Experimental Determination of Electron Orbits in the Field of a Magnetic Dipole

An analogue method for determination of electron orbits in a magnetic dipole field has been developed by Malmfors several years ago. The method is in principle a scale model experiment in a vacuum chamber where the results are obtained by measuring the deflection of an electron beam in the field of a “terrella”. During the last years this method has been further developed, and particle orbits corresponding to the following momenta have now been measured:

1. 2 · 10⁹ – 10¹⁰ eV/c

   Orbits arriving at magnetic latitude 58° in E, S, W and N directions at zenith angles of 0°, 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°. Orbits arriving from zenith at different latitudes beginning with 38° and conuing at intervals of 2 degrees up to the pole.

2. 1010 – ∞ eV/c

   Orbits arriving at magnetic latitude

   0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, 60°, 70°, 80°, and 90°

   from E, S, W and N directions at zenith angles of

   0°, 8°, 16°, 24°, 32°, 40°, 48°, 56°, 64°, 72°, and 80°.

The direction of orbits far away from the dipole is published as a function of momentum. The particles are assumed to move towards the earth and to be positively charged.

This article includes only diagrams for the latitudes 90°—60°. The remaining ones will be published in the next issue of this journal.