X1-019 (2003/09/29)
The motion of a charged particle in an almost-homogeneous magnetic field
The effect of small inhomogenities of a magnetic field, on the motion of a charged particle in that field is investigated. It is seen that up to first order in the inhomogenity, the motion is a helix around the field with a drift added. Moreover, the speed of the particle along the field is varying: it decreases as the field strength increases.