Correlations and Fluctuations in Weakly-Collisional Plasma

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is made in response to a proposal submitted to and reviewed within the context of the NSF-DoE Partnership in Plasma Science and Engineering joint solicitation NSF 08-589. The award provides funds to support undergraduate participation in the overall research effort, which is being funded by the DoE under contract DE-FG02-99ER54543. Plasma transport phenomena generally involve fluctuations. Thus, a predictive theory of transport must describe them. The proposal is to determine the velocity-space structure of the fluctuations by making measurements between two spatial points and at two different ion velocities. Such measurements have never been made and provide a unique opportunity for new detailed tests of fluctuation theory. The proposed experiments are a logical and natural extension of the earlier work which has demonstrated the feasibility of phase-space resolved fluctuation measurements. Understanding fluctuations is intimately linked to understanding the transport phenomena as well as the dynamics of plasmas. For example, the MFE fusion energy program has identified the need for well diagnosed experiments on ion-scale fluctuations with the goals being to characterize the fluctuations and to understand the mechanisms of transport. Fluctuation induced transport is fundamental to nearly every physical situation involving plasmas from space and astrophysical contexts to industrial applications. The experimental techniques developed in this research, specifically those having to do with laser induced fluorescence, are applicable in other contexts and so contribute to the general research infrastructure. Graduate students, undergraduate students, and high-school students are involved in projects related to the research. The researcher also uses the laboratory as a starting point for popular lectures. The public lectures have also led to short-term collaborations helping local industry (mostly related to physical acoustics). The undergraduate participation adds a broader educational impact through the early-year training of students by introducing them to scientific research as a possible career path.