Enhanced Self-Focusing of an Ion Beam Pulse Propagating through a Background Plasma along a Solenoidal Magnetic Field

Journal Article · Fri Aug 14 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.103.075003· OSTI ID:21370662

Dorf, Mikhail A; Kaganovich, Igor D; Startsev, Edward A; Davidson, Ronald C ^[1]

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1. Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States)

It is shown that the application of a weak solenoidal magnetic field along the direction of ion beam propagation through a neutralizing background plasma can significantly enhance the beam self-focusing for the case where the beam radius is small compared to the collisionless electron skin depth. The enhanced focusing is provided by a strong radial self-electric field that is generated due to a local polarization of the magnetized plasma background by the moving ion beam. A positive charge of the ion beam pulse becomes overcompensated by the plasma electrons, which results in the radial focusing of the beam ions. The expression for the self-focusing force is derived analytically and compared with the results of numerical simulations.

• OSTI ID: 21370662
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 103; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAMS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FOCUSING
ION BEAMS
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA
POLARIZATION
PULSES
SIMULATION