Spheromak Formation and Reconnection Studies on SSX

IPELS 1997, Maui, Hawaii

June 23-27, 1997

Michael Brown

Swarthmore College

Undergraduates: Cameron Geddes, Tom Kornack, Peter Sollins, Walter Luh

Supported by US DOE

(visit our website at http://laser.swarthmore.edu/html/research/SSX/index.html)

Outline

Astrophysical Motivation

Columns of magnetofluid emerging from the surface of the sun:

Magnetic reconnection in solar coronal loops like these is widely believed to play a crucial role in heating the corona. SSX is designed to investigate magnetic reconnection in similar plasmas.

Go on to SSX Device Description

July 21, 1997 / tkornac1@swarthmore.edu