Determination of the Radial Potential Profile in the Modified Penning Discharge with a Heavy Ion Beam Probe

Abstract

A heavy ion beam probe is used to examine the radial electrostatic potential profile in the Modified Penning Discharge. The plasma potential in the discharge violates the usual constraint on the ion beam energy in that the primary probing beam energy undergoes large changes in its energy while passing through the plasma. In order to determine the radial potential profile, the primary beam trajectories are calculated to agree with measured trajectories by parametric variation of a potential model in the trajectory calculating program. This iteration calculation provides a first approximation to the profile. This profile can be used to predict observation of secondary ions, and observation of such ions provides a confirmation and cross check on the potential profile model found by the primary beam.