Session QO2: Magnetic Confinement Configurations, Turbulence

2:00 PM–4:36 PM, Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown - Grand Salon H

Chair: Diane Demers, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Abstract: QO2.00008 : Formation of collisionless high-beta plasmas by application of odd-parity rotating magnetic fields

3:24 PM–3:36 PM

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Authors:

  S.A. Cohen
  B. Berlinger
  C. Brunkhorst
  A. Brooks
  N. Ferraro
  D.P. Lundberg
  A. Roach
    (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory)

  A.H. Glasser
    (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Odd-parity rotating magnetic fields (RMF$_o$) have been applied to mirror-configuration plasmas in a device of 4-cm radius, defined by discrete co-axial copper-ring flux conservers, and with divertor chambers beyond both mirrors. At an applied RF power of 10 kW and a bias field of 50 G, line-averaged electron density of 1e12 cm$^{-3}$ and excluded flux of 0.005 mVs have been sustained for over 0.5 ms, corresponding to a Coulomb collisionality of $<$ 0.02. The divertors allow reduction of the electron-neutral collision frequency to similarly low levels. Under such conditions, measurements of RMF$_o$ coupling indicate full penetration of the RMF$_o$ to the major axis.