Description
LM26 is a large-scale magnetized target fusion (MTF) experiment built to demonstrate that compressional heating of a spherical tokamak plasma can achieve fusion conditions. A coaxial helicity injector forms a magnetized plasma in a 7 cm thick cylindrical lithium liner inside a composite chamber. A surrounding 36-turn theta-pinch coil generates a strong magnetic field to symmetrically compress the liner and the deuterium plasma it contains in less than 4 milliseconds. This is done without damaging any major vessel structures, allowing the device to be rapidly restored for service.
We are working to provide a theoretical understanding of the experimental plasma behaviour and heating. In-situ measurements of the liner location are used to reconstruct its shape and trajectory with CFD models. Plasma diagnostics are used to reconstruct the plasma equilibrium, including current and particle densities. These can be used to determine MHD stability, as well as plasma temperature when also taking neutron measurements into account. We will show initial results from the LM26 machine, focusing especially on reconstructing plasma properties and matching data to models.