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The observed properties (i.e., source size, source position, time duration, decay time) of solar radio emission produced through plasma processes near the local plasma frequency, and hence the interpretation of solar radio bursts, are strongly influenced by propagation effects in the inhomogeneous turbulent solar corona. In this work, a 3D stochastic description of the propagation process is presented, based on the Fokker-Planck and Langevin equations of radio-wave transport in a medium containing anisotropic electron density fluctuations. Using a numerical treatment based on this model, we investigate the characteristic source sizes and burst decay times for Type III solar radio bursts. Comparison of the simulations with the observations of solar radio bursts shows that predominantly perpendicular density fluctuations in the solar corona are required, with an anisotropy factor $\sim 0.3$ for sources observed at around 30~MHz. The simulations also demonstrate that the photons are isotropized near the region of primary emission, but the waves are then focused by large-scale refraction, leading to plasma radio emission directivity that is characterized by a half-width-half-maximum of about 40~degrees near 30~MHz. The results are applicable to various solar radio bursts produced via plasma emission., 21 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Low-frequency radio observations make it possible to study the solar corona at distances up to 2–3 R ☉. Frequency of plasma emission is a proxy for electron density of the emitting plasma and, therefore, observations of solar radio bursts can be used to probe the density structure of the outer corona. In this study, positions of solar radio sources are investigated using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) spectral imaging in the frequency range 30–50 MHz. We show that there are events where apparent positions of the radio sources cannot be explained using the standard coronal density models. Namely, the apparent heliocentric positions of the sources are 0.1–0.7 R ☉ further from the Sun compared with the positions predicted by the Newkirk model, and these shifts are frequency-dependent. We discuss several possible explanations for this effect, including enhanced plasma density in the flaring corona, as well as scattering and refraction of the radio waves.

The aim of this work is to investigate and characterise non-thermal particle behaviour in a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) model of unstable multi-threaded flaring coronal loops. We have used a numerical scheme which solves the relativistic guiding centre approximation to study the motion of electrons and protons. The scheme uses snapshots from high resolution numerical MHD simulations of coronal loops containing two threads, where a single thread becomes unstable and (in one case) destabilises and merges with an additional thread. The particle responses to the reconnection and fragmentation in MHD simulations of two loop threads are examined in detail. We illustrate the role played by uniform background resistivity and distinguish this from the role of anomalous resistivity using orbits in an MHD simulation where only one thread becomes unstable without destabilising further loop threads. We examine the (scalable) orbit energy gains and final positions recovered at different stages of a second MHD simulation wherein a secondary loop thread is destabilised by (and merges with) the first thread. We compare these results with other theoretical particle acceleration models in the context of observed energetic particle populations during solar flares., 16 pages, 13 figures

Solar flares are explosive events in the solar corona, representing fast conversion of magnetic energy into thermal and kinetic energy, and hence radiation, due to magnetic reconnection. Modelling is essential for understanding and predicting these events. However, self-consistent modelling is extremely difficult due to the vast spatial and temporal scale separation between processes involving thermal plasma (normally considered using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approach) and non-thermal plasma (requiring a kinetic approach). In this mini-review we consider different approaches aimed at bridging the gap between fluid and kinetic modelling of solar flares. Two types of approaches are discussed: combined MHD/test-particle (MHDTP) models, which can be used for modelling the flaring corona with relatively small numbers of energetic particles, and hybrid fluid-kinetic methods, which can be used for modelling stronger events with higher numbers of energetic particles. Two specific examples are discussed in more detail: MHDTP models of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in kink-unstable twisted coronal loops, and a novel reduced-kinetic model of particle transport., Comment: Accepted as a mini-review in Advances in Space Research

The mega amp spherical tokamak (MAST) was a low aspect ratio device (R/a = 0.85/0.65 ~ 1.3) with similar poloidal cross-section to other medium-size tokamaks. The physics programme concentrates on addressing key physics issues for the operation of ITER, design of DEMO and future spherical tokamaks by utilising high resolution diagnostic measurements closely coupled with theory and modelling to significantly advance our understanding. An empirical scaling of the energy confinement time that favours higher power, lower collisionality devices is consistent with gyrokinetic modelling of electron scale turbulence. Measurements of ion scale turbulence with beam emission spectroscopy and gyrokinetic modelling in up-down symmetric plasmas find that the symmetry of the turbulence is broken by flow shear. Near the non-linear stability threshold, flow shear tilts the density fluctuation correlation function and skews the fluctuation amplitude distribution. Results from fast particle physics studies include the observation that sawteeth are found to redistribute passing and trapped fast particles injected from neutral beam injectors in equal measure, suggesting that resonances between the m = 1 perturbation and the fast ion orbits may be playing a dominant role in the fast ion transport. Measured D–D fusion products from a neutron camera and a charged fusion product detector are 40% lower than predictions from TRANSP/NUBEAM, highlighting possible deficiencies in the guiding centre approximation. Modelling of fast ion losses in the presence of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) can reproduce trends observed in experiments when the plasma response and charge-exchange losses are accounted for. Measurements with a neutral particle analyser during merging-compression start-up indicate the acceleration of ions and electrons. Transport at the plasma edge has been improved through reciprocating probe measurements that have characterised a geodesic acoustic mode at the edge of an ohmic L-mode plasma and particle-in-cell modelling has improved the interpretation of plasma potential estimates from ball-pen probes. The application of RMPs leads to a reduction in particle confinement in L-mode and H-mode and an increase in the core ionization source. The ejection of secondary filaments following type-I ELMs correlates with interactions with surfaces near the X-point. Simulations of the interaction between pairs of filaments in the scrape-off layer suggest this results in modest changes to their velocity, and in most cases can be treated as moving independently. A stochastic model of scrape-off layer profile formation based on the superposition of non-interacting filaments is in good agreement with measured time-average profiles. Transport in the divertor has been improved through fast camera imaging, indicating the presence of a quiescent region devoid of filament near the X-point, extending from the separatrix to ψ n ~ 1.02. Simulations of turbulent transport in the divertor show that the angle between the divertor leg on the curvature vector strongly influences transport into the private flux region via the interchange mechanism. Coherence imaging measurements show counter-streaming flows of impurities due to gas puffing increasing the pressure on field lines where the gas is ionised. MAST Upgrade is based on the original MAST device, with substantially improved capabilities to operate with a Super-X divertor to test extended divertor leg concepts. SOLPS-ITER modelling predicts the detachment threshold will be reduced by more than a factor of 2, in terms of upstream density, in the Super-X compared with a conventional configuration and that the radiation front movement is passively stabilised before it reaches the X-point. 1D fluid modelling reveals the key role of momentum and power loss mechanisms in governing detachment onset and evolution. Analytic modelling indicates that long legs placed at large major radius, or equivalently low at the target compared with the X-point are more amenable to external control. With MAST Upgrade experiments expected in 2019, a thorough characterisation of the sources of the intrinsic error field has been carried out and a mitigation strategy developed.

Astrophysical fluids have very large Reynolds numbers and therefore turbulence is their natural state. Magnetic reconnection is an important process in many astrophysical plasmas, which allows restructuring of magnetic fields and conversion of stored magnetic energy into heat and kinetic energy. Turbulence is known to dramatically change different transport processes and therefore it is not unexpected that turbulence can alter the dynamics of magnetic field lines within the reconnection process. We shall review the interaction between turbulence and reconnection at different scales, showing how a state of turbulent reconnection is natural in astrophysical plasmas, with implications for a range of phenomena across astrophysics. We consider the process of magnetic reconnection that is fast in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) limit and discuss how turbulence—both externally driven and generated in the reconnecting system—can make reconnection independent on the microphysical properties of plasmas. We will also show how relaxation theory can be used to calculate the energy dissipated in turbulent reconnecting fields. As well as heating the plasma, the energy dissipated by turbulent reconnection may cause acceleration of non-thermal particles, which is briefly discussed here.

