Simulations of the Supersonic Translation, Collision, and Merging of Two Field-Reversed Configurations for Plasma Heating

Axisymmetric extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, which detail the supersonic translation, collision, and merging of two field-reversed configurations, were performed. Five theta pinch coils placed along the radial walls of the chamber accelerate the compact toroids toward each other and compress the resulting doublet configuration until it forms a single compact toroid. Two-fluid effects are observed to significantly speed up the merging process as compared against resistive MHD calculations.