Paul trap simulator experiment (PTSX) to simulate intense beam propagation through a periodic quadrupole focusing field

Experiments are planned on the Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) that simulates intense beam propagation through a periodic quadrupole magnetic field. In the Paul trap configuration, a long nonneutral plasma column is confined axially by dc voltages on end cylinders at z = +L and z = -L, and transverse confinement is provided by segmented cylindrical electrodes with applied oscillatory voltages ±V₀(t) over 90° segments. Because the transverse focusing force is similar in waveform to that produced by a discrete set of periodic quadrupole magnets in a frame moving with the beam, the Paul trap configuration offers the possibility of simulating intense beam propagation in a compact facility.