Flow velocity measurements of a flux rope in PHASMA
POSTER
Abstract
Current-driven instabilities play a critical role in the evolution of magnetic flux ropes -- in laboratory and astrophysical systems. A single flux rope is created with a pulsed plasma gun in the PHASMA (PHAse Space Mapping) experiment. The flux rope exhibits a kink instability. Axial and poloidal flows during the growth of the instability are measured with an array of Mach probes. The poloidal flow velocity is investigated in the context of the flux rope rotation for plasma gun currents below and at the kink threshold. We also present measurements of the magnetic field structure, the electron temperature, and the plasma density of the flux rope.
Authors
-
Prabhakar Srivastav
Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, US
-
Peiyun Shi
West Virginia University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, US
-
Eric Reynolds
Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, US
-
Cuyler Beatty
West Virginia Univ, Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, US
-
Earl Scime
West Virginia University, WVU, Department of Physics and Astronomy, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, US