Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of transport in a magnetized electronegative plasma

Particle transport in a uniformly magnetized electronegative plasma is studied in two-dimensional (2D) geometry with insulating (dielectric) boundaries. A 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) code is employed, with the results compared to analytic one-dimensional models that approximate the end losses as volume losses. A modified oxygen reaction set is used to scale to the low densities used in PIC codes and also to approximately model other gases. The principal study is the limiting of the transverse electron flow due to strong electron magnetization. The plasma in the PIC calculation is maintained by axial currents that vary across the transverse dimension. For a cosine current profile nearly uniform electron temperature is obtained, which at the B-fields studied (600–1200 G) give a small but significant fraction (0.25 or less) of electron to negative ion transverse loss. For a more transverse-confined current, and approximating the higher mass and attachment reaction rate of iodine, the fraction of electron to negative ion transverse loss can be made very small. The models which have been constructed reasonably approximate the PIC results and indicate that the cross-field transport is nearly classical.