Opportunities and funding exist for graduate research in the theory of 3-D systems, and in engineering. We are designing and building a linear device, whose initial purpose is to study the role of rotation velocity on turbulence, and to develop diagnostics. Our intent is for this machine to develop into a test-bed for new ideas. Opportunities exist for both graduate and undergraduate research, starting with designing and building this device. We have initiated a program in collaboration with the Chemical Engineering Department to study the physics of these plasmas.
Opportunities exist for graduate research.
NASA Plasma Propulsion. We are initiating a collaboration with NASA in Houston, where a modified mirror machine is being developed as a tunable exhaust plasma rocket. Funded opportunities are expected for graduate research into plasma propulsion, in particular diagnosing the exhaust plume characteristics and its separation from the magnetic field.