Dynamic Interactions of Plasmas and Fields (Physics)

一项为期三年半的研究计划将继续研究等离子体与移动磁场和电子的相互作用。由此产生的非线性等离子体动力学在基础等离子体物理学中引起广泛的兴趣，并在聚变和空间研究中有许多相关的应用。实验将在大型实验室等离子体中进行，这些等离子体具有广泛的诊断和数据处理能力。例如，已经完成了磁场、空间电荷场、粒子分布函数和波动现象的体积测量。所提出的研究包括：(1)当等离子体和场之间的相对运动超过哨声波速时，形成新的磁哨声激波。当离子保持有效的非磁化状态，并且激波以超“哨声”而不是超“阿尔文”速度形成时，就会出现这样的过程。(2)将研究等离子体运动产生的磁场(发电机过程)。(3)研究注入等离子体的粒子束的电流和空间电荷中和机理。(4)将探讨目前各种构型在撕裂、合并、倾斜、扭曲、挤压和破裂方面的稳定性。

A three and a half year research program will continue the investigation of the interaction of plasmas with moving magnetic and electron fields. The resulting nonlinear plasma dynamics is of general interest in basic plasma physics and has many relevant applications in fusion and space research. Experiments will be performed in large laboratory plasmas which have extensive diagnostics and data processing capabilities. For example, volume measurements of magnetic fields, space charge fields, particle distribution functions, and wave phenomena have been performed. The proposed investigations include (i) Formation of new magnetic whistler shocks when the relative motion between plasmas and fields exceeds the whistler wave speed. Such processes arise when the ions remain effectively unmagnetized and shocks form at super-"whistleric" rather than super--"Alfvenic" speeds. (ii) The generation of magnetic fields due to plasma motion will be investigated (dynamo process). (iii) The mechanism of current and space charge neutralization of particle beams injected into plasmas will be studied. (iv) The stability of various current configurations with respect to tearing, coalescence, tilting, kinking, pinching and disruptions will be explored.