In this article, we discuss the idea of a hierarchy of instabilities that can rapidly couple the disparate scales of a turbulent plasma system. First, at the largest scale of the system, L, current carrying flux ropes can undergo a kink instability. Second, a kink instability in adjacent flux ropes can rapidly bring together bundles of magnetic flux and drive reconnection, introducing a new scale of the current sheet width, l, perhaps several ion inertial lengths (δ i ) across. Finally, intense current sheets driven by reconnection electric fields can destabilize kinetic waves such as ion cyclotron waves as long as the drift speed of the electrons is large compared to the ion thermal speed, v D ≫v i . Instabilities such as these can couple MHD scales to kinetic scales, as small as the proton Larmor radius, ρ i .

New results from MAST are presented that focus on validating models in order to extrapolate to future devices. Measurements during start-up experiments have shown how the bulk ion temperature rise scales with the square of the reconnecting field. During the current ramp up models are not able to correctly predict the current diffusion. Experiments have been performed looking at edge and core turbulence. At the edge detailed studies have revealed how filament characteristic are responsible for determining the near and far SOL density profiles. In the core the intrinsic rotation and electron scale turbulence have been measured. The role that the fast ion gradient has on redistributing fast ions through fishbone modes has led to a redesign of the neutral beam injector on MAST Upgrade. In H-mode the turbulence at the pedestal top has been shown to be consistent with being due to electron temperature gradient modes. A reconnection process appears to occur during ELMs and the number of filaments released determines the power profile at the divertor. Resonant magnetic perturbations can mitigate ELMs provided the edge peeling response is maximised and the core kink response minimised. The mitigation of intrinsic error fields with toroidal mode number n>1 has been shown to be important for plasma performance., 34 pages, 10 figures. This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article submitted for publication in Nuclear Fusion. IoP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it

Energetic particles are critical components of plasma populations found throughout the universe. In many cases particles are accelerated to relativistic energies and represent a substantial fraction of the total energy of the system, thus requiring extremely efficient acceleration processes. The production of accelerated particles also appears coupled to magnetic field evolution in astrophysical plasmas through the turbulent magnetic fields produced by diffusive shock acceleration. Particle acceleration is thus a key component in helping to understand the origin and evolution of magnetic structures in, e.g. galaxies. The proximity of the Sun and the range of high-resolution diagnostics available within the solar atmosphere offers unique opportunities to study the processes involved in particle acceleration through the use of a combination of remote sensing observations of the radiative signatures of accelerated particles, and of their plasma and magnetic environment. The SPARK concept targets the broad range of energy, spatial and temporal scales over which particle acceleration occurs in the solar atmosphere, in order to determine how and where energetic particles are accelerated. SPARK combines highly complementary imaging and spectroscopic observations of radiation from energetic electrons, protons and ions set in their plasma and magnetic context. The payload comprises focusing-optics X-ray imaging covering the range from 1 to 60 keV; indirect HXR imaging and spectroscopy from 5 to 200 keV, γ-ray spectroscopic imaging with high-resolution LaBr3 scintillators, and photometry and source localisation at far-infrared wavelengths. The plasma environment of the regions of acceleration and interaction will be probed using soft X-ray imaging of the corona and vector magnetography of the photosphere and chromosphere. SPARK is designed for solar research. However, in addition it will be able to provide exciting new insights into the origin of particle acceleration in other regimes, including terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGF), the origin of γ-ray bursts, and the possible existence of axions.

A 1-D fluid code simulation of the region above the racetrack in a magnetron discharge has been developed to yield predictions for the temporal evolution of the axial plasma parameters during pulsed DC operation. To take into account anomalous cross-field diffusion transport rates, an effective magnetic field profile has been calculated based on the real experimental values, to yield ratios in the effective electron gyro and collision frequencies comparable with Bohm diffusion. Pulse frequencies from 100 to 500 kHz are considered, with gas pressures ranging from 0.25 to 0.65 Pa. The model results for the plasma potential, electron and ion densities, during the pulse cycle agree well with experimental measurements made in the Liverpool magnetron using time-resolved Langmuir and emissive probes. In the bulk plasma, the predictions for electron temperature are close to the measured values; however, in the sheath region they are artificially high due to the model assumption that only Maxwellian distributed electrons exist in all regions of the discharge. This inadequacy in the model and the methods to improve has been discussed. Results for DC magnetrons are also shown.

