Patent ID: 6248240
Filing Date: 2001-06-19
Classification: B01D,B03C,H01J

Abstract:
A method for separating charged particles according to their mass which comprises the steps of:providing a multi-species plasma in a chamber, said chamber defining an axis and said plasma including relatively low-mass particles (M.sub.1) and relatively high-mass particles (M.sub.2);creating crossed electric and magnetic fields (E.times.B) in said chamber for rotating said particles M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 in respective orbits around said axis, with each orbit of each particle being characteristic of the mass of said particle, and for generating a respective cyclotron frequency .OMEGA.=Be/M, where e is the electric charge of the particle, and M is the mass of the respective particle for each said particle in said chamber;maintaining said multi-species plasma with a density in said chamber wherein said particle has a collisional frequency (.nu.) with other said particles, and wherein a ratio of said cyclotron frequency to said collisional frequency is greater than approximately one (.OMEGA./.nu..gtoreq.1); andpositioning a collector to intercept said relatively high-mass particles (M.sub.2) in their orbits to separate said relatively high-mass particles (M.sub.2) from said relatively low-mass particles (M.sub.1).