The plasma source of the Large Plasma Device at University of California, Los Angeles

The Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles has recently been upgraded. The plasma is now 18m long (the device is 22m long) and is designed to produce a 0.36T axial magnetic field. Its plasma source has also been upgraded, incorporating a 1m square heater, a 72cm diameter cathode and anode, and associated heat shields and reflectors. The barium oxide coated cathode is heated to 750°C and can produce plasmas of diameters up to 0.9m diameter (depending on the magnetic field configuration), and densities up to 7×1012cm−3 with a spatial uniformity of ±10%.