Shock formation in a Q-device plasma

Experiments on shock formation and shock reflection in a Q-device are described. In connection with these a numerical integration of the appropriate fluid equations is executed. The result of the experiments is that shock formation is possible when the ion temperature is decreased by ion-neutral collisions and the density is not too low.

The shock reflection experiment indicates that Υion  = cp/cΥ = 5/2. The numerically analysed fluid equations include the viscosity- and the heat-conduction terms, and also momentum and energy transfers between different kinds of particles are taken into account. Some stability and error-indication problems connected with the equations are considered.