| Deposition of thin films using laser plasmas is a standard technique for depositing a variety of specialty materials. One of the complications is the inclusion of debris particles from the source material. The application of a curved magnetic field to guide the plasma while stopping the debris particles, which are not guided by the magnetic field, is currently under investigation.; A 3D one-fluid magnetohydrodynamic ADI code has been developed to characterize interaction of streaming plasma with curved magnetic fields. The results of the modeling suggest that E x B drifts arising from the charge separation caused by curvature drifts can lead to poor plasma guiding.; In an attempt to address experimentally observed increase in guiding efficiency at higher magnetic fields, an alternative particle drift model with self-consistent fields has been developed. Cross-field resistive currents, capable of shorting the charge separation, are introduced and characterized as a potential mechanism responsible for plasma guiding. Dependence of guiding efficiency on plasma parameters has been characterized. |
