Research facilites of the Experimental Plasma group are located in laboratory space in the basement of Van Allen Hall, home to the University Department of Physics and Astronomy. Most research done by the group focuses on the use of the Q-machine, an experimental device co-developed by N. D'Angelo in the late 1950s. The first device meant soley for basic plasma studies, the machine never realized the "quiescent" properties it was designed for, but the Q-machine has proven to be an important device for studies of waves and instabilites in a variety of situations.
The laboratory located in Room B01 has housed many different machines, including the first Iowa Q-machine, and a double plasma device used to study wakes formed by objects in a moving plasma. Currently, B01 is home to the triple plasma device, which is used to study gaseous discharges, and the new Third Iowa Q-machine (IQ-3).
The laboratory B04 is home to the Second Iowa Q-machine (IQ-2), a double ended Q-machine that has a dual set of electromagnets to allow studies of inhomogenities of plasma confinement.
The Iowa Q-Machines
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