BX-U linear trap for one-way production and confinement of Li+ and e− plasmas

A modified version of the Penning-Malmberg trap was developed wherein both positive and negative harmonic potential wells were created by using multi-ring electrodes. The sequence of particle injection, particle trapping, and plasma extraction from the potential wells was controlled by a set of switching circuits. All the guns launching charged particles were collected together in one side of the linear trap. Nevertheless, pure electron (e−) and lithium-ion (Li+) plasmas were not only separately produced on the machine axis but also confined simultaneously. Preliminary data show that for B≈0.13T the e− plasma lasted for 15 s and the Li+ plasma lasted for ~4s.