Theoretical and Experimental Studies of the Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor Instabilities

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This award is made in response to a proposal submitted to and reviewed under the NSF/DoE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering joint solicitation NSF 08-589. The award provides funds to support undergraduate participation in the overall research effort, which is being funded separately by the DoE under contract Michigan (Science report #09ER55047). This research is a controlled study of the Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability (MRT) on thin foils, driven by the mega-ampere linear transformer driver (LTD) that was recently demonstrated in the Investigators' laboratory. This project involves theory, simulations, and experiments in which MRT scaling laws will be explored. This LTD is dedicated to physics experiments which are being designed and run by students, under close supervision of the faculty. Quite a few of the topics will be in unexplored territory; including the performance and characterization of the state-of-the-art LTD driving dynamical loads. This research will include the development of phenomenology of MRT that is ubiquitous in magnetized target fusion, and equation-of-state studies using flyer plates or isentropic compression techniques. The proposed studies are at the forefront of high-energy density plasma physics. Foils might be necessary to achieve the required mass for high current x-ray sources, and the proposed study addresses the most fundamental physics issues. The additional $5,000 per year funding from NSF will permit increased student involvement in this research. Specifically, additional funding is included for an undergraduate student to participate in this research. Funding for student travel to technical conferences (APS-DPP and IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science) is also included. This type of student travel experience is important for students to learn about other research and to begin to network with other scientists.