Trapped Plasmas with a Single Sign of Charge

FEB 01, 1999

Plasma crystal is not a fanciful oxymoron, but something you can actually make with an easy‐to‐confine, long‐lived nonneutral plasma.

DOI: 10.1063/1.882521

Thomas M. O’Neil

Despite their reputation, not all plasmas are difficult to confine. In fact, one kind of plasma can be kept for long times in a simple apparatus by means of static electric and magnetic fields. It is the kind of plasma that consists exclusively of particles with a single sign of charge. Examples include pure electron plasmas, positive ion plasmas of one or more species, positron plasmas and even electron‐antiproton plasmas—all of which have been realized in recent experiments.

References

1. R. C. Davidson, Theory of Nonneutral Plasmas, Benjamin, Reading, Mass., (1974).
R. C. Davidson, Physics of Nonneutral Plasmas, Addison‐Wesley, Redwood City, Calif. (1990).
2. J. H. Malmberg, T. M. O’Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 39, 1333 (1977). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
D. H. E. Dubin, T. M. O’Neil, Rev. Mod. Phys. 71 (1) 20 (1999).https://doi.org/RMPHAT
3. S. L. Gilbert, J. J. Bollinger, D. J. Wineland, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 2022 (1988).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
4. R. G. Greaves, C. M. Surko, Phys. Plasmas 4, 1528 (1997). https://doi.org/PHPAEN
G. Gabrielse et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 2504 (1986). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
M. H. Holzscheiter et al., Phys. Lett. A 214, 279 (1996).https://doi.org/PYLAAG
5. T. M. O’Neil, D. H. E. Dubin, Phys. Plasmas 5, 2163 (1998). https://doi.org/PHPAEN
J. J. Bollinger, D. J. Wineland, D. H. E. Dubin, Phys. Plasmas 1, 1403 (1994). https://doi.org/PHPAEN
X. P. Huang, F. Anderegg, E. M. Hollmann, T. M. O’Neil, C. F. Driscoll, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 875 (1997). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
X. P. Huang, J. J. Bollinger, T. B. Mitchell, W. M. Itano, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 73 (1998).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
6. C. F. Driscoll, J. H. Malmberg, K. S. Fine, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 1290 (1988).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
7. D. H. Dubin, Phys. Plasmas 5, 1688 (1997).https://doi.org/PHPAEN
8. L. R. Brewer, J. D. Prestage, J. J. Bollinger, W. M. Itano, D. J. Larson, D. J. Wineland, Phys. Rev. A 38, 859 (1988).https://doi.org/PLRAAN
9. D. H. E. Dubin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2076 (1991). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
T. B. Mitchell, J. J. Bollinger, X. P. Huang, W. M. Itano, Optics Express 2, 316 (1998). https://doi.org/OPEXFF
G. W. Mason, R. L. Spencer, J. A. Bennett, Phys. Plasmas 3, 1502 (1996).https://doi.org/PHPAEN
10. W. M. Itano, J. J. Bollinger, J. N. Tan, B. Jelenkovic, X.‐P. Huang, D. J. Wineland, Science 279, 686 (1998).https://doi.org/SCIEAS
11. A. Rahman, J. P. Schiffer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 1133 (1986). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
H. Totsuji, in Strongly Coupled Plasma Physics, F. J. Rogers, H. W. DeWitt, eds., Plenum, New York, (1987), p. 19.
D. H. E. Dubin, T. M. O’Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 511 (1988).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
12. H. Walther, Physica Scripta Topical Issues 59, 360 (1995).
G. Birkl, S. Kassner, H. Walther, Nature 357, 310 (1992).https://doi.org/NATUAS
13. R. W. Hasse, J. P. Schiffer, Ann. Phys. (NY) 203, 419 (1990). https://doi.org/ANPYA2
H. Totsuji, J. L. Barrat, Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 2484 (1988).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
14. K. S. Fine, C. F. Driscoll, J. H. Malmberg, T. B. Mitchell, Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 588 (1991).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
15. J. Notte, A. J. Peurrung, J. Fajans, R. Chu, J. S. Wurtele, Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3056 (1992). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
J. Fajans, E. Yu, J. E. McCarthy, Phys. Plasmas 6, 12 (1999). https://doi.org/PHPAEN
E. Yu, Backhaus, J. Fajans, J. S. Wurtele, Phys. Plasmas 6, 19 (1999).https://doi.org/PHPAEN
16. K. S. Fine, W. G. Flynn, A. C. Cass, C. F. Driscoll, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3277 (1995).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
17. E. J. Yarmchuk et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 43, 214 (1979). https://doi.org/PRLTAO
L. J. Campbell, R. M. Ziff, Phys. Rev. B 20, 1886 (1979).https://doi.org/PRBMDO
18. D. Z. Jin, D. H. E. Dubin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 4434 (1998).https://doi.org/PRLTAO

More about the Authors

Thomas M. O’Neil. University of California, San Diego in La Jolla, California.