Extended Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Coaxial-Gun-Formed Plasmas

Here we present an extended magnetohydrodynamic (XMHD) simulation study of coaxial-gun-formed plasmas expanding into vacuum. To this end we use the extended magnetohydrodynamic (XMHD) simulation code PERSEUS, in which the Hall and electron inertial terms are included in the generalized Ohm's law (GOl) [1]. The simulations mimic the geometry and parameters of the Plasma Bubble Expansion Experiment (PBEX) at the University of New Mexico (UNM) [2], in which the Hall Term is expected to playa significant role due to the ion inertial length being comparable to the length scales of interest of the experiment [3]. We compare the XMHD results with both, ideal and resistive MHD results, to gauge the relative importance of the resistive and Hall terms in the GOl, as well as their impact on magnetic field diffusion. Plasma parameters such as number density distribution, temperature distribution and magnetic field are compared to experimentally obtained data to validate the results and to calibrate the initial and boundary conditions.