Formation of a field reversed configuration for magnetic and electrostatic confinement of plasma

A method of forming a magnetic field of field reverse topology comprising the steps of

• injecting a plasma into a chamber,
• applying a magnetic field to form a first magnetic field in the chamber having unidirectional field lines,
• injecting ion beams into the chamber substantially transverse to the first magnetic field,
• trapping the ion beams in betatron orbits within the first magnetic field,
• forming a rotating plasma beam within the chamber having a current and an internal magnetic field due to the first magnetic field,
• forming a poloidal second magnetic field about the rotating plasma having external field lines outside the rotating plasma extending in a same direction as the field lines of the first magnetic field and internal field lines extending in an opposite direction to the field lines of the first magnetic field,
• injecting a current through a betatron flux coil in the chamber,
• inducing an azimuthal electric field inside the chamber,
• increasing the rotating plasma beam's rotational velocity,
• increasing the second magnetic field's magnitude beyond the magnitude of the first magnetic field, and
• reversing the direction of the internal field within the rotating plasma and forming a combined magnetic field of field reverse topology (FRC).