Laser Induced Fluorescence Diagnostic for the Plasma Couette Experiment

POSTER

Abstract

The Plasma Couette Experiment (PCX) at U. Wisconsin-Madison consists of a rotating high-beta plasma and is well-suited to the study of flow-driven, astrophysically-relevant plasma phenomena.~ PCX confinement relies on alternating rings of 1kG permanent magnets and the rotation is driven by electrode rings, interspersed between the magnets, which provide an azimuthal ExB. I will discuss the development of a laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic (LIF) to characterize the ion distribution function of argon plasmas in PCX.~ The LIF system--which will be scanned radially--will be used to calibrate internal Mach probes, as well as to measure the time-resolved velocity profile, ion temperature and density non-perturbatively.~ These diagnostics will be applied to study the magneto-rotational instability in a plasma, as well as the buoyancy instability thought to be involved in producing the solar magnetic field. This work is supported by NSF and DOE.

Authors

  • Noam Katz

    MIT, U. Wisconsin, Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison

  • Fred Skiff

    University of Iowa, U. Iowa

  • C. Collins

    U. Wisconsin, Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, University of Wisconsin, Madison

  • Dave Weisberg

    U. Wisconsin, Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison

  • John Wallace

    U. Wisconsin, Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison

  • Mike Clark

    U. Wisconsin, Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison

  • Kristine Garot

    U. Wisconsin-Madison

  • Cary Forest

    U. Wisconsin, Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin - Madison, U. Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin