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Publications

Highlighted and Recent Publications

For a complete list of SSX publications, see Professor Brown's Publication List

2016

Possible signatures of dissipation from time-series analysis techniques using a turbulent laboratory magnetohydrodynamic plasma. D.A. Schaffner, M.R. Brown, and A.B. Rock. Physics of Plasmas 23 055709 (2016). [pdf]

2015

Multifractal and Monofractal Scaling in a Laboratory Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence Experiment. D.A. Schaffner and M.R. Brown. Astrophysical Jounal. 811 1 (2015). [pdf]

Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence: Observation and experiment. M.R. Brown, D.A. Schaffner, and P.J. Weck. Physics of Plasmas. 22 055601 (2015). [pdf]

SSX MHD plasma wind tunnel. M.R. Brown and D.A. Schaffner. Journal of Plasma Physics. 81 345810302 (2015). [pdf]

Permutation entropy and statistical complexity analysis of turbulence in laboratory plasmas and the solar wind. P.J. Weck*, D.A. Schaffner, and M.R. Brown. Physical Review E. 91 023101 (2015). [pdf]

2014

Laboratory sources of turbulent plasma: a unique MHD plasma wind tunnel. M. R. Brown and D. A. Schaffner. Plasma Sources and Science Technology. 23 063001 (2014). [pdf] 

Temporal and Spatial Turbulent Spectra of MHD Plasma and an Observation of Variance Anisotropy, D.A. Schaffner, M.R. Brown and V.S. Lukin. The Astrophysical Journal 790 126 (2014). [pdf]

Observation of turbulent intermittency scaling with magnetic helicity in an MHD plasma wind tunnel, D.A. Schaffner, A. Wan and M.R. Brown. Physical Review Letters 112 165001 (2014). [pdf]

Turbulence analysis of an experimental flux rope plasma. D.A. Schaffner, V.S. Lukin, A. Wan, M.R. Brown. Plasma Physics Controlled Fusion 56 064003 (2014). [pdf]


2013

Observation of a Relaxed Plasma State in a Quasi-Infinite Cylinder. T. Gray, M. R. Brown, and D. Dandurand, Physical Review Letters 110 085002 (2013). [pdf]


2012

Spectroscopic observation of simultaneous bi-directional reconnection outflows in a laboratory plasma. M. R. Brown, C. D. Cothran, T. Gray, C. E. Myers, and E. V. Belova, Physics of Plasmas 19, 080704 (2012). [pdf]


2011

Calibrated Cylindrical Mach Probe in a Plasma Wind Tunnel. X. Zhang*, D. Dandurand, T. Gray, M. R. Brown, and V. S. Lukin, Review of Scientific Instruments 82, 033510 (2011). [pdf]

*Undergraduate First-Author


2009

Observation of a Helical Self-Organized State in a Compact Toroidal Plasma. C. D. Cothran, M. R. Brown, T. Gray, M. J. Schaffer, G. Marklin, Physical Review Letters 103, 215002 (2009). [pdf]

Spectroscopic Measurements of Temperature and Plasma Impurity Concentration During Magnetic Reconnection at the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment. V. H. Chaplin*, M. R. Brown, D. H. Cohen, T. Gray, C. D. Cothran, Physics of Plasmas 16, 042505 (2009).[pdf]

*Undergraduate First-Author


Selected Papers 1998-2008

Flow Dynamics and Plasma Heating of Spheromaks in SSX. M.R. Brown, C.D. Cothran, D.H. Cohen, J. Horwitz, and V. Chaplin. Journal of Fusion Energy 27, 16 (2008). [pdf]

Dipole Trapped Spheromak in a Prolate Flux Conserver. M.R. Brown, C.D. Cothran, J.Fung, M.Chang, J.Horwitz, M.J. Schaffer, J.Leuer, E.V. Belova. Physics of Plasmas 13, 102503 (2006) [pdf]

Rapid Multiplexed Data Acquisition: Application to Three-dimensional Magnetic Field Measurements in a Turbulent Laboratory Plasma. M. Landreman*, C.D. Cothran, M.R. Brown , M. Kostora, and J.T. Slough. Review of Scientific Instruments 74, 2361 (2003). [pdf]

