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Prospects for observing the magnetorotational instability in the plasma Couette experiment

Part of: Experiments Fundamental Plasma Physics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2015

K. Flanagan ,
M. Clark ,
C. Collins ,
C. M. Cooper ,
I. V. Khalzov ,
J. Wallace  and
C. B. Forest Open the ORCID record for C. B. Forest [Opens in a new window]
K. Flanagan*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
M. Clark
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
C. Collins
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
C. M. Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
I. V. Khalzov
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA National Research Centre ‘Kurchatov Institute’, Moscow, 123182, Russia
J. Wallace
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
C. B. Forest
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: ksflanagan@wisc.edu
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Abstract

Many astrophysical disks, such as protoplanetary disks, are in a regime where non-ideal, plasma-specific magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects can significantly influence the behaviour of the magnetorotational instability (MRI). The possibility of studying these effects in the plasma Couette experiment (PCX) is discussed. An incompressible, dissipative global stability analysis is developed to include plasma-specific two-fluid effects and neutral collisions, which are inherently absent in analyses of Taylor–Couette flows (TCFs) in liquid metal experiments. It is shown that with boundary driven flows, a ion-neutral collision drag body force significantly affects the azimuthal velocity profile, thus limiting the flows to regime where the MRI is not present. Electrically driven flow (EDF) is proposed as an alternative body force flow drive in which the MRI can destabilize at more easily achievable plasma parameters. Scenarios for reaching MRI relevant parameter space and necessary hardware upgrades are described.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 81 , Issue 4 , August 2015 , 345810401
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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References

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