Self-field vs. Applied Field Q&A

[ModeHopper]

Two questions:

Firstly, would somebody please be able to explain the difference between self-field and applied field, in the context of electromagnetic propulsion. I've looked everywhere and I can't find a clear-cut definition of the two.

Secondly, is a pulsed thruster exactly what it sounds like? i.e the ion stream is not continuous but is ejected as a series of pulses.

Thank-you.