Physics of a magnetic filter for negative ion sources. I. Collisional transport across the filter in an ideal, 1D filter

Abstract

Magnetic filters are used in negative ion sources for neutral beam injection in fusion devices to reduce the electron temperature in the extraction region in order to limit negative ion destruction by fast electrons. The drop in electron temperature through the filter is due to the enhanced residence time and collisional energy losses of electrons trapped in the magnetic field. The mechanisms controlling particle and energy transport through the magnetic filter in negative ion sources of the ITER type are still not clear and the aim of this paper is to clarify and quantify these mechanisms. A particle-in-cell Monte Carlo simulation is used to revisit and analyze the role and operation of the magnetic filter in an “ideal” one-dimensional configuration and to study the stability of the one-dimensional solution in a two-dimensional configuration with periodic boundary conditions. The roles of collisions and instabilities on electron transport through the filter are discussed. The influence of a more realistic geometry on electron transport through the filter is analyzed in the companion paper [Boeuf et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 113510 (2012)].