Linearly Polarized Magnetic Field Configurations for PFRC-2

Abstract

Within the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC-2) plasma machine, an odd-parity, rotating magnetic field (RMF) near the ion cyclotron frequency is used to accelerate and heat the plasma to high temperatures. However, due to the non-uniform nature of the PFRC’s internal magnetic field, a sharp cyclotron resonance cannot exist. Recent experiments suggest that a linearly polarized (LP) magnetic field, decomposable into the sum of two counter-rotating fields, heats the plasma to higher energies. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the X-ray emissions of experimental data from an LP field used in the PFRC-2. A derivation of the Hamiltonian for RMF and LP will be used to predict how a plasma particle will be transported. Then, by using the \textit{RMF}, a simulation of a single-particle trajectory simulations for both LP and RMF fields will be produced. The paths of the tracked particle and features like the total energy of the particle over time will be compared. This will then be compared with the Hamiltonian derivation to see if it is properly described, and then an analysis of the practicality of LP in fusion reactors will be conducted.