CPC H05H 1/04 (2013.01) [H05H 1/16 (2013.01); H05H 1/22 (2013.01)] | 16 Claims |
1. A method for stably confining a plasma in a cylindrical chamber comprising the steps of:
injecting a gas into the cylindrical chamber;
applying a magnetic field about a portion of the cylindrical chamber;
applying an electric potential between a first anode and at least one cathode to create a radial electric field within the cylindrical chamber, wherein the first anode is generally radially arranged around a central axis of the cylindrical chamber and in proximity to a wall of the cylindrical chamber, and wherein the at least one cathode is located on the central axis of the cylindrical chamber and at a distal end of the cylindrical chamber, wherein a second anode comprising a cylindrical metallic mesh grid is generally radially arranged around the central axis of the cylindrical chamber between the first anode and the central axis of the cylindrical chamber; and
injecting electrons into the chamber from the at least one cathode to create a virtual cathode along the central axis of the cylindrical chamber;
wherein, the magnetic field and the radial electrical field accelerate ion movement toward the central axis of the cylindrical chamber to facilitate ion collisions, whereby an increase of ion movement towards the central axis of the cylindrical chamber substantially contributes to an ion heating and to a rotation of the plasma therein, thereby increasing a stability and a confinement of the plasma.
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