On the motion of a charged particle in a coaxial plasma accelerator

The motion of a single charged particle inside a coaxial plasma accelerator with static electric and magnetic fields E and B is considered. It is shown that the radial motion is periodic in time. The axial velocity v z averaged over one period depends on the polarity of electrodes and is also a function of the ratio q/m , where q is the charge and m is the mass of a particle. The conditions are stated for which these theoretical considerations can be applied to experimental devices. A comparison with the experimental results is presented showing relatively good agreement between theory and experiment. In particular it was possible to explain the dependence of the speed of the current sheet on the polarity of the central electrode.