Development of Plasma Theory in Support of the Quest to Form and Trap Cold Neutral Antimatter

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

An international effort has commenced with the goal of forming and trapping cold antihydrogen for the first time. Existing plans call for the antihydrogen to be trapped within a nonuniform magnetic field that produces a magnetic well. To support the quest to form and trap cold neutral antimatter, plasma theory has begun to be developed that predicts the behavior of cryogenic plasmas. However, various parts of the existing theory apply only for a uniform magnetic field, and various improvements and extensions in the theory are needed. The work that will be performed under this award will include two needed theoretical advances. First, a finite-differences computational approach, which was previously developed for predicting plasma equilibria in nested Penning traps having a uniform magnetic field, will be modified to apply for nonuniform magnetic fields. Second, a Monte Carlo computational approach will be developed for predicting the axial confinement characteristics of a cryogenic plasma within nested Penning traps having nonuniform magnetic fields.