Three-Dimensional Simulation of Electron Beam Motion in Bent Trap With Magnetic Mirrors

Abstract

Previous studies on the dynamics of charged particles in an asymmetric magnetic mirror mainly used a 2-D model. However, using a 2-D model to study the confinement of charged particles in an asymmetric mirror may lack validity. This article addresses this limitation using the 3-D particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The dependence of the confinement time of an electron beam in a bent trap with a magnetic mirror on various beam parameters is presented, including initial electron number density, electron temperature, initial beam speed, and initial beam velocity direction. Two types of oscillations of the electrons in the magnetic mirror are revealed from the presented 3-D trajectories: Larmor cyclotron oscillation and reciprocal reflection between coils. The presented results have potential applications in designing more efficient magnetic mirrors to confine electrons and other charged particles.