Enhanced Control and Reproducibility of Non-Neutral Plasmas

ALPHA Collaboration

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

The simultaneous control of the density and particle number of non-neutral plasmas confined in Penning-Malmberg traps is demonstrated. Control is achieved by setting the plasma's density by applying a rotating electric field while simultaneously fixing its axial potential via evaporative cooling. This novel method is particularly useful for stabilizing positron plasmas, as the procedures used to collect positrons from radioactive sources typically yield plasmas with variable densities and particle numbers; it also simplifies optimization studies that require plasma parameter scans. The reproducibility achieved by applying this technique to the positron and electron plasmas used by the ALPHA antihydrogen experiment at CERN, combined with other developments, contributed to a 10-fold increase in the antiatom trapping rate.

Original languageEnglish
Article number025001
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume120
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 8 Jan 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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