Trapped Plasmas with a Single Sign of Charge

Abstract

Despite their reputation, not all plasmas are difficult to confine. In fact, one kind of plasma can be kept for long times in a simple apparatus by means of static electric and magnetic fields. It is the kind of plasma that consists exclusively of particles with a single sign of charge. Examples include pure electron plasmas, positive ion plasmas of one or more species, positron plasmas and even electron‐antiproton plasmas—all of which have been realized in recent experiments.