Observation of a nonaxisymmetric magnetohydrodynamic self-organized state

Journal Article · Sat May 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3327214· OSTI ID:21371180

Cothran, C D; Brown, M R; Gray, T ^[1]; Schaffer, M J ^[2]; Marklin, G ^[3]; Lukin, V S ^[4]

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1. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081 (United States)
2. General Atomics, San Diego, California 92186 (United States)
3. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States)
4. Space Sciences Division, U. S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)

A nonaxisymmetric stable magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium within a prolate cylindrical conducting boundary has been produced experimentally at Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX) [M. R. Brown et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 1717 (1999)]. It has m=1 toroidal symmetry, helical distortion, and flat lambda profile. Each of these observed characteristics are in agreement with the magnetically relaxed minimum magnetic energy Taylor state. The Taylor state is computed using the methods described by A. Bondeson et al. [Phys. Fluids 24, 1682 (1981)] and by J. M. Finn et al. [Phys. Fluids 24, 1336 (1981)] and is compared in detail to the measured internal magnetic structure. The lifetime of this nonaxisymmetric compact torus (CT) is comparable to or greater than that of the axisymmetric CTs produced at SSX; thus suggesting confinement is not degraded by its nonaxisymmetry. For both one- and two-spheromak initial state plasmas, this same equilibrium consistently emerges as the final state.

• OSTI ID: 21371180
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 17; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AXIAL SYMMETRY
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
EQUILIBRIUM
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
PLASMA
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
SYMMETRY
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES