Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets

Hsu, S. C.; Moser, Auna; Merritt, Elizabeth; Adams, C. S.; Dunn, J. P.; Brockington, Samuel; Case, Andrew; Gilmore, M.; Lynn, A. G.; Messer, Sarah; Witherspoon, F. D.

doi:10.1017/s0022377814001184

Cited by 27 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) [4]- [6] seeks to achieve fusion at ion densities intermediate between those of magnetic and inertial fusion, by combining attributes of both the latter approaches. The primary near-term objective of the Plasma Liner Experiment (PLX) [2], [7] is to demonstrate the formation of spherically imploding plasma liners by merging dozens of supersonic plasma jets, and to demonstrate their viability and scalability toward reactorrelevant energies and scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Hsu

Langendorf

Yates

et al. 2018

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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Abstract-We describe an experiment to form and characterize a section of a spherically imploding plasma liner by merging six supersonic plasma jets that are launched by newly designed contoured-gap coaxial plasma guns. This experiment is a prelude to forming a fully spherical imploding plasma liner using many dozens of plasma guns, as a standoff driver for plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion. The objectives of the six-jet experiments are to assess the evolution and scalings of liner Mach number and uniformity, which are important metrics for spherically imploding plasma liners to compress magnetized target plasmas to fusion conditions. This paper describes the design of the coaxial plasma guns, experimental characterization of the plasma jets, six-jet experimental setup and diagnostics, initial diagnostic data from three-and six-jet experiments, and the high-level objectives of associated numerical modeling.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Hsu

Langendorf

Yates

et al. 2018

IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci.

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“…In the Big Red Plasma Ball 133 at the Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL), 134 a new national user facility for frontier plasma science, a multi-cusp magnetic field configuration using a spherical array of permanent magnets can be used to confine a turbulent plasma at high plasma beta, β i ≫ 1. The Plasma Liner Experiment 135 at Los Alamos National Laboratory uses coaxial plasma guns mounted to a spherical chamber to launch colliding plasma jets that can generate flow-dominated turbulence with target plasma beta conditions over the range 0.01 β i 10.…”

Section: A Plasma Turbulencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the studies of shocks in high-energy density plasmas relevant to extreme astrophysical environments that are generated by facility-class lasers or imploding theta-pinch or Z-pinch experiments, a number of facilities are tackling shock conditions relevant to the lower-energy-density environment of the heliosphere. The Plasma Liner Experiment 135,210 at Los Alamos National Laboratory uses colliding supersonic plasma jets, providing a unique experimental platform to explore key issues in space plasma shock physics, including the identification of the two-scale structure and ambipolar electric fields predicted by two-fluid plasma theory 233 as well as the subtle effects of interspecies ion separation arising in plasmas consisting of multiple ion species. 234,235 In the strongly magnetized plasma of the LAPD, 9 magnetized plasma shocks relevant to the heliosphere can be studied by generating expanding laser-produced plasmas in the pre-existing plasma environment.…”

Section: Collisional and Collisionless Shocksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The physics of the relaxation of stressed boundary layers was further explored using the Auburn Linear Experiment for Instability Studies (ALEXIS ) 35 at Auburn University, where varying the width of the boundary layer to the ion gyroradius lead to the generation of unstable electrostatic fluctuations which varied over five orders of magnitude in frequency. 36,37 At Los Alamos National Laboratory, collisional plasma shocks are generated in the Plasma Liner Experiment using colliding plasma jets driven by pulsed-power-driven plasma guns, 135,210 with future experiments aiming to form collisionless shocks. At Swarthmore College, the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX ) MHD plasma wind tunnel 31,32 launches a spheromak which immediately relaxes to a lower energy magnetic configuration, enabling studies of magnetic reconnection 155 and plasma turbulence in the ion plasma beta parameter range 0.1 β i 1.…”

Section: B New and Enhanced Experimental Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laboratory space physics: Investigating the physics of space plasmas in the laboratory

