- #1
TheCanadian
- 367
- 13
When considering an ionized medium (e.g. plasma) in nonuniform magnetic field, ##\vec{B}##, there will be a drift velocity for ions that goes in the direction of ##\frac{1}{q} \vec{B}\times\vec{\nabla} B ##: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiding_center#Grad-B_drift
Although this implies the ion will be increasing its kinetic energy when entering a nonuniform magnetic field, for example if it's initially traveling perpendicular to this drift direction. Thus I am just curious as to where exactly energy is coming from and the mechanism by which this is occurring. Is the magnetic potential energy decreasing (as there is a gradient in the field) and being exchanged with the particle, thus leading to energy conservation? Is there a particular force typically attributed to this process? And in terms of photons being energy carriers (and the field being represented by creation/annihilation operators), is there an intuitive understanding as to how photons could mediate this process of producing a drift velocity on an ion when entering a magnetic field with non-zero gradient?
Although this implies the ion will be increasing its kinetic energy when entering a nonuniform magnetic field, for example if it's initially traveling perpendicular to this drift direction. Thus I am just curious as to where exactly energy is coming from and the mechanism by which this is occurring. Is the magnetic potential energy decreasing (as there is a gradient in the field) and being exchanged with the particle, thus leading to energy conservation? Is there a particular force typically attributed to this process? And in terms of photons being energy carriers (and the field being represented by creation/annihilation operators), is there an intuitive understanding as to how photons could mediate this process of producing a drift velocity on an ion when entering a magnetic field with non-zero gradient?