Relaxation phenomena in the high temperature S-1 spheromak

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7044138· OSTI ID:7044138

Ono, Y; Ellis, Jr, R A; Janos, A C; Levinton, F M; Mayo, R M; Motley, R W; Ueda, Y; Yamada, M

Operation of the S-1 device in a high current density (j/n/sub e/ greater than or equal to 2 /times/ 10/sup -14/A/center dot/m) regime has created high electron temperature spheromaks (50eV less than or equal to T/sub e/ less than or equal to 130eV). The mechanisms and causes of the periodic relaxation events often observed in these hotter spheromak plasmas were made clear. Also, a relationship between the MHD relaxation cycle and confinement characteristics was revealed for the first time. Resistive loss at the outer edge of the plasma causes a departure from the initial force-free minimum-energy Taylor state to a MHD profile unstable to low-n ideal MHD modes; a relaxation event then returns the configuration to nearly a Taylor state. 11 refs., 5 figs.

• Research Organization: Princeton Univ., NJ (USA). Plasma Physics Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH03073
• OSTI ID: 7044138
• Report Number(s): PPPL-2520; ON: DE88011874
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700101* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Confinement
Heating
& Production
CLOSED PLASMA DEVICES
CONFINEMENT
CONFINEMENT TIME
CURRENT DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EQUILIBRIUM
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MHD EQUILIBRIUM
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
RELAXATION TIME
SPHEROMAK DEVICES
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TOKAMAK DEVICES