Meter-length table-top inductive radio-frequency plasma discharge for use in high energy density science experiments*

Large-scale plasma discharges (on the order of meter-length or more) can be utilized in a variety of experiments. One example where such lengths of plasmas are necessary, is in the observation of particle beam-plasma instabilities and the emergence of coherent macroscopic structures, which are key for modelling emission from collisionless shocks. We have developed a table-top inductive radio-frequency plasma discharge which can stably sustain plasmas with electron densities of approximately 10¹¹ cm^-3.  The current design is meter-length, and it can be scaled to longer lengths due to its modular design. The discharge has been assembled using a commercially-available 1 kW power supply, making it an accessible option for studying physics involving meter-length plasmas in the laboratory. We propose to use this plasma discharge design in an experiment at CERN’s HiRadMat facility, in which we will probe the magnetic field growth associated with filamentation beam-plasma instabilities of an electron-positron beam relevant to gamma ray burst (GRB) fireballs.