FablabSU

The goal of our project is to study and create low-pressure & high-voltage enviroments. We have drawn heavy inspiration from the Farnsworth-hirsh nuclear fusor. This project however, is not an attempt to developpe a nuclear fusor, rather to study the complexe systems involved to create a high electrostatic field and low vacuum, simutaneously. We have relied heavily on our courses from electro-kinetics / electromagnetism / quanta & relatvité. The star in a jar, is an attempt to confine a nitrogen plasma in a sustainable glow discharge state It is our mid-term goal to have a systeme in which we have:

• Voltage / Power control (>20kV maxiumum 60W)

• Low Vacuum (10^-3 Pa) sensoring and control

• N2 sensoring and gas flow control

• Precise control over the distance between electrodes

It is our long term goal to use the apparatus to stage a wide variety of experiments concerning the dynamics of plasma. We would eventually like to be able to study magnetic interactions with the plasma in function of the overall density of the ionized gas as well as the charge density based upon the distance of the electrodes/power of the generator. A few of the question that we seek to answer are:

• What is thhe relation of voltage and amperage to the creation of plasmas at different gas densities?

• What are the factors of density and state (arc or glow discharge) of a plasma?

• At what level of ionization and ratio of electrons/ions of a N2 plasma in fucntion of gas density and voltage?

• How to determine a resonant frequency of a Plasma (distribution of electrons/ions within a coaxial alternating

magnetic field?

What we've done

The Experiment

What we've learned

Improvments

Conclusion