Increasing the Efficiency of Plasma Mass Separation by Optimizing the Electric Potential

Abstract

The effect of the spatial distribution of electric potential on the separating properties of the plasma mass separator that operates in a configuration with crossed radial electric and longitudinal magnetic fields is studied. The single-particle approximation is used to obtain analytical expressions that connect the electric potential distribution and the angular mass spectrum. A mathematical algorithm is described that allows one to recover the distribution of electric potential from the given shape of the mass spectrum. It is shown that the local inhomogeneity of the electric potential profile allows one to achieve the deposition of mass groups in the diametrically opposite regions of the separator. Data is presented that confirms the possibility of creating experimentally both the positive and the negative local inhomogeneity of the potential. The results of this work can be used to increase the efficiency of the process of plasma mass separation of ions of different elements.