Spatially Periodic Electromagnetic Force Field For Plasma Confinement and Control

ABSTRACT

A scientific concept referred to as a “force field” is defined as a short-range, static electromagnetic field that can reflect a charged particle of either sign of charge that approaches at any angle of incidence. A force field is envisioned as consisting of a spatially periodic sequence of magnetic cusps that are electrostatically plugged using applied electrostatic voltage variations similar to those found in nested Penning traps. The effective range of the force field would be small compared to the dimensions of a nearby source of charged particles, such as a plasma confined by the force field. A theoretical understanding is developed of the single-particle reflection properties of a force field, considering the incident charged particles to have a non-drifting, isotropic velocity distribution. Classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations and analytical modeling are employed. The initiation of an experimental effort to study force fields is described.

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