Inductive sustainment of a field-reversed configuration stabilized by shaping, magnetic diffusion, and finite-larmor-radius effects

S. P. Gerhardt, E. V. Belova, M. Yamada, H. Ji, M. Inomoto, Y. Ren, B. McGeehan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Oblate field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas are sustained for up to 350μs, or 15 poloidal flux-confinement times, in the magnetic reconnection experiment. The diamagnetic equilibrium is maintained in argon plasmas as a balance of an inward pinch and outward diffusion. Numerical and analytic models show that the observed stability is provided by a combination of plasma shaping, magnetic diffusion, and finite-Larmor radius effects. FRCs formed with lighter ions, which benefit less from these stabilizing effects, succumb to rapid instability and cannot be sustained.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number245003
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume99
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 14 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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