Riverside Research Plasma Lab: preliminary lab capabilities and results

Riverside research, a 501c(3) not for profit research institution, has been developing a flexible plasma chamber for the past several years to study various plasma phenomena, ranging from ionospheric plasmas, hypersonic sheath plasmas, and plasma thruster exhaust. The chamber currently uses an 8 inch wide Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB₆) square tile plasma source and five internal water cooled magnets to produce and control either a DC or pulsed plasma with electron densities on the order of 10¹⁵-10¹⁹ particles/m³ and magnetic field on axis of up to 0.3 T. The lab employs various diagnostics, including 2D triple Langmuir probes (LTP), microwave interferometry, and spectroscopy to diagnose plasmas, and has several diagnostics under development including Laser Induced Fluorescence, Terahertz interferometry, and residual field analyzer probes to further diagnose the plasma. Initial 2D LTP measurements for a one inch thick, 8 inch wide slab plasma in both DC and pulsed regimes will be presented.