TY - JOUR

T1 - Helical magnetic mirror performance at up- A nd downstream directions of the axial force

AU - Sudnikov, Anton V.

AU - Ivanov, Ivan A.

AU - Inzhevatkina, Anna A.

AU - Larichkin, Mikhail V.

AU - Postupaev, Vladimir V.

AU - Sklyarov, Vladislav F.

AU - Tolkachev, Mikhail S.

AU - Ustyuzhanin, Viktor O.

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the grant of the Russian Science Foundation 22-12-00133 ( https://rscf.ru/project/22-12-00133/ ). Maintenance of the SMOLA device was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Parts of the study related to the particle balance were supported by the grant of the President of the Russian Federation SP-1242.2021.2. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press.

PY - 2022/12/21

Y1 - 2022/12/21

N2 - The paper presents experimental results from the SMOLA device on the testing of the helical mirror confinement hypothesis. Helical mirror confinement is the technique of an active control of axial plasma losses from a confinement zone by multiple magnetic mirrors that move along the axis in the reference frame of the plasma that experiences rotation due to an applied radial electric field. Theory predicts that a helical mirror will provide an axial force that modifies the plasma flow and, simultaneously, density pinching to the axis. The force direction depends on the plasma rotation direction. Experimental data on the axial plasma losses at different direction of the magnetic mirror movement are presented. If the trapped ions move in the direction opposite to the direction of the axial losses, then the particle flux reduces in the broad range of the plasma density. The confinement improves with the increase of the fraction of the trapped particles (effective mirror ratio was up to). If the trapped ions move in the same direction as the axial losses, then the flux depends on density. At intermediate densities, the integral flux through the transport section rises compared to the plasma flowing through the straight magnetic field. The effective mirror ratio is lower and does not significantly depend on the fraction of the trapped particles (effective mirror ratio at intermediate density was).

AB - The paper presents experimental results from the SMOLA device on the testing of the helical mirror confinement hypothesis. Helical mirror confinement is the technique of an active control of axial plasma losses from a confinement zone by multiple magnetic mirrors that move along the axis in the reference frame of the plasma that experiences rotation due to an applied radial electric field. Theory predicts that a helical mirror will provide an axial force that modifies the plasma flow and, simultaneously, density pinching to the axis. The force direction depends on the plasma rotation direction. Experimental data on the axial plasma losses at different direction of the magnetic mirror movement are presented. If the trapped ions move in the direction opposite to the direction of the axial losses, then the particle flux reduces in the broad range of the plasma density. The confinement improves with the increase of the fraction of the trapped particles (effective mirror ratio was up to). If the trapped ions move in the same direction as the axial losses, then the flux depends on density. At intermediate densities, the integral flux through the transport section rises compared to the plasma flowing through the straight magnetic field. The effective mirror ratio is lower and does not significantly depend on the fraction of the trapped particles (effective mirror ratio at intermediate density was).

KW - plasma confinement

KW - plasma devices

KW - plasma flows

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85143200328&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0022377822001167

DO - 10.1017/S0022377822001167

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85143200328

VL - 88

JO - Journal of Plasma Physics

JF - Journal of Plasma Physics

SN - 0022-3778

IS - 6

M1 - 905880609

ER -