Guiding Center

Guiding Center

In many cases of practical interest, the motion in a magnetic field of an electrically charged particle (such as an electron or ion in a plasma) can be treated as the superposition of a relatively fast circular motion around a point called the guiding center and a relatively slow drift of this point. The drift speeds may differ for various species depending on their charge states, masses, or temperatures, possibly resulting in electric currents or chemical separation.

Read more about Guiding Center:  Gyration, Parallel Motion, General Force Drifts, Nonuniform B, Polarization Drift, Diamagnetic Drift, Drift Currents

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