Space-charge-based electrostatic plasma confinement involving relaxed plasma species

作者：Pacheco J L; Ordonez C A^*; Weathers D L

来源：Physics of Plasmas, 2012, 19(10): 102510.

DOI：10.1063/1.4764076

A numerical study is reported on the equilibrium properties of a surface-emitted or edge-confined non-drifting plasma. A self-consistent finite-differences evaluation of the electrostatic potential is carried out for a non-neutral plasma that follows a Boltzmann density distribution. The non-neutral plasma generates an electrostatic potential that has an extremum at the geometric center. Poisson%26apos;s equation is solved for different ratios of the non-neutral plasma size to the edge Debye length. The profiles of the electrostatic potential and the plasma density are presented for different values of that ratio. A second plasma species is then introduced for two-plasma-species confinement studies, with one species confined by the space charge of the other, while each species follows a Boltzmann density distribution. An equilibrium in which a neutral region forms is found. An equilibrium is also found in which the two species have equal temperatures and charge states.

• 出版日期2012-10