A linked set of Monte Carlo applications has been developed in order to investigate the sputtering, deposition, and ionization processes in a circular direct current unbalanced magnetron discharge. Particles respond to prescribed electric and magnetic fields, the former taken from experimental measurements, and self-consistent plasma behavior resulting in changes in the fields is not accounted for. The motion of energetic electrons emitted from the target surface by ion impacts is followed in the gas phase in order to characterize ionization and excitation collisions and elastic scattering with argon filling gas. The inhomogeneous erosion track profile is computed and compared with experimental measurements. The transport of titanium sputtered neutrals between the target and substrate surfaces is then analyzed using both a rigid sphere collision model and an interatomic potential model to describe collisions between sputtered neutrals and background gas atoms. The radial emission distribution of sputtered atoms is taken from the electron transport model. The mean arrival energy and the angular distribution of titanium neutrals impinging on the substrate surface, and the metal density profile between target and substrate are calculated. Finally, the electron impact ionization of titanium neutrals in a plasma formed by a mixture of titanium (10% of argon density) and argon atoms is simulated, motivated by the promising possibility of controlling the deposition process by influencing the direction of the ion flux.

Twisted magnetic flux ropes are ubiquitous in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, and the merging of such flux ropes through magnetic reconnection is an important mechanism for restructuring magnetic fields and releasing free magnetic energy. The merging-compression scenario is one possible start-up scheme for spherical tokamaks, which has been used on the Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST). Two current-carrying plasma rings or flux ropes approach each due to mutual attraction, forming a current sheet and subsequently merge through magnetic reconnection into a single plasma torus, with substantial plasma heating. Two-dimensional resistive and Hall-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of this process are reported, including a strong guide field. A model of the merging based on helicity-conserving relaxation to a minimum energy state is also presented, extending previous work to tight-aspect-ratio toroidal geometry. This model leads to a prediction of the final state of the merging, in good agreement with simulations and experiment, as well as the average temperature rise. A relaxation model of reconnection between two or more flux ropes in the solar corona is also described, allowing for different senses of twist, and the implications for heating of the solar corona are discussed.

The fields of solar radiophysics and solar system radio physics, or radio heliophysics, will benefit immensely from an instrument with the capabilities projected for SKA. Potential applications include interplanetary scintillation (IPS), radio-burst tracking, and solar spectral radio imaging with a superior sensitivity. These will provide breakthrough new insights and results in topics of fundamental importance, such as the physics of impulsive energy releases, magnetohydrodynamic oscillations and turbulence, the dynamics of post-eruptive processes, energetic particle acceleration, the structure of the solar wind and the development and evolution of solar wind transients at distances up to and beyond the orbit of the Earth. The combination of the high spectral, time and spatial resolution and the unprecedented sensitivity of the SKA will radically advance our understanding of basic physical processes operating in solar and heliospheric plasmas and provide a solid foundation for the forecasting of space weather events., Comment: 15 pages, Proceedings of Advancing Astrophysics with the Square Kilometre Array (AASKA14). 9 -13 June, 2014. Giardini Naxos, Italy. Online at http://pos.sissa.it/cgi-bin/reader/conf.cgi?confid=215, id.169

Merging-compression start-up in the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak provides an opportunity to investigate the merging of flux ropes through magnetic reconnection, and the self-organization into a single flux rope, in a low-plasma-β, high-Lundquist-number plasma. We present an overview of simulations of this process using the compressible Hall-MHD equations in two dimensions. Preliminary results of an analytical model of the self-organization, assuming a helicity-conserving relaxation to a minimum energy state, are also presented. The relevance of these models to solar plasmas is discussed.

