Kingdon trap for antihydrogen studies

Summary form only given. A Kingdon trap employs a combination of centrifugal and electrostatic forces to provide confinement of charged particles. The particles orbit a charged central conductor and travel with a drift speed that is much larger than the particles´ thermal speed. The central conductor usually consists of a thin wire, although segmented electrodes might also be used. Particle confinement in the direction parallel to a wire is achieved using electrostatic mirrors. A theory is presented that describes particle confinement in terms of the formation of an effective potential energy well. The conditions required for forming the deepest effective potential energy well are determined. Criteria for confining particles that have a drifting Maxwellian velocity distribution are established. Various configurations are considered. A spherical configuration has a spherical central conductor. A current- carrying configuration has two or more closely spaced current-carrying charged wires or rods, which serve in place of the charged central conductor. For a two-wire configuration, the two wires would carry oppositely directed currents. The current-carrying configuration would produce a magnetic field with a large gradient. The presence of such a field may reduce the ratio of the drift speed to thermal speed that is required for keeping the charged particles away from the charged wires. Possible methods to trap antihydrogen are currently being developed. A Kingdon trap is considered for such an application. Cold antiprotons would be captured within a Kingdon trap, and positronium atoms would be introduced. Some high-field-seeking antihydrogen atoms may be produced in trapped orbits.