April 4-6

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approvedsherwood_2022_abstract.pdf2022-03-01 14:55:43Ian Abel

Abstracts

Author: Ian G Abel
Requested Type: Poster
Submitted: 2022-03-01 14:55:23

Co-authors: A. Hassam, L. Pocher

Contact Info:
IREAP, University of Maryland
8223 Paint Branch Drive
College Park, Maryland   20740
United States

Abstract Text:
Due to the success of the Maryland Centrifugal Experiment (MCX) [R. F. Ellis et. al. Phys. Plasmas 8, 2057 (2000) & Phys. Plasmas 12, 055704 (2005)] and initial theoretical analyses, the Centrifugal Mirror concept is being further explored by the construction of the Centrifugal Mirror Fusion Experiment (CMFX) [C. Romero-Talamas, APS Meeting 2021] at the University of Maryland.·
This prompts a deeper inquiry into the underlying confinement and stability properties of centrifugal mirrors as a class of devices.

In this work we present a class of axisymmetric magnetic equilibria for these devices, derived in the rapidly-rotating large-Mach-number limit.
The equilibrium is comprised of a narrow layer of plasma and an exterior vacuum field.
In the layer, the equilibrium is characterized by the balance between centrifugal forces and magnetic tension.
We provide detailed expressions for the structure of the equilibrium in the plasma layer, and explore whether further nested layers, driven by plasma pressure, can form.
These equilibria exhibit many commonalities with equilibria used for studying astrophysical disks.·
By exploring the coupling to the exterior vacuum solution we can study the transition of these equilibria from mirror-like, where all the field lines are open, to FRC-like, where regions of closed flux appear between the plasma and the symmetry axis. This may provide a hard limit on the rotation speed achievable in future centrifugal mirror experiments.·

This work was supported by ARPA-E Grant No. DE-AR0001270 as part of the BETHE program.

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