Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6040-0119

Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Committee Chair

Earl Scime

Committee Member

Paul Cassak

Committee Member

Weichao Tu

Committee Member

Amy Keesee

Abstract

Accurate characterization of the magnetic field strength and direction within a plasma is increasingly important as experiments attempt to probe the physics of plasmas at kinetic scales. Non-perturbative laser-based diagnostics which are spatially and temporally localized—such as laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and Thomson scattering for the measurement of ion and electron distribution functions, respectively—are increasingly relied on for measurements in laboratory plasmas. This work seeks to develop a spatially and temporally localized non-perturbative laser-based diagnostic for the measurement of magnetic fields in laboratory-relevant plasmas. Two such techniques are investigated here: Zeeman-split LIF and quantum beat spectroscopy (QBS).

Zeeman-split LIF measures the σ± distribution function peaks, the location of which provides a measure of the magnetic field strength. Presented here are first-time measurements of the two-dimensional magnetic field using Zeeman-split LIF. A measurement resolution of < 10 G is demonstrated. Pulsed Zeeman-split LIF measurements in a plasma-gun generated flux rope are also attempted. QBS measures the energy difference between electron states, in this case Zeeman-split states, by preparing an electron into a superposition of both states. First time quantum beat spectroscopy measurements of Zeeman-split states in neutral argon and neutral helium are presented here. A method for measuring the magnetic field direction using QBS is demonstrated.

Download

Share

COinS