A POS with a two-ion-species plasma

Summary form only given. In many Plasma Opening Switches (POS) the plasmas are composed of more than one ion species. Often these are carbon ions and protons. We assume that the magnetic field has penetrated into the plasma and examine the dynamics of the ions in the magnetized plasma. We employ a simple one-dimensional model in which the ion equations of motion are linearized. It is shown that different ions are pushed differently by the magnetic field pressure. The role of various drifts that determine the ion motion, the crossed electric and magnetic fields drift and the polarization drift, is discussed. It is further shown that while in a one-ion-species the current is carried only by electrons, in a two-ion-species a significant fraction of the current is carried by the ions. Possible implications for the POS performance are discussed.