We describe an experiment, the UMIST Linear System (ULS), in which a hydrogen plasma stream, guided by a longitudinal magnetic field, is injected through a diaphragm containing an orifice into a separately-pumped target chamber in which the neutral hydrogen pressure can be raised to a maximum of 8 mTorr. The stream is about 6 mm in diameter, has an electron temperature of up to 15 eV and an ion flux of 3×1018 s-1; it is supersonic with Mach number up to M≈3. We have studied both the passage of the stream through the orifice and the interaction of the supersonic plasma with neutral hydrogen in the target chamber. We find that transmission is incomplete even when the orifice diameter is five times that of the plasma; we attribute this to the presence of ion trajectories which extend well outside the visible plasma and are intercepted by the diaphragm. In the target chamber, the stream does not broaden, but the ion flux decreases approximately exponentially with distance, with a scale length of the order of the mean free path for momentum transfer in ion-neutral collisions, and much less than that expected for other processes, such as charge exchange or electron-ion recombination. Elastic collisions alone cannot decrease the flux, but would lead to a large accumulation of slow ions in thermal equilibrium with the neutral gas, which must be limited by some other loss process: collisional diffusion and electron-ion recombination are too slow, leading to a density approaching 1020 m-3. The observed density is of the order of 1018 m-3, requiring a process with a rate of 10-100 times faster. Calculated rates for molecular-activated recombination (MAR) of the slow ions are of this order, and the predicted density agrees with our observations to order of magnitude.

Oscillations with toroidal mode number n=1 are ubiquitous in helicity injected spheromaks and spherical tokamaks, and play a crucial role in current drive. It has been proposed that these arise from a current driven instability of the open flux tube. Stability calculations are presented to confirm this, and they are compared with experimental data from the Spheromak Experiment (SPHEX) [M. Rusbridge et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 39, 683 (1997)]. The equilibria are modelled as piece-wise constant μ profile force-free plasmas with different values for the μ in the open (μc) and closed (μa) flux regions. A stability map in μc,μa space is then calculated. The SPHEX experimental data is also reduced to the same space both as a culmination of direct single point measurements of μ and as a time history of the reconstructed equilibrium from a particular shot. The results show a favorable comparison of the stability map with experiment, both in magnitude and shape. The effect of inserting a central current-c...

Steady-state current drive by helicity injection has been demonstrated in the SPHEX spheromak. In order to understand the processes by which plasma toroidal current is driven on the closed flux, it is necessary first to diagnose the internal magnetic field and current structure. A method is described which fits force-free equilibria to magnetic field data from a linear insertable probe. It is shown that the overall field configuration and associated global parameters can be well fitted, though the detailed shape of the internal current profile is sensitive to small errors in the data and the choice of fitting function. The current drive process is closely associated with fluctuations having toroidal mode number n = 1. We investigate in detail shots with Ti gettering, when the n = 1 mode is episodic, showing that the current drive mechanism is switched on and off for periods during a single shot, corresponding to the presence or absence of the mode. This provides definitive evidence that the n = 1 mode is responsible for the current drive.

Astrophysical fluids have very large Reynolds numbers and therefore turbulence is their natural state. Magnetic reconnection is an important process in many astrophysical plasmas, which allows restructuring of magnetic fields and conversion of stored magnetic energy into heat and kinetic energy. Turbulence is known to dramatically change different transport processes and therefore it is not unexpected that turbulence can alter the dynamics of magnetic field lines within the reconnection process. We shall review the interaction between turbulence and reconnection at different scales, showing how a state of turbulent reconnection is natural in astrophysical plasmas, with implications for a range of phenomena across astrophysics. We consider the process of magnetic reconnection that is fast in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) limit and discuss how turbulence—both externally driven and generated in the reconnecting system—can make reconnection independent on the microphysical properties of plasmas. We will also show how relaxation theory can be used to calculate the energy dissipated in turbulent reconnecting fields. As well as heating the plasma, the energy dissipated by turbulent reconnection may cause acceleration of non-thermal particles, which is briefly discussed here.

In this article, we discuss the idea of a hierarchy of instabilities that can rapidly couple the disparate scales of a turbulent plasma system. First, at the largest scale of the system, L, current carrying flux ropes can undergo a kink instability. Second, a kink instability in adjacent flux ropes can rapidly bring together bundles of magnetic flux and drive reconnection, introducing a new scale of the current sheet width, l, perhaps several ion inertial lengths (δ i ) across. Finally, intense current sheets driven by reconnection electric fields can destabilize kinetic waves such as ion cyclotron waves as long as the drift speed of the electrons is large compared to the ion thermal speed, v D ≫v i . Instabilities such as these can couple MHD scales to kinetic scales, as small as the proton Larmor radius, ρ i .

