  An all carbon hollow cathode ion source with a specially designed cusp
magnetic field Bz as a function of radius and theta is described. Velocity
spectra from this source has shown that carbon cluster synthesis is taking
place as a function of the source design, discharge parameters and the state of
sooting. The cusp magnetic field seems to establish two distinct discharge
regions within the source. The first is a narrow annular ring that is 2 mm
thick and 15-20 mm long with restricted axial and radial extent of the cusp
field. Here the source gas ionizes. The carbon atoms sputter of the cathode
walls and subsequently get ionized. The other one is a cylindrical plasma
region with the entire axial range of Bz. In this region the dynamics of the
soot formation from the plasma constituent on the cathode walls seems to be
related to the carbon clustering processes
