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Title: Simulations of plasma confinement in an antihydrogen trap

Abstract

The three-dimensional particle-in-cell (3-D PIC) simulation code WARP is used to study positron confinement in antihydrogen traps. The magnetic geometry is close to that of a UC Berkeley experiment conducted, with electrons, as part of the ALPHA collaboration (W. Bertsche et al., AIP Conf. Proc. 796, 301 (2005)). In order to trap antihydrogen atoms, multipole magnetic fields are added to a conventional Malmberg-Penning trap. These multipole fields must be strong enough to confine the antihydrogen, leading to multipole field strengths at the trap wall comparable to those of the axial magnetic field. Numerical simulations reported here confirm recent experimental measurements of reduced particle confinement when a quadrupole field is added to a Malmberg-Penning trap. It is shown that, for parameters relevant to various antihydrogen experiments, the use of an octupole field significantly reducesthe positron losses seen with a quadrupole field. A unique method for obtaining a 3-D equilibrium of the positrons in the trap with a collisionless PIC code was developed especially for the study of the antihydrogen trap; however, it is of practical use for other traps as well.

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
Accelerator& Fusion Research Division
OSTI Identifier:
942137
Report Number(s):
LBNL-1196E
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Physics of Plasmas
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 14; Journal Issue: 10; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: 2007
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; Malmberg-Penning trap, antihydrogen trap, multipole, collisionless

Citation Formats

Gomberoff, K, Fajans, J, Friedman, A, Grote, D, Vay, J -L, and Wurtele, J S. Simulations of plasma confinement in an antihydrogen trap. United States: N. p., 2007. Web. doi:10.1063/1.2778420.
Gomberoff, K, Fajans, J, Friedman, A, Grote, D, Vay, J -L, & Wurtele, J S. Simulations of plasma confinement in an antihydrogen trap. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2778420
Gomberoff, K, Fajans, J, Friedman, A, Grote, D, Vay, J -L, and Wurtele, J S. 2007. "Simulations of plasma confinement in an antihydrogen trap". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2778420. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/942137.
@article{osti_942137,
title = {Simulations of plasma confinement in an antihydrogen trap},
author = {Gomberoff, K and Fajans, J and Friedman, A and Grote, D and Vay, J -L and Wurtele, J S},
abstractNote = {The three-dimensional particle-in-cell (3-D PIC) simulation code WARP is used to study positron confinement in antihydrogen traps. The magnetic geometry is close to that of a UC Berkeley experiment conducted, with electrons, as part of the ALPHA collaboration (W. Bertsche et al., AIP Conf. Proc. 796, 301 (2005)). In order to trap antihydrogen atoms, multipole magnetic fields are added to a conventional Malmberg-Penning trap. These multipole fields must be strong enough to confine the antihydrogen, leading to multipole field strengths at the trap wall comparable to those of the axial magnetic field. Numerical simulations reported here confirm recent experimental measurements of reduced particle confinement when a quadrupole field is added to a Malmberg-Penning trap. It is shown that, for parameters relevant to various antihydrogen experiments, the use of an octupole field significantly reducesthe positron losses seen with a quadrupole field. A unique method for obtaining a 3-D equilibrium of the positrons in the trap with a collisionless PIC code was developed especially for the study of the antihydrogen trap; however, it is of practical use for other traps as well.},
doi = {10.1063/1.2778420},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/942137}, journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
number = 10,
volume = 14,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Mon Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}