Events at Physics |
Events on Monday, October 5th, 2009
- Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
- Magnetized Pinches: Magnetized Target Fusion to Astrophysics
- Time: 12:05 pm
- Place: 4274 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Tom Intrator, Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Abstract: Magnetized plasma pinches can compress magnetic flux and plasma pressure in a variety of contexts. For example Magneto Inertial Fusion (MIF) includes a broad variety of plasma compression schemes for energy applications. Adiabatic compression of a magnetized plasma fuel target inside of some kind of conducting, contracting boundary is a possible path to fusion energy that lies between Magnetic Fusion Energy (MFE) and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). The same MHD dynamics mediated by JxB forces are also important for collisions of flux ropes and magnetic reconnection. Compared with standard inertial compression to a High Energy Density (HED) state, the magnetic field improves confinement, while opening up new parameter space at lower areal mass density. Advantages of MIF include lower implosion speed, or more gain for given implosion speed, longer dwell time, less convergence, and lower cost and higher efficiency drivers. Many choices of compressor technologies include laser, solid linear, plasma liner, and ballistic particle options. There is a LANL-AFRL collaboration to field a solid compressor Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) experiment that should reach the HED regime. Some related astrophysics and fusion science MHD issues can also be investigated with the Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX) whose flux ropes that resemble a Z pinch with flexible plasma wires with mass, inertia, MHD dynamics