Engineering topics

Ordonez, C. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Ordonez, C. A..

3 records

DOE OSTI2019

Artificially structured boundary plasma trap

A computer simulation is presented of single-species non-neutral plasma confinement using an artificially structured boundary. The artificially structured boundary produces a spatially periodic static electromagnetic field along the plasma periphery such that the spatial period of the applied field is much smaller than the dimensions of the confined plasma. The simulated non-neutral plasma self-consistently produces an electrostatic potential energy well for oppositely signed charged particles. The results support the prospect of developing plasma space-charge based confinement, with an unmagnetized plasma of one species of charged particles confined by an electric field produced by an edge-confined plasma of a second species of charged particles. The Warp particle-in-cell code is used for the simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2019

Classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation of plasma fueling using magnetic plasma expulsion

The possibility of fueling a magnetically confined plasma using particle sources located inside of the plasma is studied by computer simulation. Magnetic plasma expulsion [R. E. Phillips and C. A. Ordonez, Phys. Plasmas 25, 012508 (2018)] would serve to keep the magnetically confined plasma away from the particle sources without adversely affecting plasma confinement. The simulations show how charged particles can be injected into a plasma by using particle sources located directly between two current-carrying wires that create a magnetic expulsion field. Plasma fueling with the average energy of injected particles greater than the average energy of plasma particles may serve for heating the plasma. Also, plasma fueling with positive and negative particles injected at different rates may serve for changing the neutrality of the plasma. Conditions for plasma fueling are investigated using a classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation. Two types of particle sources are considered, and the fraction of emitted particles that reach (and fuel) the magnetically confined plasma is evaluated for each.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2019

Electrostatic equilibria of non-neutral plasmas confined in a Penning trap with axially varying magnetic field

A procedure for computing the electrostatic equilibria of non-neutral plasmas in a Penning trap with a nonuniform magnetic field by solving Poisson's equation using an iterative method is described. Plasma equilibria in a model Penning trap with high and low field regions are computed. The plasma is assumed to follow the Boltzmann density distribution along magnetic field lines. Correspondence with previous investigations examining similar configurations analytically and using particle-in-cell simulations is found. The relationship between the plasma density in low and high field regions is examined for various plasma temperatures, densities, magnetic mirror ratios, and plasma and electrode radii. An analytical description of the radial density profile in the high field region is developed and compared with the computed equilibria. A concept is described for cooling a positron plasma with laser-cooled ions trapped axially within a high magnetic field region, while antiprotons are trapped axially separated from the laser-cooled ions within a low field region, and the positron plasma extends to both regions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