan 09 23:00:00 EST 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LS7QMZ· OSTI ID:1880972

Hare, J. D. ^[1]; Lebedev, S. V.; Suttle, L. G.; Loureiro, N. F.; Ciardi, A.; Burdiak, G. C.; Chittenden, J. P.; Clayson, T.; Eardley, S. J.; Garcia, C.; Halliday, J. W. D.; Niasse, N.; Robinson, T.; Smith, R. A.; Stuart, N.; Suzuki-Vidal, F.; Swadling, G. F.; Ma, J.; Wu, J.

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1. OSTI

We describe magnetic reconnection experiments using a new, pulsed-power driven experimental platform in which the inflows are super-sonic but sub-Alfvenic. The intrinsically magnetised plasma flows are long lasting, producing a well-defined reconnection layer that persists over many hydrodynamic time scales. The layer is diagnosed using a suite of high resolution laser based diagnostics which provide measurements of the electron density, reconnecting magnetic field, inflow and outflow velocities and the electron and ion temperatures. Using these measurements we observe a balance between the power flow into and out of the layer, and we find that the heating rates for the electrons and ions are significantly in excess of the classical predictions. The formation of plasmoids is observed in laser interferometry and optical self-emission, and the magnetic O-point structure of these plasmoids is confrmed using magnetic probes.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States). Plasma Science and Fusion Center; Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
• DOE Contract Number: SC0016215; SC0001063
• OSTI ID: 1880972
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY