Magnetically-driven plasma Jet experiments on the Big Red Ball

Astrophysical accretion-disc systems generate magnetically-driven plasma jet structures in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) with stable temporal evolution. At WiPPL, we have been conducting plasma jet experiments on the Big Red Ball (BRB), which provides a large spatial area for retrieving plasma current loop structures onto the outer electrode plate. Magnetically-driven plasma jets are created by injecting helical magnetic flux using external bias-coil magnetic fields and high voltage across co-planar disc-shaped electrode plates. We explore the effect of a high-beta background plasma on jet stability and lifespan by tuning plasma sources parameters. Our main goal is to study the propagation and dynamics of the jets, the formation of shocks and their precursors between magnetized jet and unmagnetized background plasma, and how the development of kink instability depends on background plasma pressure. Initial experiments have focused on commissioning the jet hardware and associated systems while injecting jets of varying composition into vacuum and background plasma generated with plasma nozzles array. Ongoing work characterizes the magnetic fields, temperature, and density of these plasmas using simple magnetic and electrostatic diagnostics. Additionally, numerical simulations with the LACOMPASS code from LANL provide insights into diagnosing experimental measurements and understanding key physical processes of the jet experiments on the BRB.