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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Progress on the Plasmoid Thruster Experiment (PTX)

A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field, that may be categorized according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (B(sub p) and B(sub t), respectively). An object with B(sub p)/B(sub t), much much more than 1 is called a Field Reverse Configuration (FRC); if B(sub p) approximately equal to B(sub t), it is called a Spheromak. The thruster operates by repetitively producing plasmoids that are accelerated and ejected at high velocity. As this process is inductive, there are no electrodes. Also, the magnetic structure of the plasmoid should suppress thermal and mass losses to the wall, and improve detachment of the plasma exhaust from the thruster. This concept should be capable of producing an Isp in the range of 5,000 - 10,000 s with thrust densities of order 10(exp 5) N per square meters. The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5-10 kW, although the concept should be scalable into the MW range. In PTX, the plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil (17.58 cone angle). The coil is driven by a 640 nF, 35 kV capacitor bank, which rings at a frequency of 500 kHz. Previous experiments on PTX were conducted with a static-fill of propellant gas (6% H2 in He), and demonstrated reliable ionization over a pressure range of 40 - 200 mTorr. We are now adding a fast gas-puff valve to load the propellant, and a ringing pre-ionization circuit (f = 5 Mhz) to better control the plasmoid formation. An alternate coil (8.58 cone angle) will also be used, so as to investigate the effect of coil shape on performance. In addition, a variety of propellants will be used, including hydrogen, nitrogen, and argon. The plasmoid mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including external B-dot probes and flux loops, a high-speed framing camera, and a HeNe laser interferometer. Internal B-dot probes and a quadruple Langmuir probe will provide additional measurements of the plasmoid shape and structure, as well as density, and will be described in a companion paper. The experimental results will be compared to calculations made using a 0-D coil-gun model and also a 2-D time dependent MHD code.

Martin, Adam↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Plasmoid Thruster Experiment (PTX)

A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field, that may be categorized according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields. If B(sup p)/B(sub t) is much greater than 1, it is an FRC; if B(sub p) approximately equals B(sub t), it is a Spheromak. A plasmoid thruster would operate by repetitively producing plasmoids that are accelerated to high velocity. The process is inductive, and the magnetic structure of the plasmoid suppresses thermal and mass losses, and improves detachment of the exhaust. This concept should be capable of producing an Isp in the range of 5,000 - 10,OOO seconds, with high thrust density. PTX is a device designed to study this concept. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil, driven by a 560 nF, 35 kV capacitor bank. Experiments conducted with a static-fill of propellant gas (6% H2 in He) demonstrated reliable ionization over a pressure range of 40 - 200 mTorr. A fast gas-puff valve to inject propellant has since been added, and a ringing pre-ionization circuit to independently control ionization has been tested. Hydrogen, deuterium, argon, and an N2/H2 mixture have been tried as propellants. Measurements of the plasmoid shape, mass, and velocity, using a variety of diagnostics will be presented,

Martin, Adam↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Plasmoid Thruster Experiment (PTX)

A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field, that may be categorized according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields. If B(sub p/B(sub t) much greater than 1 it is an FRC; if B(sub p) approximately equal to B(sub t), it is a Spheromak. A plasmoid thruster would operate by repetitively producing plasmoids that are accelerated to high velocity. The process is inductive, and the magnetic structure of the plasmoid suppresses thermal and mass losses, and improves detachment of the exhaust, This concept should be capable of producing an Isp in the range of 5,000 - l0,000 seconds, with high thrust density. PTX is a device designed to study this concept. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil, driven by a 560 nF, 35 kV capacitor bank. Experiments conducted with a static-fill of propellant gas (6% H2 in He) demonstrated liable ionization over a pressure range of 40 - 200 mTorr. A fast gas-puff valve to inject propellant has since been added, and a ringing preionization circuit to independently control ionization has been tested, hydrogen, deuterium, argon, and an N2 / H2 mixture have been tried as propellants. Measurements of the plasmoid shape, mass, and velocity, using a variety of diagnostics will be presented.

Martin, Adam↗
NASA NTRS2008

PT-1 Plasmoid Thruster Capable of Multi-Mode Operation

This slide presentation reviews the concept of a Plasmoid Thruster that is capable of operating in several different modes. A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field, that may be categorized according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic fields. A plasmoid thruster would operate by repetitively producing plasmoids that are accelerated to high velocity. The process is inductive, and the magnetic structure of the plasmoid suppresses thermal and mass losses, and improves detachment of the exhaust. The Drive and Bias circuits, the gas distribution, the pre-ionization stage, and the operation sequence are detailed. The advantages of the Plasmoid thruster and the research and technology required for development of this form of propulsion is reviewed.

Miller, Robert↗
NASA NTRS1988

Minimum dissipation rates in magnetohydrodynamics

Minimum dissipation rate states are explored for a current-carrying channel of magnetofluid, supported by a dc magnetic field and driven by an applied electric field. The minimization is carried out subject to the constraints of constant axial (toroidal) magnetic flux and constant time-averaged rate of supply of magnetic helicity. The solutions of the resulting Euler-Lagrange equations are sensitive to boundary conditions on the current density j. One set of boundary conditions on j leads to the same consequences as Taylor's 'minimum-energy' theory. A different set leads to significantly different consequences, including a departure from the 'force-free' magnetic profile and a toroidal component of current density that does not reverse at the wall when the toroidal magnetic field reverses.

Montgomery, David↗
NASA NTRS1978

Low-frequency fluctuation spectra and associated particle transport in the NASA Lewis bumpy-torus plasma

The strong radial electric field associated with the Penning discharge and the strong toroidal magnetic field give rise to a diversity of E/B phenomena, such as rotating waves and spokes, which in turn manifest themselves as space-time fluctuations of the plasma density and potential. Work is done to further understand the nature and origin of the fluctuations and their connection with fluctuation-induced transport. The approach is to monitor the density and potential fluctuations; to digitize the data; and to generate, with the aid of a computer, various spectral properties by means of the fast fourier transform. Of particular interest is the computer-generated transport spectrum that indicates in a quantitative way which fluctuation spectral components contribute to transport and which do not. All experimental measurements of the spectral characteristics of the plasma are given in absolute units rather than as relative values. Preliminary measurements of the transport spectrum of the ion population are given, and it is shown that the fluctuation-induced transport is in order-of-magnitude agreement with that inferred from the steady state current flowing to the electrodes that generate the plasma.

Singh, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

A Long-Lived Neutron Star Merger Remnant in GW170817: Constraints and Clues from X-ray Observations

Multimessenger observations of GW170817 have not conclusively established whether the merger remnant is a black hole (BH) or a neutron star (NS). We show that a long-lived magnetized NS with a poloidal field B ≈ 1012 G is fully consistent with the electromagnetic dataset, when spin-down losses are dominated by gravitational wave (GW) emission. The required ellipticity ε >~ 10−5 can result from a toroidal magnetic field component much stronger than the poloidal component, a configuration expected from an NS newly formed from a merger. Abrupt magnetic dissipation of the toroidal component can lead to the appearance of X-ray flares, analogous to the one observed in gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows. In the X-ray afterglow of GW170817, we identify a low-significance (>~3σ) temporal feature at 155 d, consistent with a sudden reactivation of the central NS. Energy injection from the NS spin-down into the relativistic shock is negligible, and the underlying continuum is fully accounted for by a structured jet seen off-axis. Whereas radio and optical observations probe the interaction of this jet with the surrounding medium, observations at X-ray wavelengths, performed with adequate sampling, open a privileged window on to the merger remnant.

gravitational waves↗
NASA NTRS1989

The nonlinear breakup of the sun's toroidal field

There are good reasons for believing that the sun has a strong toroidal magnetic field in the stably stratified region of convective overshoot sandwiched between the radiative zone and convective zone proper. The magnetic field in this region is modeled by studying the behavior of a layer of uniform field embedded in a subadiabatic atmosphere. Since the field can support extra mass, such a configuration is top-heavy, and instabilities of the Rayleigh-Taylor type can occur. Numerical integration of the two-dimensional compressible MHD equations makes it possible to follow the evolution of this instability into the nonlinear regime. The initial buoyancy-driven instability of the magnetic field gives rise to strong shearing motions, thereby exciting secondary Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities which wrap the gas into regions of intense vorticity. The somewhat surprising subsequent motions are determined primarily by the strong interactions between vortices.

Hughes, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Plasmoid Thruster for Space Propulsion

There are a number of possible advantages to using accelerated plasmoids for in-space propulsion. A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field. They have been studied extensively in controlled fusion research and are classified according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (BP and Bt, respectively). An Object with B P t >> 1 is classified as a Field Reverse Configuration (FRC); if B, = Bt, it is called a Spheromak. The plasmoid thruster operates by producing FRC-like plasmoids, and subsequently ejecting them from the device at high velocity. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil. As this process is inductive, there are no electrodes. Similar experiments have yielded plasmoid velocities of at least 50 km/s (l), and calculations indicate that velocities in excess of 100 km/s should be possible. This concept should be capable of producing Isp s in the range of 5,000 - 10,000 s with thrust densities of order 10(exp 5) N/sq m. The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5-10 kW, although the concept should be scalable to several MW s. The plasmoids mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including internal and external B-dot probes, flux loops, Langmuir probes, high-speed cameras, and a laser interferometer. Also of key importance will be measurements of the efficiency and mass utilization. Simulations of the plasmoid thruster using MOQUI, a time dependent MHD code, will be carried out concurrently with experimental testing.

Koelfgen, Syri J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Plasmoid Thruster for Space Propulsion

There are a number of possible advantages to using accelerated plasmoids for in-space propulsion. A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field. They have been studied extensively in controlled fusion research and are classified according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (B(sub p), and B(sub t), respectively). An object with B(sub p), / B(sub t) much greater than 1 is classified as a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC); if B(sub p) approximately equal to B(sub t), it is called a Spheromak. The plasmoid thruster operates by producing FRC-like plasmoids and subsequently ejecting them from the device at a high velocity. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single-turn conical theta-pinch coil. As this process is inductive, there are no electrodes. Similar experiments have yielded plasmoid velocities of at least 50 km/s, and calculations indicate that velocities in excess of 100 km/s should be possible. This concept should be capable of producing Isp's in the range of 5,000 - 15,000 s with thrust densities on the order of 10(exp 5) N per square meters. The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5 - 10 kW, although the concept should be scalable to several MW's. The plasmoid mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including internal and external B-dot probes, flux loops, Langmuir probes, high-speed cameras and a laser interferometer. Also of key importance will be measurements of the efficiency and mass utilization. Simulations of the plasmoid thruster using MOQUI, a time-dependent MHD code, will be carried out concurrently with experimental testing.

Koelfgen, Syri J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Plasmoid Thruster Experiment (PTX)

A plasmoid is a compact plasma structure with an integral magnetic field. They have been studied extensively in controlled fusion research and are categorized according to the relative strength of the poloidal and toroidal magnetic field (B(phi), and B(tau), respectively). An object with B(phi)/B(tau) >> 1 is classified as a Field Reverse Configuration (FRC); if B(phi) = B(tau), it is called a Spheromak. There are a number of possible advantages to using accelerated plasmoids for in-space propulsion. A thruster based on this concept would operate by repetitively producing plasmoids and ejecting them from the device at high velocity. The plasmoid is formed inside of a single turn conical theta-pinch coil; as this process is inductive, there are no life-limiting electrodes. Similar experiments have yielded plasmoid velocities of at least 50 km/s (l), and calculations indicate that velocities in excess of 100 km/s are possible. A thruster based on this concept would be capable of producing an I(sp) in the range of 5,000 - 10,OOO s, with thrust densities of order 10(exp 5) N/m(exp 2). The current experiment is designed to produce jet powers in the range of 5-10 kW, although the concept should be scalable to higher power. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the feasibility of this plasma propulsion concept. To accomplish this, it will be necessary to determine: a.) specific impulse and thrust, b.) efficiency and mass utilization, c.) which type of plasmoid (FRC-like or Spheromak-like) gives the best performance, and d.) the characteristics required of actual thruster components (i.e., switch and capacitor technology). The plasmoid mass and velocity will be measured with a variety of diagnostics, including internal and external B-dot probes, flux loops, Langmuir probes, high-speed cameras, and an interferometer. Simulations of the plasmoid thruster using MOQUI, a time dependent MHD code, will be carried out concurrently with experimental testing. The PTX device is currently undergoing initial testing and preliminary experimental results are presented.

Eskridge, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1995

Low-state disks and low-beta disks

Stellar black hole candidates (BHCs) exhibit bimodal spectral states. We calculate nonthermal disk spectra, demonstrating that a large photon index (alpha (sub x) approximately 2-3) observed in the soft (high) state is due to a copious soft photon supply, whereas soft photon starvation leads to a smaller index (alpha (sub x) approximately 1.5-2) in the hard (low) state. Thus, the absence of the soft component flux in the low state cannot be due to obscuration. A possible disk configuration during the low state is discussed. We proposed that a low-state disk may be a low-beta disk in which magnetic pressure may exceed gas pressure becuase of the suppression of field escape by a strong shear. As a result, disk material will take the form of blobs constricted by mainly toroidal magnetic fields. Fields are dissipated mainly by occasional reconnection events with a huge energy release. This will account for large-amplitude, aperiodic X-ray variations (flickering) and high-energy radiation with small alpha(sub x) from hard state BHCs and possibly from active galactic nuclei. Further, we propose a hysteretic relation between the mass-flow rate and plasma-beta, a ratio of gas pressure to magnetic pressure, for the spectral evolution of transient BHCs. The disk is in the low-beta state in quiescence and early rise. The low-beta disk is optically thin and affected by advection. A hard-to-soft transition occurs before the peak luminosity, since there is no advection-dominated branch at higher luminosities. An optically thick, high-beta disk appears at small radii. In the decay phase of the light curve, the standard-type disk becomes effectively optically thin, when a soft-hard transition is triggered. High-beta plasmas in the main body shrink to form minute blobs, and low-beta coronal plasma fills interblob space.

Mineshige, Shin↗
NASA NTRS1988

Driven, steady-state RFP computations

The pseudospectral three-dimensional MHD code of Dahlburg et al. (1986 and 1987) is used to compute the dynamical behavior of a channel of magnetofluid carrying an axial current and magnetic flux. This situation contains the essential MHD behavior of the reversed-field pinch (RFP). An externally imposed electric field is applied to an initially current-free magnetofluid and drives currents that rise and eventually fluctuate about values corresponding to pinch ratios Theta of about 1.3, 2.2, and 4.5. A period of violent turbulence leads to an approximately force-free core, surrounded by an active MHD boundary layer that is not force-free. A steady state is reached that can apparently be sustained indefinitely (for several hundred Alfven transit times or longer). The turbulence level and time variability in the steady state increase with increasing Theta. The average toroidal magnetic field at the wall reverses for Theta = 2.2 and 4.5, but not for Theta = 1.3. Negative toroidal current filaments are observed. The Lundquist numbers are of the order of a few hundred.

