Plasma generation and confinement in a toroidal magnetic cusp

The first measurements of plasma parameters in a discharge created by electron cyclotron resonance heating in a toroidal cusp configuration are discussed along with the predictions of particle orbits and confinement from a guiding center model. The configuration appears to be suitable for basic investigations of the physics of plasma flows and instabilities around a magnetic null, hence of magnetic reconnection. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)01209-0].