Studies of nonlinear interactions between counter-propagating Alfv'en waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auerbach, D. W.; Perez, J. C.; Carter, T. A.; Boldyrev, S.

2007-11-01

From a weak turbulence point of view, nonlinear interactions between shear Alfv'en waves are fundamental to the energy cascade in low-frequency magnetic turbulence. We report here on an experimental study of counter-propagating Alfv'en wave interactions in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. Colliding, orthogonally polarized kinetic Alfv'en waves are generated by two antennae, separated by 5m along the guide magnetic field. Magnetic field and langmuir probes record plasma behavior between the antennae. When each antenna is operated separately, linearly polarized Alfv'en waves propagate in opposite directions along the guide field. When two antennae simultaneously excite counter propagating waves, we observe multiple side bands in the frequency domain, whose amplitude scales quadratically with wave amplitude. In the spatial domain we observe non-linear superposition in the 2D structure of the waves and spectral broadening in the perpendicular wave-number spectrum. This indicates the presence of nonlinear interaction of the counter propagating Alfv'en waves, and opens the possiblity to investigate Alfv'enic plasma turbulence in controlled and reproducible laboratory experiments.

Alfven waves associated with long cylindrical satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkataraman, N. S.; Gustafson, W. A.

1973-01-01

The Alfven wave excited by a long cylindrical satellite moving with a constant velocity at an angle relative to a uniform magnetic field has been calculated. Assuming a plasma with infinite conductivity, the linearized momentum equation and Maxwell's equations are applied to a cylindrical satellite carrying a variable current. The induced magnetic field is determined, and it is shown that the Alfven disturbance zone is of limited extent, depending on the satellite shape. The wave drag coefficient is calculated and shown to be small compared to the induction drag coefficient at all altitudes considered.

Quantum effects on compressional Alfven waves in compensated semiconductors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amin, M. R.

2015-03-15

Amplitude modulation of a compressional Alfven wave in compensated electron-hole semiconductor plasmas is considered in the quantum magnetohydrodynamic regime in this paper. The important ingredients of this study are the inclusion of the particle degeneracy pressure, exchange-correlation potential, and the quantum diffraction effects via the Bohm potential in the momentum balance equations of the charge carriers. A modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived for the evolution of the slowly varying amplitude of the compressional Alfven wave by employing the standard reductive perturbation technique. Typical values of the parameters for GaAs, GaSb, and GaN semiconductors are considered in analyzing the linearmore » and nonlinear dispersions of the compressional Alfven wave. Detailed analysis of the modulation instability in the long-wavelength regime is presented. For typical parameter ranges of the semiconductor plasmas and at the long-wavelength regime, it is found that the wave is modulationally unstable above a certain critical wavenumber. Effects of the exchange-correlation potential and the Bohm potential in the wave dynamics are also studied. It is found that the effect of the Bohm potential may be neglected in comparison with the effect of the exchange-correlation potential in the linear and nonlinear dispersions of the compressional Alfven wave.« less

Analysis and gyrokinetic simulation of MHD Alfven wave interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielson, Kevin Derek

The study of low-frequency turbulence in magnetized plasmas is a difficult problem due to both the enormous range of scales involved and the variety of physics encompassed over this range. Much of the progress that has been made in turbulence theory is based upon a result from incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), in which energy is only transferred from large scales to small via the collision of Alfven waves propagating oppositely along the mean magnetic field. Improvements in laboratory devices and satellite measurements have demonstrated that, while theories based on this premise are useful over inertial ranges, describing turbulence at scales that approach particle gyroscales requires new theory. In this thesis, we examine the limits of incompressible MHD theory in describing collisions between pairs of Alfven waves. This interaction represents the fundamental unit of plasma turbulence. To study this interaction, we develop an analytic theory describing the nonlinear evolution of interacting Alfven waves and compare this theory to simulations performed using the gyrokinetic code AstroGK. Gyrokinetics captures a much richer set of physics than that described by incompressible MHD, and is well-suited to describing Alfvenic turbulence around the ion gyroscale. We demonstrate that AstroGK is well suited to the study of physical Alfven waves by reproducing laboratory Alfven dispersion data collected using the LAPD. Additionally, we have developed an initialization alogrithm for use with AstroGK that allows exact Alfven eigenmodes to be initialized with user specified amplitudes and phases. We demonstrate that our analytic theory based upon incompressible MHD gives excellent agreement with gyrokinetic simulations for weakly turbulent collisions in the limit that k⊥rho i << 1. In this limit, agreement is observed in the time evolution of nonlinear products, and in the strength of nonlinear interaction with respect to polarization and scale. We also examine the

A Study of Alfven Wave Propagation and Heating the Chromosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, J.; Song, P.

2013-12-01

Alfven wave propagation, reflection and heating of the solar atmosphere are studied for a one-dimensional solar atmosphere by self-consistently solving plasma and neutral fluid equations and Maxwell's equations with incorporation of the Hall effect, strong electron-neutral, electron-ion, and ion-neutral collisions. The governing equations are very stiff because of the strong coupling between the charged and neutral fluids. We have developed a numerical model based on an implicit backward difference formula (BDF2) of second order accuracy both in time and space to overcome the stiffness. A non-reflecting boundary condition is applied to the top boundary of the simulation domain so that the wave reflection within the domain due to the density gradient can be unambiguously determined. It is shown that the Alfven waves are partially reflected throughout the chromosphere. The reflection is increasingly stronger at higher altitudes and the strongest reflection occurs at the transition region. The waves are damped in the lower chromosphere dominantly through Joule dissipation due to electron collisions with neutrals and ions. The heating resulting from the wave damping is strong enough to balance the radiation energy loss for the quiet chromosphere. The collisional dissipation of the Alfven waves in the weakly collisional corona is negligible. The heating rates are larger for weaker background magnetic fields. In addition, higher frequency waves are subject to heavier damping. There is an upper cutoff frequency, depending on the background magnetic field, above which the waves are completely damped. At the frequencies below which the waves are not strongly damped, the waves may be strongly reflected at the transition region. The reflected waves interacting with the upward propagating waves may produce power at their double frequencies, which leads to more damping. Due to the reflection and damping, the energy flux of the waves transmitted to the corona is one order of

Alfven-wave dissipation: A support mechanism for quiescent prominences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, Eberhart

1986-01-01

High resolution filtergrams or spectrograms of the main body of quiescent prominences often show a very vivid dynamical picture that cannot be reconciled with static models. Even if large differences exist between individual prominences in this respect, at least parts of the prominence are usually found to be in a 'choppy', turbulent state. Evidence for systematic flows are found in local regions in the prominence and also in the transition zone in the surroundings. These two regions are probably decoupled magnetically. Alfven waves are generally believed to be responsible for the heating in the upper chromosphere and corona (Hollweg 1986). Since evidence for the presence of Alfven-waves has also been found in the solar wind field, it is highly probable that such waves are generated in the convection zone of the sun and propagated outwards in the solar atmosphere wherever a proper magnetic field is present to carry the waves. The most basic magnetic formations in the solar atmosphere are simple loops. They occur all over the solar surface and cover a large range of magnetic field strengths. Loops with the strongest magnetic fields are found in active regions. It is to be expected that the Alfven-wave flux which is channelled into the loops from below, could show considerable variation both with heliocentric latitude, with time and locally between neighbouring loops. What happens when a magnetic loop is exposed to the appropriate Alfven-wave flux required to heat the upper solar atmosphere is examined.

Winds from Luminous Late-Type Stars: II. Broadband Frequency Distribution of Alfven Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Airapetian, V.; Carpenter, K. G.; Ofman, L.

2010-01-01

We present the numerical simulations of winds from evolved giant stars using a fully non-linear, time dependent 2.5-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code. This study extends our previous fully non-linear MHD wind simulations to include a broadband frequency spectrum of Alfven waves that drive winds from red giant stars. We calculated four Alfven wind models that cover the whole range of Alfven wave frequency spectrum to characterize the role of freely propagated and reflected Alfven waves in the gravitationally stratified atmosphere of a late-type giant star. Our simulations demonstrate that, unlike linear Alfven wave-driven wind models, a stellar wind model based on plasma acceleration due to broadband non-linear Alfven waves, can consistently reproduce the wide range of observed radial velocity profiles of the winds, their terminal velocities and the observed mass loss rates. Comparison of the calculated mass loss rates with the empirically determined mass loss rate for alpha Tau suggests an anisotropic and time-dependent nature of stellar winds from evolved giants.

Stimulated Parametric Decay of Large Amplitude Alfv'en waves in the Large Plasma Device (LaPD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, S.; Carter, T.; Pribyl, P.; Tripathi, S. K. P.; van Compernolle, B.; Vincena, S.

2012-10-01

Alfv'en waves, the fundamental mode of magnetized plasmas, are ubiquitous in lab and space. While the linear behaviour of these waves has been extensively studied, non-linear effects are important in many real systems. In particular, a parametric decay process in which a large amplitude Alfv'en wave decays into an ion acoustic wave and backward propagating Alfv'en wave may be key to the spectrum of solar wind turbulence. The present laboratory experiments aim to stimulate this process by launching counter-propagating Alfv'en waves from antennas placed at either end of the Large Plasma Device (LaPD). The resulting beat response has many properties consistent with an ion acoustic wave including: 1) The beat amplitude peaks when the frequency difference between the two Alfv'en waves is near the value predicted by Alfv'en-ion acoustic wave coupling. 2) This peak beat frequency scales with antenna and plasma parameters as predicted by three wave matching. 3) The beat amplitude peaks at the same location as the magnetic field from the Alfv'en waves. 4) The beat wave is carried by the ions and propagates in the direction of the higher-frequency Alfv'en wave. Strong damping observed after the pump Alfv'en waves are turned off is under investigation.

On WKB expansions for Alfven waves in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollweg, Joseph V.

1990-01-01

The WKB expansion for 'toroidal' Alfven waves in solar wind, which is described by equations of Heinemann and Olbert (1980), is examined. In this case, the multiple scales method (Nayfeh, 1981) is used to obtain a uniform expansion. It is shown that the WKB expansion used by Belcher (1971) and Hollweg (1973) for Alfven waves in the solar wind is nonuniformly convergent.

On WKB expansions for Alfven waves in the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollweg, Joseph V.

1990-09-01

The WKB expansion for 'toroidal' Alfven waves in solar wind, which is described by equations of Heinemann and Olbert (1980), is examined. In this case, the multiple scales method (Nayfeh, 1981) is used to obtain a uniform expansion. It is shown that the WKB expansion used by Belcher (1971) and Hollweg (1973) for Alfven waves in the solar wind is nonuniformly convergent.

Wave-Particle Energy Exchange Directly Observed in a Kinetic Alfven-Branch Wave

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gershman, Daniel J.; F-Vinas, Adolfo; Dorelli, John C.; Boardsen, Scott A. (Inventor); Avanov, Levon A.; Bellan, Paul M.; Schwartz, Steven J.; Lavraud, Benoit; Coffey, Victoria N.; Chandler, Michael O.;

Alfven wave cyclotron resonance heating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

White, R.B.; Yosikawa, S.; Oberman, C.

1981-02-01

The resonance absorption of fast Alfven waves at the proton ctclotron resonance of a predominately deuterium plasma is investigated. An approximate dispersion relation is derived, valid in the vicinity of the resonance, which permits an exact calculation of transmission and reflection coefficients. For reasonable plasma parameters significant linear resonance absorption is found.

Spatial nonlinear absorption of Alfven waves by dissipative plasma taking account bremsstrahlung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taiurskii, A. A.; Gavrikov, M. B.

2016-10-01

We study numerically the nonlinear absorption of a plane Alfven wave falling on the stationary boundary of dissipative plasma. This absorption is caused by such factors as the magnetic viscosity, hydrodynamic viscosity, and thermal conductivity of electrons and ions, bremsstrahlung and energy exchange between plasma components. The relevance of this investigation is due to some works, published in 2011, with regard to the heating mechanism of the solar corona and solar wind generation as a result of the absorption of plasma Alfven waves generated in the lower significantly colder layers of the Sun. Numerical analysis shows that the absorption of Alfven waves occurs at wavelengths of the order of skin depth, in which case the classical MHD equations are inapplicable. Therefore, our research is based on equations of two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics that take into account the inertia of the electrons. The implicit difference scheme proposed here for calculating plane-parallel flows of two-fluid plasma reveals a number of important patterns of absorption and thus allows us to study the dependence of the absorption on the Alfven wave frequency and the electron thermal conductivity and viscosity, as well as to evaluate the depth and the velocity of plasma heating during the penetration of Alfven waves interacting with dissipative plasma.

Alfven Wave Reflection Model of Field-Aligned Currents at Mercury

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyatsky, Wladislaw; Khazanov, George V.; Slavin, James

2010-01-01

An Alfven Wave Reflection (AWR) model is proposed that provides closure for strong field-aligned currents (FACs) driven by the magnetopause reconnection in the magnetospheres of planets having no significant ionospheric and surface electrical conductance. The model is based on properties of the Alfven waves, generated at high altitudes and reflected from the low-conductivity surface of the planet. When magnetospheric convection is very slow, the incident and reflected Alfven waves propagate along approximately the same path. In this case, the net field-aligned currents will be small. However, as the convection speed increases. the reflected wave is displaced relatively to the incident wave so that the incident and reflected waves no longer compensate each other. In this case, the net field-aligned current may be large despite the lack of significant ionospheric and surface conductivity. Our estimate shows that for typical solar wind conditions at Mercury, the magnitude of Region 1-type FACs in Mercury's magnetosphere may reach hundreds of kilo-Amperes. This AWR model of field-aligned currents may provide a solution to the long-standing problem of the closure of FACs in the Mercury's magnetosphere. c2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms for the Dissipation of Alfven Waves in Near-Earth Space Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra; Khazanov, George; Krivorutsky, E. N.; Davis, John M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Alfven waves are a major mechanism for the transport of electromagnetic energy from the distant part of the magnetosphere to the near-Earth space. This is especially true for the auroral and polar regions of the Earth. However, the mechanisms for their dissipation have remained illusive. One of the mechanisms is the formation of double layers when the current associated with Alfven waves in the inertial regime interact with density cavities, which either are generated nonlinearly by the waves themselves or are a part of the ambient plasma turbulence. Depending on the strength of the cavities, weak and strong double layers could form. Such double layers are transient; their lifetimes depend on that of the cavities. Thus they impulsively accelerate ions and electrons. Another mechanism is the resonant absorption of broadband Alfven- wave noise by the ions at the ion cyclotron frequencies. But this resonant absorption may not be possible for the very low frequency waves, and it may be more suited for electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. A third mechanism is the excitation of secondary waves by the drifts of electrons and ions in the Alfven wave fields. It is found that under suitable conditions, the relative drifts between different ion species and/or between electrons and ions are large enough to drive lower hybrid waves, which could cause transverse accelerations of ions and parallel accelerations of electrons. This mechanism is being further studied by means of kinetic simulations using 2.5- and 3-D particle-in-cell codes. The ongoing modeling efforts on space weather require quantitative estimates of energy inputs of various kinds, including the electromagnetic energy. Our studies described here contribute to the methods of determining the estimates of the input from ubiquitous Alfven waves.

Small amplitude Kinetic Alfven waves in a superthermal electron-positron-ion plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adnan, Muhammad; Mahmood, Sahahzad; Qamar, Anisa; Tribeche, Mouloud

2016-11-01

We are investigating the propagating properties of coupled Kinetic Alfven-acoustic waves in a low beta plasma having superthermal electrons and positrons. Using the standard reductive perturbation method, a nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) type equation is derived which describes the evolution of Kinetic Alfven waves. It is found that nonlinearity and Larmor radius effects can compromise and give rise to solitary structures. The parametric role of superthermality and positron content on the characteristics of solitary wave structures is also investigated. It is found that only sub-Alfvenic and compressive solitons are supported in the present model. The present study may find applications in a low β electron-positron-ion plasma having superthermal electrons and positrons.

The Nonlinear Coupling of Alfven and Lower Hybrid Waves in Space Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Singh, N.; Krivorutsky, E.

2003-01-01

Space plasmas support a wide variety of waves, and wave-particle interactions as well as wave-wave interactions which are of crucial importance to magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma behavior. The excitation of lower hybrid waves (LHWs), in particular, is a widely discussed mechanism of interaction between plasma species in space and is one of the unresolved questions of magnetospheric multi-ion plasmas. It is demonstrated that large-amplitude Alfven waves may generate LHWs in the auroral zone and ring current region and in some cases (particularly in the inner magnetosphere) this serves as the Alfven wave saturation mechanism. We present several examples of observational data which illustrate that the proposed mechanism is a plausible candidate to explain certain classes of LHW generation events in the ionosphere and magnetosphere and demonstrate electron and ion energization involving these processes. Furthermore, we will present results from particle-in-cell simulations showing the generation of particle drifts in response to an Alfven wave, resulting in excitation of waves and ion heating in a multi- ion plasma.

Observational evidence for Alfven waves in the solar atmosphere (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Pontieu, B.

2013-12-01

Alfven waves have long been suspected of playing an important role in both heating the corona and accelerating the solar wind. Recently, more and more observational evidence for the presence of such waves has been reported in both the corona and the lower solar atmosphere. I will review observations of the properties and presence of Alfven waves from CoMP, Hinode, AIA and ground-based telescopes in both coronal lines and the lower solar atmosphere. I will discuss our current understanding of the importance of these waves for the energy balance of the corona. I will also present initial results of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) which was launched in June 2013 and obtains images and spectra in both the far and near ultraviolet.

Scattering of magnetic mirror trapped electrons by an Alfven wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Gekelman, W. N.; Pribyl, P.; Papadopoulos, K.; Karavaev, A. V.; Shao, X.; Sharma, A. S.

2010-12-01

Highly energetic particles from large solar flares or other events can be trapped in the Earth’s magnetic mirror field and pose a danger to intricate space satellites. Aiming for artificially de-trapping these particles, an experimental and theoretical study of the interactions of a shear Alfven wave with electrons trapped in a magnetic mirror was performed on the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) at UCLA, with critical parameter ratios matched in the lab plasma to those in space. The experiment was done in a quiescent afterglow plasma with ne≈5×1011cm-3, Te≈0.5eV, B0≈1000G, L=18m, and diameter=60cm. A magnetic mirror was established in LaPD (mirror ratio≈1.5, Lmirror≈3m). An electron population with large v⊥ (E⊥≈1keV) was introduced by microwave heating at upper-hybrid frequency with a 2.45GHz pulsed microwave source at up to 5kW. A shear Alfven wave with arbitrary polarization (fwave≈0.5fci , Bwave/B0≈0.5%) was launched by a Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF) antenna axially 2m away from the center of the mirror. It was observed that the Alfven wave effectively eliminated the trapped electrons. A diagnostic probe was developed for this experiment to measure electrons with large v⊥ in the background plasma. Plasma density and temperature perturbations from the Alfven wave were observed along with electron scattering. Computer simulations tracking single particle motion with wave field are ongoing. In these the Alfven wave’s effect on the electrons pitch angle distribution by a Monte-Carlo method is studied. Planned experiments include upgrading the microwave source for up to 100kW pulses to make electrons with higher transverse energy and longer mirror trapping time. This work is supported by The Office of Naval Research under a MURI award. Work was done at the Basic Plasma Science Facility which is supported by DOE and NSF.

Focused interplanetary transport of solar energetic particles through self-generated Alfven waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, C. K.; Reames, D. V.

1991-01-01

The coupled evolution of solar-flare protons and interplanetary Alfven waves based on the quasi-linear theory implies an order of magnitude amplification (damping) in the outward (inward) propagating left helical resonant Alfven waves at less than 0.4-AU helioradius, if the proton intensity at 1 AU exceeds 300 particles/(sq cm s sr MeV) at 1 MeV, and the initial wave intensities give mean free paths of more than 0.5 AU. The wave growth significantly retards solar-particle transport, and has implications on the nature of solar-wind turbulence.

Experimental studies of interactions between Alfv'en waves and striated density depletions in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auerbach, D. W.; Carter, T. A.; Vincena, S.

2008-11-01

Satellite measurements in the earth's magnetosphere have associated Alfv'en frequency fluctuations with density depletions striated along the geomagnetic field. This poster presents laboratory studies in the LADP experiment at UCLA modeling this phenomena. Density depletions are pre-formed in the plasma column by selectively blocking a portion of the drive beam, and Alfv'en waves are driven in the cavity by means of an inserted antenna. Relevant experimental parameters include an ion cyclotron radius around a mm, alfven parallel wavelength several meters, electron inertial length around 6 mm, and electron thermal speeds about a third of the alfv'en speed. We report here on modifications to the wave propagation due to the density depletion. We also report on the details of the interactions between the driven wave and the secondary drift-alfv'en wave instabilities that arise on the density boundary, including wave-wave interactions and possible turbulent broadening effects on the main wave.

Propagation analysis of the helicity-drive Alfven wave in the HIST spherical torus plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyobu, T.; Hanao, T.; Hirono, H.; Ito, K.; Matsumoto, K.; Nakayama, T.; Kikuchi, Y.; Fukumoto, N.; Nagata, M.

2012-10-01

Coaxial Helicity Injection is an efficient current-drive method used in spherical torus experiments. It is a key issue to investigate the dynamo mechanism required to maintain the plasmas. The behavior of a low frequency Alfven wave being possibly related to the dynamo current drive has been studied on HIST. The observed magnetic fluctuation with about 80 kHz propagates along the open flux column (OFC) region, spreading toward the core region. The parallel phase velocity is estimated at 321 km/s from the propagation velocity measured axially along the OFC. The parallel phase velocity agrees well to the Alfven velocity. The radial perpendicular propagation of the Alfven wave can be calculated by a theory based on cold or warm plasma approximation with the Hall term. The theoretical calculation indicates that there are two resonance points and is a cut-off point. These resonance and cut-off points agree well with the magnetic measurement. A part of fluctuation propagates slowly beyond the first resonance point. The wave polarization is left-handed near the resonance point and then converts to be nearly liner outside the resonance point. From these results, we speculate that the torsional Alfven wave evolves to the kinetic Alfven wave during the radial propagation.

Energy dissipation of Alfven wave packets deformed by irregular magnetic fields in solar-coronal arches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Similon, Philippe L.; Sudan, R. N.

1989-01-01

The importance of field line geometry for shear Alfven wave dissipation in coronal arches is demonstrated. An eikonal formulation makes it possible to account for the complicated magnetic geometry typical in coronal loops. An interpretation of Alfven wave resonance is given in terms of gradient steepening, and dissipation efficiencies are studied for two configurations: the well-known slab model with a straight magnetic field, and a new model with stochastic field lines. It is shown that a large fraction of the Alfven wave energy flux can be effectively dissipated in the corona.

Heating and background plasma modification associated with large amplitude kinetic Alfv'en wave launch in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; Auerbach, D. W.; Brugman, B. T.

2007-11-01

Large amplitude kinetic Alfv'en waves (δB/B ˜1% > k/k) are generated in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA using loop antennas. Substantial electron heating is observed, localized to the wave current channels. The Poynting flux associated with the Alfv'en waves is substantial and the observed heating may be at least in part due to collisional and Landau damping of these waves. However, heating by antenna near inductive electric fields may also be responsible for the observations. A discussion of both possibilities will be presented, including measurements of near fields of the antenna. The heating structures the background plasma and results in the excitation of drift-Alfv'en waves. These drift waves then interact with the incident Alfv'en wave, causing sideband generation which results in a nearly broadband state at high wave power. This process may represent an alternate mechanism by which unidirectional kinetic Alfv'en waves can nonlinearly generate a turbulent spectrum. In addition to electron heating, evidence for background density modification and electron acceleration is observed and will be presented.

Ion gyroradius effects on particle trapping in kinetic Alfven waves along auroral field lines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Damiano, P. A.; Johnson, J. R.; Chaston, C. C.

In this study, a 2-D self-consistent hybrid gyrofluid-kinetic electron model is used to investigate Alfven wave propagation along dipolar magnetic field lines for a range of ion to electron temperature ratios. The focus of the investigation is on understanding the role of these effects on electron trapping in kinetic Alfven waves sourced in the plasma sheet and the role of this trapping in contributing to the overall electron energization at the ionosphere. This work also builds on our previous effort by considering a similar system in the limit of fixed initial parallel current, rather than fixed initial perpendicular electric field.more » It is found that the effects of particle trapping are strongest in the cold ion limit and the kinetic Alfven wave is able to carry trapped electrons a large distance along the field line yielding a relatively large net energization of the trapped electron population as the phase speed of the wave is increased. However, as the ion temperature is increased, the ability of the kinetic Alfven wave to carry and energize trapped electrons is reduced by more significant wave energy dispersion perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field which reduces the amplitude of the wave. This reduction of wave amplitude in turn reduces both the parallel current and the extent of the high-energy tails evident in the energized electron populations at the ionospheric boundary (which may serve to explain the limited extent of the broadband electron energization seen in observations). Here, even in the cold ion limit, trapping effects in kinetic Alfven waves lead to only modest electron energization for the parameters considered (on the order of tens of eV) and the primary energization of electrons to keV levels coincides with the arrival of the wave at the ionospheric boundary.« less

Ion gyroradius effects on particle trapping in kinetic Alfven waves along auroral field lines

DOE PAGES

Damiano, P. A.; Johnson, J. R.; Chaston, C. C.

2016-11-10

In this study, a 2-D self-consistent hybrid gyrofluid-kinetic electron model is used to investigate Alfven wave propagation along dipolar magnetic field lines for a range of ion to electron temperature ratios. The focus of the investigation is on understanding the role of these effects on electron trapping in kinetic Alfven waves sourced in the plasma sheet and the role of this trapping in contributing to the overall electron energization at the ionosphere. This work also builds on our previous effort by considering a similar system in the limit of fixed initial parallel current, rather than fixed initial perpendicular electric field.more » It is found that the effects of particle trapping are strongest in the cold ion limit and the kinetic Alfven wave is able to carry trapped electrons a large distance along the field line yielding a relatively large net energization of the trapped electron population as the phase speed of the wave is increased. However, as the ion temperature is increased, the ability of the kinetic Alfven wave to carry and energize trapped electrons is reduced by more significant wave energy dispersion perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field which reduces the amplitude of the wave. This reduction of wave amplitude in turn reduces both the parallel current and the extent of the high-energy tails evident in the energized electron populations at the ionospheric boundary (which may serve to explain the limited extent of the broadband electron energization seen in observations). Here, even in the cold ion limit, trapping effects in kinetic Alfven waves lead to only modest electron energization for the parameters considered (on the order of tens of eV) and the primary energization of electrons to keV levels coincides with the arrival of the wave at the ionospheric boundary.« less

Observation of Alfven Waves in the Solar Corona (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomczyk, S.

2013-12-01

I will review the extensive progress made in recent years on the observation of Alfven waves in the solar corona, with an emphasis on the measurements made with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter. Application of the wave measurements to coronal seismology will be presented. Future prospects in the field will be discussed.

Evidence of Ubiquitous Large-Amplitude Alfven waves in the Global Field-Aligned Current System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakhotin, I.; Mann, I.; Lysak, R. L.; Knudsen, D. J.; Burchill, J. K.; Gjerloev, J. W.; Rae, J.; Forsyth, C.; Murphy, K. R.; Miles, D.; Ozeke, L.; Balasis, G.

2017-12-01

Large-amplitude non-stationarities have been observed during an analysis of a quiescent field-aligned current system crossing using the multi-satellite Swarm constellation. Using simultaneous electric and magnetic field measurements it has been determined that these non-stationarities, reaching tens to hundreds of nanoteslas, are Alfvenic in nature. Evidence suggests that these large-amplitude Alfven waves are a ubiquitous, fundamentally inherent feature of and exist in a continuum with larger-scale field-aligned currents, and both can be explained using the same physical paradigm of reflected Alfven waves.

Parametric instabilities of finite-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfven waves in an anisotropic plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamabata, Hiromitsu

1993-01-01

A class of parametric instabilities of finite-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfven waves in a plasma with pressure anisotropy is studied by application of the CGL equations. A linear perturbation analysis is used to find the dispersion relation governing the instabilities, which is a fifth-order polynomial and is solved numerically. A large-amplitude, circularly polarized wave is unstable with respect to decay into three waves: one sound-like wave and two side-band Alfven-like waves. It is found that, in addition to the decay instability, two new instabilities that are absent in the framework of the MHD equations can occur, depending on the plasma parameters.

Preferential Heating of Oxygen 5+ Ions by Finite-Amplitude Oblique Alfven Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maneva, Yana G.; Vinas, Adolfo; Araneda, Jamie; Poedts, Stefaan

2016-01-01

Minor ions in the fast solar wind are known to have higher temperatures and to flow faster than protons in the interplanetary space. In this study we combine previous research on parametric instability theory and 2.5D hybrid simulations to study the onset of preferential heating of Oxygen 5+ ions by large-scale finite-amplitude Alfven waves in the collisionless fast solar wind. We consider initially non-drifting isotropic multi-species plasma, consisting of isothermal massless fluid electrons, kinetic protons and kinetic Oxygen 5+ ions. The external energy source for the plasma heating and energization are oblique monochromatic Alfven-cyclotron waves. The waves have been created by rotating the direction of initial parallel pump, which is a solution of the multi-fluid plasma dispersion relation. We consider propagation angles theta less than or equal to 30 deg. The obliquely propagating Alfven pump waves lead to strong diffusion in the ion phase space, resulting in highly anisotropic heavy ion velocity distribution functions and proton beams. We discuss the application of the model to the problems of preferential heating of minor ions in the solar corona and the fast solar wind.

Nonlinear Propagation of Alfven Waves Driven by Observed Photospheric Motions: Application to the Coronal Heating and Spicule Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Takuma; Shibata, Kazunari

We have performed MHD simulations of Alfven wave propagation along an open ux tube in the solar atmosphere. In our numerical model, Alfven waves are generated by the photospheric granular motion. As the wave generator, we used a derived temporal spectrum of the photo-spheric granular motion from G-band movies of Hinode/SOT. It is shown that the total energy ux at the corona becomes larger and the transition region height becomes higher in the case when we use the observed spectrum rather than white/pink noise spectrum as the wave gener-ator. This difference can be explained by the Alfven wave resonance between the photosphere and the transition region. After performing Fourier analysis on our numerical results, we have found that the region between the photosphere and the transition region becomes an Alfven wave resonant cavity. We have conrmed that there are at least three resonant frequencies, 1, 3 and 5 mHz, in our numerical model. Alfven wave resonance is one of the most effective mechanisms to explain the dynamics of the spicules and the sufficient energy ux to heat the corona.

Alfven Waves Underlying Ionospheric Destabilization: Ground-Based Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Michael

During geomagnetic storms, terawatts of power in the million mile-per-hour solar wind pierce the Earth's magnetosphere. Geomagnetic storms and substorms create transverse magnetic waves known as Alfven waves. In the auroral acceleration region, Alfven waves accelerate electrons up to one-tenth the speed of light via wave-particle interactions. These inertial Alfven wave (IAW) accelerated electrons are imbued with sub-100 meter structure perpendicular to geomagnetic field B. The IAW electric field parallel to B accelerates electrons up to about 10 keV along B. The IAW dispersion relation quantifies the precipitating electron striation observed with high-speed cameras as spatiotemporally dynamic fine structured aurora. A network of tightly synchronized tomographic auroral observatories using model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) techniques were developed in this dissertation. The TRANSCAR electron penetration model creates a basis set of monoenergetic electron beam eigenprofiles of auroral volume emission rate for the given location and ionospheric conditions. Each eigenprofile consists of nearly 200 broadband line spectra modulated by atmospheric attenuation, bandstop filter and imager quantum efficiency. The L-BFGS-B minimization routine combined with sub-pixel registered electron multiplying CCD video stream at order 10 ms cadence yields estimates of electron differential number flux at the top of the ionosphere. Our automatic data curation algorithm reduces one terabyte/camera/day into accurate MBIR-processed estimates of IAW-driven electron precipitation microstructure. This computer vision structured auroral discrimination algorithm was developed using a multiscale dual-camera system observing a 175 km and 14 km swath of sky simultaneously. This collective behavior algorithm exploits the "swarm" behavior of aurora, detectable even as video SNR approaches zero. A modified version of the algorithm is applied to topside ionospheric radar at Mars and

Propagation of large amplitude Alfven waves in the solar wind neutral sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malara, F.; Primavera, L.; Veltri, P.

1995-01-01

Analysis of solar wind fluctuation data show that the correlation between velocity and magnetic field fluctuations decreases when going farther away from the Sun. This decorrelation can be attributed either to the time evolution of the fluctuations, carried away by the solar wind, or to the interaction between the solar wind neutral sheet and Alfven waves. To check this second hypothesis we have numerically studied the propagation of Alfven waves in the solar wind neutral sheet. The initial conditions have been set up in order to guarantee B(exp 2) = const, so that the following numerical evolution is only due to the inhomogeneity in the background magnetic field. The analysis of the results shows that compressive structures are formed, mainly in the neutral sheet where they have been identified as pressure balanced structures, i.e., tangential discontinuities. Fast perturbations, which are also produced, have a tendency to leave the simulation domain, propagating also perpendicularly to the mean magnetic field. For this reason the level of fast perturbations is always smaller with respect to the previously cited plasma balanced structures, which are slow mode perturbations. A comparison between the numerical results and some particular observational issues is also presented.

ULF Waves in the Ionospheric Alfven Resonator: Modeling of MICA Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streltsov, A. V.; Tulegenov, B.

2017-12-01

We present results from a numerical study of physical processes responsible for the generation of small-scale, intense electromagnetic structures in the ultra-low-frequency range frequently observed in the close vicinity of bright discrete auroral arcs. In particular, our research is focused on the role of the ionosphere in generating these structures. A significant body of observations demonstrate that small-scale electromagnetic waves with frequencies below 1 Hz are detected at high latitudes where the large-scale, downward magnetic field-aligned current (FAC) interact with the ionosphere. Some theoretical studies suggest that these waves can be generated by the ionospheric feedback instability (IFI) inside the ionospheric Alfven resonator (IAR). The IAR is the region in the low-altitude magnetosphere bounded by the strong gradient in the Alfven speed at high altitude and the conducting bottom of the ionosphere (ionospheric E-region) at low altitude. To study ULF waves in this region we use a numerical model developed from reduced two fluid MHD equations describing shear Alfven waves in the ionosphere and magnetosphere of the earth. The active ionospheric feedback on structure and amplitude of magnetic FACs that interact with the ionosphere is implemented through the ionospheric boundary conditions that link the parallel current density with the plasma density and the perpendicular electric field in the ionosphere. Our numerical results are compared with the in situ measurements performed by the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling in the Alfven Resonator (MICA) sounding rocket, launched on February 19, 2012 from Poker Flat Research Range in Alaska to measure fields and particles during a passage through a discreet auroral arc. Parameters of the simulations are chosen to match actual MICA parameters, allowing the comparison in the most precise and rigorous way. Waves generated in the numerical model have frequencies between 0.30 and 0.45 Hz, while MICA measured

Experimental and Numerical Study of Drift Alfv'en Waves in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, Brett; Popovich, P.; Carter, T. A.; Auerbach, D.; Schaffner, D.

2009-11-01

We present a study of drift Alfv'en waves in linear geometry using experiments in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA and simulations from the Boundary Turbulence code (BOUT). BOUT solves the 3D time evolution of plasma parameters and turbulence using Braginskii fluid equations. First, we present a verification study of linear drift Alfven wave physics in BOUT, which has been modified to simulate the cylindrical geometry of LAPD. Second, we present measurements of density and magnetic field fluctuations in the LAPD plasma and the correlation of these fluctuations as a function of plasma parameters, including strength of the background field and discharge current. We also compare the measurements to nonlinear BOUT calculations using experimental LAPD profiles.

Toroidal Alfven Waves in Advanced Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berk, Herbert L.

2003-10-01

In burning plasma experiments, alpha particles have speeds that readily resonate with shear Alfven waves. It is essential to understand this Alfven wave spectrum for toroidal plasma confinement. Most interest has focused on the Toroidal Alfven Eigenmode (TAE), and a method of analysis has been developed to understand the structure of this mode at a flux surface with a given magnetic shear. However, this model fails when the shear is too low or reversed. In this case a new method of analysis is required, which must incorporate novel fluid-like effects from the energetic particles [1] and also include effects that are second order in the inverse toroidal aspect ratio. With this new method [2] we can obtain spectral features that agree with experimental results. In particular, this theory gives an explanation for the so-called Cascade modes that have been observed in JT-60 [3], JET [4], and TFTR [5]. For these Cascade modes, slow upward frequency sweeping is observed, beginning from frequencies below the TAE range but then often blending into the TAE range of frequencies. The theoretical understanding of the Cascades modes has evolved to the point where these modes can be used as a diagnostic "signature" [6] to experimentally optimize the formation of thermal barriers in reversed-shear operation when the minimum q value is an integer. [1] H. L. Berk et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 185 (2002). [2] B. N. Breizman et al., submitted to Phys. Plasmas (2003). [3] H. Kimura et al., Nucl. Fusion 38, 1303 (1998). [4] S. Sharapov et al., Phys. Lett. A 289, 127 (2001); S. Sharapov, Phys. Plasmas 9, 2027 (2002). [5] R. Nazikian, H. L. Berk, et al., Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 47, 327 (2002). [6] E. Joffrin et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 44, 1739 (2002); E. Joffrin et al., in Proc. 2002 IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, submitted to Nucl. Fusion.

Energy densities of Alfven waves between 0.7 and 1.6 AU. [in interplanetary medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belcher, J. W.; Burchsted, R.

1974-01-01

Plasma and field data from Mariner 4 and 5 between 0.7 and 1.6 AU are used to study the radial dependence of the levels of microscale fluctuation associated with interplanetary Alfven waves. The observed decrease of these levels with increasing distance from the sun is consistent with little or no local generation or damping of the ambient Alfven waves over this range of radial distance.

The soliton transform and a possible application to nonlinear Alfven waves in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hada, T.; Hamilton, R. L.; Kennel, C. F.

1993-01-01

The inverse scattering transform (IST) based on the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger (DNLS) equation is applied to a complex time series of nonlinear Alfven wave data generated by numerical simulation. The IST describes the long-time evolution of quasi-parallel Alfven waves more efficiently than the Fourier transform, which is adapted to linear rather than nonlinear problems. When dissipation is added, so the conditions for the validity of the DNLS are not strictly satisfied, the IST continues to provide a compact description of the wavefield in terms of a small number of decaying envelope solitons.

