Non-neutral plasmas are an exotic family of plasmas in which a single species of charge dominates and where the collective dynamics are strongly governed by the self-generated electric fields. Non-neutral plasmas can occur in nature, for example in extreme cosmic environments such as those around neutron stars and black holes, or around charged cosmic dust grains. They are also widely used in particle source and accelerator technologies and are of particular interest for antimatter confinement traps. In magnetic fusion, non-neutral plasmas can spontaneously appear inside gyrotrons –– the main heating scheme envisaged for a power plant –– and can hamper their continuous operation.

In the theory group, we develop theories and perform first-principle simulations of non-neutral plasmas in order to better understand their dynamics and, in particular, provide predictive tools to improve the design of reliable, high-power gyrotrons for fusion. We work together with the group from the Trapped Electron Experiment (T-REX) at SPC, a device that emulates the formation of electron clouds in gyrotron cavities. We also work with the group from the levitated dipole experiment APEX-LD at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, where pure electron plasmas are trapped in magnetic environments similar to those around planets, stars, or accretion disks.