The APEX experiment for the study of positron-electron ``pair'' plasmas.

POSTER

Abstract

The APEX (A Positron Electron eXperiment) collaboration is working toward achieving simultaneous confinement of large numbers of electrons and positrons in a magnetic dipole trap, with the goal of creating a ``pair'' plasma in the laboratory. Pair plasmas are predicted to exhibit unique properties that differ from the usual electron-ion plasmas and would provide a novel system for studying basic plasma physics. After a brief overview, several recent experiments utilizing the intense, reactor-based cold positron source NEPOMUC to inject positrons into a dipole magnetic field will be presented. These experiments demonstrate several important milestones along the path towards the production of a pair plasma. Current and future activities will also be discussed.

*Work supported in part by the ERC, DFG, Max Planck IPP, NIFS Collaboration Research Program, Helmholtz Association, U.S. DOE, and the UCSD Foundation.

Authors

  • J. R. Danielson

    • University of California San Diego
  • E. V. Stenson

    • Max Planck IPP
  • J. Horn-Stanja

    • Max Planck IPP
  • U. Hergenhahn

    • Max Planck IPP
  • S. Ni{\ss}l

    • Max Planck IPP
  • M. Singer

    • Max Planck IPP
  • A. Deller

    • Max Planck IPP
  • A. H. Card

    • Max Planck IPP
  • T. Sunn Pedersen

    • Max Planck IPP
  • M. R. Stoneking

    • Lawrence U.
  • M. Singer

    • TU M\"unchen
  • C. Hugenschmidt

    • TU M\"unchen
  • S. K\"onig

    • U. of Greifswald
  • L. Schweikhard

    • U. of Greifswald
  • H. Saitoh

    • U. of Tokyo
  • C. M. Surko

    • University of California San Diego