The confinement of non-neutral plasmas by magnetic surfaces, such as those of a tokamak or a stellarator, is a new area of plasma research. The theory of such plasmas, which range from single component to quasi-neutral, has had a rapid development during the first three years of this project. A goal of the research is to use the strong electric fields of an electron rich plasma in a stellarator to confine the first laboratory electron-positron plasmas. The primary focus of the theory program has been on pure electron plasmas, in particular the properties of low density electron plasma equilibria. During the present award period, the theory of pure electron plasmas will be extended to partly neutralized plasmas. These plasmas have properties that are unlike either pure electron or quasi-neutral plasmas. Qualitatively new physics remains to be discovered. The theory program is closely associated with the Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) experiment; theoretical results have already had a major impact on the design and the interpretation of CNT experiments. The interaction between CNT and theory is intensifying as both programs mature. These theories are also now being tested on two devices in Japan.
In addition to graduate student participation, the program already involves substantial participation by undergraduate students as well as high school students, and will continue to do so in the future. Women students and students from historically underrepresented minorities have participated in this research, and the investigators will continue to actively recruit among groups underrepresented in science.