Numerical Modeling of Magnetohydrodynamic Activity in the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment. V.S. Lukin*, G. Qin, W.H. Matthaeus, and M.R. Brown. Physics of Plasmas 8, 1600 (2001). [pdf]

Turbulent Conductivity Measurements in a Spherical Liquid Sodium Flow. A.B. Reighard* and M.R. Brown.  Physical Review Letters 86, 2794 (2001). [pdf]

Experimental Observation of Correlated Magnetic Reconnection and Alfvenic Ion Jets. T.W. Kornack*, P.K. Sollins, and M.R. Brown. Physical Review E 58, R36 (1998). [pdf]

Scaling Studies of Spheromak Formation and Equilibrium. C.G.R. Geddes*, T.W. Kornack, and M.R. Brown. Physics of Plasmas 5, 1027 (1998). [pdf]

*Undergraduate First-Author


 

Buzz Feature: Prof. Brown Gives Turbulence Tutorial at APS-DPP 2014

Prof. Brown Gives Turbulence Tutorial at APS-DPP 2014

At the American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics conference (APS-DPP) this year, Professor Brown gave a tutorial talk on turbulence titled "MHD Turbulence: Observation and Experiment." The talk, which was attended by about 150 other plasma physicists from around the country, gave an overview of basic turbulence theory, then discussed four particular metrics used to analyze turbulence and specifically how these metrics are used on SSX. The talk incorporated research conducted by Swarthmore undergraduates Adrian Wan '15 and Peter Weck '15.

See the pdf version of the talk here.

Buzz Feature: Peter Weck '15 Presents Poster at APS-DPP 2014

Peter Weck '15 Presents Poster at APS-DPP 2014

Peter Weck '15 presented his research at the APS DPP meeting in New Orleans during the undergraduate poster session. Peter's work focuses on a relatively new turbulence analysis technique that looks at the permutation entropy and statistical complexity of a time series signal. See Peter's poster here.

Buzz Feature Vandervelde-Cheng Scholar 2014 - Emily Hudson

Emily Hudson '17 Named a Vandervelde-Cheng Scholar

Emily Hudson '17 was named a Vandervelde-Cheng Scholar for the summer of 2014. The Vandervelde-Cheng Scholarship supports summer physics research for Swarthmore undergrads. Emily's work this summer focused on studying the velocity of plasma plumes down the MHD wind tunnel on SSX. She presented her work at the Sigma Xi exhibition in the Science Commons.

Buzz Feature: SSX in APS-DPP Press Release

SSX among experiments profiled in APS-DPP press release

The field of plasma astrophysics is explored in various laboratory settings including MRX at Princeton, LAPD at UCLA, the dipole experiment at Columbia University and SSX at Swarthmore.

See press release here.

Buzz Feature: Grappling with the Unknown

SSX hits Swarthmore front page

Undergraduates Peter Weck and Adrian Wan are interviewed about research and publishing on the SSX in this news feature from the Swarthmore front page.

Grappling with the Unknown

Buzz Feature: Laboratory Astrophysics on Physics Central

Solar Winds and Hot Plasma Experiments

Turbulence research on SSX was recently profiled on the Physics Buzz blog along with experiments from UCLA and Princeton. All three research areas fall under the umbrella of laboratory astrophysics. The blog post includes a podcast with interviews of David Schaffner, Seth Dorfman (UCLA) and Masaaki Yamada (Princeton).

Physics Central Physics Buzz

Buzz Feature: Two new papers accepted to start 2015

Two Papers Accepted to Start the New Year

Two papers, "Permutation entropy and statistical complexity analysis of turbulence in laboratory plasmas and the solar wind" written by Peter Weck '15 and "Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence: Observation and Experiment" by Michael Brown have been accepted January 2015 for publication in Physical Review E and Physics of Plasma respectively. The first is Peter's first publication and also represents the SSX lab's first foray into both information theory analysis as well as the use of solar wind data. Mike's paper stems from his Invited Tutorial from APS-DPP 2014 and comprises a tutorial on turbulence analysis techniques using a single time series from the WIND satellite in the solar wind. Online versions will be available as soon as they are published.

SSX Buzz Archive