The Basic Plasma Science Facility (BaPSF) at UCLA is a national user facility for the study of ionized gases, or plasmas. Plasmas pervade our universe with almost all visible matter, such as stars, in the plasma state. Earth is immersed in a plasma environment, with plasma flowing from our sun in the form of the solar wind and intercepting the Earth's magnetosphere; plasma processes help generate the charged particles that populate the Van Allen radiation belts and also lead to phenomena such as the Aurora Borealis. In addition, there are many important terrestrial applications for plasmas, including processing of semiconductor chips and magnetically-confined plasmas for producing energy by nuclear fusion. Studying fundamental plasma processes in the laboratory is therefore essential to further our understanding of the cosmos and enable important advances in terrestrial applications of plasmas. The BaPSF provides a unique and cutting-edge platform for these studies. The National Science Foundation, along with the Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, provides funding to support the operation of the BaPSF for the use of researchers across the United States. Users apply for experimental time on the facility; if approved, this experimental time is free of charge to researchers who will publish the results of their research in peer-reviewed journals.
The core of the BaPSF is the Large Plasma Device which produces 20 meter long, ~60cm diameter magnetized plasmas using cathode discharge plasma sources. Typical plasma parameters are electron density of 10^12 per cubic cm, electron temperature of 5 eV and magnetic field strength from 0.04 Tesla to 0.2 Tesla. Recent research by users of the facility has included studies of collisionless shocks generated by laser-blowoff; electron-beam-driven chirping whistler waves; nonlinear parametric instability of Alfven waves; current sheets, flux ropes and magnetic reconnection; and acceleration of electrons by inertial Alfven waves. An upgrade of the plasma source will be undertaken in the current award period, using a Lanthanum Hexaboride cathode to produce much higher density and temperature plasmas with electron densities of 10^13 per cubic cm, electron temperatures of ~12 eV, and ion temperatures of ~6 eV.
