Operation of the Lockheed Martin T4B experiment

The T4B experiment is a linear, encapsulated ring cusp confinement device. The mission of the T4B experiment is to develop a physics and technology basis for a follow-on high beta (beta ~1) machine, T5. The T4B experiment consists of 13 magnetic field coils (11 external, 2 internal), to produce a series of on-axis field nulls surrounded by modest magnetic fields of up to 0.3 T. A series of physics investigations were performed to retire risk from the T5 heating experiment, presently under construction. Following an initial test campaign used for machine check-out and diagnostic validation, a thorough investigation of plasma sources was completed. In addition, a series of Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) coupling tests were conducted to investigate fast-ion confinement and plasma source / NBI interaction. Finally, magnetic shielding experiments were performed to study the effect of local magnetic perturbations on particle losses to the internal coil support structures. Detailed results from these studies will be presented.
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