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

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

doi:10.1063/1.4861609

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

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

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Scopus citations

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 m³ of 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 LaB₆ cathodes 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 < Re < 1000, in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic energy (MA2=(v/vA)2>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.

Original language	English
Article number	013505
Journal	Physics of Plasmas
Volume	21
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4861609
State	Published - Jan 2014
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This work was funded in part by NSF Award No. PHY 0923258, ARRA MRI, NSF Award No. PHY 0821899, Center for Magnetic Self Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, and DOE Award No. DESC0008709, Experimental Studies of Plasma Dynamos. C.C. acknowledges support by the ORISE Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate Fellowship. This work was funded in part by NSF Award No. PHY 0923258, ARRA MRI, NSF Award No. PHY 0821899, Center for Magnetic Self Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, and DOE Award No. DE-SC0008709, Experimental Studies of Plasma Dynamos. C.C. acknowledges support by the ORISE Fusion Energy Sciences Graduate Fellowship.

Funders	Funder number
C.C.
ORISE Fusion Energy Sciences
National Science Foundation
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-SC0008709
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences	0821899, 0923258
National Sleep Foundation	PHY 0821899, PHY 0923258
Fusion Energy Sciences

Access to Document

10.1063/1.4861609

Cite this

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. (2014). The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics. Physics of Plasmas, 21(1), Article 013505. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4861609

@article{f238e648459942c69db080fd1b4895f6,

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 m3 of 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 LaB6 cathodes 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 < Re < 1000, in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic energy (MA2=(v/vA)2>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.",

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

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.",

year = "2014",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1063/1.4861609",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

journal = "Physics of Plasmas",

issn = "1070-664X",

publisher = "American Institute of Physics",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Madison plasma dynamo experiment

T2 - A facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics

AU - Cooper, C. M.

AU - Wallace, J.

AU - Brookhart, M.

AU - Clark, M.

AU - Collins, C.

AU - Ding, W. X.

AU - Flanagan, K.

AU - Khalzov, I.

AU - Li, Y.

AU - Milhone, J.

AU - Nornberg, M.

AU - Nonn, P.

AU - Weisberg, D.

AU - Whyte, D. G.

AU - Zweibel, E.

AU - Forest, C. B.

PY - 2014/1

Y1 - 2014/1

N2 - 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 m3 of 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 LaB6 cathodes 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 < Re < 1000, in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic energy (MA2=(v/vA)2>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.

AB - 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 m3 of 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 LaB6 cathodes 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 < Re < 1000, in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic energy (MA2=(v/vA)2>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.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84987792347&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1063/1.4861609

DO - 10.1063/1.4861609

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84987792347

SN - 1070-664X

VL - 21

JO - Physics of Plasmas

JF - Physics of Plasmas

IS - 1

M1 - 013505

ER -

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

Abstract

Funding

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this