A discharge model around a positively charged body in a magnetized plasma has been studied experimentally in relation to the charging effect of a spacecraft emitting an electron beam in space. It has been found that there exist rotating electrons trapped around the charged body driven by the magnetic and electric fields, which can cause the ionization surrounding the charged body even under low pressure (Rotating Electrons Discharge). This effect gives the explanation for the experimental result that the charging effect of a spacecraft emitting a high power electron beam in the ionosphere has been generally much weaker than the predictions based on the theoretical charging models previously proposed.

For inertial confinement fusion (ICF), a focused light ion beam (LIB) is required to propagate stably through a chamber to a target. It is pointed out that the applied external magnetic field is important for LIB propagation. To investigate the influence of the external magnetic field on the LIB propagation, the electrostatic dispersion relation of the magnetized light ion beam-plasma system was analyzed. The particle in-cell (PIC) simulation results are presented for a light ion beam-plasma system with an external magnetic field.