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Influence of Initial Magnetic Field Configuration on Spheromak Formation
| Author: | Cone G.A. |
| Coauthor: | C.R. Sovinec |
| Institution : | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Abstract text: | Marshall gun formed spheromaks require an initial line-tied vacuum flux to provide a seed poloidal field for the spheromak formation process. Past studies have demonstrated that thresholds exist for the plasma ejection condition which depend on the axisymmetric Taylor State eigenvalue [1], or to a related condition hueristically derived from a magnetic force balance relation [2]. However, past studies have not modeled the effect a spatially varying line-tied flux would have on the plasma ejection and spheromak formation process. In this work, we investigate the variability of plasma ejection and spheromak formation processes using the NIMROD code [3]. The computational geometry is similar to that of SSPX [4], the initial fields modelled are similar to those produced by vertical field coils on the experiment.
References
[1] M.J. Schafer, Phys. Fluids 30, 160 (1987)
[2] C.G.R. Geddes, T.W. Kornack, and M.R. Brown, Phys. Plasmas 5,1027 (1998)
[3] C.R. Sovinec et al, Phys. Plasmas 10, 1727 (2003)
[4] E.B. Hooper, L.D. Pearlstein, and R.H. Bulmer, Nuclear Fusion 39, 863 (1999) |
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