Radial Electromagnetic Energy Flow and Plasma Heating Power for Theta Pinch Discharges

Abstract

In order to estimate radial electromagnetic energy flow directed toward a tube axis and plasma heating power for theta pinch discharges, experimental measurements with probes were performed. Time development for the spatial distributions of the electromagnetic energy flow and the plasma heating power density was obtained, so that some interesting phenomena of the theta pinch plasmas were revealed; that is, at the compression phase, the radial distribution of the Poynting vector has a hump under special discharge conditions and total plasma heating power shows a maximum at earlier time than the total electromagnetic input power does.