Rotating Wall Technique Research Articles

A kinetic model for pure electron plasma compression via the rotating wall technique

An approximate model for pure electron plasma compression is developed for the case where the rotating wall (RW) electric field couples to the $E\times B$ rotation and axial bounce motion of the electrons. The key assumption in the model is that, throughout the compression, the plasma remains in a slowly evolving thermal equilibrium defined by the plasma temperature and angular momentum. Linearized drift kinetic theory is employed to derive an expression for torque exerted by the RW field on the plasma through coupling to the resonant plasma particles, and averaging is used to find the torque that both compresses and heats the plasma. The evolution equations for the angular velocity and temperature of the plasma include the compression and heating from the torque and cooling from cyclotron radiation.

Confinement and manipulation of electron plasmas in a multicell trap

Plasma dynamics and transport are studied experimentally in a multicell Penning-Malmberg trap. The goal is to develop methods for accumulation and long-term confinement of larger numbers of charged particles (e.g., positrons) than is presently possible. In this scheme, the particles constitute non-neutral plasmas which are confined separately in a parallel array of storage cells. Experiments are presented in which pure electron plasmas are transferred from a large-diameter “master cell” trapping region into four smaller, parallel “storage cells,” three of which are offset from the magnetic symmetry axis. The physics of the transfer process, as well as the confinement properties of plasmas in the storage cells, is discussed. We show that plasmas can be transferred into the storage cells and held there for up to a day or more using the rotating wall technique, provided that the plasma radius is sufficiently small compared to that of the cell wall. Experiments regarding the confinement of plasmas with kilovolt space charge are discussed. Recommendations are provided for future efforts with high-capacity multicell traps.

Compression features of high density electron plasma in a long harmonic trap using a rotating wall technique

We studied radial compression features of electron plasmas in a Penning trap (an assembly of multi-ring electrodes (MRE) housed in a uniform magnetic field) using the rotating wall technique. The magnetic field was 5 T, and the MRE provide a long harmonic potential along the magnetic field axis. The compression features of the plasma were studied by varying the applied rotating electric field frequency, rotating electric field amplitude, compression time, as well as, the magnetic field strength in the Penning trap. The highest density achieved was ∼5×1010 cm−3 and the compressed plasma shows slow expansion after the compression, with an expansion rate of 7×10−4 s−1.

Monte Carlo modelling of positron transport in real world applications

Due to the unstable nature of positrons and their short lifetime, it is difficult to obtain high positron particle densities. This is why the Monte Carlo simulation technique, as a swarm method, is very suitable for modelling most of the current positron applications involving gaseous and liquid media. The ongoing work on the measurements of cross-sections for positron interactions with atoms and molecules and swarm calculations for positrons in gasses led to the establishment of good cross-section sets for positron interaction with gasses commonly used in real-world applications. Using the standard Monte Carlo technique and codes that can follow both low- (down to thermal energy) and high- (up to keV) energy particles, we are able to model different systems directly applicable to existing experimental setups and techniques. This paper reviews the results on modelling Surko-type positron buffer gas traps, application of the rotating wall technique and simulation of positron tracks in water vapor as a substitute for human tissue, and pinpoints the challenges in and advantages of applying Monte Carlo simulations to these systems.

Torque-Balanced High-Density Steady States of Single-Component Plasmas

Electron plasmas in a Penning-Malmberg trap are compressed radially using a rotating electric field (the "rotating-wall technique"). For large electric fields, plasmas can be compressed over a broad range of frequencies. This permits access to a novel high-density regime in which outward transport is insensitive to plasma density. The limiting density occurs when the plasma rotation frequency equals the rotating-wall frequency. Characteristics of the resulting torque-balanced steady states are described, and implications for high-density electron and positron plasma confinement are discussed.

Crystalline order in laser-cooled, non-neutral ion plasmas

Laser-cooled trapped ions can be strongly coupled and form crystalline states. In this paper we review experimental studies that measure the spatial correlations of Be+ ion crystals formed in Penning traps. Both Bragg scattering of the cooling-laser light and spatial imaging of the laser-induced ion fluorescence are used to measure these correlations. In spherical plasmas with more than 2×105 ions, body-centered-cubic (bcc) crystals, the predicted bulk structure, are the only type of crystals observed. The orientation of the ion crystals can be phase locked to a rotating electric-field perturbation. With this “rotating wall” technique and stroboscopic detection, images of individual ions in a Penning trap are obtained. The rotating wall technique also provides a precise control of the time-dilation shift due to the plasma rotation, which is important for Penning trap frequency standards.