Ion confinement in a simple mirror stabilized by surface line tying
Experiments were conducted using a barium plasma in a simple axisymmetric mirror machine that was stabilized against the magnetic curvature-driven interchange mode by surface line tying. Ion cyclotron resonance heating was applied to heat ions, producing a mirror-trapped ion population. The ion-velocity distribution function was diagnosed nonperturbatively by using laser-induced fluorescence techniques. The rf heated distribution was a non-Maxwellian in f/sub I/(v/sub perpendicular/), and a sloshing distribution in f/sub I/(v/sub parallel/). When the plasma source was cut off, the plasma decay was studied to determine the confinement properties of the plasma afterglow and the effects of the stabilizing blanket. Mirror-trapped ions were lost axially at the classical ion--ion collision rate. Analysis of the temporal evolution of radial profiles of ion-energy density, in the afterglow, indicates that axial loss rates dominanted over radial losses.
- Research Organization:
- Department of Physics, University of California, Irvine, California 92717
- OSTI ID:
- 5299992
- Journal Information:
- Phys. Fluids; (United States), Vol. 31:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
AFTERGLOW
ICR HEATING
PARTICLE LOSSES
STABILIZATION
TRAPPING
MAGNETIC MIRRORS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
BARIUM
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
FLUORESCENCE
FLUTE INSTABILITY
ION-ION COLLISIONS
IONS
LASERS
SYMMETRY
VELOCITY
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
CONFINEMENT
ELEMENTS
FUNCTIONS
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
INSTABILITY
ION COLLISIONS
LUMINESCENCE
METALS
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PLASMA
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700101* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Confinement
Heating
& Production
700102 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Diagnostics