Interactions of magnetized plasma flows in pulsed-power driven experiments
File(s)Suttle_2019_EPS_invited_paper_PPCF_Accepted.pdf (1.41 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A supersonic flow of magnetized plasma is produced by the application of a 1 MA-peak, 500 ns current pulse to a cylindrical arrangement of parallel wires, known as an inverse wire array. The plasma flow is produced by the J × B acceleration of the ablated wire material, and a magnetic field of several Tesla is embedded at source by the driving current. This setup has been used for a variety of experiments investigating the interactions of magnetized plasma flows. In experiments designed to investigate magnetic reconnection, the collision of counter-streaming flows, carrying oppositely directed magnetic fields, leads to the formation of a reconnection layer in which we observe ions reaching temperatures much greater than predicted by classical heating mechanisms. The breakup of this layer under the plasmoid instability is dependent on the properties of the inflowing plasma, which can be controlled by the choice of the wire array material. In other experiments, magnetized shocks were formed by placing obstacles in the path of the magnetized plasma flow. The pile-up of magnetic flux in front of a conducting obstacle produces a magnetic precursor acting on upstream electrons at the distance of the ion inertial length. This precursor subsequently develops into a steep density transition via ion-electron fluid decoupling. Obstacles which possess a strong private magnetic field affect the upstream flow over a much greater distance, providing an extended bow shock structure. In the region surrounding the obstacle the magnetic pressure holds off the flow, forming a void of plasma material, analogous to the magnetopause around planetary bodies with self-generated magnetic fields.
Date Issued
2020-01-01
Date Acceptance
2019-10-30
Citation
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 2020, 62 (1)
ISSN
0741-3335
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Journal / Book Title
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
Volume
62
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6587/ab5296
Sponsor
Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC)
U.S Department of Energy
First Light Fusion Limited
U.S Department of Energy
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000542645100002&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
EP/N013379/1
416729-G
N/A
83228-10968
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
Physics
magnetized high energy density plasmas
magnetic reconnection
magnetized shocks
ARRAY Z-PINCH
SOLAR-WIND
ASTROPHYSICS
RECONNECTION
DYNAMICS
CRITERIA
BALANCE
MODEL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 014020
Date Publish Online
2019-10-30