Howes

2018

Physics of Plasmas

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Laboratory experiments provide a valuable complement to explore the fundamental physics of space plasmas without the limitations inherent to spacecraft measurements. Specifically, experiments overcome the restriction that spacecraft measurements are made at only one (or a few) points in space, enable greater control of the plasma conditions and applied perturbations, can be reproducible, and are orders of magnitude less expensive than launching spacecraft. Here I highlight key open questions about the physics of space plasmas and identify the aspects of these problems that can potentially be tackled in laboratory experiments. Several past successes in laboratory space physics provide concrete examples of how complementary experiments can contribute to our understanding of physical processes at play in the solar corona, solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, and outer boundary of the heliosphere. I present developments on the horizon of laboratory space physics, identifying velocity space as a key new frontier, highlighting new and enhanced experimental facilities, and showcasing anticipated developments to produce improved diagnostics and innovative analysis methods. A strategy for future laboratory space physics investigations will be outlined, with explicit connections to specific fundamental plasma phenomena of interest.

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“…A 2.7-meter diameter spherical vacuum chamber is the centerpiece of the plasma liner experiment (PLX) at LANL, which has also conducted basic plasma shock experiments [19,20,36,37] using two plasma railguns that were developed by HyperV Technologies Corporation. The PLX team will conduct 36-60 coaxial-gun experiments that aim to address the key MIF-relevant scientific issues of spherically imploding plasma liners as a standoff driver.…”

Section: Recent Progressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magneto-Inertial Fusion

et al. 2015

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In this community white paper, we describe an approach to achieving fusion which employs a hybrid of elements from the traditional magnetic and inertial fusion concepts, called magneto-inertial fusion (MIF). The status of MIF research in North America at multiple institutions is summarized including recent progress, research opportunities, and future plans.Keywords Magneto-inertial fusion Á Magnetized target fusion Á Liner Á Plasma jets Á Fusion energy Á MagLIF DescriptionMagneto-inertial fusion (MIF) (aka magnetized target fusion) [1][2][3] is an approach to fusion that combines the compressional heating of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) with the magnetically reduced thermal transport and magnetically enhanced alpha heating of magnetic confinement fusion (MCF). From an MCF perspective, the higher density, shorter confinement times, and compressional heating as the dominant heating mechanism reduce the impact of instabilities. From an ICF perspective, the primary benefits are potentially orders of magnitude reduction in the difficult to achieve qr parameter (areal density), and potentially significant reduction in velocity requirements and hydrodynamic instabilities for compression drivers. In fact, ignition becomes theoretically possible from qr B 0.01 g/cm 2 up to conventional ICF values of qr * 1.0 g/cm 2 , and as in MCF, Br rather than qr becomes the key figure-of-merit for ignition because of the enhanced alpha deposition [4]. Within the lower-qr parameter space, MIF exploits lower required implosion velocities (2-100 km/s, compared to the ICF minimum of 350-400 km/s) allowing the use of much more efficient (g C 0.3) pulsed power drivers, while at the highest (i.e., ICF) end of the qr range, both higher gain G at a given implosion velocity as well as lower implosion velocity and reduced hydrodynamic instabilities are theoretically possible. To avoid confusion, it must be emphasized that the wellknown conventional ICF burn fraction formula does not apply for the lower-qr ''liner-driven'' MIF schemes, since it is the much larger mass and qr of the liner (and not that of the burning fuel) that determines the ''dwell time'' and fuel burnup fraction. In all cases, MIF approaches seek to satisfy/ exceed the inertial fusion energy (IFE) figure-of-merit gG * 7-10 required in an economical plant with reasonable recirculating power fraction. A great advantage of MIF is indeed its extremely wide parameter space which allows it greater versatility in overcoming difficulties in implementation or technology, as evidenced by the four diverse approaches and associated implosion velocities shown in Fig. 1.MIF approaches occupy an attractive region in thermonuclear q-T parameter space, as shown in a paper by

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Laboratory plasma physics experiments using merging supersonic plasma jets

Cited by 27 publications

References 47 publications

Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Experiment to Form and Characterize a Section of a Spherically Imploding Plasma Liner

Laboratory space physics: Investigating the physics of space plasmas in the laboratory

Magneto-Inertial Fusion

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