Experimental Investigation of Neutral Plasma Beam Propagation Across a Magnetic Field.
Abstract
The conversion, described herein, of a pre-existing Hypervelocity Plasma Generator Facility to operate in a regime of importance to particle beam research has been completed. The facility is now capable of producing a plasma flow-magnetic field environment that in a scaled manner simulates the exoatmospheric propagation of a plasmoid across the geomagnetic field. A full set of flow and field diagnostics have been implemented and calibrated. It includes magnetic field probes for the slowly varying transverse background and the fast varying motionally induced fields, a laser schliren system for monitoring density gradient structure of the beam and time-of-flight fast photodiode probes for beam velocity measurements. Port access is available for monitoring directly electrostatic or electromagnetic fields associated with beam propagation. In tandem with experimental activity a theoretical analysis effort has been initiated, an interaction with theoreticians at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, which intends a significant contribution to the stability analysis of a bounded plasma beam which can exhibit polarization and/or diamagnetic effects. No satisfactory theory or numerical simulations are currently available for that intrinsically three-dimensional dynamics. Originator-supplied keywords include: Diagnostic; Current; Magnetic field; Plasma(Physics); Plasmoid. (Author).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 23, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA150944
Entities
People
- C. Spight
- R. W. Miller