Dissipative MHD solutions for resonant Alfven waves in 1-dimensional magnetic flux tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goossens, Marcel; Ruderman, Michail S.; Hollweg, Joseph V.

1995-01-01

The present paper extends the analysis by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg (1991) on resonant Alfven waves in nonuniform magnetic flux tubes. It proves that the fundamental conservation law for resonant Alfven waves found in ideal MHD by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg remains valid in dissipative MHD. This guarantees that the jump conditions of Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg, that connect the ideal MHD solutions for xi(sub r), and P' across the dissipative layer, are correct. In addition, the present paper replaces the complicated dissipative MHD solutions obtained by Sakurai, Goossens, and Hollweg for xi(sub r), and P' in terms of double integrals of Hankel functions of complex argument of order 1/3 with compact analytical solutions that allow a straight- forward mathematical and physical interpretation. Finally, it presents an analytical dissipative MHD solution for the component of the Lagrangian displacement in the magnetic surfaces perpen- dicular to the magnetic field lines xi(sub perpendicular) which enables us to determine the dominant dynamics of resonant Alfven waves in dissipative MHD.

Generation of field-aligned currents and Alfven waves by 3D magnetic reconnection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, Z.W.; Lee, L.C.; Otto, A.

1995-07-01

The authors have carried out a three-dimensional compressible MHD simulation to study the generation of field-aligned currents (FAC`s) and Alfven waves by magnetic reconnection for locally antiparallel magnetic fields across the current sheet. Reconnection is triggered by a localized resistivity. The results indicate that both FAC`s and Alfven waves are generated by the three-dimensional reconnection process. Two pairs of FAC`s are generated on each side of current sheet. The polarities of the resulting FAC pair in the leading bulge region are opposite to those of a FAC pair in the trailing quasi-steady region. It is further found that a largemore » portion of the FAC`s ({approximately}40%) is located in the closed field line region. They examine the Walen relation between FAC and parallel vorticity and find that Alfven waves are generated and propagate away from the reconnection site. They discuss the relevance of the results to the observed Region 1 FAC`s at noon. 15 refs., 4 figs.« less

Dissipation of Alfven Waves at Fluid Scale through Parametric Decay Instabilities in Low-beta Turbulent Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, X.; Li, H.; Guo, F.; Li, X.; Roytershteyn, V.

2017-12-01

The solar wind is a turbulent magnetized plasma extending from the upper atmosphere of the sun to the edge of the heliosphere. It carries charged particles and magnetic fields originated from the Sun, which have great impact on the geomagnetic environment and human activities in space. In such a magnetized plasma, Alfven waves play a crucial role in carrying energy from the surface of the Sun, injecting into the solar wind and establishing power-law spectra through turbulent energy cascades. On the other hand, in compressible plasmas large amplitude Alfven waves are subject to a parametric decay instability (PDI) which converts an Alfven wave to another counter-propagating Alfven wave and an ion acoustic wave (slow mode). The counter-propagating Alfven wave provides an important ingredient for turbulent cascade, and the slow-mode wave provides a channel for solar wind heating in a spatial scale much larger than ion kinetic scales. Growth and saturation of PDI in quiet plasma have been intensively studied using linear theory and nonlinear simulations in the past. Here using 3D hybrid simulations, we show that PDI is still effective in turbulent low-beta plasmas, generating slow modes and causing ion heating. Selected events in WIND data are analyzed to identify slow modes in the solar wind and the role of PDI, and compared with our simulation results. We also investigate the validity of linear Vlasov theory regarding PDI growth and slow mode damping in turbulent plasmas. Since PDI favors low plasma beta, we expect to see more evidence of PDI in the solar wind close to the Sun, especially from the upcoming NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission which will provide unprecedented wave and plasma data as close as 8.5 solar radii from the Sun.

Upper-hybrid wave-driven Alfvenic turbulence in magnetized dusty plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, A. P.; Banerjee, S.

The nonlinear dynamics of coupled electrostatic upper-hybrid (UH) and Alfven waves (AWs) is revisited in a magnetized electron-ion plasma with charged dust impurities. A pair of nonlinear equations that describe the interaction of UH wave envelopes (including the relativistic electron mass increase) and the density as well as the compressional magnetic field perturbations associated with the AWs are solved numerically to show that many coherent solitary patterns can be excited and saturated due to modulational instability of unstable UH waves. The evolution of these solitary patterns is also shown to appear in the states of spatiotemporal coherence, temporal as wellmore » as spatiotemporal chaos, due to collision and fusion among the patterns in stochastic motion. Furthermore, these spatiotemporal features are demonstrated by the analysis of wavelet power spectra. It is found that a redistribution of wave energy takes place to higher harmonic modes with small wavelengths, which, in turn, results in the onset of Alfvenic turbulence in dusty magnetoplasmas. Such a scenario can occur in the vicinity of Saturn's magnetosphere as many electrostatic solitary structures have been observed there by the Cassini spacecraft.« less

Relatively stable, large-amplitude Alfvenic waves seen at 2.5 and 5.0 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mavromichalaki, H.; Moussas, X.; Quenby, J. J.; Valdes-Galicia, J. F.; Smith, E. J.

1988-01-01

Pioneer 11 and 10 observations of the wave structure seen in a corotating interaction region at 2.5 AU on day 284 of 1973 and 8 days later at 5 AU reveal large-amplitude Alfvenic structures with many detailed correlations seen between their features at the two radial distances. Hodogram analysis suggests the dominance of near plane polarized, transverse Alfvenic mode fluctuations with periods between 2 min and one hour or more. Some wave evolution close to the Corotating Interaction Region (CIR) shock is noticed, but waves towards the center of the compression seem to propagate with little damping between the spacecraft observation positions.

Alfven wave dispersion behavior in single- and multicomponent plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rahbarnia, K.; Grulke, O.; Klinger, T.

Dispersion relations of driven Alfven waves (AWs) are measured in single- and multicomponent plasmas consisting of mixtures of argon, helium, and oxygen in a magnetized linear cylindrical plasma device VINETA [C. Franck, O. Grulke, and T. Klinger, Phys. Plasmas 9, 3254 (2002)]. The decomposition of the measured three-dimensional magnetic field fluctuations and the corresponding parallel current pattern reveals that the wave field is a superposition of L- and R-wave components. The dispersion relation measurements agree well with calculations based on a multifluid Hall-magnetohydrodynamic model if the plasma resistivity is correctly taken into account.

Nonlinear interaction of kinetic Alfven wave and whistler: Turbulent spectra and anisotropic scaling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar Dwivedi, Navin; Sharma, R. P.

2013-04-15

In this work, we are presenting the excitation of oblique propagating whistler wave as a consequence of nonlinear interaction between whistler wave and kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) in intermediate beta plasmas. Numerical simulation has been done to study the transient evolution of magnetic field structures of KAW when the nonlinearity arises due to ponderomotive effects by taking the adiabatic response of the background density. Weak oblique propagating whistler signals in these nonlinear plasma density filaments (produced by KAW localization) get amplified. The spectral indices of the power spectrum at different times are calculated with given initial conditions of the simulations.more » Anisotropic scaling laws for KAW and whistlers are presented. The relevance of the present investigation to solar wind turbulence and its acceleration is also pointed out.« less

Satellite and Ground Signatures of Kinetic and Inertial Scale ULF Alfven Waves Propagating in Warm Plasma in Earth's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rankin, R.; Sydorenko, D.

2015-12-01

Results from a 3D global numerical model of Alfven wave propagation in a warm multi-species plasma in Earth's magnetosphere are presented. The model uses spherical coordinates, accounts for a non-dipole magnetic field, vertical structure of the ionosphere, and an air gap below the ionosphere. A realistic density model is used. Below the exobase altitude (2000 km) the densities and the temperatures of electrons, ions, and neutrals are obtained from the IRI and MSIS models. Above the exobase, ballistic (originating from the ionosphere and returning to ionosphere) and trapped (bouncing between two reflection points above the ionosphere) electron populations are considered similar to [Pierrard and Stegen (2008), JGR, v.113, A10209]. Plasma parameters at the exobase provided by the IRI are the boundary conditions for the ballistic electrons while the [Carpenter and Anderson (1992), JGR, v.97, p.1097] model of equatorial electron density defines parameters of the trapped electron population. In the simulations that are presented, Alfven waves with frequencies from 1 Hz to 0.01 Hz and finite azimuthal wavenumbers are excited in the magnetosphere and compared with Van Allen Probes data and ground-based observations from the CARISMA array of ground magnetometers. When short perpendicular scale waves reflect form the ionosphere, compressional Alfven waves are observed to propagate across the geomagnetic field in the ionospheric waveguide [e.g., Lysak (1999), JGR, v.104, p.10017]. Signals produced by the waves on the ground are discussed. The wave model is also applied to interpret recent Van Allen Probes observations of kinetic scale ULF waves that are associated with radiation belt electron dynamics and energetic particle injections.

Effects of compressional magnetic perturbation on kinetic Alfven waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Ge; Bhattacharjee, Amitava; Lin, Zhihong

2016-10-01

Kinetic Alfven waves play a very important role in the dynamics of fusion as well as space and astrophysical plasmas. The compressional magnetic perturbation δB|| can play important role in kinetic Alfven waves (KAW) and various instabilities at large plasma β. It could affect the nonlinear behavior of these modes significantly even at small β. In this study, we have implemented δB|| in gyrokinetic toroidal code (GTC). The perpendicular Ampere's law is solved as a force balance equation. Double gyroaveraging is incorporated in the code to treat the finite Larmor radius effects related to δB|| terms. KAW is studied in slab geometry as a benchmark case. A scan in β for the KAW dispersion relation shows that as β approaches 1 (>0.3), the effects of δB|| becomes important. Connections are made with other existing studies of KAWs in the fusion and space plasma literature. This new capability of including δB|| in GTC could be applied to nonlinear simulations of modes such as kinetic ballooning and tearing modes. This research is supported by DOE Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Investigation of the effect of Alfven resonance absorption on fast wave current drive in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alava, M. J.; Heikkinen, J. A.; Hellsten, T.

The use of frequencies below the ion cyclotron frequency of minority ion species or second harmonic of majority species has been proposed for fast wave current drive in order to reduce or to avoid ion cyclotron damping. For these scenarios, the Alfven resonance can appear on the high field side of a tokamak. The presence of this resonance causes parasitic absorption competing with the electron Landau damping and transit time magnetic pumping responsible for the fast wave current drive. In the present study, the mode conversion at the Alfven resonance is shown to be of the order of 5 to 10 percent in the current drive scenarios for the planned International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) experiment. However, if the single pass absorption in the center can be made sufficiently high, the conversion at the Alfven resonance becomes negligible.

Experimental Study of RF Sheaths due to Shear Alfv'en Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Michael; van Compernolle, Bart; Carter, Troy; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; D'Ippolito, Daniel A.; Myra, James R.

2012-10-01

Ion cyclotron resonance frequency (ICRF) heating is an important tool in current fusion experiments and will be an essential part of the heating power in ITER. A current limitation of ICRF heating is impurity generation through the formation of radiofrequency (RF) sheaths, both near-field (at the antenna) and far-field (e.g. in the divertor region). Far-field sheaths are thought to be generated through the direct launch of or mode conversion to shear Alfv'en waves. Shear Alfv'en waves have an electric field component parallel to the background magnetic field near the wall that drives an RF sheath.footnotetextD. A. D'Ippolito and J. R. Myra, Phys. Plasmas 19, 034504 (2012) In this study we directly launch the shear Alfv'en wave and measure the plasma potential oscillations and DC potential in the bulk plasma of the LAPD using emissive and Langmuir probes. Measured changes in the DC plasma potential can serve as an indirect measurement of the formation of an RF sheath because of rectification. These measurements will be useful in guiding future experiments to measure the plasma potential profile inside RF sheaths as part of an ongoing campaign.

Kinetic effects on Alfven wave nonlinearity. II - The modified nonlinear wave equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spangler, Steven R.

1990-01-01

A previously developed Vlasov theory is used here to study the role of resonant particle and other kinetic effects on Alfven wave nonlinearity. A hybrid fluid-Vlasov equation approach is used to obtain a modified version of the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equation. The differences between a scalar model for the plasma pressure and a tensor model are discussed. The susceptibilty of the modified nonlinear wave equation to modulational instability is studied. The modulational instability normally associated with the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger equation will, under most circumstances, be restricted to left circularly polarized waves. The nonlocal term in the modified nonlinear wave equation engenders a new modulational instability that is independent of beta and the sense of circular polarization. This new instability may explain the occurrence of wave packet steepening for all values of the plasma beta in the vicinity of the earth's bow shock.

Experiment to investigate current drive by fast Alfven waves in a small tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gahl, J.; Ishihara, O.; Wong, K.

1985-07-01

An experiment has been carried out to study current generation by Doppler shifted cyclotron resonance heating of minority ions with a unidirectional wave in the small tokamak at Texas Tech University. One of the objectives of the experiment is to understand in detail the wave-particle interactions through which fast (compressional) Alfven waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies drive currents in toroidal devices.

Parametric instabilities of the circularly polarized Alfven waves including dispersion. [for solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, H. K.; Goldstein, M. L.

1986-01-01

A class of parametric instabilities of large-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfven waves is considered in which finite frequency (dispersive) effects are included. The dispersion equation governing the instabilities is a sixth-order polynomial which is solved numerically. As a function of K identically equal to k/k-sub-0 (where k-sub-0 and k are the wave number of the 'pump' wave and unstable sound wave, respectively), there are three regionals of instability: a modulation instability at K less than 1, a decay instability at K greater than 1, and a relatively weak and narrow instability at K close to squared divided by v-sub-A squared (where c-sub-s and v-sub-A are the sound and Alfven speeds respectively), the modulational instability occurs when beta is less than 1 (more than 1) for left-hand (right-hand) pump waves, in agreement with the previous results of Sakai and Sonnerup (1983). The growth rate of the decay instability of left-hand waves is greater than the modulational instability at all values of beta. Applications to large-amplitude wave observed in the solar wind, in computer simulations, and in the vicinity of planetary and interplanetary collisionless shocks are discussed.

Modulational instability of finite-amplitude, circularly polarized Alfven waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derby, N. F., Jr.

1978-01-01

The simple theory of the decay instability of Alfven waves is strictly applicable only to a small-amplitude parent wave in a low-beta plasma, but, if the parent wave is circularly polarized, it is possible to analyze the situation without either of these restrictions. Results show that a large-amplitude circularly polarized wave is unstable with respect to decay into three waves, one longitudinal and one transverse wave propagating parallel to the parent wave and one transverse wave propagating antiparallel. The transverse decay products appear at frequencies which are the sum and difference of the frequencies of the parent wave and the longitudinal wave. The decay products are not familiar MHD modes except in the limit of small beta and small amplitude of the parent wave, in which case the decay products are a forward-propagating sound wave and a backward-propagating circularly polarized wave. In this limit the other transverse wave disappears. The effect of finite beta is to reduce the linear growth rate of the instability from the value suggested by the simple theory. Possible applications of these results to the theory of the solar wind are briefly touched upon.

The Nonlinear Coupling of Alfven and Lower Hybrid Waves in Space Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, George V.

2004-01-01

Space plasmas support a wide variety of waves, and wave-particle interactions as well as wave-wave interactions which are of crucial importance to magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma behavior. The excitation of lower hybrid waves (LHWs) in particular is a widely discussed mechanism of interaction between plasma species in space and is one of the unresolved questions of magnetospheric multi-ion plasmas. It is demonstrated that large-amplitude Alfven waves may generate LHWs in the auroral zone and ring current region and in some cases (particularly in the inner magnetosphere) this serves as the Alfven wave saturation mechanism. We present several examples of observational data which illustrate that the proposed mechanism is a plausible candidate to explain certain classes of LHW generation events in the ionosphere and magnetosphere and demonstrate electron and ion energization involving these processes. We discuss the morphology dynamics and level of LHW activity generated by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves during the May 2-7 1998 storm period on the global scale. The LHWs were calculated based on a newly developed self-consistent model (Khazanov et. al. 2002) that couples the system of two kinetic equations: one equation describes the ring current (RC) ion dynamic and another equation describes the evolution of EMIC waves. It is found that the LHWs are excited by helium ions due to their mass dependent drift in the electric field of EMIC waves. The level of LHW activity is calculated assuming that the induced scattering process is the main saturation mechanism for these waves. The calculated LHWs electric fields are consistent with the observational data.

Langmuir Probe Analysis of Maser-Driven Alfven Waves Using New LaB6 Cathode in LaPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Mary; Dorfman, Seth; Zhu, Ziyan; Rossi, Giovanni; Carter, Troy

2015-11-01

Previous research in the Large Plasma Device shows that specific conditions on the magnetic field and cathode discharge voltage allow an Alfven wave to develop in the cathode-anode region. When the speed of bulk electrons (dependent on discharge voltage) entering the region exceeds the Alfven speed, the electrons can excite a wave. This phenomenon mimics one proposed to exist in the Earth's ionosphere. Previous experiments used a cathode coated with Barium Oxide, and this project uses a new cathode coated with Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB6). The experiment seeks to characterize the behavior of plasmas generated with the LaB6 source, as well as understand properties of the driven wave when using the new cathode. Langmuir probes are used to find electron temperature, ion saturation current, and plasma density. These parameters determine characteristics of the wave. Preliminary analysis implies that density increases with LaB6 discharge voltage until 170 V, where it levels off. A linear increase in density is expected; the plateau implies cathode power does not ionize the plasma after 170 V. It is possible the power is carried out by the generated Alfven wave, or heats the plasma or cathode. This ``missing'' power is currently under investigation. Work funded by DOE and NSF.

LETTER: Investigation of the effect of Alfven resonance mode conversion on fast wave current drive in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alava, M. J.; Heikkinen, J. A.; Hellsten, T.

1995-07-01

In order to reduce or to avoid ion cyclotron damping, the use of frequencies below the ion cyclotron frequency of minority ion species or the second harmonic of majority ion species has been proposed for fast wave current drive based on direct electron absorption. For these scenarios, the Alfven or ion-ion hybrid resonance can appear on the high field side of a tokamak. The presence of these resonances causes parasitic absorption, competing with the electron Landau damping and transit time magnetic pumping responsible for the fast wave current drive. In the present study, neglecting effects from toroidicity, the mode conversion at the Alfven resonance is shown to be of the order of 5 to 10% in the current drive scenarios for the planned ITER experiment. If the single pass absorption in the centre can be made sufficiently high, the conversion at the Alfven resonance becomes negligible

KINETIC ALFVEN WAVES EXCITED BY OBLIQUE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC ALFVEN WAVES IN CORONAL HOLES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, J. S.; Wu, D. J.; Lu, J. Y., E-mail: js_zhao@pmo.ac.cn, E-mail: djwu@pmo.ac.cn, E-mail: lujy@cma.gov.cn

Kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) are small-scale dispersive AWs that can play an important role in particle heating and acceleration of space and solar plasmas. An excitation mechanism for KAWs created by the coupling between large-scale oblique AWs and small-scale KAWs is presented in this paper. Taking into account both the collisional and Landau damping dissipations, the results show that the net growth rate of the excited KAWs increases with their perpendicular wavenumber k{sub perpendicular} and reaches maximum at {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} {approx} 0.3, where {lambda}{sub e} is the electron inertial length. However, for KAWs with shorter perpendicular wavelengths, themore » net growth rate decreases rapidly due to dissipative effects. The evaluation of the threshold amplitude of the AW implies that for KAWs with {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} < 0.3, the relative threshold amplitude is well below 10%, which is easy to satisfy. In particular, when applying this mechanism to the case of a solar coronal hole containing a dense plume structure, our results show that KAWs with {lambda}{sub e} k{sub perpendicular} < 0.3 can be not only efficiently excited in the interplume region but also strongly dissipated in the dense plume due to the Landau damping.« less

Dynamical Generation of Quasi-Stationary Alfvenic Double Layers and Charge Holes and Unified Theory of Quasi-Static and Alfvenic Auroral Arc Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Lysak, R. L.

2015-12-01

Parallel E-fields play a crucial role for the acceleration of charged particles, creating discrete aurorae. However, once the parallel electric fields are produced, they will disappear right away, unless the electric fields can be continuously generated and sustained for a fairly long time. Thus, the crucial question in auroral physics is how to generate such a powerful and self-sustained parallel electric fields which can effectively accelerate charge particles to high energy during a fairly long time. We propose that nonlinear interaction of incident and reflected Alfven wave packets in inhomogeneous auroral acceleration region can produce quasi-stationary non-propagating electromagnetic plasma structures, such as Alfvenic double layers (DLs) and Charge Holes. Such Alfvenic quasi-static structures often constitute powerful high energy particle accelerators. The Alfvenic DL consists of localized self-sustained powerful electrostatic electric fields nested in a low density cavity and surrounded by enhanced magnetic and mechanical stresses. The enhanced magnetic and velocity fields carrying the free energy serve as a local dynamo, which continuously create the electrostatic parallel electric field for a fairly long time. The generated parallel electric fields will deepen the seed low density cavity, which then further quickly boosts the stronger parallel electric fields creating both Alfvenic and quasi-static discrete aurorae. The parallel electrostatic electric field can also cause ion outflow, perpendicular ion acceleration and heating, and may excite Auroral Kilometric Radiation.

Acceleration and heating of two-fluid solar wind by Alfven waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandbaek, Ornulf; Leer, Egil

1994-01-01

Earlier model studies of solar wind driven by thermal pressure and Alfven waves have shown that wave amplitudes of 20-30 km/s at the coronal base are sufficient to accelerate the flow to the high speeds observed in quasi-steady streams emanating from large coronal holes. We focus on the energy balance in the proton gas and show that heat conduction from the region where the waves are dissipated may play an important role in determining the proton temperature at the orbit of Earth. In models with 'classical' heat conduction we find a correlation between high flow speed, high proton temperature, and low electron temperature at 1 AU. The effect of wave heating on the development of anisotropies in the solar wind proton gas pressure is also investigated in this study.

Mode conversion between Alfven wave eigenmodes in axially inhomogeneous two-ion-species plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, D.R.; Hershkowitz, N.; Tataronis, J.A.

The uniform cylindrical plasma model of Litwin and Hershkowitz (Phys. Fluids {bold 30}, 1323 (1987)) is shown to predict mode conversion between the lowest radial order {ital m}=+1 fast magnetosonic surface and slow ion-cyclotron global eigenmodes of the Alfven wave at the light-ion species Alfven resonance of a cold two-ion plasma. A hydrogen ({ital h})--deuterium ({ital d}) plasma is examined in experiments. The fast mode is efficiently excited by a rotating field antenna array at {omega}{similar to}{Omega}{sub {ital h}} in the central cell of the Phaedrus-B tandem mirror (Phys. Rev. Lett. {bold 51}, 1955(1983)). Radially scanned magnetic probes observe themore » propagating eigenmode wave fields within a shallow central cell magnetic gradient in which the conversion zone is axially localized according to {ital n}{sub {ital d}}/{ital n}{sub {ital h}}. A low radial-order slow ion-cyclotron mode, observed in the vicinity of the conversion zone, gives evidence for the predicted mode conversion.« less

Propagation velocity of Alfven wave packets in a dissipative plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amagishi, Y.; Nakagawa, H.; Tanaka, M.

1994-09-01

We have experimentally studied the behavior of Alfven wave packets in a dissipative plasma due to ion--neutral-atom collisions. It is urged that the central frequency of the packet is observed to gradually decrease with traveling distance in the absorption range of frequencies because of a differential damping among the Fourier components, and that the measured average velocity of its peak amplitude is not accounted for by the conventional group velocity, but by the prediction derived by Tanaka, Fujiwara, and Ikegami [Phys. Rev. A 34, 4851 (1986)]. Furthermore, when the initial central frequency is close to the critical frequency in themore » anomalous dispersion, the wave packet apparently collapses when traveling along the magnetic field; however, we have found that it is decomposed into another two wave packets with the central frequencies being higher or lower than the critical frequency.« less

Star of Lima - Overview and optical diagnostics of a barium Alfven critical velocity experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wescott, E. M.; Stenbaek-Nielsen, H. C.; Hallinan, T.; Foeppl, H.; Valenzuela, A.

1986-01-01

The Alfven critical velocity mechanism for ionization of a neutral gas streaming across the magnetic field has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments. In March 1983, two rocket-borne experiments with Ba and Sr tested the effect in the wall-less laboratory of space from Punto Lobos, Peru, near 430 km altitude. 'Star of Lima' used a conical Ba shaped charge aimed at an instrument payload about 2 km away. Because of rocket overperformance the detonation occurred in partial sunlight, so that less than 21.6 percent of the ionizing UV was present. Particle and field measurements indicate the production of hot electrons and waves in the energy and frequency range that are respectively predicted to produce a cascade of ionization by the Alfven mechanism. However, the ionization fluxes and wave energy density did not reach cascade levels, and optical observations indicate that only 2.5 to 5 x 10 to the 20th Ba ions were produced. A substantial portion and perhaps all of the ionization could have been produced by solar UV. The failure of the Alfven process in this experiment is not well understood.

Quantification of the Energy Dissipated by Alfven Waves in a Polar Coronal Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, M.; Savin, D. W.

2013-12-01

We present a measurement of the energy carried and dissipated by Alfven waves in a polar coronal hole. Alfven waves have been proposed as the energy source that heats the corona and drives the solar wind. Previous work has shown that line widths decrease with height in coronal holes, which is a signature of wave damping, but have been unable to quantify the energy lost by the waves. This is because line widths depend on both the non-thermal velocity vnt and the ion temperature Ti. We have implemented a means to separate the Ti and vnt contributions using the observation that, at low heights, the waves are undamped and the ion temperatures do not change with height. This enables us to determine the amount of energy carried by the waves at low heights, which is proportional to vnt. We find the initial energy flux density present was 6.7×0.7×10^5 erg cm^-2 s^-1, which is sufficient to heat the coronal hole and accelerate the solar wind during the 2007 - 2009 solar minimum. Additionally, we find that about 85% of this energy is dissipated below 1.5 R_sun, sufficiently low that thermal conduction can transport the energy throughout the coronal hole, heating it and driving the fast solar wind. The remaining energy is roughly consistent with what models show is needed to provide the extended heating above the sonic point for the fast solar wind. We have also studied Ti, which we found to be in the range of 1 - 2 MK, depending on the ion species.

The Interaction of Coronal Mass Ejections with Alfvenic Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manchester, W.; van der Holst, B.

2017-12-01

We provide a first attempt to understand the interaction between Alfven wave turbulence, kinetic instabilities and temperature anisotropies in the environment of a fast coronal mass ejection (CME). The impact of a fast CME on the solar corona causes turbulent energy, thermal energy and dissipative heating to increase by orders of magnitude, and produces conditions suitable for a host of kinetic instabilities. We study these CME-induced effects with the recently developed Alfven Wave Solar Model, with which we are able to self-consistently simulate the turbulent energy transport and dissipation as well as isotropic electron heating and anisotropic proton heating. Furthermore, the model also offers the capability to address the effects of firehose, mirror mode, and cyclotron kinetic instabilities on proton energy partitioning, all in a global-scale numerical simulation. We find turbulent energy greatly enhanced in the CME sheath, strong wave reflection at the shock, which leads to wave dissipation rates increasing by more than a factor of 100. In contrast, wave energy is greatly diminished by adiabatic expansion in the flux rope. Finally, we find proton temperature anisotropies are limited by kinetic instabilities to a level consistent with solar wind observations.

Evolution of large amplitude Alfven waves in solar wind plasmas: Kinetic-fluid models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nariyuki, Y.

2014-12-01

Large amplitude Alfven waves are ubiquitously observed in solar wind plasmas. Mjolhus(JPP, 1976) and Mio et al(JPSJ, 1976) found that nonlinear evolution of the uni-directional, parallel propagating Alfven waves can be described by the derivative nonlinear Schrodinger equation (DNLS). Later, the multi-dimensional extension (Mjolhus and Wyller, JPP, 1988; Passot and Sulem, POP, 1993; Gazol et al, POP, 1999) and ion kinetic modification (Mjolhus and Wyller, JPP, 1988; Spangler, POP, 1989; Medvedev and Diamond, POP, 1996; Nariyuki et al, POP, 2013) of DNLS have been reported. Recently, Nariyuki derived multi-dimensional DNLS from an expanding box model of the Hall-MHD system (Nariyuki, submitted). The set of equations including the nonlinear evolution of compressional wave modes (TDNLS) was derived by Hada(GRL, 1993). DNLS can be derived from TDNLS by rescaling of the variables (Mjolhus, Phys. Scr., 2006). Nariyuki and Hada(JPSJ, 2007) derived a kinetically modified TDNLS by using a simple Landau closure (Hammet and Perkins, PRL, 1990; Medvedev and Diamond, POP, 1996). In the present study, we revisit the ion kinetic modification of multi-dimensional TDNLS through more rigorous derivations, which is consistent with the past kinetic modification of DNLS. Although the original TDNLS was derived in the multi-dimensional form, the evolution of waves with finite propagation angles in TDNLS has not been paid much attention. Applicability of the resultant models to solar wind turbulence is discussed.

Kinetic Alfven wave explanation of the Hall signals in magnetic reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, L.; Wang, C.; Zhang, Y.; Duan, S.; Lavraud, B.; Burch, J. L.; Pollock, C.; Torbert, R. B.

2017-12-01

Magnetic reconnection is initiated in a small diffusion region but can drive global-scale dynamics in Earth's magnetosphere, solar flares, and astrophysical systems. Understanding the processes at work in the diffusion region remains a main challenge in space plasma physics. Recent in-situ observations from MMS and THEMIS reveal that the electric field normal to the reconnection current layer, often called the Hall electric field (En), is mainly balanced by the ion pressure gradient. Here we present theoretical explanations indicating that this observation fact is a manifestation of Kinetic Alfven Waves (KAW) physics. The ion pressure gradient represents the finite gyroradius effect of KAW, leading to ion intrusion across the magnetic field lines. Electrons stream along the magnetic field lines to track ions, resulting in field-aligned currents and the associated pattern of the out-of-plane Hall magnetic field (Bm). The ratio En/Bm is on the order of the Alfven speed, as predicted by the KAW theory. The KAW physics further provides new perspectives on how ion intrusion may trigger electric fields suitable for reconnection to occur.

Alfven resonance mode conversion in the Phaedrus-T current drive experiments: Modelling and density fluctuations measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vukovic, M.; Harper, M.; Breun, R.

1995-12-31

Current drive experiments on the Phaedrus-T tokamak performed with a low field side two-strap fast wave antenna at frequencies below {omega}{sub cH} show loop volt drops of up to 30% with strap phasing (0, {pi}/2). RF induced density fluctuations in the plasma core have also been observed with a microwave reflectometer. It is believed that they are caused by kinetic Alfven waves generated by mode conversion of fast waves at the Alfven resonance. Correlation of the observed density fluctuations with the magnitude of the {Delta}V{sub loop} suggest that the {Delta}V{sub loop} is attributable to current drive/heating due to mode convertedmore » kinetic Alfven waves. The toroidal cold plasma wave code LION is used to model the Alfven resonance mode conversion surfaces in the experiments while the cylindrical hot plasma kinetic wave code ISMENE is used to model the behavior of kinetic Alfven waves at the Alfven resonance location. Initial results obtained from limited density, magnetic field, antenna phase, and impurity scans show good agreement between the RF induced density fluctuations and the predicted behavior of the kinetic Alfven waves. Detailed comparisons between the density fluctuations and the code predictions are presented.« less

Convective cell generation by kinetic Alfven wave turbulence in the auroral ionosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, J. S.; Wu, D. J.; Yu, M. Y.

2012-06-15

Modulation of convective cells by kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) turbulence is investigated. The interaction is governed by a nonlinear dispersion relation for the convective cells. It is shown that KAW turbulence is disrupted by excitation of the large-scale convective motion through a resonant instability. Application of the results to the auroral ionosphere shows that cross-scale coupling of the KAW turbulence and convective cells plays an important role in the evolution of ionospheric plasma turbulence.

Density variation effect on multi-ions with kinetic Alfven wave around cusp region—a kinetic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamrakar, Radha; Varma, P.; Tiwari, M. S.

2018-01-01

The kinetic Alfven waves in the presence of homogeneous magnetic field plasma with multi-ions effect are investigated. The dispersion relation and normalised damping rate are derived for low-β plasma using kinetic theory. The effect of density variation of H+, He+ and O+ ions is observed on frequency and damping rate of the wave. The variation of frequency (ω) and normalised damping rate (γ / Ω_{H^{ +}} ) of the wave are studied with respect to k_{ \\bot} ρj, where k_{ \\bot} is the perpendicular wave number, ρj is the ion gyroradius and j denotes H+, He+ and O+ ions. The variation with k_{ \\bot} ρj is considered over wide range. The parameters appropriate to cusp region are used for the explanation of results. It is found that with hydrogen and helium ions gyration, the frequency of wave is influenced by the density variation of H+ and He+ ions but remains insensitive to the change in density of O+ ions. For oxygen ion gyration, the frequency of wave varies over a short range only for O+ ion density variation. The wave shows damping at lower altitude due to variation in density of lighter H+ and He+ ions whereas at higher altitude only heavy O+ ions contribute in wave damping. The damping of wave may be due to landau damping or energy transfer from wave to particles. The present study signifies that the both lighter and heavier ions dominate differently to change the characteristics of kinetic Alfven wave and density variation is also an important parameter to understand wave phenomena in cusp region.

Kinetic Alfven wave with density variation and loss-cone distribution function of multi-ions in PSBL region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamrakar, Radha; Varma, P.; Tiwari, M. S.

2018-05-01

Kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) generation due to variation of loss-cone index J and density of multi-ions (H+, He+ and O+) in the plasma sheet boundary layer region (PSBL) is investigated. Kinetic approach is used to derive dispersion relation of wave using Vlasov equation. Variation of frequency with respect to wide range of k⊥ρi (where k⊥ is wave vector across the magnetic field, ρi is gyroradius of ions and i denotes H+, He+ and O+ ions) is analyzed. It is found that each ion gyroradius and number density shows different effect on wave generation with varying width of loss-cone. KAW is generated with multi-ions (H+, He+ and O+) over wide regime for J=1 and shows dissimilar effect for J=2. Frequency is reduced with increasing density of gyrating He+ and O+ ions. Wave frequency is obtained within the reported range which strongly supports generation of kinetic Alfven waves. A sudden drop of frequency is also observed for H+ and He+ ion which may be due to heavy penetration of these ions through the loss-cone. The parameters of PSBL region are used for numerical calculation. The application of these results are in understanding the effect of gyrating multi-ions in transfer of energy and Poynting flux losses from PSBL region towards ionosphere and also describing the generation of aurora.

Alfven Eigenmode Control in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, W.; Olofsson, E.; Welander, A.; van Zeeland, M.; Collins, C.; Heidbrink, W.

2017-10-01

Alfven eigenmodes (AE) driven by fast ions from neutral beam and ion cyclotron heating are common in present day tokamak plasmas and are expected to be destabilized by alpha particles in future burning plasma experiments. Because these waves have been shown to cause loss and redistribution of fast ions which can impact plasma performance and potentially device integrity, developing control techniques for AEs is of paramount importance. In the DIII-D plasma control system, spectral analysis of real-time ECE data is used as a monitor of AE amplitude, frequency, and location. These values are then used for feedback control of the neutral beam power to control Alfven waves and reduce fast ion loss. This work describes tests of AE control experiments in the current ramp up phase, during which multiple Alfven eigenmodes are typically unstable and fast ion confinement is degraded significantly. Comparisons of neutron emission and confined fast ion profiles with and without active AE control will be made. Work supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy under Award Number DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Shear Alfven Wave Injection in the Magnetosphere by Ionospheric Modifications in the Absence of Electrojet Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadopoulos, K.; Eliasson, B.; Shao, X.; Labenski, J.; Chang, C.

2011-12-01

A new concept of generating ionospheric currents in the ULF/ELF range with modulated HF heating using ground-based transmitters even in the absence of electrojet currents is presented. The new concept relies on using HF heating of the F-region to modulate the electron temperature and has been given the name Ionospheric Current Drive (ICD). In ICD, the pressure gradient associated with anomalous or collisional F-region electron heating drives a local diamagnetic current that acts as an antenna to inject mainly Magneto-Sonic (MS) waves in the ionospheric plasma. The electric field associated with the MS wave drives Hall currents when it reaches the E region of the ionosphere. The Hall currents act as a secondary antenna that inject waves in the Earth-Ionosphere Waveguide (EIW) below and shear Alfven waves or EMIC waves upwards towards the conjugate regions. The paper presents: (i) Theoretical results using a cold Hall MHD model to study ICD and the generation of ULF/ELF waves by the modulation of the electron pressure at the F2-region with an intense HF electromagnetic wave. The model solves equations governing the dynamics of the shear Alfven and magnetosonic modes, of the damped modes in the diffusive Pedersen layer, and of the weakly damped helicon wave mode in the Hall-dominated E-region. The model incorporates realistic profile of the ionospheric conductivities and magnetic field configuration. We use the model to simulate propagation and dynamics of the low-frequency waves and their injection into the magnetosphere from the HAARP and Arecibo ionospheric heaters. (ii) Proof of principle experiments using the HAARP ionospheric heater in conjunction with measurements by the DEMETER satellite This work is supported by ONR MURI grant and DARPA BRIOCHE Program

Formation of quasiparallel Alfven solitons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, R. L.; Kennel, C. F.; Mjolhus, E.

1992-01-01

The formation of quasi-parallel Alfven solitons is investigated through the inverse scattering transformation (IST) for the derivative nonlinear Schroedinger (DNLS) equation. The DNLS has a rich complement of soliton solutions consisting of a two-parameter soliton family and a one-parameter bright/dark soliton family. In this paper, the physical roles and origins of these soliton families are inferred through an analytic study of the scattering data generated by the IST for a set of initial profiles. The DNLS equation has as limiting forms the nonlinear Schroedinger (NLS), Korteweg-de-Vries (KdV) and modified Korteweg-de-Vries (MKdV) equations. Each of these limits is briefly reviewed in the physical context of quasi-parallel Alfven waves. The existence of these limiting forms serves as a natural framework for discussing the formation of Alfven solitons.

