Diagnosing collisions of magnetized, high energy density plasma flows using a combination of collective Thomson scattering, Faraday rotation, and interferometry (invited)

Journal Article · Sat Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4890564· OSTI ID:22308954

Lebedev, S. V.; Hall, G. N.; Patankar, S.; Stewart, N. H.; Smith, R. A.; Burdiak, G. C.; Grouchy, P. de; Skidmore, J.; Suttle, L.; Suzuki-Vidal, F.; Bland, S. N.; Kwek, K. H.; Pickworth, L.; Bennett, M.; Hare, J. D. ^[1]; Harvey-Thompson, A. J. ^[2]; Rozmus, W. ^[3]; Yuan, J. ^[4]

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1. Plasma Physics Group, Imperial College, London SW6 7LZ (United Kingdom)
2. Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1193 (United States)
3. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J1 (Canada)
4. Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power, Institute of Fluid Physics, CAE, Mianyang 621900 (China)

A suite of laser based diagnostics is used to study interactions of magnetised, supersonic, radiatively cooled plasma flows produced using the Magpie pulse power generator (1.4 MA, 240 ns rise time). Collective optical Thomson scattering measures the time-resolved local flow velocity and temperature across 7–14 spatial positions. The scattering spectrum is recorded from multiple directions, allowing more accurate reconstruction of the flow velocity vectors. The areal electron density is measured using 2D interferometry; optimisation and analysis are discussed. The Faraday rotation diagnostic, operating at 1053 nm, measures the magnetic field distribution in the plasma. Measurements obtained simultaneously by these diagnostics are used to constrain analysis, increasing the accuracy of interpretation.

• OSTI ID: 22308954
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 85, Issue 11; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCURACY
COLLISIONS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ENERGY DENSITY
FARADAY EFFECT
FLOW RATE
INTERFEROMETRY
OPTIMIZATION
PLASMA
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PULSE GENERATORS
PULSE RISE TIME
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THOMSON SCATTERING
TIME RESOLUTION