• A nonneutral plasma is a many-body collection of charged particles in which there isn't overall charge neutrality.

• Such systems are characterized by intense self-electric fields (space-charge fields), and in high-current configurations by intense self-magnetic fields.

• Examples of nonneutral plasma systems include:

  • One-component nonneutral plasmas confined in a Malmberg-Penning trap or a Paul trap.

  • Intense charged particle beams and charge bunches in high energy accelerators, transport lines, and storage rings.
    

  • Coherent radiation sources (magnetrons, gyrotrons, free electron lasers).

Objectives

• Develop advanced analytical and numerical models describing the nonlinear dynamics and collective processes in intense nonneutral beams in periodic focusing accelerators and transport systems,with emphasis on:
  

  • Heavy ion fusion.
    

  • High energy and nuclear physics applications.
    

• Experimental and theoretical studies of heavy ion beam propagation on and beam-plasma interactions in the target chamber.
  

• Basic experimental and theoretical investigations of nonneutral plasmas confined in a Malmberg-Penning trap (ONR)and a Paul trap (OFES).
  

Personnel

• PPPL Staff: R. C. Davidson, P. Efthimion, E. Gilson, L. Grisham, P. Heitzenroeder, C. Jun, I. Kaganovich, R. Majeski, W. W. Lee, S. F. Paul, C. K. Phillips, H. Qin, E. Startsev, and S. Tzenov.
  

• Graduate Students: M. Chung and A. B. Sefkow.