Published January 2008 | Version v1
Report

Generation of supersonic and super-Alfvenic flow by using ICRF heating and a magnetic nozzle

  • 1. Tohoku Univ., Graduate School of Engineering, Sendai, Miyagi (Japan)
  • 2. Nippon Institute of Technology, Saitama (JP)
  • 3. Tohoku Univ., Research Inst. of Electrical Communication, Sendai, Miyagi (JP)

Description

Fast-flowing plasmas in supersonic and super-Alfvenic regime are generated in combined experiments of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) and acceleration in a magnetic nozzle. During radio-frequency (RF) wave excitation in a fast-flowing plasma produced by a magnet-plasma-dynamic arcjet (MPDA), strong ion cyclotron heating is clearly observed. Thermal energy in the heated plasma is converted into flow energy in a diverging magnetic nozzle, where the magnetic moment μ is nearly kept at constant. Plasma flow energy can be controlled by changing the input RF power and/or modifying the magnetic nozzle configuration. In a strongly diverging magnetic nozzle, an Alfven Mach number as well as an ion acoustic Mach number attains to more than unity, that is, supersonic and super-Alfvenic plasma flow is realized. (author)

Part of:
Joint conference of 17th international Toki conference on physics of flows and turbulence in plasmas and 16th international stellarator/heliotron workshop 2007. Proceedings (1)

Additional details

Publishing Information

Imprint Title
Joint conference of 17th international Toki conference on physics of flows and turbulence in plasmas and 16th international stellarator/heliotron workshop 2007. Proceedings (1)
Imprint Pagination
465 p.
Journal Page Range
p. 209-212
Report number
NIFS-PROC--69-V1

Conference

Title
17. International Toki conference on physics of flows and turbulence in plasma; 16. international stellarator/heliotron workshop 2007
Dates
15-19 Oct 2007
Place
Toki, Gifu (Japan)

Optional Information

Notes
10 refs., 6 figs.