INVESTIGATING ZAP FLOW Z-PINCH PLASMA VIA EMISSIVE SPECTROSCOPY

摘要

The ZaP Flow Z-Pinch experiment is an innovative plasma confinement concept that uses a J×B force to compress and a sheared flow to stabilize an otherwise unstable column of plasma. The applications for such a steady-state plasma configuration include fusion power production and high-energy space propulsion. In order to characterize plasma properties and achieve high-temperature high-density plasmas that can be contained for long periods of time, the ZaP experiment uses an array of diagnostics including spec-troscopy. Spectroscopy - the analysis of discrete light spectra emitted by ions in a plasma - is an extremely useful tool for making non-perturbing measurements. Oblique and radial-viewing telescopes are set up on the experiment in order to capture twenty chords of light radiation data corresponding to twenty different locations along the diameter of the pinch. The collected spectra can be used to make velocity and temperature measurements through the ion Doppler effect, magnetic field measurements through Zeeman splitting, as well as density measurements through Stark broadening. To ensure accuracy in these measurements, which are important to improving our understanding of plasma instabilities and optimization of plasma confinement methods, a thorough calibration of spectroscopic instruments is necessary.