Current Projects
This page contains a list of current scientific research projects at the Basic Plasma Science Facility and present user run time allocations. Typically projects receive two weeks of run time per year.
User Projects 2022-2024
R. Gueroult (Université de Toulouse) “Characterizing the potential distribution in a magnetized plasma column under end-electrode biasing”
A. Mallet (SSL) “Alfvén wave steepening observed in LAPD”
Vadim Roytershteyn (SSI) “Wave Excitation by Mildly Relativistic Electron Beam”
Saskia Mordijck (William and Mary) "Impact of plasma species, neutral collisionality and parallel flows on drift wave turbulence in LAPD”
J. Parker (LLNL) "Detection of Topological Plasma Waves in LAPD”
User Projects 2023-2025
Greg Howes (Iowa) “Developing Vlasov Tagging as a Lagrangian Diagnostic of the Dynamics of the Electron Velocity Distribution in Weakly Collisional Plasmas”
Derek Schaeffer (UCLA) “Laboratory Studies of Laser-Driven, Ion-Scale Magnetospheres on the LAPD” (L. Rovige)
Chris Chen (Queen Mary Univ) “Strong Turbulent Alfvén Wave Interactions: Residual Energy & Nonlinear Cascade” (M. Abler)
Richard Sydora (U. Alberta) "Melting Staircases: A Study of Layering in an Evolving Vortex Crystal” (companion DIII-D experiment)
Feiyu Li (NM Consortium) "Scaling of seeded Alfven wave parametric decay”
Local Group Projects
Y. Wug, T. Carter, S. Vincena, "Nonlinear Alfvén waves at the fundamental cyclotron resonance"
S. Vincena, SKP Tripathi, W. Gekelman, P. Pribyl, "Nonlinear interactions between shear Alfvén waves and kink-unstable magnetic flux ropes"
Polarization studies of Alfvén waves in two-ion plasmas and the development of a localized diagnostic of the ion-concentration ratio: J. Robertson, T.A. Carter, S. Vincena.
Electric field time-domain structure generation during magnetic reconnection: SWJ Tang, W. Gekelman.
Development of novel, ferrite-based antennas for electromagnetic ion cyclotron excitation: K. Papadopoulos (U. Maryland), W. Gekelman, S. VIncena, P. Pribyl, SWJ. Tang.
Plasma turbulence in a magnetic mirror geometry: P. Travis & T.A. Carter.
Reconnection during colliding laser-produced Plasmas: W. Gekelman, C. Niemann, C. Constantin, S. Vincena, J. Pilgrim, S. Crisp, A. Fisher.
Modeling arched magnetic flux ropes and eruptions in a laboratory plasma: SKP Tripathi, K. Krynski.
Spontaneous generation of plasma waves by an intense ion beam (20 keV/15 A) in a large magnetized plasma: SKP Tripathi and BaPSF staff.
Propagation and damping of Alfven waves in a current carrying magnetized plasma: SKP Tripathi, S. Vincena, and W. Gekelman.