Magnetic Mirror Calculator
Calculate magnetic mirror confinement and particle trapping
About Magnetic Mirrors
Magnetic mirrors confine charged particles using converging magnetic field lines. Particles with sufficient perpendicular velocity are reflected, while those in the "loss cone" escape along field lines.
Key Formulas:
- sin²αL = Bmin/Bmax = 1/R (loss cone)
- μ = mv⊥²/(2B) = const (adiabatic invariant)
- sin²α ∝ B (pitch angle evolution)
Examples:
- Earth's Van Allen belts (R ~ 2-5)
- Mirror fusion machines
- Solar magnetic loops