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Research

Magnetised Complex Plasmas

Technological Plasmas Group Page

An improved understanding of the transport and fate of dust in the next generation of tokamak plasmas is of particular concern since dust can reduce the performance and efficiency of the reactor and generate radioactive contaminants. The aim of this project is to experimentally study dusty plasma phenomena in magnetised plasmas, focusing on collective effects such as crystal formation and wave propagation as well as solitary dust transport. Experimental results will be compared with computer simulations of dust particle transport in stable and turbulent magnetised plasmas to improve them. This project is in collaboration with the University of York, Imperial College London and the DIFFER institute (Netherlands). The experimental work involves the use of laser based dust diagnostics, Langmuir probes and filtered optical imaging .

Research grants

Dust in Magnetised Plasmas.

ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

September 2014 - March 2018

3rd INTERACT travel grant: starting point for collaboration with a Japanese network in microplasmas.

ENGINEERING & PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

April 2006

    Research collaborations

    Dr Ben Dudson

    Turbulance and Dust transport

    Plasma Institute, University of York

    Study of turbulance and dust transport in MAGNUM-PSI

    Dr Thomas Morgan

    Dust transport in MAGNUM-PSI

    DIFFER Institute

    1) To study dust transport in fusion like plasmas 2) Study of trubulance

    Prof Svetlana Ratynskaia

    Dust transport in MAGNUM-PSI

    KTH Royal Institute of Technology

    To study and verify existing models of dust transport in fusion like plasmas

    Dr Michael Coppins

    Magnetised Complex Plasmas

    Imperial College London

    To study the transport and charging of micron sized dust grains in a magnetised low temperature plasma to validate existing dust transport codes.

    Dr James Harrison

    Ball pen probe

    CCFE - MAST

    To develop a PIC code to model the physics of Ball pen and flush mounted probes for improved understanding in Tokamaks.

    Prof. Nick Braithwaite

    Ion flux probe and Abel Inversion

    The Open University

    1) Experiment to perturb CCP plasma by applying MHz sinusoidal signals to ion flux probe. 2) Optical image data analyse of a pulsed magnetron plasma by development of Abel inversion software.

    Dr Greg Clarke

    Pilkingtons

    Pilkington

    To develop and use an atmospheric pressure glow discharge as a radiation source

    Prof. Raoul Franklin

    Magnetised plasmas

    The Open University

    Modelling of magnetised electronegative plasmas (EPSRC project: The study of magnetized electronegative depositing plasmas)

    Dr. Bert Ellingboe

    Hairpin resonator probe

    Dublin City Univeristy

    Use of a hairpin resonator probe to measure negative ion density with laser photodetachment in electronegative DC pulsed magnetron

    Prof. H. Amemiya

    Laser photodetachment of negative ions

    Chuo Univeristy, Japan

    Laser photodetachment studies of pulsed DC magnetised electronegative plasmas

    Dr Endre Szili

    Microcavity arrays, plasma jets, microfluidics

    Mawson Institute, University of South Australia

    1) To locally modify surface properties of selected polymers at the micron-scale using silicon based micro-cavity discharge arrays. 2) To study the surface modification of polymers using microplasma jets. 3) Study of the properties of graded plasma in a microchannel fluidic channel.

    Dr Sung-Jin Park, Prof Gary Eden

    Cavity array microplasma for surface processing

    University of Illinois-Urbana Champaigne

    To study the application of silicon based microplasmas to matierials processing and to investigate fundamental microplasma physics.

    Prof. Greg Morfill, Dr Uwe Knopka

    Max-Planck-Institute