UAA Planeterrella Device and Diagnostic Development

A "planeterrella"*-type plasma discharge chamber has been constructed at the UAA Plasma Lab for student research projects and educational use. The device comprises an 18-inch diameter by 18-inch high Pyrex cylinder with aluminum end plates, with dry mechanical pumping to 50 mTorr. Argon and air can be admitted, with typical operating pressure 0.1 - 2.0 Torr. Two aluminum spherical electrodes with embedded permanent magnets act as anode and cathode for the DC glow discharge regime (e.g. 500 V, 10 mA), which can simulate aspects of planetary aurorae. Diagnostics are being added to the device, such as a Langmuir probe, UV-Visible spectrometer, and high speed camera, and integration of these with the discharge control software is presented along with time resolved measurements of the plasma environment.