I am considering whether there is any merit to the idea of making electron injection easier by manipulating the magnetic grid from outside the rings. Namely, the following ideas have occurred to me:
1) Would it be practicable to create a magnetic field between the electron gun and the ring grid that would weaken the opposition of the ring fields to electron penetration, thus thinning the veil? This seems to depend on the margin of error available before cusp losses become untenable.
2) Are changes to a magnetic field nearly instantaneous, or do they take some measurable time? If the latter, would it be possible to disturb the equilibrium of the ring grid and to send in bursts of electrons as it resets to equilibrium? I presume this would happen in a predictable fashion, so if the disturbance travels in some fashion within the grid, the disturbance could be calculated and guns positioned to take advantage of the projected thin spots.
3) Would there be any benefit to not having the electron approach the field directly? Could a series of other small fields, or just a different gun design, cause the electron to approach from an oblique angle, like a corkscrew?
4) Can the ring grid be boosted in power faster than the electrons can escape? For example, if another bank of capacitors was on standby to increase power, could electrons be fired into the machine and the grid boosted to maximize containment and prevent cusp loss?
For the record, I am not even a novice in the arena of electromagnetism; I am currently re-taking Physics I because I am going back for engineering and can afford no gaps in my comprehension. A barrage of explanatory links or papers would make a perfectly wonderful answer.
Wrestling with concepts for electron injection
Make a MaGrid with some holes in it. Look for past descriptions of the X-Cusp.
Try here.
viewtopic.php?p=31558&highlight=xcusp#31558
Since there is no field in the little X shaped holes, the electrons should have an easy time getting in, and recirculating BACK in when they do escape.
Try here.
viewtopic.php?p=31558&highlight=xcusp#31558
Since there is no field in the little X shaped holes, the electrons should have an easy time getting in, and recirculating BACK in when they do escape.
Electrons, or any other charged particle, can travel parallel to a magnetic field with little resistance. So getting electrons in should be as "simple" as injecting them with the correct direction inside the field line bundle that passes through a wiffleball hole.
One difficulty I can see is getting a high enough current in a small enough area without the electrons having enough scatter for some to be reflected by the magnetic mirror on the way in. A high current point source of cold electrons seems ideal, but may be difficult to approach.
One difficulty I can see is getting a high enough current in a small enough area without the electrons having enough scatter for some to be reflected by the magnetic mirror on the way in. A high current point source of cold electrons seems ideal, but may be difficult to approach.
When the magnetic field diverges away from the throat, as it does on the outside of the magrid, magnetic mirror dynamics apply. In a magnetic mirror the key factor is the ratio of magnetic field strength. A particle trajectory inside a critical cone will pass through a magnetic mirror throat. A trajectory outside that cone will be reflected. Hence the importance of electron injection trajectory, as well as position inside a critical magnetic flux tube passing through the wiffleball hole.
I'm figuring cold electrons at the point of injection assuming the potential difference between injection point and the magrid will supply the energy.
I'm figuring cold electrons at the point of injection assuming the potential difference between injection point and the magrid will supply the energy.