Jena 2013 – scientific programme
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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik
P 6: Magnetischer Einschluss II
P 6.4: Talk
Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 15:15–15:30, HS 3
Axial flows in expanding arched, plasma-filled flux tubes — •Eve Stenson1 and Paul Bellan2 — 1Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, EURATOM Association, Wendelsteinstr. 1, 17491 Greifswald, Germany — 2California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, U.S.A.
Magnetic flux tubes are significant features in a diverse array of plasma systems, including fusion devices and solar and astrophysical environments. Laboratory experiments are a valuable tool for elucidating the fundamental physics of these structures. Highly dynamic, individual arched flux tubes were created with a magnetized plasma gun and studied with a variety of diagnostics (magnetic probes, dual-gas techniques, spectroscopy, etc.). Bulk flows were found to carry plasma into a flux tube from both footpoints, keeping the density high even as the major radius increased significantly and the axis underwent a kink instability. A pair of complementary MHD models provides a quantitative description of the evolution.