Plasma heating by collisional magnetic pumping in a steady-state modified Penning discharge

Abstract

The experimental application of collisional magnetic pumping to heat a plasma by a sawtooth magnetic perturbation is reported. Results have been obtained relating to the energy transfer process between the perturbed magnetic field and the parallel and perpendicular energy components of the heated species in a steady-state modified Penning discharge apparatus with a magnetic mirror configuration. Plasma characteristics have been measured, and heating of ions and electrons as a function of magnetic induction, electron number density, and neutral gas pressure has been investigated.<>