Nested coil assembly for generating a constrained magnetic field

A Nested Coil Assembly for generating a constrained magnetic field for confinement and control of charged particles or plasma in a vacuum environment, comprising:

• a pair of high-permeability cores aligned along a common axis;
• a primary inner coil positioned inside each core, configured to carry a primary current that generates a primary magnetic field directed along the common axis;
• a secondary outer coil wrapped around each core and axially separated from the primary inner coil, configured to carry a secondary current of opposite polarity relative to the primary current to generate a secondary magnetic field surrounding the primary magnetic field;
• a support structure maintaining the axial separation between the primary and secondary coil sets to define a working gap region between them, the working gap region being a vacuum space free of ferromagnetic material and configured for charged particle or plasma operations;
• and
• wherein the pair of high-permeability cores provide a low-reluctance flux path that confines and intensifies the primary magnetic field within the working gap region, and the secondary magnetic field counterbalances the primary magnetic field external to the working gap region, thereby establishing a nested dipole magnetic field configuration within the vacuum space for confinement of charged particles or plasma.

A method for generating alternate polarity nested magnetic fields for confinement and control of charged particles or plasma using two axially separated coil sets, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a nested coil assembly comprising, an inner coil set and an outer coil set wound and the two sets separated as to define a working gap region, the working gap region being a vacuum space free of ferromagnetic material;
• applying a primary current to the primary coil set;
• applying a secondary current of opposite polarity to the secondary coil set to generate an opposing secondary magnetic field;
• and
• constraining the primary magnetic field by using the opposing secondary magnetic field to counterbalance the primary magnetic field external to the working gap region, thereby concentrating and stabilizing the primary magnetic field within the defined working gap region to confine and control charged particles or plasma therein.