Giga Gauss Magnetic Fields
(0) CommentsIn case you were wondering what Giga-Gauss magnetic fields, gyro-radii and Compton wavelengths are but were afraid to ask:
giga-Gauss magnetic fields: Giga is the metric system prefix for one billion (a thousand millions). The plasma focus device has the ability to create magnetic fields of one billion Gauss. For comparison, the earth’s magnetic field is about one Gauss.
(Note: metric unit names that are named after a person should be capitalized like Gauss, ones not named after a person should not be like meter)
gyro-radius: When a charged particle moves in a magnetic field the path it takes is a circle or spiral. The radius of this circle or spiral is called the gyro-radius. If the particle travels faster the gyro-radius is bigger, and if the magnetic field is stronger the gyro-radius is smaller. Sometimes you will see the term gyro-radii because radii (RAY-dee-eye) is the plural form of radius.
Compton wavelength: Acording to quantum theory, matter can sometimes behave as if it were a wave. Every wave has a wavelength. The term Compton wavelength is used to describe the wavelength matter has when it behaves as a wave. According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, a particle can never be pinned down in a space smaller than its Compton wavelength so a particle’s gyro-radius can never be smaller than its Compton wavelength.
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