Spectroscopy and titanium gettering in SPHEX

SPHEX is a spheromak wherein the toroidal and poloidal currents are generated and sustained by direct current injection from a Marshall gun, and organised by the effect of magnetic relaxation. In the past it has not achieved high temperature (Langmuir probes indicate a flat profile of about 20 eV), and this was thought to be due to radiation from impurities originating in the Marshall gun. For this paper, titanium has been applied to the plasma-facing surface of the flux conserver in an attempt to reduce impurity levels and plasma density. Calibrated spectrometers were used to measure plasma properties and impurity levels, both before and after application of titanium. The titanium is also found to have a surprisingly large effect on the magnetic properties, which gives some evidence regarding the relaxation mechanism. 7 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab