Determination of microturbulence enhanced electron collisionality in magnetized coaxial accelerator channels by direct magnetic field measurement

Abstract

A miniature magnetic probe array, consisting of 10 spatially separated coils, has been used to obtain profile information on the time varying magnetic field within the 2.54 cm wide flow channel of the coaxial plasma source experiment (CPS-1) [R. M. Mayo et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 4, 47 (1995)]. The magnetic field data have been used, together with a resistive, Hall magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of applied field distortion by the flowing plasma, to obtain estimates of the microturbulent enhancement to electron collisionality within the CPS-1 flow channel. These measurements provide direct experimental evidence of anomalous electron collisionality, a previously predicted effect in these devices. The anomaly parameter, a=νan/νcl, determined both from the distortion of contours of constant magnetic flux, and from local Bθ and Bz measurements scales with the classical electron magnetization parameter (Ωcl=ωce/νecl), indicating that collisionality plays a strong role in determining the level of anomalous transport in the plasma. When this anomaly parameter scaling is cast in terms of the ratio νecl/ωlh, it is found that the resistivity enhancement scales with νecl/ωlh, and becomes significant at νecl/ωlh⩽1, suggesting that a lower hybrid drift instability may be the responsible mechanism for enhanced transport.