Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Physics
Spheromak Merging And Field Reversed Configuration Formation At The Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment, C. D. Cothran, Abram Lockhart Falk , '03, Matthew J. Landreman , '03, Michael R. Brown, M. J. Schaffer
Spheromak Merging And Field Reversed Configuration Formation At The Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment, C. D. Cothran, Abram Lockhart Falk , '03, Matthew J. Landreman , '03, Michael R. Brown, M. J. Schaffer
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Works
The initial results of coaxial co- and counter-helicity spheromak merging studies at the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX) [M. R. Brown, Phys. Plasmas 6, 1717 (1999)] are reported. In its new configuration, SSX is optimized to study field reversed configuration (FRC) formation and stability by counter-helicity spheromak merging. A pair of midplane coils magnetically restricts the merging process to determine how the stability of the resulting magnetic configuration depends upon the quantity of toroidal flux remaining from the initial spheromaks. The diagnostic set at SSX, featuring the capability of measuring up to 600 magnetic field components at 800 ns time resolution, …