Magnetobound positronium and protonium

The formation of magnetobound positronium and protonium is investigated via classical trajectory simulations of binary point charge interactions in an external magnetic field. A magnetobound state is a predicted pair-particle system that is temporarily bound due to the presence of an external magnet...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics of plasmas 2014-08, Vol.21 (8)
Main Authors: Correa, J. R., Ordonez, C. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
Adiabatic flow
Charged particles
Computer simulation
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CROSS SECTIONS
Drift
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC MOMENTS
Magnetism
Mathematical analysis
Plasma physics
POINT CHARGE
POSITRONIUM
PROTONIUM
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
Trajectories
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Summary:The formation of magnetobound positronium and protonium is investigated via classical trajectory simulations of binary point charge interactions in an external magnetic field. A magnetobound state is a predicted pair-particle system that is temporarily bound due to the presence of an external magnetic field. The magnetic field constrains the motion of charged particles in the direction perpendicular to it, while allowing them to move freely in the parallel dimension. At large separations, each particle undergoes helical motion with an adiabatically invariant magnetic moment. As the charges approach each other, the electric interaction breaks the adiabatic constant of the motion, and the particles may temporarily behave as a highly correlated pair. The results of computer simulations of the fully three-dimensional trajectories of classical and non-relativistic point charges with the same mass, equal charge magnitude, and opposite sign are reported. The simulations show the formation of magnetobound positronium and protonium. The results yield formation cross sections, which are compared to analytical expressions. Additionally, the results reveal that magnetobound states drift across magnetic field lines. Observations on the drift distance, lifetime, and drift speed of simulated magnetobound states are reported.
ISSN:1070-664X
1089-7674
DOI:10.1063/1.4894107