Formation Process of Magnetized Fusion Target on the YingGuang 1 Device

Magnetized target fusion is an alternative method to fulfill the goal of controlled fusion, which combines advantages of both magnetic confinement fusion and inertial confinement fusion since its parameter space lies between the two traditional ways. Field reversed configuration (FRC) is a good candidate of magnetized targets due to its translatable, compressible, high \beta and high energy density properties. Dynamic formation process of high density FRC is observed on the YingGuang 1 device for the first time in China. The evolution of a magnetic field is detected with magnetic probes, and the compression process can be clearly seen from images taken with a high-speed multi-frame CCD camera. The process is also studied with two-dimensional magneto hydrodynamic code MPF-2D theoretically, and the results agree well with the experiment. Combining the experimental data and the theoretical analysis, the length of the formed FRC is about 39 cm, the diameter is about 2–2.7 cm, the average density is 1.3 \times 10^16 cm^-3, and the average temperature is 137 eV.