What's shaped like a death star and produces 500,000F heat?

Meet the Madison Plasma Dynamo Experiment (MPDX).

The experiment, co-lead by Professor Cary Forest (Physics) and Ellen Zweibel (Astro-Physics), was installed in January in Sterling Hall.

The 11,000-pound hollow vessel will stir gas at 500,000 degrees Fahrenheit and replicate the process that creates the sun's magnetic field. Researchers will be able to study these magnetic fields and learn more about how they are generated in planets and stars.

Physics professor Cary Forest (right) and instrument innovator John Wallace (background) watch as workers at Portage Casting and Mold Inc. in Portage, Wis. for the MPDX. Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison

With support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the specialized talents of four Wisconsin companies, the finishing touches are now being put together on the MPDX.

In addition to the large impact on the UW-Madison physics program, experimental investigations in this facility are likely to have strong national impact through connections to new astrophysics initiatives.

Read more about the research:

• UW scientists hope to unlock cosmic secrets with dynamo experiment (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Department of Physics
• Made in Wisconsin: Vessel to contain cosmic force takes shape