Flow dynamics and magnetic induction in the von-Kármán plasma experiment
Abstract
The von-Kármán plasma experiment is a novel versatile experimental device designed to explore the dynamics of basic magnetic induction processes and the dynamics of flows driven in weakly magnetized plasmas. A high-density plasma column (1016-1019 particles. m-3) is created by two radio-frequency plasma sources located at each end of a 1 m long linear device. Flows are driven through J × B azimuthal torques created from independently controlled emissive cathodes. The device has been designed such that magnetic induction processes and turbulent plasma dynamics can be studied from a variety of time-averaged axisymmetric flows in a cylinder. MHD simulations implementing volume-penalization support the experimental development to design the most efficient flow-driving schemes and understand the flow dynamics. Preliminary experimental results show that a rotating motion of up to nearly 1 km/s is controlled by the J × B azimuthal torque.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Plasma Physics
- Pub Date:
- January 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S002237781400083X
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1409.3139
- Bibcode:
- 2015JPlPh..81a3402P
- Keywords:
-
- Physics - Plasma Physics
- E-Print:
- J. Plasma Phys. 81 (2015) 345810102