Status of the Madison Plasma Dynamo Experiment

POSTER

Abstract

Construction of the Madison Plasma Dynamo Experiment (MPDX) is complete. This facility creates large, un-magnetized, fast flowing, hot plasma for investigating magnetic field self-generation and flow driven MHD instabilities. A 3 meter diameter spherical vacuum chamber lined with a series of high strength samarium cobalt magnets provides plasma confinement. The plasma will be stirred from the magnetized edge using electrodes to produce JxB flows. Plasma sources will include lanthanum hexaboride cathodes and electron cyclotron heating utilizing five 20KW magnetrons. This poster will describe the operational status of the facility including laboratory infrastructure, cast aluminum vacuum chamber, magnets, stirring electrodes, sources, diagnostics and currently produced plasma parameters. Construction was funded by the NSF Major Research Instrumentation program.

*National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation

Authors

  • John Wallace

    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison
    • University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Mike Clark

    • University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Cami Collins

    • University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • University of Wisconsin - Madison

  • Noam Katz

    • University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison
    • University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Dave Weisberg

    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison
    • Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison
    • University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Cary Forest

    • University of Wisconsin-Madison
    • UW - Madison and CMSO
    • University of Wisconsin Madison
    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin - Madison