dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaOn the jets, kinks, and spheromaks formed by a planar magnetized coaxial gun
| Authors | S. C. Hsu, P. M. Bellan |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0411089 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0411089 |
| DOI | 10.1063/1.1850921 |
| Journal | Physics of Plasmas 12, 032103 (2005) |
Abstract
Measurements of the various plasma configurations produced by a planar magnetized coaxial gun provide insight into the magnetic topology evolution resulting from magnetic helicity injection. Important features of the experiments are a very simple coaxial gun design so that all observed geometrical complexity is due to the intrinsic physical dynamics rather than the source shape and use of a fast multiple-frame digital camera which provides direct imaging of topologically complex shapes and dynamics. Three key experimental findings were obtained: (1) formation of an axial collimated jet [Hsu and Bellan, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 334, 257 (2002)] that is consistent with a magnetohydrodynamic description of astrophysical jets, (2) identification of the kink instability when this jet satisfies the Kruskal-Shafranov limit, and (3) the nonlinear properties of the kink instability providing a conversion of toroidal to poloidal flux as required for spheromak formation by a coaxial magnetized source [Hsu and Bellan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 215002 (2003)]. A new interpretation is proposed for how the n=1 central column instability provides flux amplification during spheromak formation and sustainment, and it is shown that jet collimation can occur within one rotation of the background poloidal field.
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"abstract": "Measurements of the various plasma configurations produced by a planar\nmagnetized coaxial gun provide insight into the magnetic topology evolution\nresulting from magnetic helicity injection. Important features of the\nexperiments are a very simple coaxial gun design so that all observed\ngeometrical complexity is due to the intrinsic physical dynamics rather than\nthe source shape and use of a fast multiple-frame digital camera which provides\ndirect imaging of topologically complex shapes and dynamics. Three key\nexperimental findings were obtained: (1) formation of an axial collimated jet\n[Hsu and Bellan, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 334, 257 (2002)] that is consistent\nwith a magnetohydrodynamic description of astrophysical jets, (2)\nidentification of the kink instability when this jet satisfies the\nKruskal-Shafranov limit, and (3) the nonlinear properties of the kink\ninstability providing a conversion of toroidal to poloidal flux as required for\nspheromak formation by a coaxial magnetized source [Hsu and Bellan, Phys. Rev.\nLett. 90, 215002 (2003)]. A new interpretation is proposed for how the n=1\ncentral column instability provides flux amplification during spheromak\nformation and sustainment, and it is shown that jet collimation can occur\nwithin one rotation of the background poloidal field.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0411089",
"authors": [
"S. C. Hsu",
"P. M. Bellan"
],
"categories": [
"physics.plasm-ph"
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"doi": "10.1063/1.1850921",
"journal_ref": "Physics of Plasmas 12, 032103 (2005)",
"title": "On the jets, kinks, and spheromaks formed by a planar magnetized coaxial gun",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0411089"
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