Electrostatic Wave Generation and Transverse Ion Acceleration by Alfvenic Wave Components of BBELF Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra; Khazanov, George; Mukhter, Ali

2007-01-01

We present results here from 2.5-D particle-in-cell simulations showing that the electrostatic (ES) components of broadband extremely low frequency (BBELF) waves could possibly be generated by cross-field plasma instabilities driven by the relative drifts between the heavy and light ion species in the electromagnetic (EM) Alfvenic component of the BBELF waves in a multi-ion plasma. The ES components consist of ion cyclotron as well as lower hybrid modes. We also demonstrate that the ES wave generation is directly involved in the transverse acceleration of ions (TAI) as commonly measured with the BBELF wave events. The heating is affected by ion cyclotron resonance in the cyclotron modes and Landau resonance in the lower hybrid waves. In the simulation we drive the plasma by the transverse electric field, E(sub y), of the EM waves; the frequency of E(sub y), omega(sub d), is varied from a frequency below the heavy ion cyclotron frequency, OMEGA(sub h), to below the light ion cyclotron frequency, OMEGA(sub i). We have also performed simulations for E(sub y) having a continuous spectrum given by a power law, namely, |Ey| approx. omega(sub d) (exp -alpha), where the exponent alpha = _, 1, and 2 in three different simulations. The driving electric field generates polarization and ExB drifts of the ions and electrons. When the interspecies relative drifts are sufficiently large, they drive electrostatic waves, which cause perpendicular heating of both light and heavy ions. The transverse ion heating found here is discussed in relation to observations from Cluster, FAST and Freja.

EFFECTS OF ALFVEN WAVES ON ELECTRON CYCLOTRON MASER EMISSION IN CORONAL LOOPS AND SOLAR TYPE I RADIO STORMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, G. Q.; Chen, L.; Wu, D. J.

Solar type I radio storms are long-lived radio emissions from the solar atmosphere. It is believed that these type I storms are produced by energetic electrons trapped within a closed magnetic structure and are characterized by a high ordinary (O) mode polarization. However, the microphysical nature of these emissions is still an open problem. Recently, Wu et al. found that Alfven waves (AWs) can significantly influence the basic physics of wave-particle interactions by modifying the resonant condition. Taking the effects of AWs into account, this work investigates electron cyclotron maser emission driven by power-law energetic electrons with a low-energy cutoffmore » distribution, which are trapped in coronal loops by closed solar magnetic fields. The results show that the emission is dominated by the O mode. It is proposed that this O mode emission may possibly be responsible for solar type I radio storms.« less

Effects of Density Fluctuations on Weakly Nonlinear Alfven Waves: An IST Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, R.; Hadley, N.

2012-12-01

The effects of random density fluctuations on oblique, 1D, weakly nonlinear Alfven waves is examined through a numerical study of an analytical model developed by Ruderman [M.S. Ruderman, Phys. Plasmas, 9 (7), pp. 2940-2945, (2002).]. Consistent with Ruderman's application to the one-parameter dark soliton, the effects on both one-parameter bright and dark solitons, the two-parameter soliton as well as pairs of one-parameter solitons were similar to that of Ohmic dissipation found by Hamilton et al. [R. Hamilton, D. Peterson, and S. Libby, J. Geophys. Res 114, A03104,doi:10.1029/2008JA013582 (2009).] It was found in all cases where bright or two-parameter solitons are present initially, that the effects of density fluctuations results in the eventual damping of such compressive wave forms and the formation of a train of dark solitons, or magnetic depressions.

Frequency chirpings in Alfven continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge; Berk, Herb; Breizman, Boris; Zheng, Linjin

2017-10-01

We have used a self-consistent mapping technique to describe both the nonlinear wave-energetic particle resonant interaction and its spatial mode structure that depends upon the resonant energetic particle pressure. At the threshold for the onset of the energetic particle mode (EPM), strong chirping emerges in the lower continuum close to the TAE gap and then, driven by strong continuum damping, chirps rapidly to lower frequencies in the Alfven continuum. An adiabatic theory was developed that accurately replicated the results from the simulation where the nonlinearity was only due to the EPM resonant particles. The results show that the EPM-trapped particles have their action conserved during the time of rapid chirping. This adiabaticity enabled wave trapped particles to be confined within their separatrix, and produce even larger resonant structures, that can produce a large amplitude mode far from linearly predicted frequencies. In the present work we describe the effect of additional MHD nonlinearity to this calculation. We studied how the zonal flow component and its nonlinear feedback to the fundamental frequency and found that the MHD nonlinearity doesn't significantly alter the frequency chirping response that is predicted by the calculation that neglects the MHD nonlinearity.

Dark and grey compressional dispersive Alfven solitons in plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shukla, P. K.; Eliasson, B.; Stenflo, L.

2011-06-15

The amplitude modulation of compressional dispersive Alfven (CDA) waves in a low-{beta} plasma is considered. It is shown that the dynamics of modulated CDA waves is governed by a cubic nonlinear Schroedinger equation, which depicts the formation of a dark/grey envelope CDA soliton.

The dominant mode of standing Alfven waves at synchronous orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cummings, W. D.; Countee, C.; Lyons, D.; Wiley, W., III

1975-01-01

Low-frequency oscillations of the earth's magnetic field recorded by the UCLA magnetometer on board ATS-1, have been examined for the six-month interval, January-June, 1968. The initial interpretation, that these oscillations represent the second harmonic of a standing Alfven wave, has been re-examined, and it is concluded that this hypothesis must be withdrawn. Using evidence from OGO-5 and ATS-5, as well as the data from ATS-1, it is argued that the dominant mode at the synchronous orbit must be the fundamental rather than the second harmonic. From 14 instances when the oscillations of distinctly different periods occurred during the same time interval at ATS-1 it is concluded that higher harmonics can exist. The period ratio in 7 of the 14 cases corresponds to the simultaneous occurrence of the second harmonic with the fundamental, and 4 other cases could be identified as the simultaneous occurrence of the fourth harmonic with the fundamental.

Drift-Alfven wave mediated particle transport in an elongated density depression

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vincena, Stephen; Gekelman, Walter

Cross-field particle transport due to drift-Alfven waves is measured in an elongated density depression within an otherwise uniform, magnetized helium plasma column. The depression is formed by drawing an electron current to a biased copper plate with cross-field dimensions of 28x0.24 ion sound-gyroradii {rho}{sub s}=c{sub s}/{omega}{sub ci}. The process of density depletion and replenishment via particle flux repeats in a quasiperiodic fashion for the duration of the current collection. The mode structure of the wave density fluctuations in the plane perpendicular to the background magnetic field is revealed using a two-probe correlation technique. The particle flux as a function ofmore » frequency is measured using a linear array of Langmuir probes and the only significant transport occurs for waves with frequencies between 15%-25% of the ion cyclotron frequency (measured in the laboratory frame) and with perpendicular wavelengths k{sub perpendicular}{rho}{sub s}{approx}0.7. The frequency-integrated particle flux is in rough agreement with observed increases in density in the center of the depletion as a function of time. The experiments are carried out in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) [Gekelman et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)] at the Basic Plasma Science Facility located at the University of California, Los Angeles.« less

The Role of Kinetic Alfven Waves in Plasma Transport in an Ion-scale Flux Rope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, B.; Li, W.; Wang, C.; Dai, L.

2017-12-01

Magnetic flux ropes, if generated by multiply X-line reconnections, would be born as a crater type one, meaning the plasma density within is relatively high. They will then evolve into typical flux ropes as plasma are transported away along the magnetic field lines [Zhang et al., 2010]. In this study, we report an ion-scale flux rope observed by MMS on November 28, 2016, which is accompanied by strong kinetic Alfven waves (KAW). The related wave parallel electric field can effectively accelerate electrons inside the flux rope by Landau resonance, resulting into a significant decrease of the electron at 90° pitch angle. The change of electron pitch angle distribution would cause the rapid plasma transport along the magnetic field lines, and help the flux rope evolve into a strong magnetic core in a short time. This wave-particle interaction would be a candidate mechanism to explain the rareness of crater flux ropes in reality.

Alfven Simple Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, G. M.; Zank, G. P.; Burrows, R.

2009-12-01

Multi-dimensional Alfvén simple waves in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are investigated using Boillat's formalism. For simple wave solutions, all physical variables (the gas density, pressure, fluid velocity, entropy, and magnetic field induction in the MHD case) depend on a single phase function ǎrphi which is a function of the space and time variables. The simple wave ansatz requires that the wave normal and the normal speed of the wave front depend only on the phase function ǎrphi. This leads to an implicit equation for the phase function, and a generalisation of the concept of a plane wave. We obtain examples of Alfvén simple waves, based on the right eigenvector solutions for the Alfvén mode. The Alfvén mode solutions have six integrals, namely that the entropy, density, magnetic pressure and the group velocity (the sum of the Alfvén and fluid velocity) are constant throughout the wave. The eigen-equations require that the rate of change of the magnetic induction B with ǎrphi throughout the wave is perpendicular to both the wave normal n and B. Methods to construct simple wave solutions based on specifying either a solution ansatz for n(ǎrphi) or B(ǎrphi) are developed.

Turbulent Heating and Fluctuation Characteristics in Alfvenic Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorland, William

2005-10-01

Alfve'n waves are ubiquitous in natural and laboratory plasmas. In this talk, the main focus is on astrophysical plasmas that are turbulent, magnetized, hot and diffuse. The dynamically important characteristics of these plasmas are often well- described by magnetohydrodynamics [see e.g., Ref. 1]. However, much of what we actually observe is critically affected by how much of the turbulent energy is absorbed by (highly radiative) electrons [2], the amplitude of density fluctuations [3], and the spectral indices of turbulent, Alfve'nic cascades. These questions each have essentially kinetic aspects. In this talk, we present detailed simulations and analyses of of the cascade of shear Alfve'n waves, to and through scales comparable to the ion Larmor radius in the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. We demonstrate analytically and numerically that the nonlinear gyrokinetic equations, originally developed for fusion applications, are perfectly suited to these astrophysical problems. We present extensive linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation results from the GS2 code. We demonstrate accurate resolution of the damping of kinetic Alfve'n waves in plasmas with beta small, large and comparable to unity, for a wide range of electron-to-ion temperature ratios, in linear and nonlinear contexts. We have used the GS2 code to calculate the turbulent energy absorption, density fluctuation characteristics, and spectral indices for plasmas with parameters taken from hot accretion flows and from the interstellar plasma. These results will be compared with theoretical predictions [2] and to observations. Co-authors: S. C. Cowley (UCLA), G. W. Hammett (PPPL), E. Quataert and G. Howes (UC-Berkeley), and A. Scheckochihin (Cambridge) 1. S. Balbus and J. Hawley, Rev Mod Phys, Vol. 70, p. 1. 2. E. Quataert and A. Gruzinov, Ap J, Vol. 520, p. 248; E. Quataert, Ap J, Vol. 500, p. 978.3. Y. Lithwick and P. Goldreich, Ap J, Vol. 562, p. 279.4. P. Goldreich and Sridhar, Ap J

The Consequences of Alfven Waves and Parallel Potential Drops in the Auroral Zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schriver, David

2003-01-01

The goal of this research is to examine the causes of field-aligned plasma acceleration in the auroral zone using satellite data and numerical simulations. A primary question to be addressed is what causes the field-aligned acceleration of electrons (leading to precipitation) and ions (leading to upwelling ions) in the auroral zone. Data from the Fast Auroral SnapshoT (FAST) and Polar satellites is used when the two satellites are in approximate magnetic conjunction and are in the auroral region. FAST is at relatively low altitudes and samples plasma in the midst of the auroral acceleration region while Polar is at much higher altitudes and can measure plasmas and waves propagating towards the Earth. Polar can determine the sources of energy streaming earthward from the magnetotail, either in the form of field-aligned currents, electromagnetic waves or kinetic particle energy, that ultimately leads to the acceleration of plasma in the auroral zone. After identifying and examining several events, numerical simulations are run that bridges the spatial region between the two satellites. The code is a one-dimensional, long system length particle in cell simulation that has been developed to model the auroral region. A main goal of this research project is to include Alfven waves in the simulation to examine how these waves can accelerate plasma in the auroral zone.

The dominant mode of standing Alfven waves at the synchronous orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cummins, W. D.; Countee, C.; Lyons, D.; Wiley, W., III

1975-01-01

Low-frequency oscillations of the earth's magnetic field recorded by a magnetometer on board ATS 1 have been examined for the 6-month interval between January and June 1968. Using evidence from OGO 5 and ATS 5 as well as the data from ATS 1, it is argued that the dominant mode at ATS 1 must be the fundamental rather than the second harmonic of a standing Alfven wave. It is concluded that these transverse oscillations are more accurately associated with magnetically disturbed days than with quiet days. From 14 instances when oscillations of distinctly different periods occurred during the same time interval at ATS 1, it is also concluded that higher harmonics can exist. The period ratio in seven of the 14 cases corresponds to the simultaneous occurrence of the second harmonic with the fundamental, and four other cases could be identified as the simultaneous occurrence of the fourth harmonic with the fundamental.

Linear and nonlinear analysis of kinetic Alfven waves in quantum magneto-plasmas with arbitrary temperature degeneracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadiq, Nauman; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Farooq, M.; Jan, Qasim

2018-06-01

Linear and nonlinear kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) are studied in collisionless, non-relativistic two fluid quantum magneto-plasmas by considering arbitrary temperature degeneracy. A general coupling parameter is applied to discuss the range of validity of the proposed model in nearly degenerate and nearly non-degenerate plasma limits. Linear analysis of KAWs shows an increase (decrease) in frequency with the increase in parameter ζ ( δ ) for the nearly non-degenerate (nearly degenerate) plasma limit. The energy integral equation in the form of Sagdeev potential is obtained by using the approach of the Lorentz transformation. The analysis reveals that the amplitude of the Sagdeev potential curves and soliton structures remains the same, but the potential depth and width of soliton structure change for both the limiting cases. It is further observed that only density hump structures are formed in the sub-alfvenic region for value Kz 2 > 1 . The effects of parameters ζ, δ on the nonlinear properties of KAWs are shown in graphical plots. New results for comparison with earlier work have also been highlighted. The significance of this work to astrophysical plasmas is also emphasized.

Reconstruction of a Broadband Spectrum of Alfvenic Fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vinas, Adolfo F.; Fuentes, Pablo S. M.; Araneda, Jaime A.; Maneva, Yana G.

2014-01-01

Alfvenic fluctuations in the solar wind exhibit a high degree of velocities and magnetic field correlations consistent with Alfven waves propagating away and toward the Sun. Two remarkable properties of these fluctuations are the tendencies to have either positive or negative magnetic helicity (-1 less than or equal to sigma(sub m) less than or equal to +1) associated with either left- or right- topological handedness of the fluctuations and to have a constant magnetic field magnitude. This paper provides, for the first time, a theoretical framework for reconstructing both the magnetic and velocity field fluctuations with a divergence-free magnetic field, with any specified power spectral index and normalized magnetic- and cross-helicity spectrum field fluctuations for any plasma species. The spectrum is constructed in the Fourier domain by imposing two conditions-a divergence-free magnetic field and the preservation of the sense of magnetic helicity in both spaces-as well as using Parseval's theorem for the conservation of energy between configuration and Fourier spaces. Applications to the one-dimensional spatial Alfvenic propagation are presented. The theoretical construction is in agreement with typical time series and power spectra properties observed in the solar wind. The theoretical ideas presented in this spectral reconstruction provide a foundation for more realistic simulations of plasma waves, solar wind turbulence, and the propagation of energetic particles in such fluctuating fields.

Detection of Ionospheric Alfven Resonator Signatures in the Equatorial Ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simoes, Fernando; Klenzing, Jeffrey; Ivanov, Stoyan; Pfaff, Robert; Freudenreich, Henry; Bilitza, Dieter; Rowland, Douglas; Bromund, Kenneth; Liebrecht, Maria Carmen; Martin, Steven;

Hybrid Alfven resonant mode generation in the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hiraki, Yasutaka; Watanabe, Tomo-Hiko

2012-10-15

Feedback unstable Alfven waves involving global field-line oscillations and the ionospheric Alfven resonator (IAR) were comprehensively studied to clarify their properties of frequency dispersion, growth rate, and eigenfunctions. It is discovered that a new mode called here the hybrid Alfven resonant (HAR) mode can be destabilized in the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system with a realistic Alfven velocity profile. The HAR mode found in a high frequency range over 0.3 Hz is caused by coupling of IAR modes with strong dispersion and magnetospheric cavity resonances. The harmonic relation of HAR eigenfrequencies is characterized by a constant frequency shift from those of IARmore » modes. The three modes are robustly found even if effects of two-fluid process and ionospheric collision are taken into account and thus are anticipated to be detected by magnetic field observations in a frequency range of 0.3-1 Hz in auroral and polar-cap regions.« less

Ground and Satellite Observations of ULF Waves Artificially Produced by HAARP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Labenski, J.; Shroff, H.; Doxas, I.; Papadopoulos, D.; Milikh, G.; Parrot, M.

2008-12-01

Modulated ionospheric heating at ULF frequencies using the HAARP heater was performed from April 28 to May 3, 2008 (http://www.haarp.alaska.edu). Simultaneous ground-based ULF measurements were made locally at Gakona, AK and at Lake Ozette, WA that is 2000 km away. The ground-based results showed that ULF amplitudes measured at Gakona are mostly proportional to the electrojet strength above HAARP, indicating electrojet modulation to be the source of the local ULF waves. However, the timing of ULF events recorded at Lake Ozette did not correlated with the electrojet strength at Gakona, indicating that modulation of F region pressure is the more likely source for distant ULF waves. These observations are consistent with the theoretical understanding that ULF waves generated by current modulation are shear Alfven waves propagating along the magnetic field line, thus at high latitude their observations are limited to the vicinity of the heated spot. On the other hand, propagation of ULF waves at significant lateral distances requires generation of magnetosonic waves since they are the only mode that propagates isotropically and can thus couple efficiently in the Alfvenic duct. In addition to ground-based observations, the DEMETER satellite also provided space measurements of the heating effects during its passes over HAARP. The DEMETER results showed direct detection of HAARP ULF waves at 0.1 Hz. Moreover, density dips were observed every time HAARP was operated at CW mode, which provides clear evidence of duct formation by direct HF heating at F peak. Details of these results will be presented at the meeting. We would like to acknowledge the support provided by the HAARP facility during our ULF experiments.

Kinetic Effects in Parametric Instabilities of Finite Amplitude Alfven Waves in a Drifting Multi-Species Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maneva, Y. G.; Araneda, J. A.; Poedts, S.

2014-12-01

We consider parametric instabilities of finite-amplitude large-scale Alfven waves in a low-beta collisionless multi-species plasma, consisting of fluid electrons, kinetic protons and a drifting population of minor ions. Complementary to many theoretical studies, relying on fluid or multi-fluid approach, in this work we present the solutions of the parametric instability dispersion relation, including kinetic effects in the parallel direction, along the ambient magnetic field. This provides us with the opportunity to predict the importance of some wave-particle interactions like Landau damping of the daughter ion-acoustic waves for the given pump wave and plasma conditions. We apply the dispersion relation to plasma parameters, typical for low-beta collisionless solar wind close to the Sun. We compare the analytical solutions to the linear stage of hybrid numerical simulations and discuss the application of the model to the problems of preferential heating and differential acceleration of minor ions in the solar corona and the fast solar wind. The results of this study provide tools for prediction and interpretation of the magnetic field and particles data as expected from the future Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions.

ELF wave production by an electron beam emitting rocket system and its suppression on auroral field lines - Evidence for Alfven and drift waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winckler, J. R.; Erickson, K. N.; Abe, Y.; Steffen, J. E.; Malcolm, P. R.

1985-07-01

Orthogonal probes on a free-flying plasma diagnostics payload are used to study ELF electric disturbances in the auroral ionosphere that are due to the injection of powerful electron beams. Frequency spectrograms are presented for various pitch angles, pulsing characteristics, and other properties of the injected beams; the large scale DC ionospheric convection electric field is measured, together with auroral particle precipitation, visual auroral forms, and ionospheric parameters. In view of the experimental results obtained, it is postulated that the observed ELF waves are in the Alfven and drift modes, and are generated by the positive vehicle potential during beam injection.

Generation of Alfvenic Double Layers, Formation of Auroral Arcs, and Their Impact on Energy and Momentum Transfer in M-I Coupling System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Lysak, R. L.

2017-12-01

Parallel electrostatic electric fields provide a powerful mechanism to accelerate auroral particles to high energy in the auroral acceleration region (AAR), creating both quasi-static and Alfvenic discrete aurorae. The total field-aligned current can be written as J||total=J||+J||D, where the displacement current is denoted as J||D=(1/4π)(∂E||/∂t), which describes the E||-generation (Song and Lysak, 2006). The generation of the total field-aligned current is related to spatial gradients of the parallel vorticity caused by the axial torque acting on field-aligned flux tubes in M-I coupling system. It should be noticed that parallel electric fields are not produced by the field-aligned current. In fact, the E||-generation is caused by Alfvenic interaction in the M-I coupling system, and is favored by a low plasma density and the enhanced localized azimuthal magnetic flux. We suggest that the nonlinear interaction of incident and reflected Alfven wave packets in the AAR can create reactive stress concentration, and therefore can generate the parallel electrostatic electric fields together with a seed low density cavity. The generated electric fields will quickly deepen the seed low density cavity, which can effectively create even stronger electrostatic electric fields. The electrostatic electric fields nested in a low density cavity and surrounded by enhanced azimuthal magnetic flux constitute Alfvenic electromagnetic plasma structures, such as Alfvenic Double Layers (DLs). The Poynting flux carried by Alfven waves can continuously supply energy from the generator region to the auroral acceleration region, supporting and sustaining Alfvenic DLs with long-lasting electrostatic electric fields which accelerate auroral particles to high energy. The generation of parallel electric fields and the formation of auroral arcs can redistribute perpendicular mechanical and magnetic stresses in auroral flux tubes, decoupling the magnetosphere from ionosphere drag locally

The Potential for Ambient Plasma Wave Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilland, James H.; Williams, George J.

2016-01-01

A truly robust space exploration program will need to make use of in-situ resources as much as possible to make the endeavor affordable. Most space propulsion concepts are saddled with one fundamental burden; the propellant needed to produce momentum. The most advanced propulsion systems currently in use utilize electric and/or magnetic fields to accelerate ionized propellant. However, significant planetary exploration missions in the coming decades, such as the now canceled Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, are restricted by propellant mass and propulsion system lifetimes, using even the most optimistic projections of performance. These electric propulsion vehicles are inherently limited in flexibility at their final destination, due to propulsion system wear, propellant requirements, and the relatively low acceleration of the vehicle. A few concepts are able to utilize the environment around them to produce thrust: Solar or magnetic sails and, with certain restrictions, electrodynamic tethers. These concepts focus primarily on using the solar wind or ambient magnetic fields to generate thrust. Technically immature, quasi-propellantless alternatives lack either the sensitivity or the power to provide significant maneuvering. An additional resource to be considered is the ambient plasma and magnetic fields in solar and planetary magnetospheres. These environments, such as those around the Sun or Jupiter, have been shown to host a variety of plasma waves. Plasma wave propulsion takes advantage of an observed astrophysical and terrestrial phenomenon: Alfven waves. These are waves that propagate in the plasma and magnetic fields around and between planets and stars. The generation of Alfven waves in ambient magnetic and plasma fields to generate thrust is proposed as a truly propellantless propulsion system which may enable an entirely new matrix of exploration missions. Alfven waves are well known, transverse electromagnetic waves that propagate in magnetized plasmas at

PERPENDICULAR ION HEATING BY LOW-FREQUENCY ALFVEN-WAVE TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chandran, Benjamin D. G.; Germaschewski, Kai; Li Bo

We consider ion heating by turbulent Alfven waves (AWs) and kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) with wavelengths (measured perpendicular to the magnetic field) that are comparable to the ion gyroradius and frequencies {omega} smaller than the ion cyclotron frequency {Omega}. We focus on plasmas in which {beta} {approx}< 1, where {beta} is the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure. As in previous studies, we find that when the turbulence amplitude exceeds a certain threshold, an ion's orbit becomes chaotic. The ion then interacts stochastically with the time-varying electrostatic potential, and the ion's energy undergoes a random walk. Using phenomenological arguments,more » we derive an analytic expression for the rates at which different ion species are heated, which we test by simulating test particles interacting with a spectrum of randomly phased AWs and KAWs. We find that the stochastic heating rate depends sensitively on the quantity {epsilon} = {delta}v {sub {rho}/}v{sub perpendicular}, where v{sub perpendicular} (v {sub ||}) is the component of the ion velocity perpendicular (parallel) to the background magnetic field B {sub 0}, and {delta}v {sub {rho}} ({delta}B {sub {rho}}) is the rms amplitude of the velocity (magnetic-field) fluctuations at the gyroradius scale. In the case of thermal protons, when {epsilon} << {epsilon}{sub crit}, where {epsilon}{sub crit} is a constant, a proton's magnetic moment is nearly conserved and stochastic heating is extremely weak. However, when {epsilon}>{epsilon}{sub crit}, the proton heating rate exceeds half the cascade power that would be present in strong balanced KAW turbulence with the same value of {delta}v {sub {rho}}, and magnetic-moment conservation is violated even when {omega} << {Omega}. For the random-phase waves in our test-particle simulations, {epsilon}{sub crit} = 0.19. For protons in low-{beta} plasmas, {epsilon} {approx_equal} {beta}{sup -1/2{delta}}B{sub {rho}/}B {sub 0}, and {epsilon} can exceed

Detection of Ionospheric Alfven Resonator Signatures Onboard C/NOFS: Implications for IRI Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simoes, F.; Klenzing, J.; Ivanov, S.; Pfaff, R.; Rowland, D.; Bilitza, D.

2011-01-01

The 2008-2009 long-lasting solar minimum activity has been the one of its kind since the dawn of space age, offering exceptional conditions for investigating space weather in the near-Earth environment. First ever detection of Ionospheric Alfven Resonator (IAR) signatures in orbit offers new means for investigating ionospheric electrodynamics, namely MHD (MagnetoHydroDynamics) wave propagation, aeronomy processes, ionospheric dynamics, and Sun-Earth connection mechanisms at a local scale. Local and global plasma density heterogeneities in the ionosphere and magnetosphere allow for formation of waveguides and resonators where magnetosonic and shear Alfven waves propagate. The ionospheric magnetosonic waveguide results from complete magnetosonic wave reflection about the ionospheric F-region peak, where the Alfven index of refraction presents a maximum. MHD waves can also be partially trapped in the vertical direction between the lower boundary of the ionosphere and the magnetosphere, a resonance mechanism known as IAR. In this work we present C/NOFS (Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System) Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) electric field measurements related to IAR signatures, discuss the resonance and wave propagation mechanisms in the ionosphere, and address the electromagnetic inverse problem from which electron/ion distributions can be derived. These peculiar IAR electric field measurements provide new, complementary methodologies for inferring ionospheric electron and ion density profiles, and also contribute for the investigation of ionosphere dynamics and space weather monitoring. Specifically, IAR spectral signatures measured by C/NOFS contribute for improving the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model, namely electron density and ion composition.

Numerical simulation of inertial alfven waves to study localized structures and spectral index in auroral region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jatav, Bheem Singh

2018-06-01

In the present paper, the numerical simulation of Inertial Alfven wave (IAW) in low-β plasma applicable to the auroral region at 1700 km was studied. It leads to the formation of localized structures when the nonlinearity arises due to ponderomotive effect and Joule heating. The effect of perturbation and magnitude of pump IAW, formed the localized structures of magnetic field, has been studied. The formed localized structures at different times and average spectral index scaling of power spectrum have been observed. Results obtained from simulation reveal that spectrum steepens with power law index ˜ -3.5 for shorter wavelength. These localized structures could be a source of particle acceleration and heating by pump IAW in low- β plasma.

On the equilibrium between proton kappa distribution and compressible kinetic Alfvenic fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, P. H.

2017-12-01

Protons with a quasi inverse power law energetic population featuring the property f v-α, with α close to 5, are pervasively observed in the heliosphere. While many theoretical attempts have been made in order to describe such a feature, the so-called pump acceleration mechanism put forth by Fisk & Gloeckler is one of the most prominent theories. Their mechanism involves the low-frequency compressional fluctuations accelerating the protons. This presentation aims to reformulate the problem from the perspective of the steady state solution of the self-consistent plasma kinetic theory involving compressible kinetic Alfvenic fluctuations. By considering the steady state proton particle kinetic equation and quasi-linear wave kinetic for the kinetic Alfvenic turbulence we seek to obtain concomitant solutions for both proton velocity distribution function and the spectral intensity for kinetic Alfvenic fluctuation. It is found that the kappa distribution for the protons is a legitimate, if not unique, solution. The steady state spectrum of kinetic Alfvenic fluctuation is also obtained. The present investigation demonstrates that the kappa distribution for the protons featuring energetic tail population characterized by f v-2κ-2, where κ is the parameter for kappa distribution, may represent the background population of the protons in the heliosphere. However, it is speculated that in order to uniquely determine the value of κ, which must be close to 1.5 for asymptotic behavior of f v-5, one must have an additional constraint that involves the balance of nonlinear mode coupling terms in the wave kinetic equation.

A gyrofluid description of Alfvenic turbulence and its parallel electric field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bian, N. H.; Kontar, E. P.

2010-06-15

Anisotropic Alfvenic fluctuations with k{sub ||}/k{sub perpendicular}<<1 remain at frequencies much smaller than the ion cyclotron frequency in the presence of a strong background magnetic field. Based on the simplest truncation of the electromagnetic gyrofluid equations in a homogeneous plasma, a model for the energy cascade produced by Alfvenic turbulence is constructed, which smoothly connects the large magnetohydrodynamics scales and the small 'kinetic' scales. Scaling relations are obtained for the electromagnetic fluctuations, as a function of k{sub perpendicular} and k{sub ||}. Moreover, a particular attention is paid to the spectral structure of the parallel electric field which is produced bymore » Alfvenic turbulence. The reason is the potential implication of this parallel electric field in turbulent acceleration and transport of particles. For electromagnetic turbulence, this issue was raised some time ago in Hasegawa and Mima [J. Geophys. Res. 83, 1117 (1978)].« less

Hybrid Model of Inhomogeneous Solar Wind Plasma Heating by Alfven Wave Spectrum: Parametric Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, L.

2010-01-01

Observations of the solar wind plasma at 0.3 AU and beyond show that a turbulent spectrum of magnetic fluctuations is present. Remote sensing observations of the corona indicate that heavy ions are hotter than protons and their temperature is anisotropic (T(sub perpindicular / T(sub parallel) >> 1). We study the heating and the acceleration of multi-ion plasma in the solar wind by a turbulent spectrum of Alfvenic fluctuations using a 2-D hybrid numerical model. In the hybrid model the protons and heavy ions are treated kinetically as particles, while the electrons are included as neutralizing background fluid. This is the first two-dimensional hybrid parametric study of the solar wind plasma that includes an input turbulent wave spectrum guided by observation with inhomogeneous background density. We also investigate the effects of He++ ion beams in the inhomogeneous background plasma density on the heating of the solar wind plasma. The 2-D hybrid model treats parallel and oblique waves, together with cross-field inhomogeneity, self-consistently. We investigate the parametric dependence of the perpendicular heating, and the temperature anisotropy in the H+-He++ solar wind plasma. It was found that the scaling of the magnetic fluctuations power spectrum steepens in the higher-density regions, and the heating is channeled to these regions from the surrounding lower-density plasma due to wave refraction. The model parameters are applicable to the expected solar wind conditions at about 10 solar radii.

Laser-Produced Colliding Plasmas on LaPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collette, Andrew

2005-10-01

The expansion and interaction of dense plasmas in the presence of a magnetized background plasma is important in many astrophysical processes, among them shocks which transport energy. We study the collision of two dense, laser-produced plasmas expanding perpendicular to the background magnetic field, each with an Alfv'en Mach number of approximately 0.5. The plasmas are launched off of two carbon targets, 9cm apart, by a short pulse of laser energy (Nd:YAG, 1J 8ns). Experiments are currently in progress in a small test chamber at UCLA (background plasma n 3x10^12, 3 meters long, B0<700G) and will shortly be migrated to the LaPD (LArge Plasma Device; n 3x10^12, 18 meters long, 70cm diameter, 400Gproduced plasmas on LaPD have identified complex current systems associated with their expansion, which radiate Alfv'en and Lower Hybrid waves. We present an analysis of the shocks and waves produced by these interactions and their effect on the background plasma. Work supported by the NSF and done at the BAPSF (UCLA).

A coherent nonlinear theory of auroral Langmuir-Alfven-whistler (LAW) events in the planetary magnetosphere.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, S. R.; Chian, A. C.-L.

1996-01-01

A coherent nonlinear theory of three-wave coupling involving Langmuir, Alfven and whistler waves is formulated and applied to the observation of auroral LAW events in the planetary magnetosphere. The effects of pump depletion, dissipation and frequency mismatch in the nonlinear wave dynamics are analyzed. The relevance of this theory for understanding the fine structures of auroral whistler-mode emissions and amplitude modulations of auroral Langmuir waves is discussed.

Three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of linearly polarised Alfven wave dynamics in Arnold-Beltrami-Childress magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsiklauri, David

2015-04-01

Previous studies (e.g., Malara et al., Astrophys. J. 533, 523 (2000)) considered small-amplitude Alfven wave (AW) packets in Arnold-Beltrami-Childress (ABC) magnetic field using WKB approximation. They draw a distinction between 2D AW dissipation via phase mixing and 3D AW dissipation via exponentially divergent magnetic field lines. In the former case, AW dissipation time scales as S 1/3 and in the latter as log(S) , where S is the Lundquist number. In this work [1], linearly polarised Alfven wave dynamics in ABC magnetic field via direct 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulation is studied for the first time. A Gaussian AW pulse with length-scale much shorter than ABC domain length and a harmonic AW with wavelength equal to ABC domain length are studied for four different resistivities. While it is found that AWs dissipate quickly in the ABC field, contrary to an expectation, it is found the AW perturbation energy increases in time. In the case of the harmonic AW, the perturbation energy growth is transient in time, attaining peaks in both velocity and magnetic perturbation energies within timescales much smaller than the resistive time. In the case of the Gaussian AW pulse, the velocity perturbation energy growth is still transient in time, attaining a peak within few resistive times, while magnetic perturbation energy continues to grow. It is also shown that the total magnetic energy decreases in time and this is governed by the resistive evolution of the background ABC magnetic field rather than AW damping. On contrary, when the background magnetic field is uniform, the total magnetic energy decrease is prescribed by AW damping, because there is no resistive evolution of the background. By considering runs with different amplitudes and by analysing the perturbation spectra, possible dynamo action by AW perturbation-induced peristaltic flow and inverse cascade of magnetic energy have been excluded. Therefore, the perturbation energy growth is attributed

Three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of linearly polarised Alfven wave dynamics in Arnold-Beltrami-Childress magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tsiklauri, D.

Previous studies (e.g., Malara et al., Astrophys. J. 533, 523 (2000)) considered small-amplitude Alfven wave (AW) packets in Arnold-Beltrami-Childress (ABC) magnetic field using WKB approximation. They draw a distinction between 2D AW dissipation via phase mixing and 3D AW dissipation via exponentially divergent magnetic field lines. In the former case, AW dissipation time scales as S{sup 1∕3} and in the latter as log(S), where S is the Lundquist number. In this work, linearly polarised Alfven wave dynamics in ABC magnetic field via direct 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulation is studied for the first time. A Gaussian AW pulse with length-scalemore » much shorter than ABC domain length and a harmonic AW with wavelength equal to ABC domain length are studied for four different resistivities. While it is found that AWs dissipate quickly in the ABC field, contrary to an expectation, it is found the AW perturbation energy increases in time. In the case of the harmonic AW, the perturbation energy growth is transient in time, attaining peaks in both velocity and magnetic perturbation energies within timescales much smaller than the resistive time. In the case of the Gaussian AW pulse, the velocity perturbation energy growth is still transient in time, attaining a peak within few resistive times, while magnetic perturbation energy continues to grow. It is also shown that the total magnetic energy decreases in time and this is governed by the resistive evolution of the background ABC magnetic field rather than AW damping. On contrary, when the background magnetic field is uniform, the total magnetic energy decrease is prescribed by AW damping, because there is no resistive evolution of the background. By considering runs with different amplitudes and by analysing the perturbation spectra, possible dynamo action by AW perturbation-induced peristaltic flow and inverse cascade of magnetic energy have been excluded. Therefore, the perturbation energy growth is

Studies of a driven Alfvénic cavity and cylindrical Alfven eigenmodes in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lybarger, Warren; Carter, Troy; Brugman, Brian; Pribyl, Pat

2004-11-01

An Alfven wave MASER has been observed in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD), where an instability drives a resonant Alfven wave in the cavity defined by the cathode and anode of the discharge source(J.E. Maggs and G.J. Morales, PRL, 91, 035004-1 (2003)). We will present a study of external driving of this cavity, motivated by a desire to find a source of large amplitude Alfvén waves for studies of nonlinear interactions. The cavity is driven by modulating the discharge current using a broadband, high power push-pull amplifier. The Alfvén waves launched by exciting the cavity are large amplitude (δ B/B ˜ 1%) and are eigenmodes of the cylindrical column. Experimental results will be presented on the structure of the eigenmodes in the plasma column, the Q-value of the cavity and its dependence on plasma parameters, and deviations in the structure of the eigenmodes from ideal MHD due to kinetic effects. Experimental results will be compared to theories of Alfvén eigenmodes in a cylindrical column. * Work supported by DOE grant # DE-FG03-02ER54688

On Alfvenic Waves and Stochastic Ion Heating with 1Re Observations of Strong Field-aligned Currents, Electric Fields, and O+ ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coffey, Victoria; Chandler, Michael; Singh, Nagendra

2008-01-01

The role that the cleft/cusp has in ionosphere/magnetosphere coupling makes it a very dynamic region having similar fundamental processes to those within the auroral regions. With Polar passing through the cusp at 1 Re in the Spring of 1996, we observe a strong correlation between ion heating and broadband ELF (BBELF) emissions. This commonly observed relationship led to the study of the coupling of large field-aligned currents, burst electric fields, and the thermal O+ ions. We demonstrate the role of these measurements to Alfvenic waves and stochastic ion heating. Finally we will show the properties of the resulting density cavities.

