Particle Beam Ionization Simulation (VIDEO)
Caption
In this simulation, an electron beam (blue circles) passes through a mixture of hydrogen and xenon gases that it ionizes, transforming the mixture into a plasma of protons, xenon ions, and electrons. The electron beam's self-field expels the plasma electrons radially. The ions then undergo a Coulomb explosion under their own self-fields: first the lighter hydrogen ions and later the heavier xenon ions. An external extraction field that is applied between the top and bottom electrodes is sufficiently high to move both types of ions through the aperture in the top plate before they expand to a diameter larger than the aperture size. This ion capture is possible because the initial gas density is not too high.
Credit
Jean-Luc Vay and Rémi Lehe
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Licensed content