AC STABILIZED THETA-PINCH

Technical Report · Fri Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 1963

OSTI ID:4116951

Leonard, S L; Dazey, M H

An attempt is made to demonstrate the dynamic a-c stabilization of the magnetic confinement of a plaema column in a theta-pinch apparatus capable of producing 250 kA. The stabilizing current was produced by the damped oscillating discharge of a specially fabricated 115 kv capacitor. No stabilizing effect was observed. A second thetapinch apparatus capable of producing currents of up to 400 kA has been used in further experiments. The dynamic behavior of the plasma produced in this device has been studied with the aid of streak photography, Kerr- cell photographs, and high-speed framing camera photographs. An unsuccessful attempt was made to stabilize the confinement of the plasma in this device, using the oscillatory discharge of a coaxial array of capacitors to provide the desired r-f magnetic fields. Spectroscopic studies of the plasma, including measurements of the ratio of the intensity of the D/sub BETA / Balmer line to the intensity of the continuum, yielded values for the electron temperature and electron (ion) density. An account is given of attempts to develop a vacuum tube oscillator capable of producing stabilizing currents of the desired magnitude. The reasons for the abandonment of this effort are given. (auth)

• Research Organization: Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-006310
• OSTI ID: 4116951
• Report Number(s): SSD-TDR-63-219
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BEAMS
CURRENTS
DENSITY
ELECTRONS
LIGHT
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURED VALUES
MODULATION
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHYSICS
PINCH
PLANNING
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
STABILITY
TEMPERATURE
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
THETA PINCH