Drift-Alfven eigenmodes in inhomogeneous plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vranjes, J.; Poedts, S.

2006-03-15

A set of three nonlinear equations describing drift-Alfven waves in a nonuniform magnetized plasma is derived and discussed both in linear and nonlinear limits. In the case of a cylindric radially bounded plasma with a Gaussian density distribution in the radial direction the linearized equations are solved exactly yielding general solutions for modes with quantized frequencies and with radially dependent amplitudes. The full set of nonlinear equations is also solved yielding particular solutions in the form of rotating radially limited structures. The results should be applicable to the description of electromagnetic perturbations in solar magnetic structures and in astrophysical column-likemore » objects including cosmic tornados.« less

Gyrokinetic particle simulations of the effects of compressional magnetic perturbations on drift-Alfvenic instabilities in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Dong, Ge; Bao, Jian; Bhattacharjee, Amitava; ...

2017-08-10

The compressional component of magnetic perturbation δB- || to can play an important role in drift-Alfvenic instabilities in tokamaks, especially as the plasma β increases (β is the ratio of kinetic pressure to magnetic pressure). In this work, we have formulated a gyrokinetic particle simulation model incorporating δB- ||, and verified the model in kinetic Alfven wave simulations using the Gyrokinetic Toroidal Code in slab geometry. Simulations of drift-Alfvenic instabilities in tokamak geometry shows that the kinetic ballooning mode (KBM) growth rate decreases more than 20% when δB- || is neglected for β e = 0.02, and that δB- ||more » to has stabilizing effects on the ion temperature gradient instability, but negligible effects on the collisionless trapped electron mode. Lastly, the KBM growth rate decreases about 15% when equilibrium current is neglected.« less

Wavemode identification in the dissipation/dispersion range of solar wind turbulence: Kinetic Alfven Waves and/or Whistlers? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salem, C. S.; Sundkvist, D. J.; Bale, S.

2009-12-01

Electromagnetic fluctuations in the inertial range of solar wind MHD turbulence and beyond (up to frequencies of 10Hz) have been studied for the first time using both magnetic field and electric field measurements on Cluster [Bale et al., 2005]. It has been shown that at frequencies above the spectral breakpoint at ~0.4Hz, in the dissipation range, the wave modes become dispersive and are consistent with Kinetic Alfven Waves (KAW). This interpretation, consistent with findings from recent theoretical studies, is based on the simple assumption that the measured frequency spectrum is actually a Doppler shifted wave number spectrum (ω ≈ k Vsw), commonly used in the solar wind and known as Taylor's hypothesis. While Taylor's hypothesis is valid in the inertial range of solar wind turbulence, it may break down in the dissipation range where temporal fluctuations can become important. We recently analyzed the effect of Doppler shift on KAW as well as compressional proton whistler waves [Salem et al., 2009]. The dispersive properties of the KAW and the whistler wave modes, as well as the electric to magnetic field (E/B) ratio, have been determined both analytically and numerically in the plasma and the spacecraft frame, with the goal of directly comparing those analytical/numerical estimates in the spacecraft frame with the data as measured. We revisit here Cluster electric field and magnetic field data in the solar wind using this approach. We focus our analysis on several ambient solar wind intervals with varying plasma parameters, allowing for a statistical study. We show that this technique provides an efficient diagnostics for wave-mode identification in the dissipation/dispersion range of solar wind turbulence.

Particle Acceleration by Cme-driven Shock Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reames, Donald V.

1999-01-01

In the largest solar energetic particle (SEP) events, acceleration occurs at shock waves driven out from the Sun by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Peak particle intensities are a strong function of CME speed, although the intensities, spectra, and angular distributions of particles escaping the shock are highly modified by scattering on Alfven waves produced by the streaming particles themselves. Element abundances vary in complex ways because ions with different values of Q/A resonate with different parts of the wave spectrum, which varies with space and time. Just recently, we have begun to model these systematic variations theoretically and to explore other consequences of proton-generated waves.

Wave and particle evolution downstream of quasi-perpendicular shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckean, M. E.; Omidi, N.; Krauss-Varban, D.; Karimabadi, H.

1995-01-01

Distributions of ions heated in quasi-perpendicular bow shocks have large perpendicular temperature anisotropies that provide free energy for the growth of Alfven ion cyclotron (AIC) and mirror waves. These modes are often obsreved in the Earth's magnetosheath. Using two-dimensional hybrid simulations, we show that these waves are produced near the shock front and convected downstream rather than being produced locally downstream. The wave activity reduces the proton anisotropy to magnetosheath levels within a few tens of gyroradii of the shock but takes significantly longer to reduce the anisotropy of He(++) ions. The waves are primarily driven by proton anisotropy and the dynamics of the helium ions is controlled by the proton waves. Downstream of high Mach number shocks, mirror waves compete effectively with AIC waves. Downstream of low Mach number shocks, AIC waves dominate.

Alfvén wave interactions in the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, G. M.; McKenzie, J. F.; Hu, Q.; le Roux, J. A.; Zank, G. P.

2012-11-01

Alfvén wave mixing (interaction) equations used in locally incompressible turbulence transport equations in the solar wind are analyzed from the perspective of linear wave theory. The connection between the wave mixing equations and non-WKB Alfven wave driven wind theories are delineated. We discuss the physical wave energy equation and the canonical wave energy equation for non-WKB Alfven waves and the WKB limit. Variational principles and conservation laws for the linear wave mixing equations for the Heinemann and Olbert non-WKB wind model are obtained. The connection with wave mixing equations used in locally incompressible turbulence transport in the solar wind are discussed.

Magnetic confinement, Alfven wave reflection, and the origins of X-ray and mass-loss 'dividing lines' for late-type giants and supergiants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosner, R.; An, C.-H.; Musielak, Z. E.; Moore, R. L.; Suess, S. T.

1991-01-01

A simple qualitative model for the origin of the coronal and mass-loss dividing lines separating late-type giants and supergiants with and without hot, X-ray-emitting corona, and with and without significant mass loss is discussed. The basic physical effects considered are the necessity of magnetic confinement for hot coronal material on the surface of such stars and the large reflection efficiency for Alfven waves in cool exponential atmospheres. The model assumes that the magnetic field geometry of these stars changes across the observed 'dividing lines' from being mostly closed on the high effective temperature side to being mostly open on the low effective temperature side.

Wave-driven winds from cool stars. I - Some effects of magnetic field geometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, L.; Macgregor, K. B.

1982-01-01

The wave-driven wind theory of Hartmann and MacGregor (1980) is extended to include effects due to non-radial divergence of the flow. Specifically, isothermal expansion within a flow tube whose cross-sectional area increases outward faster than the square of the radius near the stellar surface is considered. It is found that the qualitative conclusions of Hartmann and MacGregor concerning the physical properties of Alfven wave-driven winds are largely unaffected. In particular, mass fluxes of similar magnitude are obtained, and wave dissipation is still necessary to produce acceptably small terminal velocities. Increasingly divergent flow geometries generally lead to higher initial wind speeds and slightly lower terminal velocities. For some cases of extremely rapid flow tube divergence, steady supersonic wind solutions which extend to infinity with vanishing gas pressure cannot be obtained. In addition, departures from spherical symmetry can cause the relative Alfven wave amplitude delta-B/B to become approximately greater than 1 within several stellar radii of the base of the wind, suggesting that nonlinear processes may contribute to the wave dissipation required by the theory.

Nonlinear Electromagnetic Waves and Spherical Arc-Polarized Waves in Space Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, B.; Ho, Christian M.; Arballo, John K.; Lakhina, Gurbax S.; Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz; Neubauer, Fritz M.

1997-01-01

We review observations of nonlinear plasma waves detected by interplanetary spacecraft. For this paper we will focus primarily on the phase-steepened properties of such waves. Plasma waves at comet Giacobini-Zinner measured by the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), at comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup measured by Giotto, and interplanetary Alfven waves measured by Ulysses, will be discussed and intercompared.

High-frequency shear Alfven instability driven by circulating energetic ions in NSTX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kolesnichenko, Ya. I.; White, R. B.; Yakovenko, Yu. V.

2006-12-15

It is shown that a number of features of an instability with the frequency comparable to the ion gyrofrequency observed in the National Spherical Torus Experiment [E. D. Fredrickson et al., 'Observation of hole-clump pair generation by global or compressional Alfven eigenmodes', Contributed Papers, 33rd European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics, Rome, 2006, Europhysics Conference Abstracts (European Physical Society, Petit-Lancy, 2006), Report P5.058 (unpublished)] is consistent with the features of the Alfven instability with large, about the inverse, Larmor radius of the energetic ions ({rho}{sub b}{sup -1}) longitudinal wavenumbers. The conclusions drawn are based on an analysis of themore » resonant interaction of the energetic circulating ions and the waves, as well as on the calculation of the instability growth rate taking into account effects of the finite Larmor radius, {rho}{sub b}.« less

Alfven Waves in the Solar Corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomczyk, S.; McIntosh, S. W.; Keil, S. L.; Judge, P. G.; Schad, T.; Seeley, D. H.; Edmondson, J.

2007-12-01

We present observations of the coronal intensity, line-of-sight velocity, and linear polarization obtained in the FeXIII 1074.7 nm coronal emission line with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP) instrument. Analysis of these observations reveal ubiquitous upward propagating waves with phase speeds of 1-4 Mm/s and trajectories consistent with the direction of the magnetic field inferred from the linear polarization measurements. We can definitively identify these as Alfvén waves. An estimate of the energy carried by the waves that we spatially resolve indicates that they are unable to heat the solar corona, however, unresolved waves may carry sufficient energy.

Simple and Double Alfven Waves: Hamiltonian Aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, G. M.; Zank, G. P.; Hu, Q.; le Roux, J. A.; Dasgupta, B.

2011-12-01

We discuss the nature of simple and double Alfvén waves. Simple waves depend on a single phase variable \\varphi, but double waves depend on two independent phase variables \\varphi1 and \\varphi2. The phase variables depend on the space and time coordinates x and t. Simple and double Alfvén waves have the same integrals, namely, the entropy, density, magnetic pressure, and group velocity (the sum of the Alfvén and fluid velocities) are constant throughout the flow. We present examples of both simple and double Alfvén waves, and discuss Hamiltonian formulations of the waves.

Decorrelation dynamics and spectra in drift-Alfven turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez Garcia, Eduardo

Motivated by the inability of one-fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to explain key turbulence characteristics in systems ranging from the solar wind and interstellar medium to fusion devices like the reversed field pinch, this thesis studies magnetic turbulence using a drift-Alfven model that extends MHD by including electron density dynamics. Electron effects play a significant role in the dynamics by changing the structure of turbulent decorrelation in the Alfvenic regime (where fast Alfvenic propagation provides the fastest decorrelation of the system): besides the familiar counter-propagating Alfvenic branches of MHD, an additional branch tied to the diamagnetic and eddy-turn- over rates enters in the turbulent response. This kinematic branch gives hydrodynamic features to turbulence that is otherwise strongly magnetic. Magnetic features are observed in the RMS frequency, energy partitions, cross-field energy transfer and in the turbulent response, whereas hydrodynamic features appear in the average frequency, self-field transfer, turbulent response and finally the wavenumber spectrum. These features are studied via renormalized closure theory and numerical simulation. The closure calculation naturally incorporates the eigenmode structure of the turbulent response in specifying spectral energy balance equations for the magnetic, kinetic and internal (density) energies. Alfvenic terms proportional to cross correlations and involved in cross field transfer compete with eddy-turn-over, self transfer, auto-correlation terms. In the steady state, the kinematic terms dominate the energy balances and yield a 5/3 Kolmogorov spectrum (as observed in the interstellar medium) for the three field energies in the strong turbulence, long wavelength limit. Alfvenic terms establish equipartition of kinetic and magnetic energies. In the limit where wavelengths are short compared to the gyroradius, the Alfvenic terms equipartition the internal and magnetic energies resulting in a

A non-linear 4-wave resonant model for non-perturbative fast ion interactions with Alfv'enic modes in burning plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zonca, Fulvio; Chen, Liu

2007-11-01

We adopt the 4-wave modulation interaction model, introduced by Chen et al [1] for analyzing modulational instabilities of the radial envelope of Ion Temperature Gradient driven modes in toroidal geometry, extending it to the modulations on the fast particle distribution function due to nonlinear Alfv'enic mode dynamics, as proposed in Ref. [2]. In the case where the wave-particle interactions are non-perturbative and strongly influence the mode evolution, as in the case of Energetic Particle Modes (EPM) [3], radial distortions (redistributions) of the fast ion source dominate the mode nonlinear dynamics. In this work, we show that the resonant particle motion is secular with a time-scale inversely proportional to the mode amplitude [4] and that the time evolution of the EPM radial envelope can be cast into the form of a nonlinear Schr"odinger equation a la Ginzburg-Landau [5]. [1] L. Chen et al, Phys. Plasmas 7 3129 (2000) [2] F. Zonca et al, Theory of Fusion Plasmas (Bologna: SIF) 17 (2000) [3] L. Chen, Phys. Plasmas 1, 1519 (1994).[4] F. Zonca et al, Nucl. Fusion 45 477 (2005) [5] F. Zonca et al, Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 48 B15 (2006)

Alfvenic Generation of Field-Aligned Currents and Displacement Currents in the M-I Coupling System and the Formation of Discrete Auroral Arcs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Lysak, R. L.

2016-12-01

In previous theories (e.g., Hasegawa and Sato, 1979; Sato and Iijima, 1979; Vasyliunas, 1984), field-aligned current (FAC) generation is derived from current continuity assumption plus the force balance between the Lorentz force and other forces in the MHD momentum equation. These theories suggest that the FAC is generated by other forces, such as the inertia and/or pressure gradients. In fact, the FAC cannot be generated by these forces. From Maxwell's equations, FAC generation is associated with enhanced sheared magnetic fields and free magnetic energy where a dynamo action and Alfven waves are needed to generate and transport free magnetic energy. It is obvious that the mechanism of FAC generation cannot be given by analyzing a local force balance. We propose that FACs are generated by Alfvenic interactions in the M-I coupling driven system. From a full set of the dynamical equations, we have found that the generation of the total FAC (J||total ) is associated with spatial gradients of the parallel vorticity, where J||total=J||+J||D, and J||D=(1/4∏)(∂E||/∂t) is the displacement current, which describes E|| generation (Song and Lysak, 2006). The J||total generation is a dynamo process associated with the increase of the azimuthal magnetic flux caused by the axial torque acting on FAC flux tubes. Although the magnitude of the J||D is often very small relative to J||, neglecting this term, we cannot find the mechanism of the E|| generation. When the plasma density is low J||D becomes important relative to the current. We will demonstrate how the generation of E|| and the formation of auroral arcs can redistribute perpendicular mechanical and magnetic stresses which can cause a sudden and violent tail energy release and enhance the total FAC leading to the substorm auroral poleward expansion. We will also show how the nonlinear interaction of incident and reflected Alfven wave packets in the auroral acceleration region can produce quasi-stationary non

Relationship Between Alfvenic Fluctuations and Heavy Ion Heating in the Cusp at 1 Re

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coffey, Victoria; Chandler, Michael; Singh, Nagendra

2008-01-01

We look at the effect of heavy ion heating from their coupling with observed broadband (BB-ELF) emissions. These wave fluctuations are common to many regions of the ionosphere and magnetosphere and have been described as spatial turbulence of dispersive Alfven waves (DAW) with short perpendicular wavelengths. With Polar passing through the cusp at 1 Re in the Spring of 1996, we show the correlation of their wave power with mass-resolved O+ derived heating rates. This relationship lead to the study of the coupling of the thermal O+ ions and these bursty electric fields. We demonstrate the role of these measurements in the suggestion of DAW and stochastic ion heating and the observed density cavity characteristics.

Kinetic Alfven Waves and the Depletion of the Thermal Population in Extragalactic Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jafelice, L. C.; Opher, R.

1990-11-01

evident that both problems are intimately related to one another. Jafe- lice and Opher (1987a)(Astrophys. Space Sci. 137, 303)showed that an abundant generation of kinetic Alfven waves (KAw) within EJ and ERS is expected. In the present work we study the chain of processes: a) KAW accelerate thermal electrons along the background magnetic field producing suprathermal runaway electrons; b) which generate Langmuir waves and c) which in turn further accelerate a fraction of the runaway electrons to moderately relativistic energies. We show that assuming that there is no other source of a thermal population but the original one, the above sequence of processes can account for the consumption of thermal electrons in a time scale the source lifetime. Key o : GALAXIES-JETS - HYDROMAGNETICS

Large-Scale Alfvenic Impulses on the Sun: How They Are Generated and What We Learn From Them

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, Barbara

2004-01-01

NASA GSFC The Sun's atmosphere hosts a wide variety of magnetosonic disturbances. These wave modes are detected, almost exclusively, by examining images of the Sun's magnetic atmosphere and looking for propagating distortions. Although none of the Sun's plasma parameters are measured directly, we derive a great deal of information from these observations. In fact, by modeling these propagating disturbances, we may be able to derive the most accurate estimates plasma parameters. From observations absorption, refraction, reflection, and coupling of numerous wave modes, we advance our knowledge of the Sun's magnetic field, temperature, density, and current. The Sun's continuous oscillation, coronal mass ejections, flares, and other dynamic phenomena can produce wave disturbances which are observable from near-Earth space. Several of these disturbances have been traced from the inner corona out into the heliosphere. From the generation of these disturbances, we are able to learn about the phenomena which create them as well as the media through which they re-propagating. The presentation will include a discussion of the generation of Alfvenic disturbances on the Sun, ways we observe these disturbances, and how recent advances in modeling and analysis have brought us closer to determining solar in situ parameters.

Generation of ULF waves by electric or magnetic dipoles. [propagation from earth surface to ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harker, K. J.

1975-01-01

The generation of ULF waves by ground-based magnetic and electric dipoles is studied with a simplified model consisting of three adjoining homogeneous regions representing the groud, the vacuum (free space) region, and the ionosphere. The system is assumed to be immersed in a homogeneous magnetic field with an arbitrary tilt angle. By the use of Fourier techniques and the method of stationary phase, analytic expressions are obtained for the field strength of the compressional Alfven waves in the ionosphere. Expressions are also obtained for the strength of the torsional Alfven wave in the ionosphere and the ULF magnetic field at ground level. Numerical results are obtained for the compressional Alfven-wave field strength in the ionosphere with a nonvertical geomagnetic field and for the ULF magnetic field at ground level for a vertical geomagnetic field.

Wave particle interactions in Jupiter's magnetosphere: Implications for auroral and magnetospheric particle distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saur, Joachim; Schreiner, Anne; Barry, Mauk; Clark, George; Kollman, Peter

2017-04-01

We investigate the occurrence and the role of wave particle interaction processes, i.e., Landau and cyclotron damping, in Jupiter's magnetosphere. Therefore we calculate kinetic length and temporal scales, which we cross-compare at various regions within Jupiter's magnetosphere. Based on these scales, we investigate the roles of possible wave particle mechanisms in each region, e.g., Jupiter's plasma sheet, the auroral acceleration region and the polar ionosphere. We thereby consider that the magnetospheric regions are coupled through convective transport, Alfven and other wave modes. We particularly focus on the role of kinetic Alfven waves in contributing to Jupiter's aurora. Our results will aid the interpretation of particle distribution functions measured by the JEDI instrument onboard the JUNO spacecraft.

Sawtooth Stabilization and Onset of Alfvenic Instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, Y.; Cheng, C. Z.

2011-10-01

Tokamak sawtooth instabilities can be stabilized by high energy particles as a consequence of conservation of the third adiabatic invariant.On the other hand, termination of the stabilized period is reported due to the onset of Alfvenic instabilities (and thus the absence of the stabilizing mechanism). In this work, employing a kinetic-fluid model, the interaction of m=1 resistive kink mode and high energy particles is investigated. The onset of Alfvenic instabilities is examined as a function of the inversion radius location. D.J. Campbell et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 60, 2148 (1988); F. Porcelli, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 33, 1601 (1991).

Ponderomotive Force and Lower Hybrid Turbulence Effects in Space Plasmas Subjected to Large-Amplitude Low-Frequency Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Khazanov, George; Liemohn, M. W.; Stone, N. H.; Coffey, V. N.

1997-01-01

In the auroral region, simultaneous occurrences of upward-flowing ions and field-aligned electrons have been observed by the Viking satellite. The occurrence is strongly correlated with large amplitude low frequency fluctuations of the electric field. Large-amplitude shear Alfven waves have also been observed by sounding rockets in the auroral ionosphere. When such LF waves are propagating in a plasma, a ponderomotive force and other types of waves are produced which may lead to significant effects on the plasma. This force is directed toward decreasing density, providing the electromagnetic lift of the background plasma and an increase of collisionless plasma expansion. We find that even for modest wave strengths, the influence on the outflowing oxygen ions can be dramatic, increasing the high-altitude density by orders of magnitude. It is also demonstrated that large-amplitude low-frequency waves (LFW) may generate lower hybrid waves (LHW) in the auroral zone. The excitation of LHW by a LF wave may lead to the appearance of an additional channel of energy transfer from, for example, Alfven or fast magnetosonic waves, to particles. This process then influences the formation of the plasma distribution function at the expense of acceleration in the tail of the distribution during the collapse of the LHW. The ion energization due to the LHW can be comparable with that produced by the ponderomotive force of the LFW. It is shown that the LH turbulence leads to equalization of the ponderomotive acceleration of the different ion species. The mechanism of LHW excitation due to the oxygen ion relative drift in a plasma subjected to low-frequency waves is used for analysis of Viking satellite data for events in the cusp/cleft region. It is found that, in some cases, such a mechanism leads to LHW energy densities and ion distribution functions close to those observed.

Symmetries of the TDNLS equations for weakly nonlinear dispersive MHD waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, G. M.; Brio, M.; Zank, G. P.

1995-01-01

In this paper we consider the symmetries and conservation laws for the TDNLS equations derived by Hada (1993) and Brio, Hunter and Johnson, to describe the propagation of weakly nonlinear dispersive MHD waves in beta approximately 1 plasmas. The equations describe the interaction of the Alfven and magnetoacoustic modes near the triple umbilic, where the fast magnetosonic, slow magnetosonic and Alfven speeds coincide and a(g)(exp 2) = V(A)(exp 2) where a(g) is the gas sound speed and V(A) is the Alfven speed. We discuss Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, and similarity solutions for the equations.

Parametric Interactions between Alfven waves in LaPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brugman, B.; Carter, T. A.; Cowley, S. C.; Pribyl, P.; Lybarger, W.

2004-11-01

The physics governing interactions between large amplitude Alfvén waves, which are relevant to plasmas in space as well as the laboratory, is at present not well understood. A major class of such interactions which are believed to occur in compressible plasmas is referred to as parametric decay. We will present the results of a series of experiments involving the interactions of large amplitude LHP Alfvén wave conducted on the Large Plasma Device (LaPD); where β ≪ 1, n ˜ 10^12 frac1cm^3 and B0 in (200,2500) G. These experiments show strong signs of one form of parametric decay, known as the Modulational Instability, which represents the interaction of two Alfvén waves and a low frequency density perturbation. This interaction is believed to occur in plasmas with β < 1 as well as β > 1, over a broad range of wavevector space, and for RHP as well as LHP Alfvén waves - distinguishing it from the Beat and Decay instabilities. Details of this interaction, in particular the structure of the incident waves as well as that of their byproducts, will be shown in physical as well as wavevector space. The generation of large amplitude waves using both an Alfvén wave MASER and high current loop antennas will also be illustrated. Lastly theoretical descriptions of parametric decay will be presented and compared to observations. Future work will also include comparisons of experimental results with applicable simulations, such as GS2. Work supported by DOE grant number DE-FG03-02ER54688

Roles Played by Electrostatic Waves in Producing Radio Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cairns, Iver H.

2000-01-01

Processes in which electromagnetic radiation is produced directly or indirectly via intermediate waves are reviewed. It is shown that strict theoretical constraints exist for electrons to produce nonthermal levels of radiation directly by the Cerenkov or cyclotron resonances. In contrast, indirect emission processes in which intermediary plasma waves are converted into radiation are often favored on general and specific grounds. Four classes of mechanisms involving the conversion of electrostatic waves into radiation are linear mode conversion, hybrid linear/nonlinear mechanisms, nonlinear wave-wave and wave-particle processes, and radiation from localized wave packets. These processes are reviewed theoretically and observational evidence summarized for their occurrence. Strong evidence exists that specific nonlinear wave processes and mode conversion can explain quantitatively phenomena involving type III solar radio bursts and ionospheric emissions. On the other hand, no convincing evidence exists that magnetospheric continuum radiation is produced by mode conversion instead of nonlinear wave processes. Further research on these processes is needed.

Dispersive MHD Shock Properties and Interactions with Alfven Solitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, R.; Toll, K.; Ellis, C.

2017-12-01

The weakly nonlinear, weakly dispersive limit of Hall MHD with resistivity for 1D waves travelling nearly parallel to the ambient magnetic field reduces to the derivative nonlinear Schrödinger-Burgers (DNLSB) equation. This model equation describes the coupling between the Alfvenic and magnetosonic modes for a low b plasma. Without dissipation this model equation reduces to the DNLS which can be solved as an initial value problem using the Inverse Scattering Transformation through which the nonlinear component of the magnetic field profile can be represented as a combination of one-parameter bright and dark solitons as well as two-parameter solitons. The one-parameter solitons are constrained to travel at speeds ranging between the Alfvenic and magnetosonic characteristic speeds of the ambient field. We have found that these one-parameter solitons are effectively bound to a 1-2 Fast Shock and will pass back and forth across the shock until they are damped away with no apparent effect on the Fast Shock. A similar mechanism is expected for a sufficiently compressive Intermediate Shock as it arises simply from two effects: damping of a one-parameter soliton causes it to speed up and, if it does not damp away, it will eventually overtake the shock; passing forwards through a compressive shock the decrease of the field strength leads to a slowing of the soliton. We also discuss an extension of results [C. F. Kennel, R. D. Blandford, C. C. Wu, Phys. Fluids B 2(2), 1990] related to the time dependence of Intermediate Shocks in the presence of dispersion.

Producibility consideration for millimeter-wave transceivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seashore, Charles R.

1995-10-01

Considerable progress has been made in the development and demonstration of millimeter wave MMIC technology up to frequencies approaching 100 GHz. The recently completed multiyear, ARPA-sponsored, MIMIC program provided a considerable amount of funding and government-contractor team energy to advance the state-of-art with a number of important GaAs-based transceiver building blocks. Unfortuanely, producibility of millimeter wave MMIC transceiver modules has not been similarly addressed to provide a truly low cost, marketable product. This paper considers the module producibility problem and its various technological implications.

Electric Field Observations of Plasma Convection, Shear, Alfven Waves, and other Phenomena Observed on Sounding Rockets in the Cusp and Boundary Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R. F.

2009-01-01

On December 14,2002, a NASA Black Brant X sounding rocket was launched equatorward from Ny Alesund, Spitzbergen (79 N) into the dayside cusp and subsequently cut across the open/closed field line boundary, reaching an apogee of771 km. The launch occurred during Bz negative conditions with strong By negative that was changing during the flight. SuperDarn (CUTLASS) radar and subsequent model patterns reveal a strong westward/poleward convection, indicating that the rocket traversed a rotational reversal in the afternoon merging cell. The payload returned DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, energetic particle, suprathermal electron and ion, and thermal plasma data. We provide an overview of the main observations and focus on the DC electric field results, comparing the measured E x B plasma drifts in detail with the CUTLASS radar observations of plasma drifts gathered simultaneously in the same volume. The in situ DC electric fields reveal steady poleward flows within the cusp with strong shears at the interface of the closed/open field lines and within the boundary layer. We use the observations to discuss ionospheric signatures of the open/closed character of the cusp/low latitude boundary layer as a function of the IMF. The electric field and plasma density data also reveal the presence of very strong plasma irregularities with a large range of scales (10 m to 10 km) that exist within the open field line cusp region yet disappear when the payload was equatorward of the cusp on closed field lines. These intense low frequency wave observations are consistent with strong scintillations observed on the ground at Ny Alesund during the flight. We present detailed wave characteristics and discuss them in terms of Alfven waves and static irregularities that pervade the cusp region at all altitudes.

Generation of Alfvenic Waves and Turbulence in Magnetic Reconnection Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshino, M.

2014-12-01

The magneto-hydro-dynamic (MHD) linear stability for the plasma sheet with a localized bulk plasma flow parallel to the neutral sheet is investigated. We find three different unstable modes propagating parallel to the anti-parallel magnetic field line, and we call them as "streaming　tearing'', "streaming sausage'', and "streaming kink'' mode. The streaming tearing and sausage modes have the tearing mode-like structure with symmetric density fluctuation to the neutral sheet, and the streaming kink mode has the asymmetric fluctuation.　The growth rate of the streaming tearing mode decreases with increasing the magnetic Reynolds number, while those of the streaming　sausage and kink modes do not strongly depend on the Reynolds number. The wavelengths of these unstable modes are of the order of the thickness of plasma sheet, which behavior is almost same as the standard　tearing mode with no bulk flow. Roughly speaking the growth rates of　three modes become faster than the standard tearing mode. The situation of the plasma sheet with the bulk flow can be realized in the reconnection exhaust with the Alfvenic reconnection jet, and the unstable modes may be regarded as one of the generation processes of Alfvenic　turbulence in the plasma sheet during magnetic reconnection.

Mitigation of Alfvenic activity by 3D magnetic perturbations on NSTX

DOE PAGES

Kramer, G. J.; Bortolon, A.; Ferraro, N. M.; ...

2016-07-05

Observations on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) indicate that externally applied non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations (MP) can reduce the amplitude of Toroidal Alfven Eigenmodes (TAE) and Global Alfven Eigenmodes (GAE) in response to pulsed n=3 non-resonant fields. From full-orbit following Monte Carlo simulations with the 1- and 2-fluid resistive MHD plasma response to the magnetic perturbation included, it was found that in response to MP pulses the fast-ion losses increased and the fast-ion drive for the GAEs was reduced. The MP did not affect the fast-ion drive for the TAEs significantly but the Alfven continuum at the plasma edge wasmore » found to be altered due to the toroidal symmetry breaking which leads to coupling of different toroidal harmonics. The TAE gap was reduced at the edge creating enhanced continuum damping of the global TAEs, which is consistent with the observations. Furthermore, the results suggest that optimized non-axisymmetric MP might be exploited to control and mitigate Alfven instabilities by tailoring the fast-ion distribution function and/or continuum structure.« less

Alfven Waves observed in Polar Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cirtain, J.

2007-12-01

Data collected on X-ray jets during a polar coronal hole observation campaign has revealed that some events have two distinct velocity components, one near the Alfv\\acute{e}n speed (~ 800 km sec-1) and the other near the sound speed (200 km sec-1). Previous reports indicate the incidence of jet formation to be only a few per day, with average radial speeds of 200 km sec-1. With the X-Ray Telescope (XRT) we detect an average of 10 events per hour. These jets are approximately 2 × 103 - 2 × 104 km wide and than 1 × 105 km long. The jet lifetimes range from 100 - 2500 secs. A large percentage of these jets are associated with small footpoint flares (1). The large number of events, coupled with the high velocities of the apparent outflows, indicate that these jets may contribute significantly to the high-speed solar wind from coronal holes. These observations provide unique and important evidence for the generation of Alfvén waves during reconnection and are possibly the first evidence of Alfv´n wave observations driving the high speed solar wind.

On the physics of waves in the solar atmosphere: Wave heating and wind acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.

1992-01-01

In the area of solar physics, new calculations of the acoustic wave energy fluxes generated in the solar convective zone was performed. The original theory developed was corrected by including a new frequency factor describing temporal variations of the turbulent energy spectrum. We have modified the original Stein code by including this new frequency factor, and tested the code extensively. Another possible source of the mechanical energy generated in the solar convective zone is the excitation of magnetic flux tube waves which can carry energy along the tubes far away from the region. The problem as to how efficiently those waves are generated in the Sun was recently solved. The propagation of nonlinear magnetic tube waves in the solar atmosphere was calculated, and mode coupling, shock formation, and heating of the local medium was studied. The wave trapping problems and evaluation of critical frequencies for wave reflection in the solar atmosphere was studied. It was shown that the role played by Alfven waves in the wind accelerations and the coronal hole heating is dominant. Presently, we are performing calculations of wave energy fluxes generated in late-type dwarf stars and studying physical processes responsible for the heating of stellar chromospheres and coronae. In the area of physics of waves, a new analytical approach for studying linear Alfven waves in smoothly nonuniform media was recently developed. This approach is presently being extended to study the propagation of linear and nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves in stratified, nonisothermal and solar atmosphere. The Lighthill theory of sound generation to nonisothermal media (with a special temperature distribution) was extended. Energy cascade by nonlinear MHD waves and possible chaos driven by these waves are presently considered.

A New Mechanism of Magnetic Field Generation in Supernova Shock Waves and its Implication for Cosmic Ray Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond, Patrick

2005-10-01

SNR shocks are the most probable source of galactic cosmic rays. We discuss the diffusive acceleration mechanism in terms of its potential to accelerate CRs to 10^18 eV, as observations imply. One possibility, currently discussed in the literature, is to resonantly generate a turbulent magnetic field via accelerated particles in excess of the background field. We indicate some difficulties of this scenario and suggest a different possibility, which is based on the generation of Alfven waves at the gyroradius scale at the background field level, with a subsequent transfer to longer scales via interaction with strong acoustic turbulence in the shock precursor. The acoustic turbulence in turn, may be generated by Drury instability or by parametric instability of the Alfven (A) waves. The essential idea is an A-->A+S decay instability process, where one of the interacting scatterers (i.e. the sound, or S-waves) are driven by the Drury instability process. This rapidly generates longer wavelength Alfven waves, which in turn resonate with high energy CRs thus binding them to the shock and enabling their further acceleration.

Radial energy transport by magnetospheric ULF waves: Effects of magnetic curvature and plasma pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouznetsov, Igor; Lotko, William

1995-01-01

The 'radial' transport of energy by internal ULF waves, stimulated by dayside magnetospheric boundary oscillations, is analyzed in the framework of one-fluid magnetohydrodynamics. (the term radial is used here to denote the direction orthogonal to geomagnetic flux surfaces.) The model for the inhomogeneous magnetospheric plasma and background magnetic field is axisymmetric and includes radial and parallel variations in the magnetic field, magnetic curvature, plasma density, and low but finite plasma pressure. The radial mode structure of the coupled fast and intermediate MHD waves is determined by numerical solution of the inhomogeneous wave equation; the parallel mode structure is characterized by a Wentzel-Kramer-Brillouin (WKB) approximation. Ionospheric dissipation is modeled by allowing the parallel wave number to be complex. For boudnary oscillations with frequencies in the range from 10 to 48 mHz, and using a dipole model for the background magnetic field, the combined effects of magnetic curvature and finite plasma pressure are shown to (1) enhance the amplitude of field line resonances by as much as a factor of 2 relative to values obtained in a cold plasma or box-model approximation for the dayside magnetosphere; (2) increase the energy flux delivered to a given resonance by a factor of 2-4; and (3) broaden the spectral width of the resonance by a factor of 2-3. The effects are attributed to the existence of an 'Alfven buoyancy oscillation,' which approaches the usual shear mode Alfven wave at resonance, but unlike the shear Alfven mode, it is dispersive at short perpendicular wavelengths. The form of dispersion is analogous to that of an internal atmospheric gravity wave, with the magnetic tension of the curved background field providing the restoring force and allowing radial propagation of the mode. For nominal dayside parameters, the propagation band of the Alfven buoyancy wave occurs between the location of its (field line) resonance and that of the

Relativistic nonlinear plasma waves in a magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.; Pellat, R.

1975-01-01

Five relativistic plane nonlinear waves were investigated: circularly polarized waves and electrostatic plasma oscillations propagating parallel to the magnetic field, relativistic Alfven waves, linearly polarized transverse waves propagating in zero magnetic field, and the relativistic analog of the extraordinary mode propagating at an arbitrary angle to the magnetic field. When the ions are driven relativistic, they behave like electrons, and the assumption of an 'electron-positron' plasma leads to equations which have the form of a one-dimensional potential well. The solutions indicate that a large-amplitude superluminous wave determines the average plasma properties.

On Wave Processes in the Solar Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.

1998-01-01

This grant was awarded by NASA/MSFC to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to investigate the physical processes responsible for heating and wind acceleration in the solar atmosphere, and to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time-dependent solar wind models based on the momentum deposition by finite amplitude and nonlinear Alfven waves. In summary, there are three main goals of the proposed research: (1) Calculate the wave energy spectra and wave energy fluxes carried by magnetic non- magnetic waves. (2) Find out which mechanism dominates in supplying the wave energy to different parts of the solar atmosphere. (3) Use the results obtained in (1) and (2) to construct theoretical, self-consistent and time- dependent models of the solar wind. We have completed the first goal by calculating the amount of non-radiative energy generated in the solar convection zone as acoustic waves and as magnetic tube waves. To calculate the amount of wave energy carried by acoustic waves, we have used the Lighthill-Stein theory for sound generation modified by Musielak, Rosner, Stein & Ulmschneider (1994). The acoustic wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram have also been computed. The wave energy fluxes carried by longitudinal and transverse waves along magnetic flux tubes have been calculated by using both analytical and numerical methods. Our analytical approach is based a theory developed by Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschnelder and Musielak, Rosner, Gall & Ulmschneider, which allows computing the wave energy fluxes for linear tube waves. A numerical approach has been developed by Huang, Musielak & Ulmschneider and Ulmschneider & Musielak to compute the energy fluxes for nonlinear tube waves. Both methods have been used to calculate the wave energy fluxes for stars located in different regions of the HR diagram (Musielak, Rosner & Ulmschneider 1998; Ulmschneider, Musielak & Fawzy 1998). Having obtained the

Stability of sub-Alfvenic plasma expansions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huba, J. D.; Hassam, A. B.; Winske, D.

