TY - JOUR

T1 - Plasma formation with regulated electric potential distribution in SMOLA helical mirror device

AU - Ustyuzhanin, Viktor O.

AU - Ivanov, Ivan A.

AU - Inzhevatkina, Anna A.

AU - Sudnikov, Anton V.

N1 - Plasma formation with regulated electric potential distribution in SMOLA helical mirror device / V. O. Ustyuzhanin, I. A. Ivanov, A. A. Inzhevatkina, A. V. Sudnikov // Journal of Plasma Physics. - 2025. - Т. 91. № 5. DOI 10.1017/s0022377825100780

PY - 2025/10/6

Y1 - 2025/10/6

N2 - This paper presents experimental results from the SMOLA device, constructed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, to verify the concept of helical mirror confinement. The experiments discussed focus on collision regimes and plasma rotation in the transport section, controlled primarily by the axisymmetric plasma gun. The plasma gun of the SMOLA comprises a lanthanum hexaboride cathode, a hollow copper anode and magnetic coils, forming a magnetron discharge with a high degree of ionisation and a radial electric field for ${\textbf{E}} \boldsymbol{\times} {\textbf{B}}$ drift. Ion collisionality is adjustable from collisional to collisionless via magnetic configuration and gas feed of the plasma gun. The main processes in collisions are the ion–ion binary collisions. Electric potential radial distribution, governed by discharge voltage, the anode geometry and its potential, enables ${\textbf{E}} \boldsymbol{\times} {\textbf{B}}$ plasma rotation such that the axial magnetic mirrors velocity in the rotating plasma reference frame can be comparable to the ion thermal velocity ( $V_Z \geqslant V_{T_i}$ ), which realises conditions for effective plasma confinement.

AB - This paper presents experimental results from the SMOLA device, constructed at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, to verify the concept of helical mirror confinement. The experiments discussed focus on collision regimes and plasma rotation in the transport section, controlled primarily by the axisymmetric plasma gun. The plasma gun of the SMOLA comprises a lanthanum hexaboride cathode, a hollow copper anode and magnetic coils, forming a magnetron discharge with a high degree of ionisation and a radial electric field for ${\textbf{E}} \boldsymbol{\times} {\textbf{B}}$ drift. Ion collisionality is adjustable from collisional to collisionless via magnetic configuration and gas feed of the plasma gun. The main processes in collisions are the ion–ion binary collisions. Electric potential radial distribution, governed by discharge voltage, the anode geometry and its potential, enables ${\textbf{E}} \boldsymbol{\times} {\textbf{B}}$ plasma rotation such that the axial magnetic mirrors velocity in the rotating plasma reference frame can be comparable to the ion thermal velocity ( $V_Z \geqslant V_{T_i}$ ), which realises conditions for effective plasma confinement.

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/b30faa4c-acb0-3a4d-9cde-08be15fd9a06/

UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105018572792&origin=inward

U2 - 10.1017/s0022377825100780

DO - 10.1017/s0022377825100780

M3 - Article

VL - 91

JO - Journal of Plasma Physics

JF - Journal of Plasma Physics

SN - 0022-3778

IS - 5

ER -