Abstract

We produced a strongly coupled non-neutral ⁹Be⁺ ion plasma. The ions were spatially confined by a Penning trap and cooled and compressed using laser cooling. Laser probe measurements were made of the plasma shape, rotation frequency, density, and temperature. We describe the experimental confinement geometry, laser cooling of ions, and experimental data, which are compared to theoretical predictions. Future experiments using lasers to measure the plasma static structure function and ion diffusion are discussed.

© 1987 Optical Society of America