In PPPL's Paul Trap Simulation Experiment (PTSX), a stationary nonneutral cesium plasma, about two centimeters in diameter and two meters long, is subjected to a time-varying electric field, simulating the experience of particle beam as it passes quadrupole magnets in an accelerator. The physics is comparable, providing researchers with a relatively inexpensive means to study properties of charged particle beams with greater flexibility than possible in an actual accelerator. Research on PTSX could significantly impact several areas of science and technology, including particle physics, heavy ion fusion, nuclear waste transmutation, and high-energy-density physics — wherever charged particle beams are used as tools.
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