The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics

Cooper, C. M.; Wallace, J.; Brookhart, M.; Clark, M.; Collins, C.; Ding, W. X.; Flanagan, K.; Khalzov, I.; Li, Y.; Milhone, J.; Nornberg, M.; Nonn, P.; Weisberg, D.; Whyte, D. G.; Zweibel, E.; Forest, C. B.

doi:10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB

Title: The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics

Abstract

The Madison plasma dynamo experiment (MPDX) is a novel, versatile, basic plasma research device designed to investigate flow driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and other high-β phenomena with astrophysically relevant parameters. A 3 m diameter vacuum vessel is lined with 36 rings of alternately oriented 4000 G samarium cobalt magnets, which create an axisymmetric multicusp that contains ∼14 m3of nearly magnetic field free plasma that is well confined and highly ionized (>50%). At present, 8 lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) cathodes and 10 molybdenum anodes are inserted into the vessel and biased up to 500 V, drawing 40 A each cathode, ionizing a low pressure Ar or He fill gas and heating it. Up to 100 kW of electron cyclotron heating power is planned for additional electron heating. The LaB6cathodes are positioned in the magnetized edge to drive toroidal rotation through J × B torques that propagate into the unmagnetized core plasma. Dynamo studies on MPDX require a high magnetic Reynolds number Rm > 1000, and an adjustable fluid Reynolds number 10 1). Initial results from MPDX are presented along with a 0-dimensional power and particle balance model to predict the viscosity and resistivity to achieve dynamo action.

Authors:: Cooper, C. M.; Wallace, J.; Brookhart, M.; Clark, M.; Collins, C.; Ding, W. X.; Flanagan, K.; Khalzov, I.; Li, Y.; Milhone, J.; Nornberg, M.; Nonn, P.; Weisberg, D.; Whyte, D. G.; Zweibel, E.; Forest, C. B.

Publication Date:: 2021-06-22

DOE Contract Number:: SC0008709

Research Org.:: Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

Subject:: 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS

OSTI Identifier:: 1882835

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB

Citation Formats


                    Cooper, C. M., Wallace, J., Brookhart, M., Clark, M., Collins, C., Ding, W. X., Flanagan, K., Khalzov, I., Li, Y., Milhone, J., Nornberg, M., Nonn, P., Weisberg, D., Whyte, D. G., Zweibel, E., and Forest, C. B. The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics.  United States: N. p., 2021. 
        Web.  doi:10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB.

Copy to clipboard


                    Cooper, C. M., Wallace, J., Brookhart, M., Clark, M., Collins, C., Ding, W. X., Flanagan, K., Khalzov, I., Li, Y., Milhone, J., Nornberg, M., Nonn, P., Weisberg, D., Whyte, D. G., Zweibel, E., & Forest, C. B. The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics.  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB

Copy to clipboard


                    Cooper, C. M., Wallace, J., Brookhart, M., Clark, M., Collins, C., Ding, W. X., Flanagan, K., Khalzov, I., Li, Y., Milhone, J., Nornberg, M., Nonn, P., Weisberg, D., Whyte, D. G., Zweibel, E., and Forest, C. B. 2021.  
"The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics".  United States.  doi:https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1882835. Pub date:Tue Jun 22 00:00:00 EDT 2021

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1882835,

  title        = {The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics},

  author       = {Cooper, C. M. and Wallace, J. and Brookhart, M. and Clark, M. and Collins, C. and Ding, W. X. and Flanagan, K. and Khalzov, I. and Li, Y. and Milhone, J. and Nornberg, M. and Nonn, P. and Weisberg, D. and Whyte, D. G. and Zweibel, E. and Forest, C. B.},

  abstractNote = {The Madison plasma dynamo experiment (MPDX) is a novel, versatile, basic plasma research device designed to investigate flow driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities and other high-β phenomena with astrophysically relevant parameters. A 3 m diameter vacuum vessel is lined with 36 rings of alternately oriented 4000 G samarium cobalt magnets, which create an axisymmetric multicusp that contains ∼14 m3of nearly magnetic field free plasma that is well confined and highly ionized (>50%). At present, 8 lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) cathodes and 10 molybdenum anodes are inserted into the vessel and biased up to 500 V, drawing 40 A each cathode, ionizing a low pressure Ar or He fill gas and heating it. Up to 100 kW of electron cyclotron heating power is planned for additional electron heating. The LaB6cathodes are positioned in the magnetized edge to drive toroidal rotation through J × B torques that propagate into the unmagnetized core plasma. Dynamo studies on MPDX require a high magnetic Reynolds number Rm > 1000, and an adjustable fluid Reynolds number 10 1). Initial results from MPDX are presented along with a 0-dimensional power and particle balance model to predict the viscosity and resistivity to achieve dynamo action.},

  doi          = {10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB},

  journal      = {},

  number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2021},

  month        = {6}

}

Copy to clipboard

Dataset:

View Dataset

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/QGEHZB

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Works referencing / citing this record: