Gas dynamic trap: experimental results and future prospects
A.A. Ivanova,b,
V.V. Prikhodkoa,c,b aBudker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, prosp. akad. Lavrenteva 11, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation bNovosibirsk State University, ul. Pirogova 2, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation cNuclear Safety Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Bolshaya Tulskaya 52, Moscow, 115191, Russian Federation
The gas dynamic trap (GDT) is a magnetic mirror variety with a long mirror-to-mirror distance far exceeding the effective ion mean free path for scattering into the loss cone, with a large mirror ratio (R ∼ 100, R = Bmax/Bmin is the ratio of magnetic field values at the mirror and at the trap center), and with axial symmetry. Under these conditions, in contrast to the conventional magnetic mirror, the plasma confined in a GDT is isotropic Maxwellian. The plasma loss rate through the ends is governed by a set of simple gas-dynamic equations, hence the name of the device. The plasma lifetime in a GDT is of the order of LR/VTi, where L is the mirror-to-mirror distance and VTi is the ion thermal velocity. Thus, increasing both the mirror ratio and the length of the device can, in principle, make the plasma lifetime sufficient for fusion applications. This paper discusses plasma confinement and heating results from the Novosibirsk GDT facility and examines prospects for using the GDT to develop a high flux neutron source for fusion materials testing and for driving subcritical fission reactors.