The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics

Journal Article · Wed Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4861609· OSTI ID:22252165

Cooper, C. M.; Brookhart, M.; Collins, C.; Khalzov, I.; Milhone, J.; Nornberg, M.; Weisberg, D.; Forest, C. B. ^[1]; Wallace, J.; Clark, M.; Flanagan, K.; Li, Y.; Nonn, P. ^[1]; Ding, W. X. ^[2]; Whyte, D. G. ^[3]; Zweibel, E. ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024 (United States)
3. Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

The Madison plasma dynamo experiment (MPDX) is a novel, versatile, basic plasma research device designed to investigate flow driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and other high-β phenomena with astrophysically relevant parameters. A 3 m diameter vacuum vessel is lined with 36 rings of alternately oriented 4000 G samarium cobalt magnets, which create an axisymmetric multicusp that contains ∼14 m{sup 3} of nearly magnetic field free plasma that is well confined and highly ionized (>50%). At present, 8 lanthanum hexaboride (LaB{sub 6}) cathodes and 10 molybdenum anodes are inserted into the vessel and biased up to 500 V, drawing 40 A each cathode, ionizing a low pressure Ar or He fill gas and heating it. Up to 100 kW of electron cyclotron heating power is planned for additional electron heating. The LaB{sub 6} cathodes are positioned in the magnetized edge to drive toroidal rotation through J × B torques that propagate into the unmagnetized core plasma. Dynamo studies on MPDX require a high magnetic Reynolds number Rm > 1000, and an adjustable fluid Reynolds number 10 < Re < 1000, in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic energy (M{sub A}{sup 2}=(v/v{sub A}){sup 2}>1). Initial results from MPDX are presented along with a 0-dimensional power and particle balance model to predict the viscosity and resistivity to achieve dynamo action.

• OSTI ID: 22252165
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANODES
ASTROPHYSICS
CATHODES
ECR HEATING
LANTHANUM BORIDES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC REYNOLDS NUMBER
MAGNETS
MOLYBDENUM
PLASMA
SAMARIUM