Particle Motion in a Penning Trap

magnetic field (mT)

50

potential (V)

250

time (μs)

100

initial x velocity

1

initial y velocity

1

initial z velocity

1

random initial velocity

True

False

A Penning trap is a device that confines charged particles using an ideal quadrupole electric field and a transverse magnetic field. In this Demonstration, a small (∼10 cm) Penning trap confines a single antiproton. With this setting, the stability condition is roughly

2

B

>2

V

0

, where

B

is a magnetic field strength in

mT

and

V

0

is the potential difference in V between two electrodes (the blue and orange surfaces).