Reply to "Comment on 'Ultracold plasma expansion in quadrupole magnetic field' ".

Abstract

In this Reply, we respond to the Comment by Schlitters et al. on our recent work [Phys. Rev. E 108, 045209 (2023)10.1103/PhysRevE.108.045209], where we present simulation results of ultracold Sr plasma expansion in a quadrupole magnetic field using a molecular-dynamics method. In the Comment, Schlitters et al. present their experimental results, some of which, from their point of view, contradict our simulation results and others that confirm the experiments of Gorman et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 085002 (2021)10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.085002] and our results. In addition, Schlitters et al. also provide results that were not described in our work. Here we show that there is not a contradiction but a misunderstanding of our results. This is due to the fact that simulations allow the use of processing methods that are difficult to obtain in experiment. We also present different simulation results related to expansion velocity variations that reflect the experimental results of Schlitters et al. and provide an explanation for the origin of these variations.