Computer simulations of compact toroid formation and acceleration

Summary form only given. Design of a compact toroid accelerator experiment on the SHIVA STAR capacitor bank is underway, and computer simulations with the 2-1/2-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics code MACH2 have been performed to guide this endeavor. Detailed calculations of formation and equilibration of a low beta magnetic force-free configuration (curl B=kB) have been performed with MACH2. Computer simulations of the focusing and acceleration of the toroid were performed. To accomplish this, models for both the formation discharge and the accelerating discharge were required. Because of the high electric currents within the CT plasma, it was found that the resiliency of the accelerated compact toroids against resistive decay is sensitive to the model that is used for the anomalous plasma resistivity. Computations that use the adaptive grid capability of MACH2 allow the formation, focusing, and acceleration of the compact toroid to be modeled with good resolution and modest computer time