Electron Recirculation in Electrostatic Multicusp Systems: 1. Confinement andLosses in Simple Power Law Wells

摘要

A large body of work over the past 35 years has been devoted to the study of cuspconfinement of electrons, ions, and plasmas. Nearly all of this has examined single particle electron (or ion) motion or the motion of particles in neutral plasmas within cusped magnetic systems, generally without internal electric potential fields. In this note the problem of electron motion, confinement and losses is analyzed in the non-LTE, electron-rich plasma system with anisotropic radial energy in both species, in multicusp Polywell geometry. The bulk problem is treated as one-dimensional, with arbitrary spatial indices of radial B and E field variation. Bulk diamagnetic collective effects are modelled as they influence this 1-D spatial variation of B field, but electron entry into single cusp volumes includes elements of the geometric effects of the real 3-D configuration. Electron motions in mirror reflection regions are analyzed on the usual basis of conservation of magnetic moment of the electron at entry into the confining cusp. However, turning points of this motion are modified to account for the effects of diamagnetic currents on this process. Comparison with non-Polywell models is made where useful and appropriate. Further details are given in the following sections.