1990-01-01

A theoretical treatment of the linear stability of sub-Alfvenic plasma expansion is developed. The theory is fully kinetic and includes finite-beta effects, collisional effects, and neutral gas flow. A variety of results are obtained, and are applied to the the AMPTE magnetotail release, the NRL laser experiment, and the upcoming CRRES GTO releases.

M3D-K Simulations of Beam-Driven Alfven Eigenmodes in ASDEX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge; Fu, Guoyong; Lauber, Philipp; Schneller, Mirjam

2013-10-01

Core-localized Alfven eigenmodes are often observed in neutral beam-heated plasma in ASDEX-U tokamak. In this work, hybrid simulations with the global kinetic/MHD hybrid code M3D-K have been carried out to investigate the linear stability and nonlinear dynamics of beam-driven Alfven eigenmodes using experimental parameters and profiles of an ASDEX-U discharge. The safety factor q profile is weakly reversed with minimum q value about qmin = 3.0. The simulation results show that the n = 3 mode transits from a reversed shear Alfven eigenmode (RSAE) to a core-localized toroidal Alfven eigenmode (TAE) as qmin drops from 3.0 to 2.79, consistent with results from the stability code NOVA as well as the experimental measurement. The M3D-K results are being compared with those of the linear gyrokinetic stability code LIGKA for benchmark. The simulation results will also be compared with the measured mode frequency and mode structure. This work was funded by the Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics.

A mechanism for beam-driven excitation of ion cyclotron harmonic waves in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dendy, R.O.; McClements, K.G.; Lashmore-Davies, C.N.

1994-10-01

A mechanism is proposed for the excitation of waves at harmonics of the injected ion cyclotron frequencies in neutral beam-heated discharges in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) [[ital Proceedings] [ital of] [ital the] 17[ital th] [ital European] [ital Conference] [ital on] [ital Controlled] [ital Fusion] [ital and] [ital Plasma] [ital Heating] (European Physical Society, Petit-Lancy, Switzerland, 1990), p. 1540]. Such waves are observed to originate from the outer midplane edge of the plasma. It is shown that ion cyclotron harmonic waves can be destabilized by a low concentration of sub-Alfvenic deuterium or tritium beam ions, provided these ions havemore » a narrow distribution of speeds parallel to the magnetic field. Such a distribution is likely to occur in the edge plasma, close to the point of beam injection. The predicted instability gives rise to wave emission at propagation angles lying almost perpendicular to the field. In contrast to the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability proposed as an excitation mechanism for fusion-product-driven ion cyclotron emission in the Joint European Torus (JET) [Phys. Plasmas [bold 1], 1918 (1994)], the instability proposed here does not involve resonant fast Alfven and ion Bernstein waves, and can be driven by sub-Alfvenic energetic ions. It is concluded that the observed emission from TFTR can be driven by beam ions.« less

Super-alfvenic propagation of cosmic rays: The role of streaming modes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, P. J.; Scott, J. S.; Holman, G. D.; Ionson, J. A.

1980-01-01

Numerous cosmic ray propagation and acceleration problems require knowledge of the propagation speed of relativistic particles through an ambient plasma. Previous calculations indicated that self-generated turbulence scatters relativistic particles and reduces their bulk streaming velocity to the Alfven speed. This result was incorporated into all currently prominent theories of cosmic ray acceleration and propagation. It is demonstrated that super-Alfvenic propagation is indeed possible for a wide range of physical parameters. This fact dramatically affects the predictions of these models.

Compressional Alfven Eigenmode Similarity Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidbrink, W. W.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; Rhodes, T. L.

2004-11-01

NSTX and DIII-D are nearly ideal for Alfven eigenmode (AE) similarity experiments, having similar neutral beams, fast-ion to Alfven speed v_f/v_A, fast-ion pressure, and shape of the plasma, but with a factor of 2 difference in the major radius. Toroidicity-induced AE with ˜100 kHz frequencies were compared in an earlier study [1]; this paper focuses on higher frequency AE with f ˜ 1 MHz. Compressional AE (CAE) on NSTX have a polarization, dependence on the fast-ion distribution function, frequency scaling, and low-frequency limit that are qualitatively consistent with CAE theory [2]. Global AE (GAE) are also observed. On DIII-D, coherent modes in this frequency range are observed during low-field (0.6 T) similarity experiments. Experiments will compare the CAE stability limits on DIII-D with the NSTX stability limits, with the aim of determining if CAE will be excited by alphas in a reactor. Predicted differences in the frequency splitting Δ f between excited modes will also be used. \\vspace0.25em [1] W.W. Heidbrink, et al., Plasmas Phys. Control. Fusion 45, 983 (2003). [2] E.D. Fredrickson, et al., Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Report PPPL-3955 (2004).

Super-Alfvenic Propagation and Damping of Reconnection Onset Signatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, P.; Shay, M. A.; Haggerty, C. C.; Parashar, T.; Drake, J. F.; Gary, S. P.

2016-12-01

The onset of magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail has far reaching consequences for the dynamics of the magnetosphere. However, our understanding of the dynamics of onset as well as when and where it occurs in the magnetosphere is incomplete. One of the fastest propagating signatures of reconnection onset is the quadrupolar Hall magnetic field that has been shown to be a Kinetic Alfven Wave (KAW) . These KAW propagate extremely fast away from the reconnection site, carry substantial amounts of energy in the form of Poynting flux and electron flows, and may be responsible for electron acceleration and the generation of aurora[1]. However, to date there has not been a study of how reconnection generated KAWs will damp and disperse as they propagate. Using large scale kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of reconnection we investigate the damping of the KAWs as they propagate away from the x-line. We show that the hall quadrupolar structure dissipates according to linear Landau damping determined from a numerical solution of the linear Vlasov equation. Extending results to magnetotail parameters, we find that only the part of the wave with k c/wpi 1 will damp weakly enough to propagate from the mid-tail to the inner magnetosphere. [1] M. A. Shay et al., PRL, 107, 065001, 2011, DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.065001

Numerical and analytic models of spontaneous frequency sweeping for energetic particle-driven Alfven eigenmodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge; Berk, H. L.

2011-10-01

The frequency chirping signal arising from spontaneous a toroidial Alfven eigenmode (TAE) excited by energetic particles is studied for both numerical and analytic models. The time-dependent numerical model is based on the 1D Vlasov equation. We use a sophisticated tracking method to lock onto the resonant structure to enable the chirping frequency to be nearly constant in the calculation frame. The accuracy of the adiabatic approximation is tested during the simulation which justifies the appropriateness of our analytic model. The analytic model uses the adiabatic approximation which allows us to solve the wave evolution equation in frequency space. Then, the resonant interactions between energetic particles and TAE yield predictions for the chirping rate, wave frequency and amplitudes vs. time. Here, an adiabatic invariant J is defined on the separatrix of a chirping mode to determine the region of confinement of the wave trapped distribution function. We examine the asymptotic behavior of the chirping signal for its long time evolution and find agreement in essential features with the results of the simulation. Work supported by Department of Energy contract DE-FC02-08ER54988.

Pulsed discharges produced by high-power surface waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böhle, A.; Ivanov, O.; Kolisko, A.; Kortshagen, U.; Schlüter, H.; Vikharev, A.

1996-02-01

The mechanisms of the ionization front advance in surface-wave-produced discharges are investigated using two experimental set-ups. The high-power surface waves are excited in a 3 cm wavelength band by a surfaguide and a novel type of launcher (an E-plane junction). The ionization front velocity of the surface wave is measured for a wide range of gas pressures, incident microwave power and initial pre-ionization. The experimental results are compared with theoretical ones based on three different models. The comparison between theory and experiment allows one to suggest a new interpretation of the ionization front's advance. The ionization front velocity is determined by a breakdown wave or an ionization wave in the electric field of a high-power surface wave in the zone near the ionization front.

The Observational Consequences of Proton-Generated Waves at Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reames, Donald V.

2000-01-01

In the largest solar energetic particle (SEP) events, acceleration takes place at shock waves driven out from the Sun by fast coronal mass ejections. Protons streaming away from strong shocks generate Alfven waves that trap particles in the acceleration region, limiting outflowing intensities but increasing the efficiency of acceleration to higher energies. Early in the events, with the shock still near the Sun, intensities at 1 AU are bounded and spectra are flattened at low energies. Elements with different charge-to-mass ratios, Q/A, differentially probe the wave spectra near shocks, producing abundance ratios that vary in space and time. An initial rise in He/H, while Fe/O declines, is a typical symptom of the non-Kolmogorov wave spectra in the largest events. Strong wave generation can cause cross-field scattering near the shock and unusually rapid reduction in anisotropies even far from the shock. At the highest energies, shock spectra steepen to form a "knee." For protons, this spectral knee can vary from approx. 10 MeV to approx. 1 GeV depending on shock conditions for wave growth. In one case, the location of the knee scales approximately as Q/A in the energy/nucleon spectra of other species.

Electromagnetic Waves and Bursty Electron Acceleration: Implications from Freja

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Andersson, Laila; Ivchenko, N.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Clemmons, J.; Gustavsson, B.; Eliasson, L.

2000-01-01

Dispersive Alfven wave activity is identified in four dayside auroral oval events measured by the Freja satellite. The events are characterized by ion injection, bursty electron precipitation below about I keV, transverse ion heating and broadband extremely low frequency (ELF) emissions below the lower hybrid cutoff frequency (a few kHz). The broadband emissions are observed to become more electrostatic towards higher frequencies. Large-scale density depletions/cavities, as determined by the Langmuir probe measurements, and strong electrostatic emissions are often observed simultaneously. A correlation study has been carried out between the E- and B-field fluctuations below 64 Hz (the dc instrument's upper threshold) and the characteristics of the precipitating electrons. This study revealed that the energization of electrons is indeed related to the broadband ELF emissions and that the electrostatic component plays a predominant role during very active magnetospheric conditions. Furthermore, the effect of the ELF electromagnetic emissions on the larger scale field-aligned current systems has been investigated, and it is found that such an effect cannot be detected. Instead, the Alfvenic activity creates a local region of field-aligned currents. It is suggested that dispersive Alfven waves set up these local field-aligned current regions and in turn trigger more electrostatic emissions during certain conditions. In these regions ions are transversely heated, and large-scale density depletions/cavities may be created during especially active periods.

Turbulence and Waves as Sources for the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranmer, S. R.

2008-05-01

Gene Parker's insights from 50 years ago provided the key causal link between energy deposition in the solar corona and the acceleration of solar wind streams. However, the community is still far from agreement concerning the actual physical processes that give rise to this energy. It is still unknown whether the solar wind is fed by flux tubes that remain open (and are energized by footpoint-driven wavelike fluctuations) or if mass and energy is input more intermittently from closed loops into the open-field regions. No matter the relative importance of reconnections and loop-openings, though, we do know that waves and turbulent motions are present everywhere from the photosphere to the heliosphere, and it is important to determine how they affect the mean state of the plasma. In this presentation, I will give a summary of wave/turbulence models that seem to succeed in explaining the time-steady properties of the corona (and the fast and slow solar wind). The coronal heating and solar wind acceleration in these models comes from anisotropic turbulent cascade, which is driven by the partial reflection of low-frequency Alfven waves propagating along the open magnetic flux tubes. Specifically, a 2D model of coronal holes and streamers at solar minimum reproduces the latitudinal bifurcation of slow and fast streams seen by Ulysses. The radial gradient of the Alfven speed affects where the waves are reflected and damped, and thus whether energy is deposited below or above Parker's critical point. As predicted by earlier studies, a larger coronal expansion factor gives rise to a slower and denser wind, higher temperature at the coronal base, less intense Alfven waves at 1 AU, and correlative trends for commonly measured ratios of ion charge states and FIP-sensitive abundances that are in general agreement with observations. Finally, I will outline the types of future observations that would be most able to test and refine these ideas.

INTERSTELLAR SONIC AND ALFVENIC MACH NUMBERS AND THE TSALLIS DISTRIBUTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tofflemire, Benjamin M.; Burkhart, Blakesley; Lazarian, A.

2011-07-20

In an effort to characterize the Mach numbers of interstellar medium (ISM) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, we study the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of spatial increments of density, velocity, and magnetic field for 14 ideal isothermal MHD simulations at a resolution of 512{sup 3}. In particular, we fit the PDFs using the Tsallis function and study the dependency of the fit parameters on the compressibility and magnetization of the gas. We find that the Tsallis function fits PDFs of MHD turbulence well, with fit parameters showing sensitivities to the sonic and Alfven Mach numbers. For three-dimensional density, column density, and Position-Position-Velocitymore » data, we find that the amplitude and width of the PDFs show a dependency on the sonic Mach number. We also find that the width of the PDF is sensitive to the global Alfvenic Mach number especially in cases where the sonic number is high. These dependencies are also found for mock observational cases, where cloud-like boundary conditions, smoothing, and noise are introduced. The ability of Tsallis statistics to characterize the sonic and Alfvenic Mach numbers of simulated ISM turbulence points to it being a useful tool in the analysis of the observed ISM, especially when used simultaneously with other statistical techniques.« less

Stormtime and Interplanetary Magnetic Field Drivers of Wave and Particle Acceleration Processes in the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Transition Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatch, Spencer Mark

The magnetosphere-ionosphere (M-I) transition region is the several thousand-kilometer stretch between the cold, dense and variably resistive region of ionized atmospheric gases beginning tens of kilometers above the terrestrial surface, and the hot, tenuous, and conductive plasmas that interface with the solar wind at higher altitudes. The M-I transition region is therefore the site through which magnetospheric conditions, which are strongly susceptible to solar wind dynamics, are communicated to ionospheric plasmas, and vice versa. We systematically study the influence of geomagnetic storms on energy input, electron precipitation, and ion outflow in the M-I transition region, emphasizing the role of inertial Alfven waves both as a preferred mechanism for dynamic (instead of static) energy transfer and particle acceleration, and as a low-altitude manifestation of high-altitude interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere, as observed by the FAST satellite. Via superposed epoch analysis and high-latitude distributions derived as a function of storm phase, we show that storm main and recovery phase correspond to strong modulations of measures of Alfvenic activity in the vicinity of the cusp as well as premidnight. We demonstrate that storm main and recovery phases occur during 30% of the four-year period studied, but together account for more than 65% of global Alfvenic energy deposition and electron precipitation, and more than 70% of the coincident ion outflow. We compare observed interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) control of inertial Alfven wave activity with Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry global MHD simulations predicting that southward IMF conditions lead to generation of Alfvenic power in the magnetotail, and that duskward IMF conditions lead to enhanced prenoon Alfvenic power in the Northern Hemisphere. Observed and predicted prenoon Alfvenic power enhancements contrast with direct-entry precipitation, which is instead enhanced postnoon. This situation

Correction to the Alfven-Lawson criterion for relativistic electron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dodin, I. Y.; Fisch, N. J.

2006-10-15

The Alfven-Lawson criterion for relativistic electron beams is revised. The parameter range is found, in which a stationary beam can carry arbitrarily large current, regardless of its transverse structure.

Suppression of Alfven Modes on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade with Outboard Beam Injection [Suppression of Alfven Modes on the NSTX-U with Outboard Beam Injection

DOE PAGES

Fredrickson, E. D.; Belova, E. V.; Battaglia, D. J.; ...

2017-06-29

In this paper we present data from experiments on the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade, where it is shown for the first time that small amounts of high pitch-angle beam ions can strongly suppress the counterpropagating global Alfven eigenmodes (GAE). GAE have been implicated in the redistribution of fast ions and modification of the electron power balance in previous experiments on NSTX. The ability to predict the stability of Alfven modes, and developing methods to control them, is important for fusion reactors like the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor, which are heated by a large population of nonthermal, super-Alfvenic ions consistingmore » of fusion generated alpha's and beam ions injected for current profile control. We present a qualitative interpretation of these observations using an analytic model of the Doppler-shifted ion-cyclotron resonance drive responsible for GAE instability which has an important dependence on k(perpendicular to rho L). A quantitative analysis of this data with the HYM stability code predicts both the frequencies and instability of the GAE prior to, and suppression of the GAE after the injection of high pitch-angle beam ions.« less

Umbral oscillations as resonant modes of magneto-atmospheric waves. [in sunspots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scheuer, M. A.; Thomas, J. H.

1981-01-01

Umbral oscillations in sunspots are identified as a resonant response of the umbral atmosphere to forcing by oscillatory convection in the subphotosphere. The full, linearized equations for magnetoatmospheric waves are solved numerically for a detailed model of the umbral atmosphere, for both forced and free oscillations. Resonant 'fast' modes are found, the lowest mode having a period of 153 s, typical of umbral oscillations. A comparison is made with a similar analysis by Uchida and Sakurai (1975), who calculated resonant modes using an approximate ('quasi-Alfven') form of the wave equations. Whereas both analyses give an appropriate value for the period of oscillation, several new features of the motion follow from the full equations. The resonant modes are due to upward reflection in the subphotosphere (due to increasing sound speed) and downward reflection in the photosphere and low chromosphere (due to increasing Alfven speed); downward reflection at the chromosphere-corona transition is unimportant for these modes.

Plasma Heating inside ICMEs by Alfvenic Fluctuations Dissipation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, H.; Wang, C.; He, J.; Zhang, L.; Richardson, J. D.; Belcher, J. W.; Tu, C.

2017-12-01

Nonlinear cascade of low-frequency Alfvenic fluctuations (AFs) is regarded as one of the candidate energy sources that heat plasma during the non-adiabatic expansion of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). However, AFs inside ICMEs were seldom reported in the literature. In this study, we investigate AFs inside ICMEs using observations from Voyager 2 between 1 and 6 au. It has been found that AFs with a high degree of Alfvenicity frequently occurred inside ICMEs for almost all of the identified ICMEs (30 out of 33 ICMEs) and for 12.6% of the ICME time interval. As ICMEs expand and move outward, the percentage of AF duration decays linearly in general. The occurrence rate of AFs inside ICMEs is much less than that in ambient solar wind, especially within 4.75 au. AFs inside ICMEs are more frequently presented in the center and at the boundaries of ICMEs. In addition, the proton temperature inside ICME has a similar "W"-shaped distribution. These findings suggest significant contribution of AFs on local plasma heating inside ICMEs.

Saturation of Langmuir waves in laser-produced plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, K.L.

1996-04-01

This dissertation deals with the interaction of an intense laser with a plasma (a quasineutral collection of electrons and ions). During this interaction, the laser drives large-amplitude waves through a class of processes known as parametric instabilities. Several such instabilities drive one type of wave, the Langmuir wave, which involves oscillations of the electrons relative to the nearly-stationary ions. There are a number of mechanisms which limit the amplitude to which Langmuir waves grow. In this dissertation, these mechanisms are examined to identify qualitative features which might be observed in experiments and/or simulations. In addition, a number of experiments aremore » proposed to specifically look for particular saturation mechanisms. In a plasma, a Langmuir wave can decay into an electromagnetic wave and an ion wave. This parametric instability is proposed as a source for electromagnetic emission near half of the incident laser frequency observed from laser-produced plasmas. This interpretation is shown to be consistent with existing experimental data and it is found that one of the previous mechanisms used to explain such emission is not. The scattering version of the electromagnetic decay instability is shown to provide an enhanced noise source of electromagnetic waves near the frequency of the incident laser.« less

Mechanical energy transport. [during stellar turbulences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, R. F.; Leibacher, J. W.

1980-01-01

The properties, generation, and dissipation mechanisms of acoustic, gravity and Alfven waves are described, whose restoring forces are pressure, buoyancy, and magnetic tension, respectively. For acoustic waves, generation by turbulent convective motions and by the Eddington Valve thermal overstability is discussed, considering the 'five-minute' oscillation; dissipation is possible either by radiation or shocks. Generation of gravity waves by penetrative convective motions and by shear arising from supergranule motions is reviewed, and dissipation due to wave breaking, interaction with the mean horizontal fluid flow, and very severe radiative damping is considered. Attention is given to Alfven wave generation by convective motions and thermal overstability, and to dissipation by mode coupling, wave decay, current dissipation, and particle collisions producing Joule or viscous heating.

Study of nonlinear MHD equations governing the wave propagation in twisted coronal loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parhi, S.; DeBruyne, P.; Goossens, M.; Zhelyazkov, I.

1995-01-01

The solar corona, modelled by a low beta, resistive plasma slab, sustains MHD wave propagations due to shearing footpoint motions in the photosphere. By using a numerical algorithm the excitation and nonlinear development of MHD waves in twisted coronal loops are studied. The plasma responds to the footpoint motion by sausage waves if there is no twist. The twist in the magnetic field of the loop destroys initially developed sausage-like wave modes and they become kinks. The transition from sausage to kink modes is analyzed. The twist brings about mode degradation producing high harmonics and this generates more complex fine structures. This can be attributed to several local extrema in the perturbed velocity profiles. The Alfven wave produces remnants of the ideal 1/x singularity both for zero and non-zero twist and this pseudo-singularity becomes less pronounced for larger twist. The effect of nonlinearity is clearly observed by changing the amplitude of the driver by one order of magnitude. The magnetosonic waves also exhibit smoothed remnants of ideal logarithmic singularities when the frequency of the driver is correctly chosen. This pseudo-singularity for fast waves is absent when the coronal loop does not undergo any twist but becomes pronounced when twist is included. On the contrary, it is observed for slow waves even if there is no twist. Increasing the twist leads to a higher heating rate of the loop. The larger twist shifts somewhat uniformly distributed heating to layers inside the slab corresponding to peaks in the magnetic field strength.

Modeling the excitation of global Alfven modes by an external antenna in the Joint European Torus (JET)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huysmans, G.T.A.; Kerner, W.; Borba, D.

1995-05-01

The active excitation of global Alfven modes using the saddle coils in the Joint European Torus (JET) [{ital Plasma} {ital Physics} {ital and} {ital Controlled} {ital Nuclear} {ital Fusion} {ital Research} 1984, Proceedings of the 10th International Conference, London (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1985), Vol. 1, p. 11] as the external antenna, will provide information on the damping of global modes without the need to drive the modes unstable. For the modeling of the Alfven mode excitation, the toroidal resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code CASTOR (Complex Alfven Spectrum in TORoidal geometry) [18{ital th} {ital EPS} {ital Conference} {ital On} {italmore » Controlled} {ital Fusion} {ital and} {ital Plasma} {ital Physics}, Berlin, 1991, edited by P. Bachmann and D. C. Robinson (The European Physical Society, Petit-Lancy, 1991), Vol. 15, Part IV, p. 89] has been extended to calculate the response to an external antenna. The excitation of a high-performance, high beta JET discharge is studied numerically. In particular, the influence of a finite pressure is investigated. Weakly damped low-{ital n} global modes do exist in the gaps in the continuous spectrum at high beta. A pressure-driven global mode is found due to the interaction of Alfven and slow modes. Its frequency scales solely with the plasma temperature, not like a pure Alfven mode with a density and magnetic field.« less

Exciting Alfven Waves using Modulated Electron Heating by High Power Microwaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yuhou; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; van Compernolle, Bart; Papadopoulos, Konstantinos

2014-10-01

Experiments exploring the physics of ionospheric modification with intense perpendicular propagating waves (k-> ⊥B->0) on the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) at UCLA have been upgraded with the addition of a high power rapidly pulsed microwave source. The plasma is irradiated with ten pulses (250 kW X-band) near the upper-hybrid frequency. The pulses are modulated at a frequency of a fraction (0.1-1.0) of fci (ion cyclotron frequency). Based on a previous single-pulse experiment, the modulated electron heating may drive a large amplitude shear Alfvén wave (f wave driving mechanism may have important application in terrestrial radio communications by low frequency waves, which are difficult to launch directly due to their enormous wavelengths. Various heating methods involving X-mode, O-mode, and electron Bernstein mode are investigated in plasmas with controllable parameters (ne =108 ~1012 cm-3 ,Te = 0 . 1 ~ 6 eV ,Ti <waves and the subsequent structural changes of the plasma near the conversion region are also under investigation. This work is supported by an AFOSR MURI award, and conducted at the Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA funded by DoE and NSF.

Microphysics of Waves and Instabilities in the Solar Wind and their Macro Manifestations in the Corona and Interplanetary Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habbal, Shadia R.; Gurman, Joseph (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

Investigations of the physical processes responsible for the acceleration of the solar wind were pursued with the development of two new solar wind codes: a hybrid code and a 2-D MHD code. Hybrid simulations were performed to investigate the interaction between ions and parallel propagating low frequency ion cyclotron waves in a homogeneous plasma. In a low-beta plasma such as the solar wind plasma in the inner corona, the proton thermal speed is much smaller than the Alfven speed. Vlasov linear theory predicts that protons are not in resonance with low frequency ion cyclotron waves. However, non-linear effect makes it possible that these waves can strongly heat and accelerate protons. This study has important implications for study of the corona and the solar wind. Low frequency ion cyclotron waves or Alfven waves are commonly observed in the solar wind. Until now, it is believed that these waves are not able to heat the solar wind plasma unless some cascading processes transfer the energy of these waves to high frequency part. However, this study shows that these waves may directly heat and accelerate protons non-linearly. This process may play an important role in the coronal heating and the solar wind acceleration, at least in some parameter space.

Generation of BBFs and DFs, Formation of Substorm Auroras and Triggers of Substorm Onset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Y.; Lysak, R. L.

2014-12-01

Substorm onset is a dynamical response of the MI coupling system to external solar wind driving conditions and to internal dynamical processes. During the growth phase, the solar wind energy and momentum are transferred into the magnetosphere via MHD mesoscale Alfvenic interactions throughout the magnetopause current sheet. A decrease in momentum transfer from the solar wind into the magnetosphere starts a preconditioning stage, and produces a strong earthward body force acting on the whole magnetotail within a short time period. The strong earthward force will cause localized transients in the tail, such as multiple BBFs, DFs, plasma bubbles, and excited MHD waves. On auroral flux tubes, FACs carried by Alfven waves are generated by Alfvenic interactions between tail earthward flows associated with BBFs/DFs/Bubbles and the ionospheric drag. Nonlinear Alfvenic interaction between the incident and reflected Alfven wave packets in the auroral acceleration region can produce localized parallel electric fields and substorm auroral arcs. During the preconditioning stage prior to substorm onset, the generation of parallel electric fields and auroral arcs can redistribute perpendicular mechanical and magnetic stresses, "decoupling" the magnetosphere from the ionosphere drag. This will enhance the tail earthward flows and rapidly build up stronger parallel electric fields in the auroral acceleration region, leading to a sudden and violent tail energy release and substorm auroral poleward expansion. We suggest that in preconditioning stage, the decrease in the solar wind momentum transfer is a necessary condition of the substorm onset. Additionally, "decoupling" the magnetosphere from ionosphere drag can trigger substorm expansion onset.

Phenomenology of non-Alfvenic turbulence in a uniformly expanding medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthaeus, W. H.; Zank, G. P.

1995-01-01

Transport and decay of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a weakly inhomogeneous uniformly expanding medium involves a fairly complex formalism, even for the case where no spectral information is required. Here we argue that the phenomenology for decay simplifies greatly if: (1) the cross helicity (Alfvenicity) is small, (2) the dynamical influence of the large scale magnetic field is negligible either because of spectral anisotropy or because the expansion speed is much greater than the corresponding Alfven speed, and (3) the ratio of kinetic energy to magnetic energy for the fluctuations is either unity or some other constant. These conditions are acceptable as an approximation to solar wind turbulence in the outer heliosphere. In these circumstances a reasonable MHD energy-containing phenomenology is essentially that of locally homogeneous Kolmogoroff turbulence in a uniformly expanding medium. Analytical solutions for this model are presented for both undriven and driven cases.

Wake wash waves produced by High Speed Crafts:measurements vs prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benassai, Guido

2010-05-01

The subject of this study refers to the wake wash waves generated by High Speed Crafts observed at some distance away (typically one or multiple of ship lengths) from the line of travel of the vessel. The ratio of the vessel speed divided by the maximum wave celerity in shallow water (depth-based Froude number) or to the square root of the gravity by the vessel length (length-based Froude number) is often used to classify the wash. In fact the wash waves produced by vessels that travel at sub-critical Froude numbers are different in patterns (and hence applicable theory) from that produced by vessels which operate at the critical Froude number of 1 or at supercritical Froude numbers. High Speed Crafts generally operate at Fr>1, even if in some cases for safety of navigation they operate at Fr<1. In the study supercritical speed conditions were considered. The predicted wake wash was a result of a desk-top study and relied on the subject matter presented in numerous technical papers and publications, while the measured wake wash is a result of the first field measurements of wake wash produced by HSC operating in the Bay of Naples. The measurements were operated by a pressure gauge in three critical points where the distance from the coastline was less than 700m. These measurements were taken in shallow water (depth ranging from 4 to 5 meters) in calm weather conditions. The output of the tests were wave-elevation time histories upon which the maximum wave height Hm from the wave record was extracted. The wave height reported was therefore the highest wave, peak to through, which occurred in a wave train. The wave period is defined as double the related half period for the defined maximum wave height. For each wake wash measurement the vessel route was monitored aboard the crossing HSC and exact speed, distance and water obtained depth was determined. The obtained values of the wake wash were compared with predictions of wake wash obtained by similar vessels in

The Development of Drift Wave Turbulence in Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMurtrie, L.; Drake, J. F.; Swisdak, M. M.

2013-12-01

An important feature in collisionless magnetic reconnection is the development of sharp discontinuities along the separatrices bounding the Alfvenic outflow. The typical scale length of these features is ρs (the Larmor radius based on the sound speed) for guide field reconnection. Temperature gradients in the inflowing plasma (as might be found in the magnetopause) can lead to instabilities at these separatrices, specifically drift wave turbulence. We present standalone 2D and 3D PIC simulations of drift wave turbulence to investigate scaling properties and growth rates. Further investigations of the relative importance of drift wave turbulence in the development of reconnection will also be considered.

Low Frequency Turbulence as the Source of High Frequency Waves in Multi-Component Space Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, George V.; Krivorutsky, Emmanuel N.; Uritsky, Vadim M.

2011-01-01

Space plasmas support a wide variety of waves, and wave-particle interactions as well as wavewave interactions are of crucial importance to magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma behavior. High frequency wave turbulence generation by the low frequency (LF) turbulence is restricted by two interconnected requirements: the turbulence should be strong enough and/or the coherent wave trains should have the appropriate length. These requirements are strongly relaxed in the multi-component plasmas, due to the heavy ions large drift velocity in the field of LF wave. The excitation of lower hybrid waves (LHWs), in particular, is a widely discussed mechanism of interaction between plasma species in space and is one of the unresolved questions of magnetospheric multi-ion plasmas. It is demonstrated that large-amplitude Alfven waves, in particular those associated with LF turbulence, may generate LHW s in the auroral zone and ring current region and in some cases (particularly in the inner magnetosphere) this serves as the Alfven wave saturation mechanism. We also argue that the described scenario can playa vital role in various parts of the outer magnetosphere featuring strong LF turbulence accompanied by LHW activity. Using the data from THEMIS spacecraft, we validate the conditions for such cross-scale coupling in the near-Earth "flow-braking" magnetotail region during the passage of sharp injection/dipolarization fronts, as well as in the turbulent outflow region of the midtail reconnection site.

Gravity waves produced by the total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marty, Julien; Francis, Dalaudier; Damien, Ponceau; Elisabeth, Blanc; Ulziibat, Munkhuu

2010-05-01

Gravity waves are a major component of atmospheric small scale dynamics because of their ability to transport energy and momentum over considerable distances and of their interactions with the mean circulation or other waves. They produce pressure variations which can be detected at the ground by microbarographs. The solar intensity reduction which occurs in the atmosphere during solar eclipses is known to act as a temporary source of large scale gravity waves. Despite decades of research, observational evidence for a characteristic bow-wave response of the atmosphere to eclipse passages remains elusive. A new versatile numerical model (Marty, J. and Dalaudier, F.: Linear spectral numerical model for internal gravity wave propagation. J. Atmos. Sci. (in press)) is presented and applied to the cooling of the atmosphere during a solar eclipse. Calculated solutions appear to be in good agreement with ground pressure fluctuations recorded during the total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first time that such a result is presented. A three-dimensional linear spectral numerical model is used to propagate internal gravity wave fluctuations in a stably stratified atmosphere. The model is developed to get first-order estimations of gravity wave fluctuations produced by identified sources. It is based on the solutions of the linearized fundamental fluid equations and uses the fully-compressible dispersion relation for inertia-gravity waves. The spectral implementation excludes situations involving spatial variations of buoyancy frequency or background wind. However density stratification variations are taken into account in the calculation of fluctuation amplitudes. In addition to gravity wave packet free propagation, the model handles both impulsive and continuous sources. It can account for spatial and temporal variations of the sources allowing to cover a broad range of physical situations. It is applied to the case of solar

Stochastic Acceleration of Ions Driven by Pc1 Wave Packets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Sibeck, D. G.; Tel'nikhin, A. A.; Kronberg, T. K.

2015-01-01

The stochastic motion of protons and He(sup +) ions driven by Pc1 wave packets is studied in the context of resonant particle heating. Resonant ion cyclotron heating typically occurs when wave powers exceed 10(exp -4) nT sq/Hz. Gyroresonance breaks the first adiabatic invariant and energizes keV ions. Cherenkov resonances with the electrostatic component of wave packets can also accelerate ions. The main effect of this interaction is to accelerate thermal protons to the local Alfven speed. The dependencies of observable quantities on the wave power and plasma parameters are determined, and estimates for the heating extent and rate of particle heating in these wave-particle interactions are shown to be in reasonable agreement with known empirical data.

Global MHD simulations driven by idealized Alfvenic fluctuations in the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claudepierre, S. G.

2017-12-01

High speed solar wind streams (HSSs) and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) often lead to MeV electron flux enhancements the Earth's outer radiation belt. The relevant physical processes responsible for these enhancements are not entirely understood. We investigate the potential role that solar wind Alfvenic fluctuations, intrinsic structures embedded in the HSS/CIRs, play in radiation belt dynamics. In particular, we explore the hypothesis that magnetospheric ultra-low frequency (ULF) pulsations driven by interplanetary magnetic field fluctuations are the intermediary mechanism responsible for the pronounced effect that HSS/CIRs have on the outer electron radiation belt. We examine these effects using global, three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations driven by idealized interplanetary Alfvenic fluctuations, both monochromatic and broadband noise (Kolmogorov turbulence).

Recent Successes of Wave/Turbulence Driven Models of Solar Wind Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranmer, S. R.; Hollweg, J. V.; Chandran, B. D.; van Ballegooijen, A. A.

2010-12-01

A key obstacle in the way of producing realistic simulations of the Sun-heliosphere system is the lack of a first-principles understanding of coronal heating. Also, it is still unknown whether the solar wind is "fed" through flux tubes that remain open (and are energized by footpoint-driven wavelike fluctuations) or if mass and energy are input intermittently from closed loops into the open-field regions. In this presentation, we discuss self-consistent models that assume the energy comes from solar Alfven waves that are partially reflected, and then dissipated, by magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. These models have been found to reproduce many of the observed features of the fast and slow solar wind without the need for artificial "coronal heating functions" used by earlier models. For example, the models predict a variation with wind speed in commonly measured ratios of charge states and elemental abundances that agrees with observed trends. This contradicts a commonly held assertion that these ratios can only be produced by the injection of plasma from closed-field regions on the Sun. This presentation also reviews two recent comparisons between the models and empirical measurements: (1) The models successfully predict the amplitude and radial dependence of Faraday rotation fluctuations (FRFs) measured by the Helios probes for heliocentric distances between 2 and 15 solar radii. The FRFs are a particularly sensitive test of turbulence models because they depend not only on the plasma density and Alfven wave amplitude in the corona, but also on the turbulent correlation length. (2) The models predict the correct sense and magnitude of changes seen in the polar high-speed solar wind by Ulysses from the previous solar minimum (1996-1997) to the more recent peculiar minimum (2008-2009). By changing only the magnetic field along the polar magnetic flux tube, consistent with solar and heliospheric observations at the two epochs, the model correctly predicts that the

Quasi-static evolution of coronal magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Longcope, D. W.; Sudan, R. N.

1992-01-01

A formalism is developed to describe the purely quasi-static part of the evolution of a coronal loop driven by its footpoints. This is accomplished under assumptions of a long, thin loop. The quasi-static equations reveal the possibility for sudden 'loss of equilibrium' at which time the system evolves dynamically rather than quasi-statically. Such quasi-static crises produce high-frequency Alfven waves and, in conjunction with Alfven wave dissipation models, form a viable coronal heating mechanism. Furthermore, an approximate solution to the quasi-static equations by perturbation method verifies the development of small-scale spatial current structure.

Theoretical Studies of Alfven Waves and Energetic Particle Physics in Fusion Plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Liu

This report summarizes major theoretical findings in the linear as well as nonlinear physics of Alfvén waves and energetic particles in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. On the linear physics, a variational formulation, based on the separation of singular and regular spatial scales, for drift-Alfvén instabilities excited by energetic particles is established. This variational formulation is then applied to derive the general fishbone-like dispersion relations corresponding to the various Alfvén eigenmodes and energetic-particle modes. It is further employed to explore in depth the low-frequency Alfvén eigenmodes and demonstrate the non-perturbative nature of the energetic particles. On the nonlinear physics, new novelmore » findings are obtained on both the nonlinear wave-wave interactions and nonlinear wave-energetic particle interactions. It is demonstrated that both the energetic particles and the fine radial mode structures could qualitatively affect the nonlinear evolution of Alfvén eigenmodes. Meanwhile, a theoretical approach based on the Dyson equation is developed to treat self-consistently the nonlinear interactions between Alfvén waves and energetic particles, and is then applied to explain simulation results of energetic-particle modes. Relevant list of journal publications on the above findings is also included.« less

Gravitational waves produced by compressible MHD turbulence from cosmological phase transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, Niksa; Martin, Schlederer; Günter, Sigl

2018-07-01

We calculate the gravitational wave spectrum produced by magneto-hydrodynamic turbulence in a first order phase transitions. We focus in particular on the role of decorrelation of incompressible (solenoidal) homogeneous isotropic turbulence, which is dominated by the sweeping effect. The sweeping effect describes that turbulent decorrelation is primarily due to the small scale eddies being swept with by large scale eddies in a stochastic manner. This effect reduces the gravitational wave signal produced by incompressible MHD turbulence by around an order of magnitude compared to previous studies. Additionally, we find a more complicated dependence for the spectral shape of the gravitational wave spectrum on the energy density sourced by solenoidal modes (magnetic and kinetic). The high frequency tail follows either a k ‑5/3 or a k ‑8/3 power law for large and small solenoidal turbulence density parameter, respectively. Further, magnetic helicity tends to increase the gravitational wave energy at low frequencies. Moreover, we show how solenoidal modes might impact the gravitational wave spectrum from dilatational modes e.g. sound waves. We find that solenoidal modes greatly affect the shape of the gravitational wave spectrum due to the sweeping effect on the dilatational modes. For a high velocity flow, one expects a k ‑2 high frequency tail, due to sweeping. In contrast, for a low velocity flow and a sound wave dominated flow, we expect a k ‑3 high frequency tail. If neither of these limiting cases is realized, the gravitational wave spectrum may be a broken power law with index between  ‑2 and  ‑3, extending up to the frequency at which the source is damped by viscous dissipation.

