Poster Session #2: UC Ballroom

Testing Transport and Flow Generation in a Linear Plasma Model

Presentation Type

Poster

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Andrew Ware

Faculty Mentor’s Department

Physics & Astronomy

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Improvements in understanding how plasma flows interact with turbulence is needed in order to increase plasma confinement within plasma devices. Efficient plasma confinement is essential in processes that require prolonged high plasma density regions, such as those that are needed in fusion experiments. This basic research into understanding the mechanisms towards controlling turbulence is beneficial to future plasma research and also furthers our knowledge of the plasma state of matter. Numerical modeling of transport and flow generation in a linear plasma device using a 1-D transport code is presented. Work presented here was done as part of undergraduate plasma physics research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Montana. We present model comparisons to radial plasma densities from the HELCAT experiment – a helicon-cathode sourced cylindrical plasma experiment at the University of New Mexico. The model is used to analyze the diffusive transport of plasma particle density, energy, and momentum driven by both collisions and turbulence. Testing the use of voltage-biased concentric rings as control elements for the plasma radial electric field in the HELCAT transport model is a main topic of the presentation. The biased rings are modeled in the transport code as a Gaussian source of azimuthal momentum input. Ring configurations that may not always be possible in HELCAT can be tested within the model to understand the contributors of turbulence suppression. In the model we have shown that by varying voltage of the biased rings, a sheared radial electric field can be generated to suppress turbulent particle and heat transport.

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Apr 13th, 3:00 PM Apr 13th, 4:00 PM

Testing Transport and Flow Generation in a Linear Plasma Model

UC Ballroom

Improvements in understanding how plasma flows interact with turbulence is needed in order to increase plasma confinement within plasma devices. Efficient plasma confinement is essential in processes that require prolonged high plasma density regions, such as those that are needed in fusion experiments. This basic research into understanding the mechanisms towards controlling turbulence is beneficial to future plasma research and also furthers our knowledge of the plasma state of matter. Numerical modeling of transport and flow generation in a linear plasma device using a 1-D transport code is presented. Work presented here was done as part of undergraduate plasma physics research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Montana. We present model comparisons to radial plasma densities from the HELCAT experiment – a helicon-cathode sourced cylindrical plasma experiment at the University of New Mexico. The model is used to analyze the diffusive transport of plasma particle density, energy, and momentum driven by both collisions and turbulence. Testing the use of voltage-biased concentric rings as control elements for the plasma radial electric field in the HELCAT transport model is a main topic of the presentation. The biased rings are modeled in the transport code as a Gaussian source of azimuthal momentum input. Ring configurations that may not always be possible in HELCAT can be tested within the model to understand the contributors of turbulence suppression. In the model we have shown that by varying voltage of the biased rings, a sheared radial electric field can be generated to suppress turbulent particle and heat transport.