Confinement of pure ion plasma in a cylindrical current sheet

A novel method for containing a pure ion plasma at thermonuclear densities and temperatures has been modeled. The method combines the confinement principles of a Penning-Malmberg trap and a pulsed theta-pinch. A conventional Penning trap can confine a uniform-density plasma of about 5x10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} with a 30-Tesla magnetic field. However, if the axial field is ramped, a much higher local ion density can be obtained. Starting with a 10{sup 7} cm{sup -3} trapped deuterium plasma at the Brillouin limit (B=0.6 Tesla), the field is ramped to 30 Tesla. Because the plasma is comprised of particles of only one sign of charge, transport losses are very low, i.e., the conductivity is high. As a result, the ramped field does not penetrate the plasma and a diamagnetic surface current is generated, with the ions being accelerated to relativistic velocities. To counteract the inward jxB forces from this induced current, additional ions are injected into the plasma along the axis to increase the density (and mutual electrostatic repulsion) of the target plasma. In the absence of the higher magnetic field in the center, the ions drift outward until a balance is established between the outward driving forces (centrifugal, electrostatic, pressure gradient) and the inward jxB force. An equilibrium calculation using a relativistic, 1-D, cold-fluid model shows that a plasma can be trapped in a hollow, 49-cm diameter, 0.2-cm thick cylinder with a density exceeding 4x10{sup 14} cm{sup -3}.