Hydromagnetic waves, turbulence, and collisionless processes in the interplanetary medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, A.

1983-01-01

An extended discussion is conducted concerning the origin and evolution of interplanetary hydromagnetic waves and turbulence, and their influence on the large scale dynamics of the solar wind. The solar wind is at present the preeminent medium for the study of hydromagnetic waves and turbulence, providing an opportunity for advancement of understanding of the most fundamental processes of the astrophysical plasmas. All interplanetary fluctuations whose time scale is observed to be greater than 1 sec can be regarded as hydromagnetic fluctuations. It has been found to be simplest, and generally very satisfactory, to model interplanetary variations as fluctuations in an MHD fluid. Attention is given to the classification of wave modes, geometrical hydromagnetics, Alfven wave pressure, rugged invariants, and the kinetic theory of collisionless processes.

Investigating middle-atmospheric gravity waves associated with a sprite-producing mesoscale convective event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollmer, D. R.; McHarg, M. G.; Harley, J.; Haaland, R. K.; Stenbaek-Nielsen, H.

2016-12-01

On 23 July 2014, a mesoscale convective event over western Nebraska produced a large number of sprites. One frame per second images obtained from a low-noise Andor Scientific CMOS camera showed regularly-spaced horizontal striations in the airglow both before and during several of the sprite events, suggesting the presence of vertically-propagating gravity waves in the middle atmosphere. Previous work hypothesized that the gravity waves were produced by the thunderstorm itself. We compare our observations with previous work, and present numerical simulations conducted to determine source, structure, and propagation of atmospheric gravity waves.

On the physics of waves in the solar atmosphere: Wave heating and wind acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.

1994-01-01

This paper presents work performed on the generation and physics of acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere. The investigators have incorporated spatial and temporal turbulent energy spectra in a newly corrected version of the Lighthill-Stein theory of acoustic wave generation in order to calculate the acoustic wave energy fluxes generated in the solar convective zone. The investigators have also revised and improved the treatment of the generation of magnetic flux tube waves, which can carry energy along the tubes far away from the region of their origin, and have calculated the tube wave energy fluxes for the sun. They also examine the transfer of the wave energy originated in the solar convective zone to the outer atmospheric layers through computation of wave propagation and dissipation in highly nonhomogeneous solar atmosphere. These waves may efficiently heat the solar atmosphere and the heating will be especially significant in the chromospheric network. It is also shown that the role played by Alfven waves in solar wind acceleration and coronal hole heating is dominant. The second part of the project concerned investigation of wave propagation in highly inhomogeneous stellar atmospheres using an approach based on an analytic tool developed by Musielak, Fontenla, and Moore. In addition, a new technique based on Dirac equations has been developed to investigate coupling between different MHD waves propagating in stratified stellar atmospheres.

On the physics of waves in the solar atmosphere: Wave heating and wind acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Z. E.

1993-01-01

This paper presents work performed on the generation and physics of acoustic waves in the solar atmosphere. The investigators have incorporated spatial and temporal turbulent energy spectra in a newly corrected version of the Lighthill-Stein theory of acoustic wave generation in order to calculate the acoustic wave energy fluxes generated in the solar convective zone. The investigators have also revised and improved the treatment of the generation of magnetic flux tube waves, which can carry energy along the tubes far away from the region of their origin, and have calculated the tube energy fluxes for the sun. They also examine the transfer of the wave energy originated in the solar convective zone to the outer atmospheric layers through computation of wave propagation and dissipation in highly nonhomogeneous solar atmosphere. These waves may efficiently heat the solar atmosphere and the heating will be especially significant in the chromospheric network. It is also shown that the role played by Alfven waves in solar wind acceleration and coronal hole heating is dominant. The second part of the project concerned investigation of wave propagation in highly inhomogeneous stellar atmospheres using an approach based on an analytic tool developed by Musielak, Fontenla, and Moore. In addition, a new technique based on Dirac equations has been developed to investigate coupling between different MHD waves propagating in stratified stellar atmospheres.

The turbulent generation of outward traveling Alfvenic fluctuations in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthaeus, W. H.; Goldstein, M. L.; Montgomery, D. C.

1983-01-01

From an analysis of the incompressible MHD equations, it is concluded that the frequent observation of outward propagating Alfvenic fluctuations in the solar wind can arise from early stages of in situ turbulent evolution, and need not reflect coronal processes.

What are the Causes of the Formation of the Sub-Alfvenic Flows at the High Latitude Magnetopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avanov, L. A.; Chandler, M. O.; Simov, V. N.; Vaisberg, O. L.

2003-01-01

We study magnetopause crossings made by the Interball Tail spacecraft at high latitudes under various interplanetary conditions. When the IMF mostly northward the Interball Tail observes quasi steady state reconnection signatures at the high latitude magnetopause, which include a well-defined de Hoffman-Teller frame, satisfaction of stress balance (Walen relations) and D-shaped ion velocity distributions. Under variable or southward IMF the high latitude magnetopause is a tangentional discontinuity. However, in certain conditions, just after the magnetopause crossing, irrespective of the IMF orientation, decelerate magnetosheath flows are observed in the magnetosheath region adjacent to the high latitude magnetopause. This leads to formation of the region where the sub-Alfvenic flow at high latitudes exists. We suggest that in some cases the dipole tilt plays an important role in the formation of the sub-Alfvenic flows, although in some cases formation the depletion layer is responsible for observation of the sub-Alfvenic flows at the high latitude magnetopause.

Wave field and evanescent waves produced by a sound beam incident on a simulated sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osterhoudt, Curtis F.; Marston, Philip L.; Morse, Scot F.

2005-09-01

When a sound beam in water is incident on a sediment at a sufficiently small grazing angle, the resulting wave field in the sediment is complicated, even for the case of flat, fluidlike sediments. The wave field in the sediment for a sound beam from a simple, unshaded, finite transducer has an evanescent component and diffractive components. These components can interfere to produce a series of nulls outside the spatial region dominated by the evanescent wave field. This situation has been experimentally simulated by using a combination of previously described immiscible liquids [Osterhoudt et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 2483 (2005)]. The spacing between the observed nulls is similar to that seen in a wave-number-integration-based synthesis (using OASES) for a related problem. An analysis of a dephasing distance for evanescent and algebraically decaying components [T .J. Matula and P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 1389-1398 (1995)] explains the spacing of the nulls. [Work supported by ONR.

Electron Alfvén waves in collisionless magnetic reconnection with a guide field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, S.; Wang, X.; Xiao, C.; Pu, Z.

2017-12-01

It is well known that many wave modes may be related to some important reconnection issues, such as particle acceleration, the reconnection trigger, reconnection rate, etc. Here a new wave mode, the electron Alfvén wave, is introduced for the first time, with both theoretical derivations and observational data analysis. Firstly, we present a theoretical derivation of the dispersion relations of the electron Alfvén mode in a rescaled `Electron Fluid' model. Secondly, based on in situ measurements of the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) spacecraft, an electron Alfvén wave is identified in the electron dissipation region of a reconnection event at the magnetopause. In the last part, the excitation of the electron Alfven waves and some related reconnection issues are discussed.

Turbulent Heating and Wave Pressure in Solar Wind Acceleration Modeling: New Insights to Empirical Forecasting of the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woolsey, L. N.; Cranmer, S. R.

2013-12-01

The study of solar wind acceleration has made several important advances recently due to improvements in modeling techniques. Existing code and simulations test the competing theories for coronal heating, which include reconnection/loop-opening (RLO) models and wave/turbulence-driven (WTD) models. In order to compare and contrast the validity of these theories, we need flexible tools that predict the emergent solar wind properties from a wide range of coronal magnetic field structures such as coronal holes, pseudostreamers, and helmet streamers. ZEPHYR (Cranmer et al. 2007) is a one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics code that includes Alfven wave generation and reflection and the resulting turbulent heating to accelerate solar wind in open flux tubes. We present the ZEPHYR output for a wide range of magnetic field geometries to show the effect of the magnetic field profiles on wind properties. We also investigate the competing acceleration mechanisms found in ZEPHYR to determine the relative importance of increased gas pressure from turbulent heating and the separate pressure source from the Alfven waves. To do so, we developed a code that will become publicly available for solar wind prediction. This code, TEMPEST, provides an outflow solution based on only one input: the magnetic field strength as a function of height above the photosphere. It uses correlations found in ZEPHYR between the magnetic field strength at the source surface and the temperature profile of the outflow solution to compute the wind speed profile based on the increased gas pressure from turbulent heating. With this initial solution, TEMPEST then adds in the Alfven wave pressure term to the modified Parker equation and iterates to find a stable solution for the wind speed. This code, therefore, can make predictions of the wind speeds that will be observed at 1 AU based on extrapolations from magnetogram data, providing a useful tool for empirical forecasting of the sol! ar wind.

Effect of a Dusty Layer on Surface-Wave Produced Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostrikov, Kostyantyn; Yu, Ming; Xu, Shuyan

2000-10-01

The effect of near-sheath dusts on the RF power loss in a surface-wave sustained gas discharge is studied. The planar plasma is bounded by a dielectric and consists of an inhomogeneous near-wall transition layer (sheath), a dusty plasma layer, and the outer dust-free plasma. The discharge is maintained by high-frequency axially-symmetric surface waves. The surface-wave power loss from the most relevant dissipative mechanisms in typical discharge plasmas is analyzed. Our model allows one to consider the main effects of dust particles on surface-wave produced discharge plasmas. We demonstrate that the dusts released in the discharge can strongly modify the plasma conductivity and lead to a significant redistribution of the total charge. They affect the electron quasi-momenta, but do not absorb the energy transmitted to the plasma through elastic collisions, and therefore they remain cold at the room temperature. It is shown that the improvement of the efficiency of energy transfer from the wave source to the plasma can be achieved by selecting operation regimes when the efficiency of the power loss in the plasma through electron-neutral collisions is higher than that through electron-dust interactions.

Lower Hybrid Oscillations in Multicomponent Space Plasmas Subjected to Ion Cyclotron Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Krivorutsky, E. N.; Moore, T. E.; Liemohn, M. W.; Horwitz, J. L.

1997-01-01

It is found that in multicomponent plasmas subjected to Alfven or fast magnetosonic waves, such as are observed in regions of the outer plasmasphere and ring current-plasmapause overlap, lower hybrid oscillations are generated. The addition of a minor heavy ion component to a proton-electron plasma significantly lowers the low-frequency electric wave amplitude needed for lower hybrid wave excitation. It is found that the lower hybrid wave energy density level is determined by the nonlinear process of induced scattering by ions and electrons; hydrogen ions in the region of resonant velocities are accelerated; and nonresonant particles are weakly heated due to the induced scattering. For a given example, the light resonant ions have an energy gain factor of 20, leading to the development of a high-energy tail in the H(+) distribution function due to low-frequency waves.

High-latitude distributions of plasma waves and spatial irregularities from DE 2 alternating current electric field observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heppner, J. P.; Liebrecht, M. C.; Maynard, N. C.; Pfaff, R. F.

1993-01-01

The high-latitude spatial distributions of average signal intensities in 12 frequency channels between 4 Hz and 512 kHz as measured by the ac electric field spectrometers on the DE-2 spacecraft are analyzed for 18 mo of measurements. In MLT-INL (magnetic local time-invariant latitude) there are three distinct distributions that can be identified with 4-512 Hz signals from spatial irregularities and Alfven waves, 256-Hz to 4.1-kHz signals from ELF hiss, and 4.1-64 kHz signals from VLF auroral hiss, respectively. Overlap between ELF hiss and spatial irregularity signals occurs in the 256-512 Hz band. VLF hiss signals extend downward in frequency into the 1.0-4.1 kHz band and upward into the frequency range 128-512 kHz. The distinctly different spatial distribution patterns for the three bands, 4-256 Hz, 512-1204 Hz, and 4.1-64 kHz, indicate a lack of any causal relationships between VLF hiss, ELF hiss, and lower-frequency signals from spatial irregularities and Alfven waves.

Kinetic treatment of nonlinear magnetized plasma motions - General geometry and parallel waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khabibrakhmanov, I. KH.; Galinskii, V. L.; Verheest, F.

1992-01-01

The expansion of kinetic equations in the limit of a strong magnetic field is presented. This gives a natural description of the motions of magnetized plasmas, which are slow compared to the particle gyroperiods and gyroradii. Although the approach is 3D, this very general result is used only to focus on the parallel propagation of nonlinear Alfven waves. The derivative nonlinear Schroedinger-like equation is obtained. Two new terms occur compared to earlier treatments, a nonlinear term proportional to the heat flux along the magnetic field line and a higher-order dispersive term. It is shown that kinetic description avoids the singularities occurring in magnetohydrodynamic or multifluid approaches, which correspond to the degenerate case of sound speeds equal to the Alfven speed, and that parallel heat fluxes cannot be neglected, not even in the case of low parallel plasma beta. A truly stationary soliton solution is derived.

Ion Upwelling and Height-Resolved Electrodynamic Response of the Ionosphere to ULF Waves and Precipitation: Comparison Between Simulation and EISCAT Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sydorenko, D.; Rankin, R.

2013-12-01

We have developed a comprehensive two-dimensional (meridional) model of coupling between the magnetosphere and ionosphere that covers an altitude range from ~100 km to few thousand km at high latitudes [Sydorenko and Rankin, 2013]. The model describes propagation of inertial scale Alfven waves, including ponderomotive forces, and has a parametric model of energetic electron precipitation; it includes vertical ion flows and chemical reactions between ions and neutrals. Model results are presented that reproduce EISCAT radar observations of electron and ion temperatures, height integrated conductivity, ion densities, and ion flows during a period of ULF activity described in [Lester, Davies, and Yeoman, 2000]. We performed simulations where the precipitation and the Alfven wave perturb the ionosphere simultaneously. By adjusting parameters of the wave and the precipitation we have achieved qualitative, and sometimes even reasonable quantitative agreement between the observations and the simulation. The model results are discussed in the context of new results anticipated from the Canadian small satellite mission ePOP "Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe", scheduled for launch on September 9, 2013. Sydorenko D. and R. Rankin, 'Simulation of O+ upflows created by electron precipitation and Alfvén waves in the ionosphere' submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research, 2013. Lester M., J. A. Davies, and T. K. Yeoman, 'The ionospheric response during an interval of PC5 ULF wave activity', Ann. Geophysicae, v.18, p.257-261 (2000).

Cylindrical stationary striations in surface wave produced plasma columns of argon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rajneesh; Kulkarni, Sanjay V.; Bora, Dhiraj

2007-12-01

Striations are a good example of manifestation of a glow discharge. In the present investigation, stationary striations in the surface wave produced plasma column are formed. Physical parameters (length, number, etc.) of such striations can be controlled by operating parameters. With the help of bifurcation theory, experimental results are explained by considering two-step ionization in the surface wave discharge mechanism in argon gas. It is also observed that the bifurcation parameter is a function of input power, working pressure, and tube radius.

Momentum and energy transport by waves in the solar atmosphere and solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacques, S. A.

1977-01-01

The fluid equations for the solar wind are presented in a form which includes the momentum and energy flux of waves in a general and consistent way. The concept of conservation of wave action is introduced and is used to derive expressions for the wave energy density as a function of heliocentric distance. The explicit form of the terms due to waves in both the momentum and energy equations are given for radially propagating acoustic, Alfven, and fast mode waves. The effect of waves as a source of momentum is explored by examining the critical points of the momentum equation for isothermal spherically symmetric flow. We find that the principal effect of waves on the solutions is to bring the critical point closer to the sun's surface and to increase the Mach number at the critical point. When a simple model of dissipation is included for acoustic waves, in some cases there are multiple critical points.

Numerical simulation of the multiple core localized low shear toroidal Alfvenic eigenmodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wenjia; Zhou, Deng; Hu, Youjun; Ming, Yue

2018-03-01

In modern tokamak experiments, scenarios with weak central magnetic shear has been proposed. It is necessary to study the Alfvenic mode activities in such scenarios. Theoretical researches have predicted the multiplicity of core-localized toroidally induced Alfvenic eigenmodes for ɛ/s > 1, where ɛ is the inverse aspect ratio and s is magnetic shear. We numerically investigate the existence of multiplicity of core-localized TAEs and mode characteristics using NOVA code in the present work. We firstly verify the existence of the multiplicity for zero beta plasma and the even mode at the forbidden zone. For finite beta plasma, the mode parities become more distinguishable, and the frequencies of odd modes are close to the upper tip of the continuum, while the frequencies of even modes are close to the lower tip of the continuum. Their frequencies are well separated by the forbidden zone. With the increasing value of ɛ/s, more modes with multiple radial nodes will appear, which is in agreement with theoretical prediction. The discrepancy between theoretical prediction and our numerical simulation is also discussed in the main text.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves observed near the oxygen cyclotron frequency by ISEE 1 and 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fraser, B. J.; Samson, J. C.; Hu, Y. D.; Mcpherron, R. L.; Russell, C. T.

1992-01-01

The first results of observations of ion cyclotron waves by the elliptically orbiting ISEE 1 and 2 pair of spacecraft are reported. The most intense waves (8 nT) were observed in the outer plasmasphere where convection drift velocities were largest and the Alfven velocity was a minimum. Wave polarization is predominantly left-handed with propagation almost parallel to the ambient magnetic field, and the spectral slot and polarization reversal predicted by cold plasma propagation theory are identified in the wave data. Computations of the experimental wave spectra during the passage through the plasmapause show that the spectral slots relate to the local plasma parameters, possibly suggesting an ion cyclotron wave growth source near the spacecraft. A regular wave packet structure seen over the first 30 min of the event is attributed to the modulation of this energy source by the Pc 5 waves seen at the same time.

Calculations of Alfven Wave Driving Forces, Plasma Flow and Current Drive in Tokamak Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfimov, Artur; Galvao, Ricardo; Amarante-Segundo, Gesil; Nascimento, Ivan

2000-10-01

A general form of time-averaged poloidal ponderomotive forces induced by fast and kinetic Alfvin waves by direct numerical calculations and in geometric optics approximation are analyzed on the basis of the collisionless two fluid (ions and electrons) magneto-hydrodynamics equation. Analytical approximations are used to clarify the effect of Larmour radius on radio-frequency (RF) ponderomotive forces and on poloidal flows induced by them in tokamak plasmas.The RF ponderomotive force is expressed as a sum of a gradient part and of a wave momentum transfer force, which is proportional to wave dissipation. The gradient electromagnetic stress force is combined with fluid dynamic (Reynolds) stress force. It is shown that accounting only Reynolds stress term can overestimate the plasma flow and it is found that the finite ion Larmor radius effect play fundamental role in ponderomotive forces that can drive a poloidal flow, which is larger than a flow driven by a wave momentum transfer force. Finally, balancing the RF forces by the electron-ion friction and viscous force the current and plasma flows driven by ponderomotive forces are calculated for tokamak plasmas, using a kinetic code [Phys. Plasmas, v.6 (1999) p.2437]. Strongly sheared current and plasma flow waves is found.

Interplanetary Alfvenic fluctuations: A statistical study of the directional variations of the magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavassano, B.; Mariani, F.

1983-01-01

Magnetic field data from HELIOS 1 and 2 are used to test a stochastic model for Alfvenic fluctuations recently proposed. A reasonable matching between observations and predictions is found. A rough estimate of the correlation length of the observed fluctuations is inferred.

Comments on compressible effects on Alfven normal modes in nonuniform plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mok, Y.; Einaudi, G.

1990-01-01

The paper discusses the regime of validity of the theory of dissipative Alfven normal modes presented by Mok and Einaudi (1985) and Einaudi and Mok (1985), which was based on the incompressible closure of the system of ideal MHD equations. Some simple extensions of the earlier results to the compressible case are described. In addition, certain misunderstandings of this work, which have appeared in other papers, are clarified.

Analysis of bubble plume spacing produced by regular breaking waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phaksopa, J.; Haller, M. C.

2012-12-01

The breaking wave process in the ocean is a significant mechanism for energy dissipation, splash, and entrainment of air. The relationship between breaking waves and bubble plume characteristics is still a mystery because of the complexity of the breaking wave mechanism. This study takes a unique approach to quantitatively analyze bubble plumes produced by regular breaking waves. Various previous studies have investigated the formation and the characteristics of bubble plumes using either field observations, laboratory experiments, or numerical modeling However, in most observational work the plume characteristics have been studied from the underneath the water surface. In addition, though numerical simulations are able to include much of the important physics, the computational costs are high and bubble plume events are only simulated for short times. Hence, bubble plume evolution and generation throughout the surf zone is not yet computationally feasible. In the present work we take a unique approach to analyzing bubble plumes. These data may be of use for model/data comparisons as numerical simulations become more tractable. The remotely sensed video data from freshwater breaking waves in the OSU Large Wave Flume (Catalan and Haller, 2008) are analyzed. The data set contains six different regular wave conditions and the video intensity data are used to estimate the spacing of plume events (wavenumber spectrum), to calculate the spectral width (i.e. the range of plume spacing), and to relate these with the wave conditions. The video intensity data capture the evolution of the wave passage over a fixed bed arranged in a bar-trough morphology. Bright regions represent the moving path or trajectory coincident with bubble plume of each wave. It also shows the bubble foam were generated and released from wave crest shown in the form of bubble tails with almost regular spacing for each wave. The bubble tails show that most bubbles did not move along with wave. For the

Kinetic Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection Due to Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, W.; Andre, M.; Khotainstev, Yu. V.; Vaivads, A.; Graham, D. B.; Toledo-Redondo, S.; Norgren, C.; Henri, P.; Wang, C.; Tang, B. B.;

Plasma and field observations of a compressional Pc 5 wave event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumjohann, W.; Sckopke, N.; LaBelle, J.; Klecker, B.; Lühr, H.; Glassmeier, K. H.

1987-11-01

The full complement of data obtained by all the instruments on board the AMPTE/IRM satellite during a Pc 5 wave event on October 24, 1984 is analyzed. Both energetic proton and electron fluxes were anticorrelated with the compressional magnetic field oscillations, indicating that the event belongs to the class of 'in-phase events'. The energetic proton data also exhibited a new feature: flux minima and maxima at low energies were observed somewhat later than those at higher energies. The magnetic and plasma pressure oscillations satisfy the pressure balance equation for the drift mirror mode much better than that for drift compressional Alfven waves. However, the classical criterion for the onset of the mirror instability is not satisfied.

Ubiquity of Kelvin–Helmholtz waves at Earth's magnetopause

PubMed Central

Kavosi, Shiva; Raeder, Joachim

2015-01-01

Magnetic reconnection is believed to be the dominant process by which solar wind plasma enters the magnetosphere. However, for periods of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) reconnection is less likely at the dayside magnetopause, and Kelvin–Helmholtz waves (KHWs) may be important agents for plasma entry and for the excitation of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves. The relative importance of KHWs is controversial because no statistical data on their occurrence frequency exist. Here we survey 7 years of in situ data from the NASA THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macro scale Interactions during Substorms) mission and find that KHWs occur at the magnetopause ∼19% of the time. The rate increases with solar wind speed, Alfven Mach number and number density, but is mostly independent of IMF magnitude. KHWs may thus be more important for plasma transport across the magnetopause than previously thought, and frequently drive magnetospheric ULF waves. PMID:25960122

Excitation of dust kinetic Alfven waves by semi-relativistic ion beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rubab, N.; Jaffer, G.

2016-05-15

The growth rates for dust kinetic Alfvén wave (DKAW) based on semi-relativistic Maxwellian distribution function are investigated in a hot and magnetized plasma. The dispersion relation of DKAW is obtained on a dust acoustic velocity branch, and the kinetic instability due to cross-field semi-relativistic ion flow is examined by the effect of dust parameters. Analytical expressions are derived for various modes as a natural consequence of the form of the solution, and is shown through graphical representation that the presence of dust particles and the cross-field semi-relativistic ions sensibly modify the dispersion characteristics of low-frequency DKAW. The results are validmore » for a frequency regime well below the dust cyclotron frequency. We suggest that semi-relativistic particles are an important factor in the growth/damping of DKAWs. It is also found that relativistic effects appear with the dust lower hybrid frequency are more effective for dust kinetic Alfvén waves in the perpendicular component as compared to the parallel one. In particular, the relativistic effects associated with electrons suppress the instability while ions enhance the growth rates. The growth rates are significantly modified with dust parameters and streaming velocity of cross-field ions.« less

Momentum and energy deposition in late-type stellar atmospheres and winds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, L.; Macgregor, K. B.

1980-01-01

The present study calculates the response of the outer atmospheres of cool low-gravity stars to the passage of the mechanical energy fluxes of solar magnitude in the form of acoustic waves and Alfven waves. It is shown that Alfven waves are efficient in generating outflow, and can account for the order of magnitude of observed mass loss in late-type luminous stars. However, unless these magnetic waves undergo some dissipation within several stellar radii of the surface, the predicted terminal velocities of the resulting stellar winds are far too high. Alfven wave dissipation should give rise to extended warm chromospheres in low-gravity late-type stars, a prediction which can be observationally tested.

Unified Models of Turbulence and Nonlinear Wave Evolution in the Extended Solar Corona and Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cranmer, Steven R.; Wagner, William (Technical Monitor)

2004-01-01

The PI (Cranmer) and Co-I (A. van Ballegooijen) made substantial progress toward the goal of producing a unified model of the basic physical processes responsible for solar wind acceleration. The approach outlined in the original proposal comprised two complementary pieces: (1) to further investigate individual physical processes under realistic coronal and solar wind conditions, and (2) to extract the dominant physical effects from simulations and apply them to a 1D model of plasma heating and acceleration. The accomplishments in Year 2 are divided into these two categories: 1a. Focused Study of Kinetic Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Turbulence. lb. Focused Study of Non - WKB Alfven Wave Rejection. and 2. The Unified Model Code. We have continued the development of the computational model of a time-study open flux tube in the extended corona. The proton-electron Monte Carlo model is being tested, and collisionless wave-particle interactions are being included. In order to better understand how to easily incorporate various kinds of wave-particle processes into the code, the PI performed a detailed study of the so-called "Ito Calculus", i.e., the mathematical theory of how to update the positions of particles in a probabilistic manner when their motions are governed by diffusion in velocity space.

Pushing Particles with Waves: Current Drive and α-Channeling

DOE PAGES

FISCH, Nathaniel J.

2016-01-01

It can be advantageous to push particles with waves in tokamaks or other magnetic confinement devices, relying on wave-particle resonances to accomplish specific goals. Waves that damp on electrons or ions in toroidal fusion devises can drive currents if the waves are launched with toroidal asymmetry. Theses currents are important for tokamaks, since they operate in the absence of an electric field with curl, enabling steady state operation. The lower hybrid wave and the electron cyclotron wave have been demonstrated to drive significant currents. Non-inductive current also stabilizes deleterious tearing modes. Waves can also be used to broker the energymore » transfer between energetic alpha particles and the background plasma. Alpha particles born through fusion reactions in a tokamak reactor tend to slow down on electrons, but that could take up to hundreds of milliseconds. Before that happens, the energy in these alpha particles can destabilize on collisionless timescales toroidal Alfven modes and other waves, in a way deleterious to energy confinement. However, it has been speculated that this energy might be instead be channeled instead into useful energy, that heats fuel ions or drives current. Furthermore, an important question is the extent to which these effects can be accomplished together.« less

Acceleration of High Energy Cosmic Rays in the Nonlinear Shock Precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derzhinsky, F.; Diamond, P. H.; Malkov, M. A.

2006-10-01

The problem of understanding acceleration of very energetic cosmic rays to energies above the 'knee' in the spectrum at 10^15-10^16eV remains one of the great challenges in modern physics. Recently, we have proposed a new approach to understanding high energy acceleration, based on exploiting scattering of cosmic rays by inhomogenities in the compressive nonlinear shock precursor, rather than by scattering across the main shock, as is conventionally assumed. We extend that theory by proposing a mechanism for the generation of mesoscale magnetic fields (krg<1, where rg is the cosmic ray gyroradius). The mechanism is the decay or modulational instability of resonantly generated Alfven waves scattering off ambient density perturbations in the precursors. Such perturbations can be produced by Drury instability. This mechanism leads to the generation of longer wavelength Alfven waves, thus enabling the confinement of higher energy particles. A simplified version of the theory, cast in the form of a Fokker-Planck equation for the Alfven population, will also be presented. This process also limits field generation on rg scales.

Plasma waves produced by the xenon ion beam experiment on the Porcupine sounding rocket

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kintner, P. M.; Kelley, M.

1982-01-01

The production of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves by a perpendicular ion beam in the F-region ionosphere is described. The ion beam experiment was part of the Porcupine program and produced electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron waves just above harmonics of the hydrogen cyclotron frequency. The plasma process may be thought of as a magnetized background ionosphere through which an unmagnetized beam is flowing. The dispersion equation for this hypothesis is constructed and solved. Preliminary solutions agree well with the observed plasma waves.

Predictions of lithium interactions with earth's bow shock in the presence of wave activity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decker, R. B.; Lui, A. T. Y.; Vlahos, L.

1984-01-01

The results of a test-particle simulation studying the movement of a lithium tracer ion injected upstream of the bow shock are reported. Wave activity consists of parallel and antiparallel propagating Alfven waves characterized by a frequency power spectrum within a frequency or range of amplitudes defined separately in the upstream and downstream regions. The results show that even a moderate level of wave activity can substantially change the results obtained in the absence of waves. Among the effects observed are: (1) increased ion transmission; (2) both the average energy gain and spread about the average are increased for transmitted and reflected particles; (3) the average final pitch angle for transmitted particles tends to 90 deg, and the spread of reflected particles is reduced; and (4) the spatial dispersion of the ions on the bow shock after a single encounter is increased.

Radio Spectral Imaging of Reflective MHD Waves during the Impulsive Phase of a Solar Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, S.; Chen, B.; Reeves, K.

2017-12-01

We report a new type of coherent radio bursts observed by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in 1-2 GHz during the impulsive phase of a two-ribbon flare on 2014 November 1, which we interpret as MHD waves reflected near the footpoint of flaring loops. In the dynamic spectrum, this burst starts with a positive frequency drift toward higher frequencies until it slows down near its highest-frequency boundary. Then it turns over and drifts toward lower frequencies. The frequency drift rate in its descending and ascending branch is between 50-150 MHz/s, which is much slower than type III radio bursts associated with fast electron beams but close to the well-known intermediate drift bursts, or fiber bursts, which are usually attributed to propagating whistler or Alfvenic waves. Thanks to VLA's unique capability of imaging with spectrometer-like temporal and spectral resolution (50 ms and 2 MHz), we are able to obtain an image of the radio source at every time and frequency in the dynamic spectrum where the burst is present and trace its spatial evolution. From the imaging results, we find that the radio source firstly moves downward toward one of the flaring ribbons before it "bounces off" at the lowest height (corresponding to the turnover frequency in the dynamic spectrum) and moves upward again. The measured speed in projection is at the order of 1-2 Mm/s, which is characteristic of Alfvenic or fast-mode MHD waves in the low corona. We conclude that the radio burst is emitted by trapped nonthermal electrons in the flaring loop carried along by a large-scale MHD wave. The waves are probably launched during the eruption of a magnetic flux rope in the flare impulsive phase.

Parallel inhomogeneity and the Alfven resonance. 1: Open field lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, P. J.; Harrold, B. G.

1994-01-01

In light of a recent demonstration of the general nonexistence of a singularity at the Alfven resonance in cold, ideal, linearized magnetohydrodynamics, we examine the effect of a small density gradient parallel to uniform, open ambient magnetic field lines. To lowest order, energy deposition is quantitatively unaffected but occurs continuously over a thickened layer. This effect is illustrated in a numerical analysis of a plasma sheet boundary layer model with perfectly absorbing boundary conditions. Consequences of the results are discussed, both for the open field line approximation and for the ensuing closed field line analysis.

Slow Mode Waves in the Heliospheric Plasma Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Edward. J.; Zhou, Xiaoyan

2007-01-01

We report the results of a search for waves/turbulence in the Heliospheric Plasma Sheet (HPS) surrounding the Heliospheric Current Sheet (HCS). The HPS is treated as a distinctive heliospheric structure distinguished by relatively high Beta, slow speed plasma. The data used in the investigation are from a previously published study of the thicknesses of the HPS and HCS that were obtained in January to May 2004 when Ulysses was near aphelion at 5 AU. The advantage of using these data is that the HPS is thicker at large radial distances and the spacecraft spends longer intervals inside the plasma sheet. From the study of the magnetic field and solar wind velocity components, we conclude that, if Alfven waves are present, they are weak and are dominated by variations in the field magnitude, B, and solar wind density, NP, that are anti-correlated.

Neutron starquakes and the nature of gamma-ray bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madau, P.; Blaes, O.; Blandford, R. D.; Goldreich, P.

1989-01-01

The possibility that gamma-ray bursts originate from quakes deep in the solid crust of a neutron star is investigated. Seismic waves are radiated if shear stress is relieved by brittle fracture. However they cannot propagate directly to the surface but are temporarily trapped below a reflecting layer. The shaking of the stellar surface couples the seismic waves to Alfven waves which propagate out into the magnetosphere. The crust-magnetosphere transmission coefficient strongly increases with wave frequency and magnetic field strength. Alfven wave luminosities sufficient to power galactic gamma-ray bursts are possible if magnetic fields greater than 100 billion G cover at least part of the stellar surface. As the Alfven waves propagate out into the low density magnetosphere, they become increasingly charge starved, thereby accelerating particles to relativistic energies.

The Dynamics of Current Carriers In Standing Alfven Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, A. N.; Allan, W.; Ruderman, M. S.; Elphic, R. C.

The acceleration of current carriers in an Alfvén wave current system is considered. The model incorporates a dipole magnetic field geometry, and we present an analyt- ical solution of the two-fluid equations by successive approximations. The leading solution corresponds to the familiar single-fluid toroidal oscillations. The next order describes the nonlinear dynamics of electrons responsible for carrying a few µAm-2 field aligned current into the ionosphere. The solution shows how most of the elec- tron acceleration in the magnetosphere occurs within 1 RE of the ionosphere, and that a parallel electric field of the order of 1 mVm-1 is reponsible for energising the electrons to 1 keV. The limitations of the electron fluid approximation are considered, and a qualitative solution including electron beams and a modified E is developed in accord with observations. We find that the electron acceleration can be nonlinear, (ve )ve > ve , as a result of our nonuniform equilibrium field geometry even when ve is less than the Alfvén speed. Our calculation also elucidates the processes through which E is generated and supported.

The Jupiter-Io connection - An Alfven engine in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Belcher, John W.

1987-01-01

Much has been learned about the electromagnetic interaction between Jupiter and its satellite Io from in situ observations. Io, in its motion through the Io plasma torus at Jupiter, continuously generates an Alfven wing that carries two billion kilowatts of power into the jovian ionosphere. Concurrently, Io is acted upon by a J x B force tending to propel it out of the jovian system. The energy source for these processes is the rotation of Jupiter. This unusual planet-satellite coupling serves as an archetype for the interaction of a large moving conductor with a magnetized plasma, a problem of general space and astrophysical interest.

Resonant behaviour of MHD waves on magnetic flux tubes. I - Connection formulae at the resonant surfaces. II - Absorption of sound waves by sunspots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakurai, Takashi; Goossens, Marcel; Hollweg, Joseph V.

1991-01-01

The present method of addressing the resonance problems that emerge in such MHD phenomena as the resonant absorption of waves at the Alfven resonance point avoids solving the fourth-order differential equation of dissipative MHD by recourse to connection formulae across the dissipation layer. In the second part of this investigation, the absorption of solar 5-min oscillations by sunspots is interpreted as the resonant absorption of sounds by a magnetic cylinder. The absorption coefficient is interpreted (1) analytically, under certain simplifying assumptions, and numerically, under more general conditions. The observed absorption coefficient magnitude is explained over suitable parameter ranges.

Effect of Ion-Parallel Viscosity on the Propagation of Alfven Surface Waves

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-20

mode arises from 0.6 whose phase speed decreases with the in- 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 I crease in the value of the parameter V0. It is also Figure 2...after the value of 0.9. [3] R. Balescu , Transport Proccsses in Plasmas, Thus the modes of surface waves become damped North Holland, Amsterdam, 1 (1988

Acceleration and heating of heavy ions in high speed solar wind streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gomberoff, L.; Gratton, F. T.; Gnavi, G.

