Stochastic plasma 'microtron'

Electron acceleration of a single plasmoid in a resonant field upon which a weak magnetic field is imposed is described. The magnetic field is varied from 0 to 70 G and is uniform within 5 percent over the interval from 0 to 6 cm. It is shown that when a static magnetic field is applied, the accelerated electrons move along circles with a common point of tangency and as the acceleration proceeds, the orbits of the electrons grow. The spectrum of accelerated electrons for B = 70 G and for various amplitudes of the alternating field is given. The energy of the accelerated electrons during repeated accelerations is determined. Results indicate that there is an increase in the effective temperature and in the cutoff energy of the spectrum of the accelerated electrons.