Observation of coronal EUV spectral lines sensitive to different temperatures offers an opportunity to evaluate the thermal structure and flows in flaring atmospheres. This can be used to estimate the partitioning between the thermal and kinetic energies. Our aim is to model large-scale (50-10000km) velocity distributions in order to interpret non-thermal broadening of different spectral EUV lines. The developed models allow us to understand the origin of the observed spectral line shifts and broadening, and link these features to particular physical effects in flaring atmospheres. We use ideal MHD to derive twisted magnetic fluxtube configurations in a stratified atmosphere. The evolution of these fluxtubes is followed using resistive MHD, with anomalous resistivity depending on the local density and temperature. The model also takes into account the thermal conduction and radiative losses. The model allows us to evaluate average velocities and velocity dispersions, which would be interpreted as `non-thermal' velocities in observations, at different temperatures for different parts of the models. Our models show qualitative and quantitative agreement with observations. The line-of-sight (LOS) velocity dispersions demonstrate substantial correlation with the temperature, increasing from about 20-30 km/s around 1 MK to about 200-400 km/s near 10-20 MK. The average LOS velocities also correlate with velocity dispersions, although they demonstrate a very strong scattering, compared to observations. We also note that near foot-points the velocity dispersions across the magnetic field are systematically lower than those along the field. We conclude, that the correlation between the flow velocities, velocity dispersions and temperatures are likely to indicate that the same heating mechanism is responsible for heating the plasma, its turbulisation and expansion/evaporation., Comment: Accepted to Astronomy & Astrophysics

The authors have used a probe containing both a Rogowski coil and a magnetic pick-up coil to measure both the current density and the mu value in the plasma of the SPHEX spheromak. The results are broadly in agreement with previous measurements but give much better spatial resolution; they reveal a discontinuity at the interface between the 'central column' and 'annulus' regions of the plasma. In the annulus, the range of values of mu spans the spheromak eigenvalue as expected from theory. When the spheromak current drive is terminated by shorting the Marshall gun, the current density at the magnetic axis initially rises to a maximum before decaying, and mu continues to rise towards the eigenvalue. These results are interpreted as showing that the relaxation process continues to operate in the decaying plasma.

Multiple resonances in the edge-localized mode (ELM) frequency (${f}_{\mathrm{ELM}}$) as a function of the edge safety factor ${q}_{95}$ have been observed for the first time with an applied low $n$ ($=1,2$) field on the JET tokamak. Without an $n=1$ field applied, ${f}_{\mathrm{ELM}}$ increases slightly from 20 to 30 Hz by varying the ${q}_{95}$ from 4 to 5 in a type-I ELMy H-mode plasma. However, with an $n=1$ field applied, a strong increase in ${f}_{\mathrm{ELM}}$ by a factor of 4--5 has been observed with resonant ${q}_{95}$ values, while the ${f}_{\mathrm{ELM}}$ increased only by a factor of 2 for nonresonant values. A model, which assumes that the ELM width is determined by a localized relaxation triggered by an unstable ideal external peeling mode, can qualitatively predict the observed resonances when low $n$ fields are applied.

A series of ELM control experiments have been performed on JET aiming at a better understanding of the plasma response to applied magnetic perturbations. The dynamics of the edge profiles with applied n = 1 fields have been studied in the type-I ELM H-mode plasmas. Typically, the pedestal density decreased by about 20 % when the n = 1 perturbation field was applied (So called pump-out effect). However, there is no influence of the n = 1 fields on the recovery rate of the pedestal pressure, but the ELM crash occurs earlier and at a lower level of the pedestal pressure and pressure gradient. The compensation of the density pump-out has been demonstrated using either gas fuelling or pellets injection in low triangularity H-mode plasmas. Strong toroidal rotation braking by more than 60 % has been observed, and found to be independent on the safety factor. The calculated Neoclassical Toroidal Viscosity (NTV) torque profile in the ν regime including the boundary effect is in agreement with the observed torque profile induced by the n = 1 fields on JET. No complete ELM suppression was observed by application of either n = 1 or n = 2 fields with a Chirikov parameter above one at √ Ψ ≥ 0.925, which is one of the important criteria for the design of ITER ELM control coils.

