Scaling studies of spheromak formation and equilibrium
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania19081-1397 (United States)
Formation and equilibrium studies have been performed on the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX). Spheromaks are formed with a magnetized coaxial plasma gun and equilibrium is established in both small (d{sub small}=0.16 m) and large (d{sub large}=3d{sub small}=0.50 m) copper flux conservers. Using magnetic probe arrays it has been verified that spheromak formation is governed solely by gun physics (in particular the ratio of gun current to flux, {mu}{sub 0}I{sub gun}/{Phi}{sub gun}) and is independent of the flux conserver dimensions. It has also been verified that equilibrium is well described by the force free condition {nabla}{times}{bold B}={lambda}{bold B} ({lambda}=constant), particularly early in decay. Departures from the force-free state are due to current profile effects described by a quadratic function {lambda}={lambda}({psi}). Force-free SSX spheromaks will be merged to study magnetic reconnection in simple magnetofluid structures. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Institute of Physics.}
- OSTI ID:
- 625843
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 5, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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