Production of field-reversed mirror plasma with a coaxial plasma gun
First Claim
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1. A method of producing a field-reversed mirror plasma, comprising the steps of:
- producing a minimum B magnetic field of multi-Tesla strength in an evacuated plasma confinement apparatus by means of a magnetic mirror;
generating a plasma ring by means of a coaxial plasma gun, said coaxial plasma gun possessing a solenoidal conductor configuration so as to produce a poloidal magnetic field, the inner component of said poloidal field being in a direction opposite to that of the magnetic field of the mirror so as to form a magnetic field-reversed configuration around the gun;
accelerating the plasma ring by means of said coaxial plasma gun so that the plasma ring drifts out of and away from the coaxial plasma gun in a direction parallel to the coaxial plasma gun'"'"'s longitudinal axis and toward said magnetic mirror, thus forming a field-reversed plasma ring upon reconnection of the magnetic field lines between said plasma ring and said coaxial plasma gun; and
confining the field-reversed plasma ring in the minimum B magnetic well of the magnetic mirror thereby producing a field-reversed mirror plasma.
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Abstract
The use of a coaxial plasma gun to produce a plasma ring which is directed into a magnetic field so as to form a field-reversed plasma confined in a magnetic mirror. Plasma thus produced may be used as a target for subsequent neutral beam injection or other similarly produced and projected plasma rings or for direct fusion energy release in a pulsed mode.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method of producing a field-reversed mirror plasma, comprising the steps of:
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producing a minimum B magnetic field of multi-Tesla strength in an evacuated plasma confinement apparatus by means of a magnetic mirror; generating a plasma ring by means of a coaxial plasma gun, said coaxial plasma gun possessing a solenoidal conductor configuration so as to produce a poloidal magnetic field, the inner component of said poloidal field being in a direction opposite to that of the magnetic field of the mirror so as to form a magnetic field-reversed configuration around the gun; accelerating the plasma ring by means of said coaxial plasma gun so that the plasma ring drifts out of and away from the coaxial plasma gun in a direction parallel to the coaxial plasma gun'"'"'s longitudinal axis and toward said magnetic mirror, thus forming a field-reversed plasma ring upon reconnection of the magnetic field lines between said plasma ring and said coaxial plasma gun; and confining the field-reversed plasma ring in the minimum B magnetic well of the magnetic mirror thereby producing a field-reversed mirror plasma. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for the production and confinement of a field-reversed mirror plasma, the apparatus comprising:
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an evacuated plasma confinement chamber; a magnetic mirror capable of producing a minimum B magnetic field of multi-tesla strength in the plasma confinement chamber; a coaxial plasma gun for generating and accelerating a plasma ring into the minimum B magnetic field of said magnetic mirror, said coaxial plasma gun possessing a solenoidal conductor configuration so as to produce a poloidal magnetic field, the inner component of said poloidal field being in a direction opposite to that of the magnetic field of the mirror so as to form a magnetic field-reversed configuration around the plasma gun; and means for confining the moving field-reversed plasma ring thus formed in the minimum B magnetic well of the magnetic mirror. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification