The Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) was an experiment investigating the generation of fusion power using the concept of a levitated dipole. The device was the first of its kind to test the levitated dipole concept and was funded by the US Department of Energy. [1]

2012年8月1日 · LDX is a novel experimental device designed to explore the physics of plasma confinement in a magnetic dipole field. What makes it unique? Besides levitating a 1/2 ton superconducting ring, we have conducted the first experimental test on the theory of plasma confinement by adiabatic compressibility.

This led to the development of two experiments: the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) at MIT and the Collisionless Terrella Experiment (CTX) at Columbia. [4] In October 2024, OpenStar Technologies created a cloud of ionized helium contained by a dipole levitated by a permanent magnet. The plasma is managed using a central superconducting magnet.

The CTX and LDX devices operate over a wide range of plasma parameters, allow detailed observations spanning global to small spatial scales, and show dynamics relevant to space weather models.

2007年1月24日 · Plasmas in the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) are formed and sustained currently via two electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) sources: 2.5 kW at 2.45 GHz and 2.5 kW at 6.4 GHz. An important topic being investigated is how varying the ECRH affects the confinement and stability of the plasma.

2004年8月16日 · In contrast with CTX, LDX will have no losses from a mechanical ring support structure nor plasma loss from pitch angle scattering. We expect particles to be very well confined in LDX, and an important issue to be investigated is will be density (and neutral gas) control.

LDX is a newly completed research facility with on-going experiments aimed to test whether fusion can benefit from nature’s way to confine high-temperature plasma. The goal of the proposed renewal grant is to understand the equilibrium, stability and confinement properties for a plasma that is confined in the field of a levitated dipole.

One goal of the Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) is to investigate the relative energy and particle time scales and also to explore active means to induce rapid particle circulation that do not alter the dipole's highly peaked pressure isentropic profiles.

Laboratory Magnetospheric Plasma Studies in LDX and CTX1 magnetized plasma dynamics and shown the influ-ence of magnetic geometry on turbulent transport and high-beta stability. The CTX and LDX devices operate over a wide range of plasma parameters

2006年9月11日 · MIT and Columbia to begin project to test models of space weather using two state-of-the-art laboratory experiments, LDX at MIT and and CTX at Columbia. December 31, 2008: The first levitated experiments took place in the fall of 2007 and four experimental campaigns were carried out in 2008.