Design, construction, and properties of the large plasma research device−The LAPD at UCLA

Abstract

The large plasma research device (LAPD), a large, linear plasma research device designed to study space plasma processes, has been constructed at UCLA over the past four years. The LAPD has a 0.5×0.5 m2 oxide-coated cathode as a source which produces a 10-m-long plasma column with densities up to the mid 1012/cm3 range. The linear machine is surrounded by a set of 68 magnet coils which can generate an axial magnetic field of up to 3000 G. The vacuum chamber has 128 radial ports to ensure excellent access for probes and antennas. An internal probe drive capable of moving a set of probes to any position within the plasma column is described in a companion paper. This machine is a scientific instrument in its own right and was designed to be versatile enough to study a large variety of phenomena. The techniques employed in the design and construction are sufficiently useful to be discussed here so that others can benefit from our experience.

Energy dynamics in a simulation of LAPD turbulence

“…Nevertheless, one indication that the nonlinear flute-driven instability is important in reproducing experimentally consistent turbulence is that the turbulence of the simulation with the n ¼ 0 components removed becomes overly coherent. 30 This can be seen in the frequency spectrum, which is shown in Fig. 10 compared with the experimental spectra and the spectra of the standard nonlinear-instability-dominated simulation.…”

“…In this study, a simulation of a two-fluid Braginskii model of turbulence in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) 30 is subjected to such an energy dynamics analysis. This reveals that a nonlinear instability drives and maintains the turbulence in the steady state saturated phase of the simulation.…”

Laboratory observation of Alfvén resonance

“…Alfv•n wave data presented here were obtained in the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) [Gekelman et al, 1991] at UCLA. The L^PD is a 10m long, lm diameter cylinder with a pulsed plasma source.…”

Collisionless interaction of an energetic laser produced plasma with a large magnetoplasma

“…The experiments described here are performed at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA (Gekelman et al 1991). The LAPD creates highly magnetized plasmas of unsurpassed dimensions (60 cm diameter, 17 m length).…”