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Calibrated cylindrical Mach probe in a plasma wind tunnel
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Magnetic Self Organization, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1397, USA. xzhang9@swarthmore.edu
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|April 5, 2011
Summary
A new Mach probe design for magnetized plasmas was calibrated using an independent procedure. This method validates probe performance in the weakly magnetized regime, crucial for accurate plasma diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Aerospace engineering
- Diagnostic techniques
Background:
- Accurate plasma characterization is essential for understanding phenomena in fusion energy and aerospace propulsion.
- Existing diagnostic tools may face limitations in magnetized plasma environments.
- The weakly magnetized regime presents unique challenges for probe measurements due to comparable scales of probe dimensions and ion orbits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and describe a simple cylindrical Mach probe.
- To present an independent calibration procedure for the Mach probe in a magnetized plasma wind tunnel.
- To validate the probe's operational model in the weakly magnetized regime.
Main Methods:
- Development of a simple cylindrical Mach probe.
- Implementation of an independent calibration procedure within a magnetized plasma wind tunnel.
- Particle orbit calculations to corroborate the probe's operational model.
- Comparison of analytical and simulation models with experimental calibration data.
Main Results:
- Successful description and calibration of a cylindrical Mach probe.
- Validation of the probe's performance in the weakly magnetized regime.
- Favorable agreement between analytical/simulation models and experimental calibration results.
- Demonstration that particle orbit calculations support the probe's theoretical model.
Conclusions:
- The developed Mach probe and its calibration procedure are effective for diagnosing weakly magnetized plasmas.
- The study confirms the utility of particle orbit calculations in validating plasma probe models.
- This work provides a reliable method for plasma measurements in specific regimes relevant to fusion and aerospace applications.