Dahlburg, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Intrinsically asymmetric astrophysical jets

Previous work on the origin of self-collimated electromagnetic jets is extended to the general case where there is no reflection symmetry of the magnetic field about the equatorial plane of the disk. The axisymmetric field structure inside the disk is obtained by solving for the magnetic flux function, and the toroidal magnetic field, from the generalized thin-disk induction equation, which is derived. The asymptotic (large-z) magnetic field structure outside the disk is obtained by solving the force-free Grad-Shafranov equation semianalytically. Jet solutions are found in which the power flow is carried mainly by the Poynting flux of the electromagnetic field and the angular momentum outflow from the disk is carried by the magnetic field. The ratio of jet luminosities (top/bottom) depends directly on the degree of asymmetry of the field and can easily be much greater than unity. It is argued that the degree of field asymmetry in the disk is determined by the asymmetry of the weak galactic field fed into the disk at large distances over long periods of time.

Wang, J. C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Magnetohydrodynamic Origin of Jets from Accretion Disks

A review is made of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory and simulation of outflows from disks for different distributions of magnetic field threading the disk. In one limit of a relatively weak, initially diverging magnetic field, both thermal and magnetic pressure gradients act to drive matter to an outflow, while a toroidal magnetic field develops which strongly collimates the outflow. The collimation greatly reduces the field divergence and the mass outflow rate decreases after an initial peak. In a second limit of a strong magnetic field, the initial field configuration was taken with the field strength on the disk decreasing outwards to small values so that collimation was reduced. As a result, a family of stationary solutions was discovered where matter is driven mainly by the strong magnetic pressure gradient force. The collimation in this case depends on the pressure of an external medium. These flows are qualitatively similar to the analytic solutions for magnetically driven outflows. The problem of the opening of a closed field line configuration linking a magnetized star and an accretion disk is also discussed.

Lovelace, R. V. E.↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Magnetohydrodynamic Boost for Relativistic Jets

We have performed relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the hydrodynamic boosting mechanism for relativistic jets explored by Aloy & Rezzolla (2006) using the RAISHIN code. Simulation results show that the presence of a magnetic field may change the properties of the shock interface between the tenuous, overpressured jet (V(sub j) (sup z)) flowing tangentially to a dense external medium. Magnetic fields can lead to more efficient acceleration of the jet, in comparison to the pure-hydrodynamic case. A poloidal magnetic field (B(sup z)), tangent to the interface and parallel to the jet flow, produces both a stronger outward moving shock and inward moving rarefaction wave. This leads to a large velocity component normal to the interface in addition to acceleration tangent to the interface, and the jet is thus accelerated to a larger Lorentz factors than those obtained in the pure-hydrodynamic case. In contrast, a strong toroidal magnetic field (B(sup y)), tangent to the interface but perpendicular to the jet flow, also leads to stronger acceleration tangent to the shock interface relative to the pure-hydrodynamic case, but to a lesser extent than found for the poloidal case due to the fact that the velocity component normal to the shock interface is now much smaller. Overall, the acceleration efficiency in the toroidal case is less than that of the poloidal case but both geometries still result in higher Lorentz factors than the pure-hydrodynamic case. Thus, the presence and relative orientation of a magnetic field in relativistic jets can have a significant influence on the hydrodynamic boost mechanism studied by Aloy & Rezzolla (2006).

Mizuno, Yosuke↗
NASA NTRS1979

Ion exchange with the solar wind for planets with negligible intrinsic magnetic fields

The exchange of ions between the ionosphere of a planet with negligible intrinsic magnetic field, and the solar wind is examined. It is suggested that a balance exists between the outflow of ionospheric ions at the plasmapause and ions from the solar wind in a restricted region close to the subsolar point. This results in a current system towards the subsolar point on the surface of the ionopause and a toroidal magnetic field. Simple calculations are made of the current and field configuration that might result from the system for conditions similar to those encountered on the Viking 1 and 2 transits of the Mars ionosphere.

Nisbet, J. S.↗