Magnetic Mirror Plasma Confinement: 3D Anatomy

System anatomy

Inspect the installation from the outside in.

Cutaway depth50%

Explosion distance0%

Assembly detailHERO

Subsystem visibility

The science +

Textbook magnetic-mirror equations

R = Bₘ / B₀
sin²α = B₀ / Bₘ
fᶜ = qB₀ / (2πm)
pᴮ = B₀² / (2μ₀)

B₀ is central field and Bₘ is the higher field at either end, each in tesla. R is the mirror ratio; α is a textbook loss-cone angle for the ideal adiabatic magnetic-mirror approximation. The check independently computes α = arccos[√(1 − 1/R)].

What is idealised

The singly charged ion mass is A atomic mass units. Magnetic pressure is shown in kPa using textbook μ₀ ≈ 4π × 10⁻⁷ H/m. Inputs are illustrative, not a validated coil design. These equations omit collisions, plasma instabilities, finite-gyroradius effects, field curvature, losses and the actual equilibrium.

Engineering provenance

The vacuum chamber and mirror-solenoid functions are genuine scientific concepts. Coil cases, cryogenic manifolds, diagnostics, electronics, supports and safety panels are engineering-inspired reconstructions. The animated magnetic field lines and ion helices are simplified educational representations, not an experimental or numerical plasma simulation. No specification or field map from a real installation is used.

Illustrative design, not affiliated with any real institution or manufacturer.

MIRRORYX L-23 / ENGINEERING SECTION

Inside the instrument / INTERACTIVE 3D

INITIALISING

MAGNETIC FIELD LINES ILLUSTRATIVE ION HELICESDRAG TO ORBIT · SCROLL TO ZOOM

MIRROR RATIO TEXTBOOK

—R = Bₘ / B₀

LOSS-CONE ANGLE TEXTBOOK

—sin²α = B₀ / Bₘ

ION CYCLOTRON TEXTBOOK

—fᶜ = qB₀ / (2πm)

MAGNETIC PRESSURE TEXTBOOK

—pᴮ = B₀² / (2μ₀)

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