The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory ( WiPAL ) is a flexible user facility designed to study a range of astrophysically relevant plasma processes as well as novel geometries that mimic astrophysical systems .
A multi-cusp magnetic bucket constructed from strong samarium cobalt permanent magnets now confines a 10 m ^ { 3 } , fully ionized , magnetic-field-free plasma in a spherical geometry .
Plasma parameters of T _ { e } \approx 5 to 20 eV and n _ { e } \approx 10 ^ { 11 } to 5 \times 10 ^ { 12 } cm ^ { -3 } provide an ideal testbed for a range of astrophysical experiments including self-exciting dynamos , collisionless magnetic reconnection , jet stability , stellar winds , and more .
This article describes the capabilities of WiPAL , along with several experiments , in both operating and planning stages , that illustrate the range of possibilities for future users .