Particle simulation of a chlorine gas ECR discharge plasma

Summary form only given, as follows. We have developed an axisymmetric quasi-neutral particle simulation code, QUASI-rz, to study heating and transport of plasma in an ECR reactor configuration. All species are treated as particles. The electrons are approximated as guiding center particles, and the degree of magnetization of the ions varies spatially. The code contains a formulation for ECR heating. For this system with pressures on the order of a few milliTorr, the plasma can be high density and weakly collisional, with mean free paths on the order of a few centimeters. Particles may collide with the neutral gas in various states. In addition, we include ion-ion, and electron-electron scattering. There may be several species of ions which can be either positively, or negatively charged. Negative ions, unlike electrons are not constrained to a single field line, and may contribute to the cross field particle flux. Because of the mass difference between negative ions and electrons, the plasma may separate into regions in which the negative charges are either primarily due to ions or to electrons. We present preliminary results from the simulation for the case of a chlorine plasma.