Magnetic Field Mapping and Discharge System Design for the 7 T Bitter Electromagnet ALPHA

The Adjustable Long Pulsed High-Field Apparatus, ALPHA, is a Bitter-type electromagnet with a 15 cm bore that is now assembled in Dusty Plasma Laboratory (DPL) at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). ALPHA’s solenoid is constructed with a variable turn density designed to generate a magnetic mirror field profile. The mirror ratio (ratio of highest to lowest magnetic field strength) of ALPHA is approximately 1.1. The measured inductance and resistance of the magnet are 1.888 mH and 0.364 mΩ. The resistance is within 2% of the theoretical estimate. The system is designed to run in pulsed or steady state operating conditions with fields up to 7 T and current rise times as fast as 2 milliseconds. Among the experiments planned for ALPHA is the centrifugal separation of low atomic mass gases, including deuterium and helium. The plans for these experiments, as well as the circuitry, magnetic field profile measurements, and configurable vacuum system are presented.