Magnetic orbital angular momentum beam acceleration
AssigneeThe Trustees of Princeton University
InventorsChristopher George Tully, Wonyong Chung
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magnetic orbital angular momentum beam accelerator will accelerate charged particles, electrons or ions, from rest in zero or low magnetic field into a high magnetic field regions with high kinetic energies in the form of magnetic orbital angular momentum. For example, a beam injector that accelerates electrons or ions into 1T magnetic fields with tens of keV kinetic energies transverse to the magnetic fields can be used to heat magnetically confined plasmas, to inject an initial energetic plasma component with high magnetic orbital angular momentum and to produce highly transverse particle momenta to the magnetic field for electron or ion beam lithography.
Claims14
A method for particle acceleration, comprising:
- providing particles in a zero or low magnetic field;
- causing the particles to be in cyclotron motion in a magnetic field that is strong compared to a momentum of the particles, the particles having a gyroradius that is small compared to a transverse dimension of an injection aperture through which the particles will travel, wherein the magnetic field has a transverse gradient along an average path of the particles;
- and
- utilizing a complementary electric field to balance a gradient-B drift that is transverse to an average path of the particles and accelerate the particles under work of the transverse gradient.
A magnetic orbital angular momentum beam accelerator, comprising:
- a tapered dipole magnet winding configured to have a magnetic field positioned to allow particles to enter the tapered dipole magnet winding, the magnetic field being a low magnetic field configured to cause the particles to begin cyclotron motion, and has a magnetic field gradient that is a transverse gradient along an average path expected of the particles;
- and
- a field cage comprising a plurality of electrodes, configured to form a complementary electric field to balance a gradient-B drift that is transverse to an average path of a beam of the particles and accelerate the particles under work of the magnetic field gradient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.