Progress on the FRX-L FRC plasma injector at LANL for magnetized target fusion

The FRX-L Field Reversed Configuration plasma is now operational at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The goal of the project is to demonstrate the production of suitable FRC target plasmas for later MTF (Magnetized Target Fusion) implosion experiments which will first be carried out at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a few years' time. Expected plasma parameters in the 4 cm diameter, 30 cm long FRC are ne{approx}1017 cm-3, T{approx}100-300 eV, at 4-5 Tesla fields, with a lifetime of {approx}20 microseconds. The system includes a 0.5 T bias field, 70 kV 250 kHz ringing pre-ionization, and a 1.5 MA, 200 kJ main-theta coil bank. Maxwell rail gap plasma switches are used to start the PI bank, the main theta coil bank, and to crowbar the main bank. Initial results using the first diagnostic set of excluded flux loops, B-dot probes, visible light diodes, a fiber-optically coupled gated intensified visible spectrometer, and a 3.3 micron quadrature interferometer are presented. Future diagnostics include end-on bolometry, Thomson scattering, and a multi-chord fanned HeNe side-on interferometer. Multi-turn cusp and guide coils will be added later this year, to enable translation experiments into a cylindrical metal liner