Propagation across B-field of intense plasma and ion beams in vacuum and magnetized plasma

Abstract

The paper summarizes the recent experiments on the injection and transport across applied B-field of an intense, wide cross-section (~10 cm) H+ plasma (PB) and ion (IB) beam of 60 to 120 eV and 60 to 120 keV energy, respectively, in vacuum and ambient magnetized H+ plasma of temperature Ti~5 eV and density of 1012-1013 cm-3. With current densities of 10-30 A/cm2, the PB and IB propagated were undeflected in vacuum with a measurable loss of peripheral layers. At B-fields >;0.8 kG, only the narrow central core of the PB survived accompanied by a sharp increase in core density due to braking and respective bunching. Cross B-field propagation of the PB in ambient plasma (AP) was also undeflected, however, with less peripheral losses and a lack of bunching which can be interpreted as an inadequate shorting of the induced polarization E-field and therefore is described as E×B transport. The IB in magnetized ambient plasma, as a whole, followed a one-particle Larmor trajectory corresponding to an adequate shorting of the polarization E-field along with a significant loss of intensity.