Magnetic confinement structures in vacuum-arc plasma filtering systems

Magnetic plasma guiding systems comprising section, that looks like a double-mirror or cusped trap, are considered. The magnetic field structure formed by focusing coils of two vacuum-arc plasma sources faced to each other was investigated in detail. Peculiarities of this system was studied experimentally for two modes of the coils energizing, that provides the structure of either the simplest "acute-angle" single-slit (annular-cusp) magnetic trap or two-mirror ("bottle-neck") geometry. These structures provide the highest (about 90%) efficiency of plasma flow transmission when being used as transporting channel in a filtering system with axial-to-radial plasma flow transformation. Concepts of new filtering plasma systems that provide formation of multi-component plasma flows of various ion density cross sectional distribution are suggested. The sources of annular (fan-shaped) and also linear plasma flows with circular and rectangular cross section are proposed. The principles of single and multi cusp geometry of plasma guiding systems are used when developing these concepts.