HIGH-SPEED PLASMA VACUUM PUMP A PLASMA IN WHICH ELECTRON TEMPERATURE IS MAINTAINED IN THE RANGE 30-100 EV CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE MEDIUM FOR IONIZING NEUTRAL GAS IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE. FURTHERMORE, SINCE THE RESULTING IONIZED GAS CAN FLOW ALONG MAGNETIC LINES

GAS, A MAGNETIZED PLASMA STREAM CAN FUNCTION AS A HIGH-SPEED VACUUM PUMP WITH UNIQUE TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES. TO REALIZE THESE ADVANTAGES IN A PRACTICAL WAY, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UTILIZE AN EFFICIENT ELECTRON HEATING TECHNIQUE TO CREATE THE PLASMA AND MAINTAIN THE OPTIMAL ELECTRON TEMPERATURE. THE RESEARCH PROPOSED HERE IS DIRECTED TOWARD THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRON CYCLOTRON HEATING IN A CAREFULLY DESIGNED MAGNETIC CONFIGURATION TO CREATE A PRACTICAL, HIGH-SPEED VACUUM PUMP WITH UNIQUE CAPABILITIES. ELECTRON CYCLOTRON HEATING IS IDEALLY SUITED TO THIS APPLICATION BECAUSE IT CAN EFFICIENTLY CONVERT WALL-PLUG POWER TO THE WARM-ELECTRON, PLASMA-STREAM POWER NEEDED FOR EFFECTIVE PUMPING. PHASE I WORK WILL RESULT IN A PRECONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A PUMP CONFIGURATION SUITABLE FOR CRITICAL COMPARISON WITH EXISTING PUMPS. THE MOST PROMISING CONCEPT WILL THEN BE DEVELOPED IN PHASE II TO CULMINATE IN A PILOT MODEL OF A HIGH-SPEED PLASMA VACUUM PUMP. IT APPEARS THAT THIS APPROACH TO VACUUM PUMPING CAN BE SCALED TO PROVIDE HIGH PUMPING SPEED WITH VERY RAPID DYNAMICAL RESPONSE AND WITH REDUCED POWER REQUIREMENTS. THE THEORETICAL RESPONSE TIME CAN BE SUFFICIENTLY RAPID TO PERMIT THE USE OF THESE PUMPS IN FEEDBACK CONTROL APPLICATIONS. BOTH THE POWER EFFICIENCY AND RAPID RESPONSE FOLLOW FROM THE VERY LOW THERMAL CAPACITY OF THE WORKING MEDIUM.