title: Confinement of plasma along shaped open magnetic fields from the centrifugal force of supersonic plasma rotation.
abstract: Interferometric density measurements in plasmas rotating in shaped, open magnetic fields demonstrate strong confinement of plasma parallel to the magnetic field, with density drops of more than a factor of 10. Taken together with spectroscopic measurements of supersonic E × B rotation of sonic Mach 2, these measurements are in agreement with ideal MHD theory which predicts large parallel pressure drops balanced by centrifugal forces in supersonically rotating plasmas.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teodorescu
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: G W S
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Swan
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hassam
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Romero-Talamas