We describe results from the gun-injected spheromak device SPHEX, which show that the power required to sustain the plasma is initially deposited in a column, about 8 cm in radius, along the geometric axis of the device, and is transmitted from the column to the remainder of the plasma by a radially propagating oscillation at about 20 kHz. These results are relevant to the process of relaxation in spheromak systems

The magnetic confinement of a plasma within a prototype controlled-fusion experiment, the spheromak, is considered. This device has a containment vessel that is topologically spherical, offering considerable engineering advantages compared with conventional toroidal systems. The aim has been to evaluate possible designs for the flux conserver and gun magnetic field coils, taking account of flux penetration into the walls, caused by finite resistivity. The copper walls cannot remain perfect magnetic flux surfaces for the duration of the experiment, and the magnetic field penetration into the walls is calculated for a range of designs. This study is in response to recent results showing that wall conditions and flux loss are a vital element of the system's performance, with a substantial increase in global resistance arising if field becomes embedded in the walls creating a 'dead space' that is not driven by the gun current. A model bearing general application to magnetic field interaction with resistive walls in complex geometries is developed, with particular reference to the UMIST spheromak experiment SPHEX. >

The poster describes work I have published with co‐authors in theoretical and experimental studies of plasmas: both in the laboratory, with relevance to magnetically confined fusion, and naturally occurring, in the Sun’s atmosphere (the corona). In the case of fusion plasmas, recent work on recombining plasmas in a linear plasma device, the ULS, is described, which develops understanding of the processes by which detachment is obtained in a tokamak divertor. Results of experimental studies of recombining plasmas are presented, interpreted through 1D plasma models and collisional‐radiative models. In the case of the solar corona, we discuss coronal heating by magnetic reconnection. The question of how the solar corona is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees is a major outstanding problem in astrophysics. Some recent results of numerical simulation of forced magnetic reconnection are presented, focusing on the energy release, and we describe how relaxation theory can be used to calculate heating by...

In the merging-compression method of plasma start-up, two flux-ropes with parallel toroidal current are formed around in-vessel poloidal field coils, before merging to form a spherical tokamak plasma. This start-up method, used in the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST), is studied as a high Lundquist number and low plasma-beta magnetic reconnection experiment. In this paper, 2D fluid simulations are presented of this merging process in order to understand the underlying physics, and better interpret the experimental data. These simulations examine the individual and combined effects of tight-aspect ratio geometry and two-fluid physics on the merging. The ideal self-driven flux-rope dynamics are coupled to the diffusion layer physics, resulting in a large range of phenomena. For resistive MHD simulations, the flux-ropes enter the sloshing regime for normalised resistivity eta < 1E-5. In Hall-MHD three regimes are found for the qualitative behaviour of the current sheet, depending on the ratio of the current sheet width to the ion-sound radius. These are a stable collisional regime, an open X-point regime, and an intermediate regime that is highly unstable to tearing-type instabilities. In toroidal axisymmetric geometry, the final state after merging is a MAST-like spherical tokamak with nested flux-surfaces. It is also shown that the evolution of simulated 1D radial density profiles closely resembles the Thomson scattering electron density measurements in MAST. An intuitive explanation for the origin of the measured density structures is proposed, based upon the results of the toroidal Hall-MHD simulations., 12 pages, 12 figures. The following article has been submitted to Physics of Plasmas. After it is published, it will be found at pop.aip.org

The spheromak device SPHEX has been modified by adding a current-carrying rod along the geometric axis, providing a preexisting toroidal field. We show that plasma can be succesfully injected into such a field from a helicity source; the field assists plasma ejection from the gun and improves the coupling between gun and plasma, so that T e , T i , and the toroidal current all increase with rod current.