THE EFFECT OF ASYMMETRIES ON NONNEUTRAL PLASMA-CONFINEMENT TIME

Theory predicts that perfectly azimuthally symmetric non-neutral plasma traps should confine plasma forever. Unintentional trap asymmetries are believed to limit plasma confinement times to less than < 10(5) s. Deliberately applied electrostatic fields break the azimuthal symmetry and affect the plasma confinement time. While small, deliberate asymmetries do not significantly reduce the trap's confinement properties, large asymmetries significantly degrade the plasma confinement. The scaling laws of this degradation are studied herein. The mechanism of plasma loss appears to change when deliberate asymmetries are applied.