Magnetized Plasma Research Lab

MPRL Home

NEW – See the new MagNetUS.net page for a common call for proposals for the Dept. of Energy collaborative user facilities (MPRL/MDPX, BaPSF, WiPPL/BRB, WiPPL/MSF, DIII-D frontiers)

The Magnetized Plasma Research Laboratory (MPRL) is Department of Energy – Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (DOE-OFES) collaborative user laboratory under the Plasma Science Facility Program.  The MPRL is one of the plasma physics research laboratories in the Auburn University Physics Department.   The primary mission of the MPRL is to study plasmas under the influence of strong magnetic fields.  In particular, the MPRL has unique capabilities to study the physics of magnetized dusty plasmas.

Hardware used in the MPRL has been supported by the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation – Major Research Instrumentation program (NSF-MRI), NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering, and NASA.

While the primary mission of the MPRL is focused on plasma physics, our research facilities are highly flexible and can accommodate a variety of experiments that require access to a steady-state (up to days), uniform (less than 1% ripple), high magnetic field (up to 4 T) environment.

The centerpiece of the MPRL is the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment (MDPX) device:  a 4-Tesla class, multi-configuration, superconducting magnet that features a 50 cm diameter x 158 cm long “warm bore”.  Within the bore of the magnet, a wide variety of experimental hardware can be accommodated.