Abstract
Magnetic fluctuations at a frequency lower than the local ion cyclotron frequency have been observed in association with magnetic reconnection events in a TS-3 plasma merging device. Counter-helicity merging of spheromaks provides significant ion heating by magnetic reconnection to form a high-β field-reversed configuration plasma. The magnitude of the fluctuation observed during and after the counter-helicity merging has a stronger dependence on the ion mass than on the reconnection speed, indicating that fast ion outflow from the X point would bring about excitation of large-amplitude low-frequency magnetic fluctuations, which may be responsible for direct ion heating.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-8 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Electrical Engineering in Japan (English translation of Denki Gakkai Ronbunshi) |
| Volume | 187 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 Apr |
Keywords
- Alfvén wave
- MHD (magneto-hydro-dynamics) waves
- heating
- magnetic fluctuation
- magnetic reconnection
- plasma merging