On the Possibilities of Plasmas Rotating at Super-critical Velocities

It is likely that the velocity limitation observed in some types of rotating plasma devices is caused by an enhanced plasma-neutral gas interaction at the end walls bounding the plasma in the magnetic field direction. If the mechanism underlying the interaction is due to some process which forms anomalous azimuthal electric fields, a short-circuit of the latter would eliminate the velocity limitation If these predictions are true, new possibilities will open up in the use of rotating plasmas. In particular, the power losses due to ions and electrons escaping from a hot isotropic plasma through the magnetic mirror ends can then be kept small enough to balance the thermonuclear power at technically realizable beta values, plasma densities, and magnetic field strengths. At the same time such a strong confinement can only be achieved by very large centrifugal forces, rotational velocities and applied voltages, the technical feasibility of which has to be further examined.

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