Pair-ion plasma generation using fullerenes.

We have developed a novel method for generating pure pair plasma which consists of positive- and negative-charged particles with an equal mass. The pair-ion plasma without electrons is generated using fullerene as an ion source through the processes of hollow-electron-beam impact ionization, electron attachment, preferential radial diffusion of ions, and resultant electron separation in an axial magnetic field. Basic characteristics of this plasma are discussed in terms of the differences from ordinary electron-ion plasmas, such as a phenomenon in the absence of sheath and potential structure formation.