Multi-Scale Investigation of Sheared Flows In Magnetized Plasmas

Abstract

Flows parallel and perpendicular to magnetic fields in a plasma are important phenomena in many areas of plasma science research. The presence of these spatially inhomogeneous flows is often associated with the stability of the plasma. In fusion plasmas, these sheared flows can be stabilizing while in space plasmas, these sheared flows can be destabilizing. Because of this, there is broad interest in understanding the coupling between plasma stability and plasma flows. This research project has engaged in a study of the plasma response to spatially inhomogeneous plasma flows using three different experimental devices: the Auburn Linear Experiment for Instability Studies (ALEXIS) and the Compact Toroidal Hybrid (CTH) stellarator devices at Auburn University, and the Space Plasma Simulation Chamber (SPSC) at the Naval Research Laboratory. This work has shown that there is a commonality of the plasma response to sheared flows across a wide range of plasma parameters and magnetic field geometries. The goal of this multi-device, multi-scale project is to understand how sheared flows established by the same underlying physical mechanisms lead to different plasma responses in fusion, laboratory, and space plasmas.