Practical Limits on Positron Accumulation and the Creation of Electron-Positron Plasmas

Abstract

The tasks of accumulating large numbers of positrons, creating high-density positron plasmas, and confining electron-positron plasmas present a number of technical challenges. Some practical considerations and limitations of common confinement schemes are discussed. A novel design for a multi-cell Penning-Malmberg trap is proposed for the accumulation of large number of positrons (e.g.>10(exp12) and Tau ^0.5 eV). A method is described to create a low-density, electron-positron plasma (e.g., n ^ 10(exp7) /cu cm) for basic plasma physics studies that uses a combination of radio-frequency and magnetic continement. The possibilities for confinement of a hot (e.g. Tau> 10 keV) electron-position plasma in a magnetic mirror are also discussed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 24, 2002
Accession Number
ADP012490

Entities

People

  • C. M. Surko
  • R. G. Greaves

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Charged Particles
  • Electron Density
  • Electron Gas
  • Electrons
  • Frequency
  • Geometry
  • High Density
  • Ion Traps
  • Low Density
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Magnetic Mirrors
  • Molecules
  • Positronium
  • Positrons
  • Radio Frequency
  • Space Charge
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.
  • Solar Physics
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics