Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 12, 1201037 (2017)

Rapid Communications

First Observation of Independent Ion and Electron Plasmas after Elapse of Two-Fluid Plasma State
Haruhiko HIMURA, Shohei YAMADA, Toshiki KATO and Sadao MASAMUNE
Department of Electronics, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
(Received 24 July 2017 / Accepted 8 August 2017 / Published 13 September 2017)

Abstract

We produce independent lithium-ion and electron plasmas that exhibit completely different fluid motions to experimentally explore the physics of two-fluid plasmas; further, we simultaneously confine those plasmas in a nested trap. Despite that, the time elapse for the plasma mixing is much longer than any characteristic time related to fluid dynamics. Thus far, no disruptive phenomena have been observed, and this can possibly be attributed to a two-fluid plasma effect.

Keywords

two-fluid plasma, pure-ion plasma, pure electron plasma, nested penning trap, two-fluid effect, ion diffusion coefficient

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.12.1201037

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