COMSOL modeling of a capacitively coupled plasma in a high magnetic field

The Magnetized Plasma Research Laboratory at Auburn University is used for a variety of low temperature, capacitively coupled plasma experiments ranging from dusty/complex plasmas to studies of wave propagation. The wide range of experimental configurations makes a reliable 2-D model of the plasma volume with experimentally relevant geometries highly desirable. A COMSOL model has been developed to simulate low temperature plasmas on the Magnetized Dust Plasma eXperiment with electron temperatures ranging from 1 to10 eV and electron densities ranging from 5x10¹⁴ to 2x 10¹⁵ m^-3. The use of this model serves two purposes. First, the results of this model can be compared against experimental data to validate both the experimental data and the model. Second, the model can be benchmarked for plasmas without magnetic fields, then can be used to predict the impact of high magnetic fields on the plasma. Benchmarking results will be shown for a plasma with pressure ranging from 45 to 105 mTorr, 5 W of RF power, and no magnetic field. Exploratory results will be shown for a plasma in a magnetic field ranging from 0 to 100 G, with the goal of extending results to higher magnetic fields.