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A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster
Published on: December 22, 2018
Magnetic control of particle injection in plasma based accelerators
J Vieira1, S F Martins, V B Pathak
1GoLP/Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear-Laboratório Associado, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa, Portugal.
Physical Review Letters
|June 28, 2011
Summary
External transverse magnetic fields can control electron self-injection in plasma accelerators, relaxing injection thresholds and tuning beam properties like charge and energy. This method is feasible with current technology for future experiments.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Accelerator physics
- High-energy physics
Background:
- Laser- and particle-beam driven wakefield accelerators are advanced tools for particle acceleration.
- Electron self-injection is a critical process for generating particle beams in these accelerators.
- Controlling self-injection is essential for tailoring beam characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of external transverse magnetic fields for triggering and controlling electron self-injection.
- To analyze the impact of magnetic fields on beam parameters within plasma blowout channels.
Main Methods:
- Analytical examination of the magnetic field's effect on electron self-injection.
- Full-scale particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to model the process.
Main Results:
- An external transverse magnetic field can lower the injection threshold for electron self-injection.
- The magnetic field allows control over key output beam features, including charge, energy, and transverse dynamics.
- The ion channel dynamics within the plasma blowout are influenced by the magnetic field.
Conclusions:
- External transverse magnetic fields offer a viable method for controlling electron self-injection in wakefield accelerators.
- This technique can be implemented using state-of-the-art magnetic fields in next-generation accelerator experiments.
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