The EXB-2017 workshop will be focused on charged particle transport and instabilities in various low pressure magnetized plasma devices with large EXB or ÑPXB drift of magnetized electrons and weakly magnetized ions. These devices include Hall thrusters, magnetron discharges such as those used for High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering - HiPIMS, Penning sources, cusped-field thrusters, etc…). Magnetic nozzles in partially magnetized plasmas will also be discussed.

The aim of the workshop is to review and discuss the present state of knowledge that has been obtained from diagnostics, theory, and simulations. In order to enhance interactions among the participants, each half-day session will focus on a specific topic and will include three 30-minutes or four 20-minutes talks followed by a moderated discussion session where participants are encouraged to present short (2-3 minutes) questions/comments.   

The workshop is organized by Jean-Pierre Boeuf (LAPLACE, Univ of Toulouse, France), and Andrei Smoylakov (Univ of Saskatchewan, Canada)

In EXB plasma devices an external magnetic field is typically placed perpendicular to the discharge current in a cylindrical geometry. This results in a large EXB electron current (or Hall current or closed drift current).

Because electrons are strongly magnetized while ions are not or are only weakly magnetized, the physics of EXB plasmas is very specific and different from that of fusion plasmas. This distinct area of basic plasma physics has been poorly explored and is not well understood but is within the reach of current analytical and numerical capabilities as well as powerful modern diagnostics tools. Improving our qualitative and quantitative understanding of these plasmas is critical for important technologies such as electric propulsion and  material processing.

Turbulent current across the magnetic field is due to azimuthal fluctuations. These fluctuations can be triggered by various physical mechanisms including the large EXB electron drift, density gradients, ionization, neutral depletion etc… Unstable fluctuations across different time and length scales as well as self-organized coherent structures are ubiquitous in EXB devices  The origin and interactions of fluctuations transport and structures are not clear but have a dramatic effect on the regimes and performance of these devices.

The workshop will help clarify the current state of research and understanding of EXB plasma devices, and define new research directions.

The workshop will take place at INP-ENSEEIHT, one of the seven members of the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse. Address:

ENSEEIHT, 2 rue Charles Camichel Toulouse Room: Salle du Conseil F501, Bulding F, 5th floor