Inverse mirror plasma experimental device - A new magnetized linear plasma device with wide operating range

Inverse mirror plasma experimental device has been designed and fabricated for detailed experimental investigation of phase mixing and wave breaking of plasma oscillation/wave. The device produces quiescent magnetized plasma over a wide operating range using multifilamentary source with low filament spacing in cusp geometry along with a flexible transition magnetic field region between the plasma source chamber and the main chamber. Argon plasma has been produced in the device over a wide pressure range from 1.7 × 10^-5 mbar to 9 × 10^-4 mbar, achieving plasma densities in the range of ∼10⁹ cm^-3-10¹² cm^-3 and temperatures in the range of ∼1.7eV-5eV. To fulfill a desired prerequisite of having quiescent plasma (δn/n ≤ 1%) for realizing phase mixing of nonlinear plasma oscillation and other wave experiments, a quiescent magnetized plasma is obtained: typical quiescence, δn/n ∼ 0.5% at 10^-4 mbar and B_main ∼ 1 kG. The potential of the multifilamentary plasma source has been experimentally explored using a flexible transition magnetic field and the usual control features of a filament discharge. Probe measurements reveal that the plasma to be axially and radially uniform, an excellent scenario for wave launching and studying its propagating and phase mixing characteristics.