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(IC/P-12) Levitated Superconductor Ring Trap (Mini-RT) Project - A New Self-Organized Structure with Strong Plasma Flow –

Y. Ogawa¹⁾, H. Himura¹⁾, Y. Hishinuma²⁾, D. Hori¹⁾, M. Iwakuma³⁾, T. Mito²⁾, J. Morikawa¹⁾, C. Nakashima¹⁾, H. Nihei¹⁾, K. Ohkuni¹⁾, H. Saitoh¹⁾, H. Wakabayashi¹⁾, N. Yanagi²⁾, Z. Yoshida^1)
 
1) The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
²⁾ National Institute for Fusion Science, Gifu, Japan
³⁾ Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

Abstract.  A plasma, evolving under strong coupling of the velocity and magnetic fields, may self-organize into stable macroscopic structures that are not accessible by a flow-less plasma. The relaxed state is represented by the double Beltrami field, and is shown to be capable of confining a high-beta plasma. To study a self-organized structure with strong plasma flow, we introduce an internal coil device, in which plasma will be produced and confined at the outer region of the torus. By inducing a radial electric field with appropriate methods, we could drive a toroidal plasma flow. In order to build up the radial electric field, we are preparing several techniques, e.g., the injection of electrons through the separatrix region, the utilization of direct orbit loss of high energy electrons produced by ECH, and the direct insertion of the electrode inside the plasma. The internal coil device Mini-RT, which is under construction, equips a levitated ring with a high temperature superconductor (HTS) coil (R = 0.15 m, I = 50 kAturns). We have fabricated a small HTS coil (R = 0.04 m, I = 2.6 kAturns), and succeeded in levitating it during a few minutes with an accuracy of $\sim$ 30 micrometers.

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