1995-01-01

Left hand polarized Alfven waves generated in coronal holes propagate in the direction of high speed solar wind streams, accelerating and heating heavy ions. As the solar wind expands, the ratio between the frequency of the Alfven waves and the proton gyrofrequency increases, due to the decrease of the interplanetary magnetic field, and encounter first the local ion gyrofrequency of the species with the largest M(sub l) = m(sub l)/z(sub l)m(sub p) (m(sub l) is the mass of species l, m(sub p) is the proton mass and z(sub l) is the degree of ionization of species l). It is shown that the Alfven waves experience there strong absorption and cannot propagate any further until the ions are accelerated and heated. Once this occurs, the Alfven waves continue to propagate until they meet the gyrofrequency of the next species giving rise to a similar phenomenon. In order to show this contention, we use the linear dispersion relation of ion cyclotron waves in a multicomponent plasma consisting of oxygen ions, alpha particles and protons. We assume that at any distance from the sun, the Alfven waves follow the local dispersion relation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. To illustrate the results, we solve the dispersion relation for oxygen ions and alpha particles drifting relative to the protons. The dispersion relation has three branches. The first branch starts at zero frequency and goes to the Doppler-shifted oxygen ion gyrofrequency. The second branch starts close to the oxygen gyrofrequency, and goes to the Doppler-shifted alpha particle gyrofrequency. The third branch starts close to the alpha particle gyrofrequency, and goes to the proton gyrofrequency. The Alfven waves propagate following the first branch of the dispersion relation. When they reach the Doppler-shifted oxygen ion gyrofrequency, the ions are accelerated and heated to some definite values. When these values are reached, the dispersion relation changes, and it is now the first branch of the

A New Global Multi-fluid MHD Model of the Solar Corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Holst, B.; Chandran, B. D. G.; Alterman, B. L.; Kasper, J. C.; Toth, G.

2017-12-01

We present a multi-fluid generalization of the AWSoM model, a global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model with low-frequency Alfven wave turbulence (van der Holst et al., 2014). This new extended model includes electron and multi-ion temperatures and velocities (protons and alpha particles). The coronal heating and acceleration is addressed via outward propagating low-frequency Alfven waves that are partially reflected by Alfven speed gradients. The nonlinear interaction of these counter-propagating waves results in turbulent energy cascade. To apportion the wave dissipation to the electron and ion temperatures, we employ the results of the theories of linear wave damping and nonlinear stochastic heating as described by Chandran et al. (2011, 2013). This heat partitioning results in a more than mass proportional heating among ions.

Low-frequency electromagnetic plasma waves at comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup: Overview and spectral characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz; Neubauer, Fritz M.

1993-01-01

Large-amplitude electromagnetic plasma waves are one of the dominant features of the solar wind-comet interaction. Wave characteristics strongly depend on parameters such as the solar wind flow and Alfven velocities and the angle between flow and interplanetary magnetic field as well as the production rate. With respect to the latter the flyby of the spacecraft Giotto at comet P/Griff-Skjellerup provides a unique possibility to study such waves in further detail. Pickup ion-related wave signatures have been observed up to a distance of 600,000 km from the nucleus. Peak spectral power in the spacecraft frame of reference occurs at frequencies mainly somewhat below the water group ion gyrofrequency. From this the waves are determined to be mainly left-hand polarized waves, causing one-sided pitch angle diffusion outbound. The wave activity strongly increases close to the comet; upstream it exhibits a quadratic dependence on the water group pickup ion free energy. Furthermore, a phenomenological study of the wave characteristics provides a unique description of the fine-structure of the interaction region. Indications of steepened magnetosonic waves have been found in the outbound magnetosheath region.

Persistent Doppler Shift Oscillations Observed with HINODE-EIS in the Solar Corona: Spectroscopic Signatures of Alfvenic Waves and Recurring Upflows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tian, Hui; McIntosh, Scott W.; Wang, Tongjiang; Offman, Leon; De Pontieu, Bart; Innes, Davina E.; Peter, Hardi

2012-01-01

Using data obtained by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on board Hinode, we have performed a survey of obvious and persistent (without significant damping) Doppler shift oscillations in the corona. We have found mainly two types of oscillations from February to April in 2007. One type is found at loop footpoint regions, with a dominant period around 10 minutes. They are characterized by coherent behavior of all line parameters (line intensity, Doppler shift, line width, and profile asymmetry), and apparent blueshift and blueward asymmetry throughout almost the entire duration. Such oscillations are likely to be signatures of quasi-periodic upflows (small-scale jets, or coronal counterpart of type-II spicules), which may play an important role in the supply of mass and energy to the hot corona. The other type of oscillation is usually associated with the upper part of loops. They are most clearly seen in the Doppler shift of coronal lines with formation temperatures between one and two million degrees. The global wavelets of these oscillations usually peak sharply around a period in the range of three to six minutes. No obvious profile asymmetry is found and the variation of the line width is typically very small. The intensity variation is often less than 2%. These oscillations are more likely to be signatures of kink/Alfv´en waves rather than flows. In a few cases, there seems to be a p/2 phase shift between the intensity and Doppler shift oscillations, which may suggest the presence of slow-mode standing waves according to wave theories. However, we demonstrate that such a phase shift could also be produced by loops moving into and out of a spatial pixel as a result of Alfv´enic oscillations. In this scenario, the intensity oscillations associated with Alfv´enic waves are caused by loop displacement rather than density change. These coronal waves may be used to investigate properties of the coronal plasma and magnetic field.

Polarization and Compressibility of Oblique Kinetic Alfven Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunana, Peter; Goldstein, M. L.; Passot, T.; Sulem, P. L.; Laveder, D.; Zank, G. P.

2012-01-01

Even though solar wind, as a collisionless plasma, is properly described by the kineticMaxwell-Vlasov description, it can be argued that much of our understanding of solar wind observational data comes from an interpretation and numerical modeling which is based on a fluid description of magnetohydrodynamics. In recent years, there has been a significant interest in better understanding the importance of kinetic effects, i.e. the differences between the kinetic and usual fluid descriptions. Here we concentrate on physical properties of oblique kinetic Alfvn waves (KAWs), which are often recognized as one of the key ingredients in the solar wind turbulence cascade. We use three different fluid models with various degrees of complexity and calculate polarization and magnetic compressibility of oblique KAWs (propagation angle q = 88), which we compare to solutions derived from linear kinetic theory. We explore a wide range of possible proton plasma b = [0.1,10.0] and a wide range of length scales krL = [0.001,10.0]. It is shown that the classical isotropic two-fluid model is very compressible in comparison with kinetic theory and that the largest discrepancy occurs at scales larger than the proton gyroscale. We also show that the two-fluid model contains a large error in the polarization of electric field, even at scales krL 1. Furthermore, to understand these discrepancies between the two-fluid model and the kinetic theory, we employ two versions of the Landau fluid model that incorporate linear low-frequency kinetic effects such as Landau damping and finite Larmor radius (FLR) corrections into the fluid description. It is shown that Landau damping significantly reduces the magnetic compressibility and that FLR corrections (i.e. nongyrotropic contributions) are required to correctly capture the polarization.We also show that, in addition to Landau damping, FLR corrections are necessary to accurately describe the damping rate of KAWs. We conclude that kinetic effects

Towards a better understanding of high-energy electron pitch-angle scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincena, S.; Gekelman, W.; Pribyl, P.; Tang, S., W.,; Papadopoulos, K.

2017-10-01

Shear Alfven waves are a fundamental mode in magnetized plasmas. Propagating near the ion cyclotron frequency, these waves are often termed electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and can involve multiple ion species. Near the earth, for example, the wave may interact resonantly with oxygen ions at altitudes ranging from 1000 to 2000 km. The waves may either propagate from space towards the earth (possibly involving mode conversion), or be generated by RF transmitters on the ground. These preliminary experiments are motivated by theoretical predictions that such waves can pitch-angle scatter relativistic electrons trapped in the earth's dipole field. EMIC waves are launched in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA's Basic Plasma Science Facility in plasmas with single and multiple ion species into magnetic field gradients where ion cyclotron resonance is satisfied. We report here on the frequency and k-spectra in the critical layer and how they compare with theoretical predictions in computing an effective diffusion coefficient for high-energy electrons. Funding is provided by the NSF, DoE, and AFSOR.

Global MHD Simulation of the Coronal Mass Ejection on 2011 March 7: from Chromosphere to 1 AU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, M.; Manchester, W.; van der Holst, B.; Oran, R.; Sokolov, I.; Toth, G.; Vourlidas, A.; Liu, Y.; Sun, X.; Gombosi, T. I.

2013-12-01

In this study, we present magnetohydrodynamics simulation results of a fast CME event that occurred on 2011 March 7 by using the newly developed Alfven Wave Solar Model (AWSoM) in Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). The background solar wind is driven by Alfven-wave pressure and heated by Alfven-wave dissipation in which we have incorporated balanced turbulence at the top of the closed field lines. The magnetic field of the inner boundary is specified with a synoptic magnetogram from SDO/HMI. In order to produce the physically correct CME structures and CME-driven shocks, the electron and proton temperatures are separated so that the electron heat conduction is explicitly treated in conjunction with proton shock heating. Also, collisionless heat conduction is implemented for getting the correct electron temperature at 1 AU. We initiate the CME by using the Gibson-Low flux rope model and simulate the CME propagation to 1 AU. A comprehensive validation study is performed using remote as well as in-situ observations from SOHO, STEREOA/B, ACE, and WIND. Our result shows that the new model can reproduce most of the observed features and the arrival time of the CME is correctly estimated, which suggests the forecasting capability of the new model. We also examine the simulated CME-driven shock structures that are important for modeling the associated solar energetic event (SEP) with diffusive shock acceleration.

Overstability and cooling in sunspots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, B.

1976-01-01

The role played by overstable Alfven modes in magnetic structures such as sunspots is considered in detail for a column of magnetic field. It is demonstrated explicitly that overstable Alfven waves cool the interior of the magnetic column. It is suggested that these waves account for the cooling in sunspot umbrae, and therefore, in concurrence with Parker, we conclude that a sunspot is a region of enhanced heat transport. The calculations indicate that sunspots have small regions at normal photospheric brightness, and we tentatively suggest that these regions are umbral dots. We also suggest that cooling by overstable Alfven waves may explain the existence of the intense small magnetic flux tubes that constitute the general solar magnetic field.

Self-Consistent and Time-Dependent Solar Wind Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ong, K. K.; Musielak, Z. E.; Rosner, R.; Suess, S. T.; Sulkanen, M. E.

1997-01-01

We describe the first results from a self-consistent study of Alfven waves for the time-dependent, single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar wind equations, using a modified version of the ZEUS MHD code. The wind models we examine are radially symmetrical and magnetized; the initial outflow is described by the standard Parker wind solution. Our study focuses on the effects of Alfven waves on the outflow and is based on solving the full set of the ideal nonlinear MHD equations. In contrast to previous studies, no assumptions regarding wave linearity, wave damping, and wave-flow interaction are made; thus, the models naturally account for the back-reaction of the wind on the waves, as well as for the nonlinear interaction between different types of MHD waves. Our results clearly demonstrate when momentum deposition by Alfven waves in the solar wind can be sufficient to explain the origin of fast streams in solar coronal holes; we discuss the range of wave amplitudes required to obtained such fast stream solutions.

Double shock front formation in cylindrical radiative blast waves produced by laser irradiation of krypton gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, I.; Quevedo, H. J.; Feldman, S.

2013-12-15

Radiative blast waves were created by irradiating a krypton cluster source from a supersonic jet with a high intensity femtosecond laser pulse. It was found that the radiation from the shock surface is absorbed in the optically thick upstream medium creating a radiative heat wave that travels supersonically ahead of the main shock. As the blast wave propagates into the heated medium, it slows and loses energy, and the radiative heat wave also slows down. When the radiative heat wave slows down to the transonic regime, a secondary shock in the ionization precursor is produced. This paper presents experimental datamore » characterizing both the initial and secondary shocks and numerical simulations to analyze the double-shock dynamics.« less

Magnetohydrodynamic waves with relativistic electrons and positrons in degenerate spin-1/2 astrophysical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maroof, R.; Ali, S.; Mushtaq, A.; Qamar, A.

2015-11-01

Linear properties of high and low frequency waves are studied in an electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) dense plasma with spin and relativity effects. In a low frequency regime, the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, namely, the magnetoacoustic and Alfven waves are presented in a magnetized plasma, in which the inertial ions are taken as spinless and non-degenerate, whereas the electrons and positrons are treated quantum mechanically due to their smaller mass. Quantum corrections associated with the spin magnetization and density correlations for electrons and positrons are re-considered and a generalized dispersion relation for the low frequency MHD waves is derived to account for relativistic degeneracy effects. On the basis of angles of propagation, the dispersion relations of different modes are discussed analytically in a degenerate relativistic plasma. Numerical results reveal that electron and positron relativistic degeneracy effects significantly modify the dispersive properties of MHD waves. Our present analysis should be useful for understanding the collective interactions in dense astrophysical compact objects, like, the white dwarfs and in atmosphere of neutron stars.

Cooling of a sunspot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boruta, N.

1977-01-01

The question of whether a perturbed photospheric area can grow into a region of reduced temperature resembling a sunspot is investigated by considering whether instabilities exist that can lead to a growing temperature change and corresponding magnetic-field concentration in some region of the photosphere. After showing that Alfven cooling can lead to these instabilities, the effect of a heat sink on the temperature development of a perturbed portion of the photosphere is studied. A simple form of Alfven-wave cooling is postulated, and computations are performed to determine whether growing modes exist for physically relevant boundary conditions. The results indicate that simple inhibition of convection does not give growing modes, but Alfven-wave production can result in cooling that leads to growing field concentration. It is concluded that since growing instabilities can occur with strong enough cooling, it is quite possible that energy loss through Alfven waves gives rise to a self-generating temperature change and sunspot formation.

Low-Frequency Waves in the Near-Earth Magnetotail before Substorm Expansion Onsets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyashita, Y.; Saito, M. H.; Hiraki, Y.; Machida, S.

2013-12-01

Magnetic reconnection and dipolarization, which occur in the near-Earth magnetotail just before substorm expansion onsets, are important processes for the substorm triggering. To understand the triggering of these processes, we have investigated low-frequency waves that were observed in the near-Earth magnetotail before onsets, by performing statistical analysis based on Geotail observations and case studies based on multi-point THEMIS and Geotail observations. Here we focused our examination on ~10 min interval before onsets. We find that small-amplitude Alfven and slow-mode magnetosonic waves with a period of ~1 to 2 min continuously exist for more than 10 min before onsets. Such waves are seen not only in the initial dipolarization region but also midway between the magnetic reconnection and initial dipolarization regions. It seems that the amplitudes of the waves are larger in the off-equator plasma sheet and the plasma sheet boundary layer than at the magnetic equator and in the lobe. After onsets the waves considerably amplify in the plasma sheet. These results may imply that instabilities already begin to grow gradually in a wide region during the substorm growth phase, while their explosive growth begins in localized regions just before onsets.

Theoretical investigation of EM wave generation and radiation in the ULF, ELF, and VLF bands by the electrodynamic orbiting tether

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, Robert D.; Grossi, Mario D.

1989-01-01

The problem of electromagnetic wave generation by an electrodynamic tethered satellite system is important both for the ordinary operation of such systems and for their possible application as orbiting transmitters. The tether's ionospheric circuit closure problem is closely linked with the propagation of charge-carrying electromagnetic wave packets away from the tethered system. Work is reported which represents a step towards a solution to the problem that takes into account the effects of boundaries and of vertical variations in plasma density, collision frequencies, and ion species. The theory of Alfen wave packet generation by an electrodynamic tethered system in an infinite plasma medium is reviewed, and brief summary of previous work on the problem is given. The consequences of the presence of the boundaries and the vertical nonuniformity are then examined. One of the most significant new features to emerge when ion-neutral collisions are taken into account is the coupling of the Alfven waves to the fast magnetosonic wave. This latter wave is important, as it may be confined by vertical variations in the Alfven speed to a sort of leaky ionospheric wave guide, the resonances of which could be of great importance to the signal received on the Earth's surface. The infinite medium solution for this case where the (uniform) geomagnetic field makes an arbitrary angle with the vertical is taken as the incident wave-packet. Even without a full solution, a number of conclusions can be drawn, the most important of which may be that the electromagnetic field associated with the operation of a steady-current tethered system will probably be too weak to detect on the Earth's surface, even for large tethered currents. This is due to the total reflection of the incident wave at the atmospheric boundary and the inability of a steady-current tethered system to excite the ionospheric wave-guide. An outline of the approach to the numerical problem is given. The use of

Electron beam transport with current above the Alfven--Lawson limit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Al'terkop, B.A.; Sokulin, A.Y.; Tarakanov, V.P.

1989-08-01

The quasisteady state of a magnetized electron beam with a current above the Alfven-Lawson limit in a cylindrical waveguide of finite length is analyzed. The distribution of the electrostatic field, the limiting current, and the critical length of the waveguide are found in a two-dimensional system. The basic characteristics of the beam for the injection of a current above the limit---the position of the virtual cathode, the beam thickness, and the current which can be transported---are determined. The current which can be transported may exceed the theoretical limit. The accuracy of the analytic results is confirmed by comparison with themore » results of experiments and numerical simulations.« less

On the statistics of increments in strong Alfvenic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palacios, J. C.; Perez, J. C.

2017-12-01

In-situ measurements have shown that the solar wind is dominated by non-compressive Alfvén-like fluctuations of plasma velocity and magnetic field over a broad range of scales. In this work, we present recent progress in understanding intermittency in Alfvenic turbulence by investigating the statistics of Elsasser increments from simulations of steadily driven Reduced MHD with numerical resolutions up to 2048^3. The nature of these statistics guards a close relation to the fundamental properties of small-scale structures in which the turbulence is ultimately dissipated and therefore has profound implications in the possible contribution of turbulence to the heating of the solar wind. We extensively investigate the properties and three-dimensional structure of probability density functions (PDFs) of increments and compare with recent phenomenological models of intermittency in MHD turbulence.

MMS Observations of Reconnection at Dayside Magnetopause Crossings During Transitions of the Solar Wind to Sub-Alfvenic Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrugia, C. J.; Lugaz, N.; Alm, L.; Vasquez, B. J.; Argall, M. R.; Kucharek, H.; Matsui, H.; Torbert, R. B.; Lavraud, B.; Le Contel, O.; Shuster, J. R.; Burch, J. L.; Khotyaintsev, Y. V.; Giles, B. L.; Fuselier, S. A.; Gershman, D. J.; Ergun, R.; Eastwood, J. P.; Cohen, I. J.; Dorelli, J.; Lindqvist, P. A.; Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Marklund, G. T.; Paulson, K.; Petrinec, S.; Phan, T.; Pollock, C.

2017-12-01

We present MMS) observations during two dayside magnetopause crossingsunder hitherto unexamined conditions: (i) when the bow shock is weakening and the solar wind transitioning to sub-Alfvenic flow, and (ii) when it is reforming. Interplanetary conditions consist of a magnetic cloud with (i) a strong B ( 20 nT) pointing south, and (ii) a density profile with episodic decreases to values of 0.3 /cc followed by moderate recovery. During the crossings he magnetosheath magnetic field is stronger than the magnetosphere field by a factor of 2.2. As a result, during the outbound crossing through the ion diffusion region, MMS observed an inversion of relative positions of the X and stagnation (S) lines from that typically the case: the S line was closer to the magnetosheath side. The S-line appears in the form of a slow expansion fan near which most of the energy dissipation is taking place. While in the magnetosphere between the crossings, MMS observed strong field and flow perturbations, which we argue to be due kinetic Alfvén waves.During the reconnection interval, whistler mode waves generated by an electron temperature anisotropy (Tperp>Tpar) were observed. Another aim of the paper isto distinguish bow shock-induced field and flow perturbations from reconnection-related signatures.The high resolution MMS data together with 2D hybrid simulations of bow shock dynamics helped us to distinguish between the two sources. We show examples of bow shock-related effects (such as heating) and reconnection effects such as accelerated flows satisfying the Walen relation.

Wave and ion evolution downstream of quasi-perpendicular bow shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckean, M. E.; Omidi, N.; Krauss-Varban, D.

1995-01-01

Distribution functions of ions heated in quasi-perpendicular bow shocks have a large perpendicular temperature anisotropy that provides free energy for the growth of Alfven ion cyclotron (AIC) waves and mirror waves. Both types of waves have been observed in the Earth's magnetosheath downstream of quasi-perpendicular shocks. We use a two-dimensional hybrid simulations to give a self-consistent description of the evolution of the wave spectra downstream of quasi-perpendicular shocks. Both mirror and AIC waves are identified in the simulated magnetosheath. They are generated at or near the shock front and convected away from it by the sheath plasma. Near the shock, the waves have a broad spectrum, but downstream of the shock, shorter-wavelength modes are heavily damped and only longer-wavelength modes persist. The characteristics of these surviving modes can be predicted with reasonable accuracy by linear kinetic theory appropriate for downstream conditions. We also follow the evolution of the ion distribution function. The shocked ions that provide the free energy for wave growth have a two-component distribution function. The halo is initially gyrophase-bunched and extremely anisotropic. Within a relatively short distance downstream of the shock (of the order of 10 ion inertial lengths), wave-particle interactions remove these features from the halo and reduce the anisotropy of the distribution to near-threshold levels for the mirror and AIC instabilities. A similar evolution has been observed for ions at the Earth's bow shock.

A mathematical model of the structure and evolution of small scale discrete auroral arcs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seyler, C. E.

1990-01-01

A three dimensional fluid model which includes the dispersive effect of electron inertia is used to study the nonlinear macroscopic plasma dynamics of small scale discrete auroral arcs within the auroral acceleration zone and ionosphere. The motion of the Alfven wave source relative to the magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma forms an oblique Alfven wave which is reflected from the topside ionosphere by the negative density gradient. The superposition of the incident and reflected wave can be described by a steady state analytical solution of the model equations with the appropriate boundary conditions. This two dimensional discrete auroral arc equilibrium provides a simple explanation of auroral acceleration associated with the parallel electric field. Three dimensional fully nonlinear numerical simulations indicate that the equilibrium arc configuration evolves three dimensionally through collisionless tearing and reconnection of the current layer. The interaction of the perturbed flow and the transverse magnetic field produces complex transverse structure that may be the origin of the folds and curls observed to be associated with small scale discrete arcs.

Astrophysical ZeV acceleration in the jets from an accreting blackhole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajima, Toshiki; Ebisuzaki, Toshikazu; Mizuta, Akira

2017-10-01

An accreting blackhole produces extreme amplitude Alfven waves whose wavelength (wave packet) size is characterized by its clumsiness. The ponderomotive force driven by the bow wake of these Alfven waves propagates along the AGN (blazar) jet, and accelerates protons/nuclei to extreme energies beyond Zetta-electron volt (ZeV = 1021 eV). Such acceleration is linear and does not suffer from the multiple scattering/bending involved in the Fermi acceleration that causes excessive synchrotron radiation loss beyond 1019 eV. This bow wake acceleration was confirmed one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. General relativistic Magneto-hydrodynamics simulations also show the intermittent eruptions of electro-magnetic waves from the innermost region of the accretion disk around a black hole. The production rate of ultra-high energy cosmic rays in M82 starburst galaxy is estimated from its gamma-ray luminosity and is found to be consistent with the observed flux of the northern hot spot by Telescope Array. We will discuss the possible acceleration in an intermediate mass black hole candidate M82 X-1 and the magnetic bending in the cosmological filaments in the local super cluster.

Effect of double layers on magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lysak, Robert L.; Hudson, Mary K.

1987-01-01

The Earth's auroral zone contains dynamic processes occurring on scales from the length of an auroral zone field line which characterizes Alfven wave propagation to the scale of microscopic processes which occur over a few Debye lengths. These processes interact in a time-dependent fashion since the current carried by the Alfven waves can excite microscopic turbulence which can in turn provide dissipation of the Alfven wave energy. This review will first describe the dynamic aspects of auroral current structures with emphasis on consequences for models of microscopic turbulence. A number of models of microscopic turbulence will be introduced into a large-scale model of Alfven wave propagation to determine the effect of various models on the overall structure of auroral currents. In particular, the effects of a double layer electric field which scales with the plasma temperature and Debye length is compared with the effect of anomalous resistivity due to electrostatic ion cyclotron turbulence in which the electric field scales with the magnetic field strength. It is found that the double layer model is less diffusive than in the resistive model leading to the possibility of narrow, intense current structures.

Coronal heating by the resonant absorption of Alfven waves: The effect of viscous stress tensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, L.; Davila, J. M.; Steinolfson, R. S.

1994-01-01

The time-dependent linearized magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations for a fully compressible, low-beta, viscoresistive plasma are solved numerically using an implicit integration scheme. The full viscosity stress tensor (Braginskii 1965) is included with the five parameters eta(sub i) i = 0 to 4. In agreement with previous studies, the numerical simulations demonstrate that the dissipation on inhomogeneities in the background Alfven speed occurs in a narrow resonant layer. For an active region in the solar corona the values of eta(sub i) are eta(sub o) = 0.65 g/cm/s, eta(sub 1) = 3.7 x 10(exp -12) g/cm/s, eta(sub 2) = 4 eta(sub 1), eta(sub 3) = 1.4 x 10(exp -6) g/cm/s, eta(sub 4) = 2 eta(sub 3), with n = 10(exp 10)/cu cm, T = 2 x 10(exp 6) K, and B = 100 G. When the Lundquist number S = 10(exp 4) and R(sub 1) much greater than S (where R(sub 1) is the dimensionless shear viscous number) the width of the resistive dissipation layer d(sub r) is 0.22a (where a is the density gradient length scale) and d(sub r) approximately S(exp -1/3). When S much greater than R(sub 1) the shear viscous dissipation layer width d(sub r) scales as R(sub 1)(exp -1/3). The shear viscous and the resistive dissipation occurs in an overlapping narrow region, and the total heating rate is independent of the value of the dissipation parameters in agreement with previous studies. Consequently, the maximum values of the perpendicular velocity and perpendicular magnetic field scale as R(sub 1)(exp -1/3). It is evident from the simulations that for solar parameters the heating due to the compressive viscosity (R(sub 0) = 560) is negligible compared to the resistive and the shear viscous (R(sub 1)) dissipation and it occurs in a broad layer of order a in width. In the solar corona with S approximately equals 10(exp 4) and R(sub 1) approximately equals 10(exp 14) (as calculated from the Braginskii expressions), the shear viscous resonant heating is of comparable magnitude to the resistive resonant

Evidence of "hidden hearing loss" following noise exposures that produce robust TTS and ABR wave-I amplitude reductions.

PubMed

Lobarinas, Edward; Spankovich, Christopher; Le Prell, Colleen G

2017-06-01

In animals, noise exposures that produce robust temporary threshold shifts (TTS) can produce immediate damage to afferent synapses and long-term degeneration of low spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibers. This synaptopathic damage has been shown to correlate with reduced auditory brainstem response (ABR) wave-I amplitudes at suprathreshold levels. The perceptual consequences of this "synaptopathy" remain unknown but have been suggested to include compromised hearing performance in competing background noise. Here, we used a modified startle inhibition paradigm to evaluate whether noise exposures that produce robust TTS and ABR wave-I reduction but not permanent threshold shift (PTS) reduced hearing-in-noise performance. Animals exposed to 109 dB SPL octave band noise showed TTS >30 dB 24-h post noise and modest but persistent ABR wave-I reduction 2 weeks post noise despite full recovery of ABR thresholds. Hearing-in-noise performance was negatively affected by the noise exposure. However, the effect was observed only at the poorest signal to noise ratio and was frequency specific. Although TTS >30 dB 24-h post noise was a predictor of functional deficits, there was no relationship between the degree of ABR wave-I reduction and degree of functional impairment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photoelectron wave function in photoionization: Plane wave or Coulomb wave? [Does photoionization of neutral targets produce Coulomb or plane waves?

DOE PAGES

Gozem, Samer; Gunina, Anastasia O.; Ichino, Takatoshi; ...

2015-10-28

The calculation of absolute total cross sections requires accurate wave functions of the photoelectron and of the initial and final states of the system. The essential information contained in the latter two can be condensed into a Dyson orbital. We employ correlated Dyson orbitals and test approximate treatments of the photoelectron wave function, that is, plane and Coulomb waves, by comparing computed and experimental photoionization and photodetachment spectra. We find that in anions, a plane wave treatment of the photoelectron provides a good description of photodetachment spectra. For photoionization of neutral atoms or molecules with one heavy atom, the photoelectronmore » wave function must be treated as a Coulomb wave to account for the interaction of the photoelectron with the +1 charge of the ionized core. For larger molecules, the best agreement with experiment is often achieved by using a Coulomb wave with a partial (effective) charge smaller than unity. This likely derives from the fact that the effective charge at the centroid of the Dyson orbital, which serves as the origin of the spherical wave expansion, is smaller than the total charge of a polyatomic cation. Finally, the results suggest that accurate molecular photoionization cross sections can be computed with a modified central potential model that accounts for the nonspherical charge distribution of the core by adjusting the charge in the center of the expansion.« less

The latitudinal structure of Pc 5 waves in space - Magnetic and electric field observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, H. J.; Kivelson, M. G.

1979-01-01

The occurrence frequency and spatial structure of Pc 5 magnetic pulsations in the dawnside of the plasma trough have been studied using data from the Ogo 5 satellite. The wave magnetic fields were obtained from the University of California, Los Angeles, flux-gate magnetometer measurements, and one component of the wave electric field was inferred from oscillations of the ion flux measured by the Lockheed light ion mass spectrometer. During portions of seven of the 19 passes comprising the survey, Pc 5 oscillations were observed in the ion flux but not in the magnetic field, and in each case the satellite was within 10 deg of the geomagnetic equator. Above 10 deg latitude, transverse magnetic and electric oscillations were both observed. The results are consistent with the model of a standing Alfven wave along a resonant field line with the geomagnetic equator as a node of the magnetic perturbation, that is, an odd mode.

Effect of high-latitude ionospheric convection on Sun-aligned polar caps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sojka, J. J.; Zhu, L.; Crain, D. J.; Schunk, R. W.

1994-01-01

A coupled magnetospheric-ionospheric (M-I) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model has been used to simulate the formation of Sun-aligned polar cap arcs for a variety of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) dependent polar cap convection fields. The formation process involves launching an Alfven shear wave from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere where the ionospheric conductance can react self-consistently to changes in the upward currents. We assume that the initial Alfven shear wave is the result of solar wind-magnetosphere interactions. The simulations show how the E region density is affected by the changes in the electron precipitation that are associated with the upward currents. These changes in conductance lead to both a modified Alfven wave reflection at the ionosphere and the generation of secondary Alfven waves in the ionosphere. The ensuing bouncing of the Alfven waves between the ionosphere and magnetosphere is followed until an asymptotic solution is obtained. At the magnetosphere the Alfven waves reflect at a fixed boundary. The coupled M-I Sun-aligned polar cap arc model of Zhu et al.(1993a) is used to carry out the simulations. This study focuses on the dependence of the polar cap arc formation on the background (global) convection pattern. Since the polar cap arcs occur for northward and strong B(sub y) IMF conditions, a variety of background convection patterns can exist when the arcs are present. The study shows that polar cap arcs can be formed for all these convection patterns; however, the arc features are dramatically different for the different patterns. For weak sunward convection a relatively confined single pair of current sheets is associated with the imposed Alfven shear wave structure. However, when the electric field exceeds a threshold, the arc structure intensifies, and the conductance increases as does the local Joule heating rate. These increases are faster than a linear dependence on the background electric field strength. Furthermore

Are CMEs capable of producing Moreton waves? A case study: the 2006 December 6 event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, G.; Cécere, M.; Zurbriggen, E.; Costa, A.; Francile, C.; Elaskar, S.

2018-02-01

Considering the chromosphere and a stratified corona, we examine, by performing 2D compressible magnetohydrodynamics simulations, the capability of a coronal mass ejection (CME) scenario to drive a Moreton wave. We find that given a typical flux rope (FR) magnetic configuration, in initial pseudo-equilibrium, the larger the magnetic field and the lighter (and hotter) the FR, the larger the amplitude and the speed of the chromospheric disturbance, which eventually becomes a Moreton wave. We present arguments to explain why Moreton waves are much rarer than CME occurrences. In the frame of the present model, we explicitly exclude the action of flares that could be associated with the CME. Analysing the Mach number, we find that only fast magnetosonic shock waves will be able to produce Moreton events. In these cases an overexpansion of the FR is always present and it is the main factor responsible for the Moreton generation. Finally, we show that this scenario can account for the Moreton wave of the 2006 December 6 event (Francile et al. 2013).

Absorption of acoustic waves by sunspots. II - Resonance absorption in axisymmetric fibril models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenthal, C. S.

1992-01-01

Analytical calculations of acoustic waves scattered by sunspots which concentrate on the absorption at the magnetohydrodynamic Alfven resonance are extended to the case of a flux-tube embedded in a uniform atmosphere. The model is based on a flux-tubes of varying radius that are highly structured, translationally invariant, and axisymmetric. The absorbed fractional energy is determined for different flux-densities and subphotospheric locations with attention given to the effects of twist. When the flux is highly concentrated into annuli efficient absorption is possible even when the mean magnetic flux density is low. The model demonstrates low absorption at low azimuthal orders even in the presence of twist which generally increases the range of wave numbers over which efficient absorption can occur. Resonance absorption is concluded to be an efficient mechanism in monolithic sunspots, fibril sunspots, and plage fields.

SDO/AIA Observations of Quasi-periodic Fast (~1000 km/s) Propagating (QFP) Waves as Evidence of Fast-mode Magnetosonic Waves in the Low Corona: Statistics and Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W.; Ofman, L.; Title, A. M.; Zhao, J.; Aschwanden, M. J.

2011-12-01

Recent EUV imaging observations from SDO/AIA led to the discovery of quasi-periodic fast (~2000 km/s) propagating (QFP) waves in active regions (Liu et al. 2011). They were interpreted as fast-mode magnetosonic waves and reproduced in 3D MHD simulations (Ofman et al. 2011). Since then, we have extended our study to a sample of more than a dozen such waves observed during the SDO mission (2010/04-now). We will present the statistical properties of these waves including: (1) Their projected speeds measured in the plane of the sky are about 400-2200 km/s, which, as the lower limits of their true speeds in 3D space, fall in the expected range of coronal Alfven or fast-mode speeds. (2) They usually originate near flare kernels, often in the wake of a coronal mass ejection, and propagate in narrow funnels of coronal loops that serve as waveguides. (3) These waves are launched repeatedly with quasi-periodicities in the 30-200 seconds range, often lasting for more than one hour; some frequencies coincide with those of the quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in the accompanying flare, suggestive a common excitation mechanism. We obtained the k-omega diagrams and dispersion relations of these waves using Fourier analysis. We estimate their energy fluxes and discuss their contribution to coronal heating as well as their diagnostic potential for coronal seismology.

Resonant behaviour of MHD waves on magnetic flux tubes. III - Effect of equilibrium flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goossens, Marcel; Hollweg, Joseph V.; Sakurai, Takashi

1992-01-01

The Hollweg et al. (1990) analysis of MHD surface waves in a stationary equilibrium is extended. The conservation laws and jump conditions at Alfven and slow resonance points obtained by Sakurai et al. (1990) are generalized to include an equilibrium flow, and the assumption that the Eulerian perturbation of total pressure is constant is recovered as the special case of the conservation law for an equilibrium with straight magnetic field lines and flow along the magnetic field lines. It is shown that the conclusions formulated by Hollweg et al. are still valid for the straight cylindrical case. The effect of curvature is examined.

Gyrokinetic particle simulation of beta-induced Alfven-acoustic eigenmode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, H. S., E-mail: zhang.huasen@gmail.com; Institute of Applied Physics and Computational Mathematics, Beijing 100088; Liu, Y. Q.

2016-04-15

The beta-induced Alfven-acoustic eigenmode (BAAE) in toroidal plasmas is verified and studied by global gyrokinetic particle simulations. When ion temperature is much lower than electron temperature, the existence of the weakly damped BAAE is verified in the simulations using initial perturbation, antenna excitation, and energetic particle excitation, respectively. When the ion temperature is comparable to the electron temperature, the unstable BAAE can be excited by realistic energetic particle density gradient, even though the stable BAAE (in the absence of energetic particles) is heavily damped by the thermal ions. In the simulations with reversed magnetic shear, BAAE frequency sweeping is observedmore » and poloidal mode structure has a triangle shape with a poloidal direction similar to that observed in tokamak experiments. The triangle shape changes the poloidal direction, and no frequency sweeping is found in the simulations with normal magnetic shear.« less

Solar Jets as Sources of Outflows, Heating and Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizuka, N.

2013-05-01

Recent space solar observations of the Sun, such as Hinode and SDO, have revealed that magnetic reconnection is ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere, ranging from small scale reconnection (observed as nanoflares) to large scale one (observed as long duration flares or giant arcades). Especially recent Hinode observations has found various types of tiny chromospheric jets, such as chromospheric anemone jets, penumbral microjets and light bridge jets from sunspot umbra. It was also found that the corona is full of tiny X-ray jets. Often they are seen as helical spinning jets with Alfvenic waves in the corona. Sometimes they are seen as chromospheric jets with slow-mode magnetoacoustic waves and sometimes as unresolved jet-like events at the footpoint of recurrent outflows and waves at the edge of the active region. There is increasing evidence of magnetic reconnection in these tiny jets and its association with waves. The origin of outflows and waves is one of the issues concerning coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. To answer this question, we had a challenge to reproduce solar jets with laboratory plasma experiment and directly measured outflows and waves. As a result, we could find a propagating wave excited by magnetic reconnection, whose energy flux is 10% of the released magnetic energy. That is enough for solar wind acceleration and locally enough for coronal heating, consistent with numerical MHD simulations of solar jets. Here we would discuss recent observations with Hinode, theories and experimental results related to jets and waves by magnetic reconnection, and discuss possible implication to reconnection physics, coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.

Alfven's critical ionization velocity observed in high power impulse magnetron sputtering discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brenning, N.; Lundin, D.

2012-09-15

Azimuthally rotating dense plasma structures, spokes, have recently been detected in several high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) devices used for thin film deposition and surface treatment, and are thought to be important for plasma buildup, energizing of electrons, as well as cross-B transport of charged particles. In this work, the drift velocities of these spokes are shown to be strongly correlated with the critical ionization velocity, CIV, proposed by Alfven. It is proposed as the most promising approach in combining the CIV and HiPIMS research fields is to focus on the role of spokes in the process of electronmore » energization.« less

Acceleration of the Fast Solar Wind by Solitary Waves in Coronal Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, Leon

2001-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to develop a new model for the acceleration of the fast solar wind by nonlinear. time-dependent multidimensional MHD simulations of waves in solar coronal holes. Preliminary computational studies indicate that nonlinear waves are generated in coronal holes by torsional Alfv\\'{e}n waves. These waves in addition to thermal conduction may contribute considerably to the accelerate the solar wind. Specific goals of this proposal are to investigate the generation of nonlinear solitary-like waves and their effect on solar wind acceleration by numerical 2.5D MHD simulation of coronal holes with a broad range of plasma and wave parameters; to study the effect of random disturbances at the base of a solar coronal hole on the fast solar wind acceleration with a more advanced 2.5D MHD model and to compare the results with the available observations; to extend the study to a full 3D MHD simulation of fast solar wind acceleration with a more realistic model of a coronal hole and solar boundary conditions. The ultimate goal of the three year study is to model the, fast solar wind in a coronal hole, based on realistic boundary conditions in a coronal hole near the Sun, and the coronal hole structure (i.e., density, temperature. and magnetic field geometry,) that will become available from the recently launched SOHO spacecraft.

