Rotating magnetic field system to emulate a pulsar magnetosphere in BRB

We are building a dipolar rotating magnetic field (RMF) system with the intention to emulate the magnetosphere of an obliquely rotating pulsar and demonstrate production of an outgoing plasma wind in the Big Red Ball (BRB) device at the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory (WiPPL). The driver will consist of an orthogonal pair of Helmholtz-like RMF drive coils in the center of BRB powered by two tube-based amplifiers. The coils will be placed at atmospheric pressure in an alumina-coated fiberglass pressure vessel within BRB. A power of 150 kW per channel will be fed to the drive coils via transmission lines running into the pressure vessel. Fuel gas will be puffed from outlets on the surface of the vessel, and the RMF will ionize the gas. The experimental hardware is in development. The first of two coupling transformers has been constructed, installed, and tested. Transmission line hardware design is finalized, and assembly of the transmission lines and RMF coils is pending. The pressure vessel has been painted with alumina to protect the fiberglass surface from the plasma. Key next steps are to test the RMF drivers at full power prior to installation on BRB, implementing the gas puff system, and initial plasma tests. Once the driving system is operational, we expect to form a striped plasma wind similar to that in the neighborhood of a neutron star and potentially to observe magnetic reconnection within the stripes.