Acceleration of the Fast Solar Wind by Solitary Waves in Coronal Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, Leon

2000-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to develop a new model for the acceleration of the fast solar wind by nonlinear, time-dependent multidimensional MHD simulations of waves in solar coronal holes. Preliminary computational studies indicate that solitary-like waves are generated in coronal holes nonlinearly by torsional Alfven waves. These waves in addition to thermal conduction may contribute considerably to the accelerate the solar wind. Specific goals of this proposal are to investigate the generation of nonlinear solitary-like waves and their effect on solar wind acceleration by numerical 2.5D MHD simulation of coronal holes with a broad range of plasma and wave parameters; to study the effect of random disturbances at the base of a solar coronal hole on the fast solar wind acceleration with a more advanced 2.5D MHD model and to compare the results with the available observations; to extend the study to a full 3D MHD simulation of fast solar wind acceleration with a more realistic model of a coronal hole and solar boundary conditions. The ultimate goal of the three year study is to model the fast solar wind in a coronal hole, based on realistic boundary conditions in a coronal hole near the Sun, and the coronal hole structure (i.e., density, temperature, and magnetic field geometry) that will become available from the recently launched SOHO spacecraft.

Theoretical studies of the solar atmosphere and interstellar pickup ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Solar atmosphere research activities are summarized. Specific topics addressed include: (1) coronal mass ejections and related phenomena; (2) parametric instabilities of Alfven waves; (3) pickup ions in the solar wind; and (4) cosmic rays in the outer heliosphere. Also included is a list of publications covering the following topics: catastrophic evolution of a force-free flux rope; maximum energy release in flux-rope models of eruptive flares; sheet approximations in models of eruptive flares; material ejection, motions of loops and ribbons of two-ribbon flares; dispersion relations for parametric instabilities of parallel-propagating; parametric instabilities of parallel-propagating Alfven waves; beat, modulation, and decay instabilities of a circularly-polarized Alfven wave; effects of time-dependent photoionization on interstellar pickup helium; observation of waves generated by the solar wind pickup of interstellar hydrogen ions; ion thermalization and wave excitation downstream of the quasi-perpendicular bowshock; ion cyclotron instability and the inverse correlation between proton anisotrophy and proton beta; and effects of cosmic rays and interstellar gas on the dynamics of a wind.

Wave-Particle Interactions in the Radiation Belts, Aurora,and Solar Wind: Opportunities for Lab Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kletzing, C.

2017-12-01

The physics of the creation, loss, and transport of radiation belt particles is intimately connected to the electric and magnetic fields which mediate these processes. A large range of field and particle interactions are involved in this physics from large-scale ring current ion and magnetic field dynamics to microscopic kinetic interactions of whistler-mode chorus waves with energetic electrons. To measure these kinds of radiation belt interactions, NASA implemented the two-satellite Van Allen Probes mission. As part of the mission, the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) investigation is an integrated set of instruments consisting of a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer (MAG) and a Waves instrument which includes a triaxial search coil magnetometer (MSC). We show a variety of waves thought to be important for wave particle interactionsin the radiation belts: low frequency ULF pulsations, EMIC waves, and whistler mode waves including upper and lower band chorus. Outside ofthe radiation belts, Alfven waves play a key role in both solar wind turbulenceand auroral particle acceleration. Several of these wave modes could benefit (or have benefitted) from laboratory studies to further refineour understanding of the detailed physics of the wave-particle interactionswhich lead to energization, pitch angle scattering, and cross-field transportWe illustrate some of the processes and compare the wave data with particle measurements to show relationships between wave activity and particle processobserved in the inner magnetosphere and heliosphere.

Radial evolution of power spectra of interplanetary Alfvenic turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bavassano, B.; Dobrowolny, M.; Mariani, F.; Ness, N. F.

1981-01-01

The radial evolution of the power spectra of the MHD turbulence within the trailing edge of high speed streams in the solar wind was investigated with the magnetic field data of Helios 1 and 2 for heliocentric distance between 0.3 and 0.9 AU. In the analyzed frequency range (.00028 Hz to .0083 Hz) the computed spectra have, near the Earth, values of the spectral index close to that predicted for an incompressible hydromagnetic turbulence in a stationary state. Approaching the Sun the spectral slope remains unchanged for frequencies f or approximately .00 Hz, whereas at lower frequencies, a clear evolution toward a less steep fall off with frequency is found. The radial gradient of the power in Alfvenic fluctuations depends on frequency and it increases upon increasing frequency. For frequencies f or approximately .00 Hz, however, the radial gradient remains approximately the same. Possible theoretical implications of the observational features are discussed.

Are ion acoustic waves supported by high-density plasmas in the Large Plasma Device (LaPD)?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roycroft, Rebecca; Dorfman, Seth; Carter, Troy A.; Gekelman, Walter; Tripathi, Shreekrishna

2012-10-01

Ion acoustic waves are a type of longitudinal wave in a plasma, propagating though the motion of the ions. The wave plays a key role in a parametric decay process thought to be responsible for the spectrum of turbulence observed in the solar wind. In recent LaPD experiments aimed at studying this process, modes thought to be ion acoustic waves are strongly damped when the pump Alfven waves are turned off. This observation motivates an experiment focused on directly launching ion acoustic waves under similar conditions. Our first attempt to launch ion acoustic waves using a metal grid in the plasma was unsuccessful at high magnetic fields and densities due to electrons shorting out the bias applied between the grid and the wall. Results from a new device based on [1] to launch ion acoustic waves will be presented; this device will consist of a small chamber with a plasma source separated from the main chamber by two biased grids. The plasma created inside the small device will be held at a different potential from the main plasma; modulation of this difference should affect the ions, allowing ion acoustic waves to be launched and their properties compared to the prior LaPD experiments.[4pt] [1] W. Gekelman and R. L. Stenzel, Phys. Fluids 21, 2014 (1978).

The effect of reflector geometry on the acoustic field and bubble dynamics produced by an electrohydraulic shock wave lithotripter.

PubMed

Zhou, Yufeng; Zhong, Pei

2006-06-01

A theoretical model for the propagation of shock wave from an axisymmetric reflector was developed by modifying the initial conditions for the conventional solution of a nonlinear parabolic wave equation (i.e., the Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznestsov equation). The ellipsoidal reflector of an HM-3 lithotripter is modeled equivalently as a self-focusing spherically distributed pressure source. The pressure wave form generated by the spark discharge of the HM-3 electrode was measured by a fiber optic probe hydrophone and used as source conditions in the numerical calculation. The simulated pressure wave forms, accounting for the effects of diffraction, nonlinearity, and thermoviscous absorption in wave propagation and focusing, were compared with the measured results and a reasonably good agreement was found. Furthermore, the primary characteristics in the pressure wave forms produced by different reflector geometries, such as that produced by a reflector insert, can also be predicted by this model. It is interesting to note that when the interpulse delay time calculated by linear geometric model is less than about 1.5 micros, two pulses from the reflector insert and the uncovered bottom of the original HM-3 reflector will merge together. Coupling the simulated pressure wave form with the Gilmore model was carried out to evaluate the effect of reflector geometry on resultant bubble dynamics in a lithotripter field. Altogether, the equivalent reflector model was found to provide a useful tool for the prediction of pressure wave form generated in a lithotripter field. This model may be used to guide the design optimization of reflector geometries for improving the performance and safety of clinical lithotripters.

The effect of reflector geometry on the acoustic field and bubble dynamics produced by an electrohydraulic shock wave lithotripter

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yufeng; Zhong, Pei

2007-01-01

A theoretical model for the propagation of shock wave from an axisymmetric reflector was developed by modifying the initial conditions for the conventional solution of a nonlinear parabolic wave equation (i.e., the Khokhlov–Zabolotskaya–Kuznestsov equation). The ellipsoidal reflector of an HM-3 lithotripter is modeled equivalently as a self-focusing spherically distributed pressure source. The pressure wave form generated by the spark discharge of the HM-3 electrode was measured by a fiber optic probe hydrophone and used as source conditions in the numerical calculation. The simulated pressure wave forms, accounting for the effects of diffraction, nonlinearity, and thermoviscous absorption in wave propagation and focusing, were compared with the measured results and a reasonably good agreement was found. Furthermore, the primary characteristics in the pressure wave forms produced by different reflector geometries, such as that produced by a reflector insert, can also be predicted by this model. It is interesting to note that when the interpulse delay time calculated by linear geometric model is less than about 1.5 μs, two pulses from the reflector insert and the uncovered bottom of the original HM-3 reflector will merge together. Coupling the simulated pressure wave form with the Gilmore model was carried out to evaluate the effect of reflector geometry on resultant bubble dynamics in a lithotripter field. Altogether, the equivalent reflector model was found to provide a useful tool for the prediction of pressure wave form generated in a lithotripter field. This model may be used to guide the design optimization of reflector geometries for improving the performance and safety of clinical lithotripters. PMID:16838506

Particle acceleration and magnetic field generation in SNR shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suslov, M.; Diamond, P. H.; Malkov, M. A.

2006-04-01

We discuss the diffusive acceleration mechanism in SNR shocks in terms of its potential to accelerate CRs to 10^18 eV, as observations imply. One possibility, currently discussed in the literature, is to resonantly generate a turbulent magnetic field via accelerated particles in excess of the background field. We analyze some problems of this scenario and suggest a different mechanism, which is based on the generation of Alfven waves at the gyroradius scale at the background field level, with a subsequent transfer to longer scales via interaction with strong acoustic turbulence in the shock precursor. The acoustic turbulence in turn, may be generated by Drury instability or by parametric instability of the Alfven (A) waves. The essential idea is an A->A+S decay instability process, where one of the interacting scatterers (i.e. the sound, or S-waves) are driven by the Drury instability process. This rapidly generates longer wavelength Alfven waves, which in turn resonate with high energy CRs thus binding them to the shock and enabling their further acceleration.

Magnetogasdynamic spherical shock wave in a non-ideal gas under gravitational field with conductive and radiative heat fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, G.; Vishwakarma, J. P.

2016-11-01

Similarity solutions are obtained for the flow behind a spherical shock wave in a non-ideal gas under gravitational field with conductive and radiative heat fluxes, in the presence of a spatially decreasing azimuthal magnetic field. The shock wave is driven by a piston moving with time according to power law. The radiation is considered to be of the diffusion type for an optically thick grey gas model and the heat conduction is expressed in terms of Fourier's law for heat conduction. Similarity solutions exist only when the surrounding medium is of constant density. The gas is assumed to have infinite electrical conductivity and to obey a simplified van der Waals equation of state. It is shown that an increase of the gravitational parameter or the Alfven-Mach number or the parameter of the non-idealness of the gas decreases the compressibility of the gas in the flow-field behind the shock, and hence there is a decrease in the shock strength. The pressure and density vanish at the inner surface (piston) and hence a vacuum is formed at the center of symmetry. The shock waves in conducting non-ideal gas under gravitational field with conductive and radiative heat fluxes can be important for description of shocks in supernova explosions, in the study of a flare produced shock in the solar wind, central part of star burst galaxies, nuclear explosion etc. The solutions obtained can be used to interpret measurements carried out by space craft in the solar wind and in neighborhood of the Earth's magnetosphere.

Exploring Wave-Wave Interactions in a General Circulation Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nystrom, Virginia; Gasperini, Federico; Forbes, Jeffrey M.; Hagan, Maura E.

2018-01-01

Nonlinear interactions involving Kelvin waves with (periods, zonal wave numbers) = (3.7d, s =- 1) (UFKW1) and = (2.4d, s =- 1) (UFKW2) and s = 0 and s = 1 quasi 9 day waves (Q9DW) with diurnal tides DW1, DW2, DW3, DE2, and DE3 are explored within a National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) simulation driven at its ˜30 km lower boundary by interpolated 3-hourly output from Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA). The existence of nonlinear wave-wave interactions between the above primary waves is determined by the presence of secondary waves (SWs) with frequencies and zonal wave numbers that are the sums and differences of those of the primary (interacting) waves. Focus is on 10-21 April 2009, when the nontidal dynamics in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) region is dominated by UFKW and when identification of SW is robust. Fifteen SWs are identified in all. An interesting triad is identified involving UFKW1, DE3, and a secondary UFKW4 = (1.5d, s =- 2): The UFKW1-DE3 interaction produces UFKW4, the UFKW4-DE3 interaction produces UFKW1, and the UFKW1 interaction with UFKW4 produces DE3. At 120 km the dynamic range of the reconstructed latitude-longitude zonal wind field due to all of the SW is roughly half that of the primary waves, which produced them. This suggests that nonlinear wave-wave interactions could significantly modify the way that the lower atmosphere couples with the ionosphere.

BAROMETRIC AND WATER-SURFACE WAVES PRODUCED BY MIKE SHOT

DTIC Science & Technology

Barometric and water -surface waves generated by Mike shot were studied by means of 25 instruments in 19 locations in the Pacific Basin ranging from...on the tops of two mounts. The first water waves arriving at Eniwetok Island apparently traveled along paths outside the lagoon. At several of the...stations there were two distinct arrivals of water waves, the first apparently being driven by the propagated rise in atmospheric pressure caused by the

Nonsimilar Solution for Shock Waves in a Rotational Axisymmetric Perfect Gas with a Magnetic Field and Exponentially Varying Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, G.; Sinha, A. K.

2017-01-01

The propagation of a cylindrical shock wave in an ideal gas in the presence of a constant azimuthal magnetic field with consideration for the axisymmetric rotational effects is investigated. The ambient medium is assumed to have the radial, axial, and azimuthal velocity components. The fluid velocities and density of the ambient medium are assumed to vary according to an exponential law. Nonsimilar solutions are obtained by taking into account the vorticity vector and its components. The dependences of the characteristics of the problem on the Alfven-Mach number and time are obtained. It is shown that the presence of a magnetic field has a decaying effect on the shock wave. The pressure and density are shown to vanish at the inner surface (piston), and hence a vacuum forms at the line of symmetry.

Shock Acceleration of Solar Energetic Protons: The First 10 Minutes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, Chee K.; Reames, Donald V.

2008-01-01

Proton acceleration at a parallel coronal shock is modeled with self-consistent Alfven wave excitation and shock transmission. 18 - 50 keV seed protons at 0.1% of plasma proton density are accelerated in 10 minutes to a power-law intensity spectrum rolling over at 300 MeV by a 2500km s-1 shock traveling outward from 3.5 solar radius, for typical coronal conditions and low ambient wave intensities. Interaction of high-energy protons of large pitch-angles with Alfven waves amplified by low-energy protons of small pitch angles is key to rapid acceleration. Shock acceleration is not significantly retarded by sunward streaming protons interacting with downstream waves. There is no significant second-order Fermi acceleration.

Magnetofluid Turbulence in the Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2008-01-01

The solar wind shows striking characteristics that suggest that it is a turbulent magnetofluid, but the picture is not altogether simple. From the earliest observations, a strong correlation between magnetic fluctuations and plasma velocity fluctuations was noted. The high corrections suggest that the fluctuations are Alfven waves. In addition, the power spectrum of the magnetic fluctuation showed evidence of an inertial range that resembled that seen in fully-developed fluid turbulence. Alfven waves, however, are exact solutions of the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. Thus, there was a puzzle: how can a magnetofluid consisting of Alfven waves be turbulent? The answer lay in the role of velocity shears in the solar wind that could drive turbulent evolution. Puzzles remain: for example, the power spectrum of the velocity fluctuations is less steep than the slope of the magnetic fluctuations, nor do we understand even now why the solar wind appears to be nearly incompressible with a -5/3 power-spectral index.

Simulation of the westward traveling surge and Pi 2 pulsations during substorms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kan, J. R.; Sun, W.

1985-01-01

The westward traveling surge and the Pi2 pulsations are simulated as a consequence of an enhanced magnetospheric convection in a model of magnetosphere coupling. The coupling is characterized by the bouncing of Alfven waves launched by the enhanced convection. The reflection of Alfven waves from the ionosphere is treated in which the height-integrated conductivity is allowed to be highly nonuniform and fully anisotropic. The reflection of Alfven waves from the magnetosphere is characterized by the coefficient Rm, depending on whether the field lines are open or closed. The conductivity in the model is self-consistently enhanced with increasing upward field-aligned current density. The results of the simulation, including the convection pattern, the electrojets, the field-aligned current, the conductivity enhancement, the oscillation of the westward electrojet, and the average speed of the westward surge are in reasonable agreement with the features of the westward traveling surge and the Pi 2 pulsations observed during substorms.

Generation of mesoscale magnetic fields and the dynamics of Cosmic Ray acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diamond, P. H.; Malkov, M. A.

The problem of the cosmic ray origin is discussed in connection with their acceleration in supernova remnant shocks. The diffusive shock acceleration mechanism is reviewed and its potential to accelerate particles to the maximum energy of (presumably) galactic cosmic rays (1018eV ) is considered. It is argued that to reach such energies, a strong magnetic field at scales larger than the particle gyroradius must be created as a result of the acceleration process, itself. One specific mechanism suggested here is based on the generation of Alfven wave at the gyroradius scale with a subsequent transfer to longer scales via interaction with strong acoustic turbulence in the shock precursor. The acoustic turbulence in turn, may be generated by Drury instability or by parametric instability of the Alfven waves. The generation mechanism is modulational instability of CR generated Alfven wave packets induced, in turn, by scattering off acoustic fluctuations in the shock precursor which are generated by Drury instability.

Nonlinear dynamics of the 3D FMS and Alfven wave beams propagating in plasma of ionosphere and magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belashov, Vasily

We study the formation, structure, stability and dynamics of the multidimensional soliton-like beam structures forming on the low-frequency branch of oscillation in the ionospheric and magnetospheric plasma for cases when beta=4pinT/B(2) <<1 and beta>1. In first case with the conditions omegawaves are excited. Their dynamics under conditions {k_{x}}(2) >>{k_{yz}}(2,) v_{x}$<wave}/B with due account of the high order dispersive correction defined by values of plasma parameters and the angle Theta=(B,k) [2]. In another case the dynamics of the finite-amplitude Alfvén waves propagating in the ionosphere and magnetosphere near-to-parallel to the field B is described by the 3D derivative nonlinear Schrödinger (3-DNLS) equation for the magnetic field of the wave h=(B_{y}+iB_{z})/2B/1-beta/ [3]. To study the stability of multidimensional solitons in both cases we use the method developed in [2] and investigated the Hamiltonian bounding with its deformation conserving momentum by solving the corresponding variation problem. To study evolution of solitons and their collision dynamics the proper equations were being integrated numerically using the codes specially developed and described in detail in [3]. As a result, we have obtained that in both cases for a single solitons on a level with wave spreading and collapse the formation of multidimensional solitons can be observed. These results may be interpreted in terms of self-focusing phenomenon for the FMS and Alfvén waves’ beam as stationary beam formation, scattering and self-focusing of wave beam. The soliton collisions on a level with known elastic interaction can lead to formation of complex structures including the multisoliton bound states. For all cases the problem of multidimensional soliton dynamics in the ionospheric and

Controlled tissue emulsification produced by high intensity focused ultrasound shock waves and millisecond boiling

PubMed Central

Khokhlova, Tatiana D.; Canney, Michael S.; Khokhlova, Vera A.; Sapozhnikov, Oleg A.; Crum, Lawrence A.; Bailey, Michael R.

2011-01-01

In high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) applications, tissue may be thermally necrosed by heating, emulsified by cavitation, or, as was recently discovered, emulsified using repetitive millisecond boiling caused by shock wave heating. Here, this last approach was further investigated. Experiments were performed in transparent gels and ex vivo bovine heart tissue using 1, 2, and 3 MHz focused transducers and different pulsing schemes in which the pressure, duty factor, and pulse duration were varied. A previously developed derating procedure to determine in situ shock amplitudes and the time-to-boil was refined. Treatments were monitored using B-mode ultrasound. Both inertial cavitation and boiling were observed during exposures, but emulsification occurred only when shocks and boiling were present. Emulsified lesions without thermal denaturation were produced with shock amplitudes sufficient to induce boiling in less than 20 ms, duty factors of less than 0.02, and pulse lengths shorter than 30 ms. Higher duty factors or longer pulses produced varying degrees of thermal denaturation combined with mechanical emulsification. Larger lesions were obtained using lower ultrasound frequencies. The results show that shock wave heating and millisecond boiling is an effective and reliable way to emulsify tissue while monitoring the treatment with ultrasound. PMID:22088025

Dynamics of Exploding Plasma Within a Magnetized Plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dimonte, G; Dipeso, G; Hewett, D

2002-02-01

This memo describes several possible laboratory experiments on the dynamics of an exploding plasma in a background magnetized plasma. These are interesting scientifically and the results are applicable to energetic explosions in the earth's ionosphere (DOE Campaign 7 at LLNL). These proposed experiments are difficult and can only be performed in the new LAPD device at UCLA. The purpose of these experiments would be to test numerical simulations, theory and reduced models for systems performance codes. The experiments are designed to investigate the affect of the background plasma on (1) the maximum diamagnetic bubble radius given by Eq. 9; andmore » (2) the Alfven wave radiation efficiency produced by the induced current J{sub A} (Eqs. 10-12) These experiments involve measuring the bubble radius using a fast gated optical imager as in Ref [1] and the Alfven wave profile and intensity as in Ref [2] for different values of the exploding plasma energy, background plasma density and temperature, and background magnetic field. These experiments extend the previously successful experiments [2] on Alfven wave coupling. We anticipate that the proposed experiments would require 1-2 weeks of time on the LAPD. We would perform PIC simulations in support of these experiments in order to validate the codes. Once validated, the PIC simulations would then be able to be extended to realistic ionospheric conditions with various size explosions and altitudes. In addition to the Alfven wave coupling, we are interested in the magnetic containment and transport of the exploding ''debris'' plasma to see if the shorting of the radial electric field in the magnetic bubble would allow the ions to propagate further. This has important implications in an ionospheric explosion because it defines the satellite damage region. In these experiments, we would field fast gated optical cameras to obtain images of the plasma expansion, which could then be correlated with magnetic probe measurements

Detectability of primordial gravitational waves produced in bouncing models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto-Neto, Nelson; Scardua, Arthur

2017-06-01

It is widely known that bouncing models with a dust hydrodynamical fluid satisfying cs2=pd/ρd≈0 , where cs , pd , ρd are the sound velocity, pressure, and energy density of the dust fluid, respectively, have almost scale invariant spectrum of scalar perturbations and negligible primordial gravitational waves. We investigate whether adding another fluid with 1 /3 waves in the high frequency regime, turning them detectable in near future observations for such range of frequencies. Indeed, we show that the energy density of primordial gravitational waves is proportional to k2 (9 w -1 )/(1 +3 w ) for wavelengths which become bigger than the Hubble radius when this extra fluid dominates the background. Hence, as w →1 (an almost stiff matter fluid), the energy density of primordial gravitational waves will increase faster in frequency, turning them potentially detectable at high frequencies. However, there is an extra factor Iq(w ) in the amplitude which decreases exponentially with w . The net effect of these two contributions turns the energy density of primordial gravitational waves not sufficiently big at high frequencies in order to be detected by present day or near future observations for models which satisfy the nucleosynthesis bounds and is symmetric with respect to the bounce. Hence, symmetric bouncing models where the background is dominated by a dust hydrodynamical fluid with small sound velocity, do not present any significant amount of primordial gravitational waves at any frequency range compatible with observations, even if there are other fields present in the model dominating the bounce phase. Any detection of such waves will then rule out this kind of model.

Evolution of Eigenmodes of the Mhd-Waveguide in the Outer Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuiko, Daniil

EVOLUTION OF EIGENMODES OF THE MHD-WAVEGUIDE IN THE OUTER MAGNETOSPHERE Mazur V.A., Chuiko D.A. Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Irkutsk, Russia. Geomagnetic field and plasma inhomogeneties in the outer equatorial part of the magnetosphere al-lows for existence of a channel with low Alfven speeds, which spans from the nose to the far flanks of the magnetosphere, in the morning as well as in the evening sectors. This channel plays a role of a waveguide for fast magnetosonic waves. When an eigenmode travels along the waveguide (i.e. in the azimuthal direction) it undergoes certain evolution. The parameters of the waveguide are changing along the way of wave’s propagation and the eigenmode “adapts” to these parameters. Conditions of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability are changing due to the increment in the solar wind speed along the magnetopause. The conditions of the solar wind hydromagnetic waves penetration to the magnetosphere are changing due to the same increment. As such, the process of the penetration turns to overreflection regime, which abruptly increases the pump level of the magnetospheric waveguide. There is an Alfven resonance deep within the magnetosphere, which corresponds to the propagation of the fast mode along the waveguide. Oscillation energy dissipation takes place in the vicinity of the Alfven resonance. Alfven resonance is a standing Alfven wave along the magnetic field lines, so it reaches the ionosphere and the Earth surface, when the fast modes of the waveguide, localized in the low Alfven speed channel cannot be observed on Earth. The evolution of the waveguide oscillation propagating from the nose to the far tail is theoretically investigated in this work with consideration of all aforementioned effects. The spatial structure var-iation character, spectral composition and amplitude along the waveguide are found.

Simulations of the Mg II K and Ca II 8542 Lines From an Alfvén Wave-Heated Flare Chromosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerr, Graham S.; Fletcher, Lyndsay; Russell, Alexander J. B.; Allred, Joel C.

2016-01-01

We use radiation hydrodynamic simulations to examine two models of solar flare chromospheric heating: Alfven wave dissipation and electron beam collisional losses. Both mechanisms are capable of strong chromospheric heating, and we show that the distinctive atmospheric evolution in the mid-to-upper chromosphere results in Mg II k-line emission that should be observably different between wave-heated and beam-heated simulations. We also present Ca II 8542 A profiles that are formed slightly deeper in the chromosphere. The Mg II k-line profiles from our wave-heated simulation are quite different from those from a beam-heated model and are more consistent with Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observations. The predicted differences between the Ca II 8542 A in the two models are small. We conclude that careful observational and theoretical study of lines formed in the mid-to-upper chromosphere holds genuine promise for distinguishing between competing models for chromospheric heating inflares.

THE COUPLED EVOLUTION OF ELECTRONS AND IONS IN CORONAL MASS EJECTION-DRIVEN SHOCKS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manchester IV, W. B.; Van der Holst, B.; Toth, G.

2012-09-01

We present simulations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) performed with a new two-temperature coronal model developed at the University of Michigan, which is able to address the coupled thermodynamics of the electron and proton populations in the context of a single fluid. This model employs heat conduction for electrons, constant adiabatic index ({gamma} = 5/3), and includes Alfven wave pressure to accelerate the solar wind. The Wang-Sheeley-Arge empirical model is used to determine the Alfven wave pressure necessary to produce the observed bimodal solar wind speed. The Alfven waves are dissipated as they propagate from the Sun and heat protonsmore » on open magnetic field lines to temperatures above 2 MK. The model is driven by empirical boundary conditions that includes GONG magnetogram data to calculate the coronal field, and STEREO/EUVI observations to specify the density and temperature at the coronal boundary by the Differential Emission Measure Tomography method. With this model, we simulate the propagation of fast CMEs and study the thermodynamics of CME-driven shocks. Since the thermal speed of the electrons greatly exceeds the speed of the CME, only protons are directly heated by the shock. Coulomb collisions low in the corona couple the protons and electrons allowing heat exchange between the two species. However, the coupling is so brief that the electrons never achieve more than 10% of the maximum temperature of the protons. We find that heat is able to conduct on open magnetic field lines and rapidly propagates ahead of the CME to form a shock precursor of hot electrons.« less

Complex Rayleigh Waves Produced by Shallow Sedimentary Basins and their Potential Effects on Mid-Rise Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, M. D.; Castillo, J.; Massari, A.; Clayton, R. W.

2017-12-01

Earthquake-induced motions recorded by spatially dense seismic arrays in buildings located in the northern Los Angeles basin suggest the presence of complex, amplified surface wave effects on the seismic demand of mid-rise buildings. Several moderate earthquakes produced large-amplitude, seismic energy with slow shear-wave velocities that cannot be explained or accurately modeled by any published 3D seismic velocity models or by Vs30 values. Numerical experiments are conducted to determine if sedimentary basin features are responsible for these rarely modeled and poorly documented contributions to seismic demand computations. This is accomplished through a physics-based wave propagation examination of the effects of different sedimentary basin geometries on the nonlinear response of a mid-rise structural model based on an existing, instrumented building. Using two-dimensional finite-difference predictive modeling, we show that when an earthquake focal depth is near the vertical edge of an elongated and relatively shallow sedimentary basin, dramatically amplified and complex surface waves are generated as a result of the waveguide effect introduced by this velocity structure. In addition, for certain source-receiver distances and basin geometries, body waves convert to secondary Rayleigh waves that propagate both at the free-surface interface and along the depth interface of the basin that show up as multiple large-amplitude arrivals. This study is motivated by observations from the spatially dense, high-sample-rate acceleration data recorded by the Community Seismic Network, a community-hosted strong-motion network, currently consisting of hundreds of sensors located in the southern California area. The results provide quantitative insight into the causative relationship between a sedimentary basin shape and the generation of Rayleigh waves at depth, surface waves at the free surface, scattered seismic energy, and the sensitivity of building responses to each of

Numerical simulation of MHD turbulence in three dimensions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, M. L.; Roberts, D. A.; Deane, A.

1997-01-01

The evolution of Alfvenic turbulence in 3D spherical geometry can now be studied. In simulations, a fast stream is sandwiched between two slower streams. The inflow is both supersonic and superAlfvenic. Alfven waves entering the box are convected into the medium and interact nonlinearly with the velocity shear and with any structures (i.e., flux tubes) that might be present. These initial simulations suggest that velocity shear, even in spherical geometry, is able to drive a turbulent cascade which results in approximately Kolmogoroff-like power spectra.

A Review of Low Frequency Electromagnetic Wave Phenomena Related to Tropospheric-Ionospheric Coupling Mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simoes, Fernando; Pfaff, Robert; Berthelier, Jean-Jacques; Klenzing, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

Investigation of coupling mechanisms between the troposphere and the ionosphere requires a multidisciplinary approach involving several branches of atmospheric sciences, from meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, and fulminology to aeronomy, plasma physics, and space weather. In this work, we review low frequency electromagnetic wave propagation in the Earth-ionosphere cavity from a troposphere-ionosphere coupling perspective. We discuss electromagnetic wave generation, propagation, and resonance phenomena, considering atmospheric, ionospheric and magnetospheric sources, from lightning and transient luminous events at low altitude to Alfven waves and particle precipitation related to solar and magnetospheric processes. We review in situ ionospheric processes as well as surface and space weather phenomena that drive troposphere-ionosphere dynamics. Effects of aerosols, water vapor distribution, thermodynamic parameters, and cloud charge separation and electrification processes on atmospheric electricity and electromagnetic waves are reviewed. We also briefly revisit ionospheric irregularities such as spread-F and explosive spread-F, sporadic-E, traveling ionospheric disturbances, Trimpi effect, and hiss and plasma turbulence. Regarding the role of the lower boundary of the cavity, we review transient surface phenomena, including seismic activity, earthquakes, volcanic processes and dust electrification. The role of surface and atmospheric gravity waves in ionospheric dynamics is also briefly addressed. We summarize analytical and numerical tools and techniques to model low frequency electromagnetic wave propagation and solving inverse problems and summarize in a final section a few challenging subjects that are important for a better understanding of tropospheric-ionospheric coupling mechanisms.

Satellite Spots Turbulence Producing Mountain Waves in the Stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britt, Robert Roy

2002-01-01

When masses of air flow over massive mountains, invisible waves often roil high into the stratosphere, affecting weather and mixing the chemicals that contribute to ozone depletion. The waves also create turbulence that can be a danger to high-altitude research missions by NASA's lightweight ER-2 aircraft, as well as shuttle flights upon reentry. In Friday's issue of the journal Science, researchers report for the first time a technique that allows them to see temperature signatures from these invisible mountain waves. The method, involving high-resolution, satellite-based measurement of adjacent pockets of the atmosphere, is expected to aid in spotting turbulence and, one day, improve weather forecasts.

CASCADE AND DAMPING OF ALFVEN-CYCLOTRON FLUCTUATIONS: APPLICATION TO SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang Yanwei; Petrosian, Vahe; Liu Siming

2009-06-10

It is well recognized that the presence of magnetic fields will lead to anisotropic energy cascade and dissipation of astrophysical turbulence. With the diffusion approximation and linear dissipation rates, we study the cascade and damping of Alfven-cyclotron fluctuations in solar plasmas numerically for two diagonal diffusion tensors, one (isotropic) with identical components for the parallel and perpendicular directions (with respect to the magnetic field) and one with different components (nonisotropic). It is found that for the isotropic case the steady-state turbulence spectra are nearly isotropic in the inertial range and can be fitted by a single power-law function with amore » spectral index of -3/2, similar to the Iroshnikov-Kraichnan phenomenology, while for the nonisotropic case the spectra vary greatly with the direction of propagation. The energy fluxes in both cases are much higher in the perpendicular direction than in the parallel direction due to the angular dependence (or inhomogeneity) of the components. In addition, beyond the MHD regime the kinetic effects make the spectrum softer at higher wavenumbers. In the dissipation range the turbulence spectrum cuts off at the wavenumber, where the damping rate becomes comparable to the cascade rate, and the cutoff wavenumber changes with the wave propagation direction. The angle-averaged turbulence spectrum of the isotropic model resembles a broken power law, which cuts off at the maximum of the cutoff wavenumbers or the {sup 4}He cyclotron frequency. Taking into account the Doppler effects, the model naturally reproduces the broken power-law turbulence spectra observed in the solar wind and predicts that a higher break frequency always comes along with a softer dissipation range spectrum that may be caused by the increase of the turbulence intensity, the reciprocal of the plasma {beta}{sub p}, and/or the angle between the solar wind velocity and the mean magnetic field. These predictions can be

Damping Rate Measurements of Medium n Alfv'en Eigenmodes in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, Alexander; Testa, Duccio; Snipes, Joseph; Fasoli, Ambrogio; Carfantan, Hervé

2007-11-01

Alfv'en Eigenmodes (AE's) with mode numbers 5 < n < 20 are expected to be unstable in burning tokamaks and may lead to loss of fast particle confinement. The active MHD spectroscopy program at JET has already provided a wealth of information about low n (n <= 2) AE's in the past decade, but a recently installed array of four antennas is capable of driving higher mode numbered (n < 100, 30 < f < 350 kHz) perturbations. In the latest JET campaign, the damping rates for several types of AE's were measured parasitically in a wide range of tokamak scenarios. We review the active MHD diagnostic and present the first measurements of medium-n AE stability on JET, then describe future plans for the active MHD spectroscopy project. The data analysis involves a novel method for resolving multiple AE's that exist at identical frequencies, which uses techniques based on the SparSpec code.

MOA: Magnetic Field Oscillating Amplified Thruster and its Application for Nuclear Electric and Thermal Propulsion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frischauf, Norbert; Hettmer, Manfred; Grassauer, Andreas

More than 60 years after the later Nobel laureate Hannes Alfven had published a letter stating that oscillating magnetic fields can accelerate ionised matter via magneto-hydrodynamic interactions in a wave like fashion, the technical implementation of Alfven waves for propulsive purposes has been proposed, patented and examined for the first time by a group of inventors. The name of the concept, utilising Alfven waves to accelerate ionised matter for propulsive purposes, is MOA - Magnetic field Oscillating Amplified thruster. Alfven waves are generated by making use of two coils, one being permanently powered and serving also as magnetic nozzle, themore » other one being switched on and off in a cyclic way, deforming the field lines of the overall system. It is this deformation that generates Alfven waves, which are in the next step used to transport and compress the propulsive medium, in theory leading to a propulsion system with a much higher performance than any other electric propulsion system. Based on computer simulations, which were conducted to get a first estimate on the performance of the system, MOA is a highly flexible propulsion system, whose performance parameters might easily be adapted, by changing the mass flow and/or the power level. As such the system is capable to deliver a maximum specific impulse of 13116 s (12.87 mN) at a power level of 11.16 kW, using Xe as propellant, but can also be attuned to provide a thrust of 236.5 mN (2411 s) at 6.15 kW of power. While space propulsion is expected to be the prime application for MOA and is supported by numerous applications such as Solar and/or Nuclear Electric Propulsion or even as an 'afterburner system' for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion, other terrestrial applications can be thought of as well, making the system highly suited for a common space-terrestrial application research and utilisation strategy. (authors)« less

Traveling-wave laser-produced-plasma energy source for photoionization laser pumping and lasers incorporating said

DOEpatents

Sher, Mark H.; Macklin, John J.; Harris, Stephen E.

1989-09-26

A traveling-wave, laser-produced-plasma, energy source used to obtain single-pass gain saturation of a photoionization pumped laser. A cylindrical lens is used to focus a pump laser beam to a long line on a target. Grooves are cut in the target to present a surface near normal to the incident beam and to reduce the area, and hence increase the intensity and efficiency, of plasma formation.

Field-aligned structure of the storm time Pc 5 wave of November 14-15, 1979

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, K.; Higbie, P. R.; Fennell, J. F.; Amata, E.

1988-02-01

Magnetic field data from the four satellites--SCATHA (P78-2), GOES 2, GOES 3, and GEOS 2--have been analyzed to examine the magnetic-field-aligned structure of a storm time Pc 5 wave which occurred on November 14-15, 1979. The wave had both transverse and compressional components. At a given instance, the compressional and the radial components oscillated in phase or 180 deg out of phase, and the compressional and the azimuthal components oscillated +90 deg or -90 deg out of phase. In addition, each component changed its amplitude with magnetic latitude: the compressional component had a minimum at the magnetic equator, whereas the transverse components had a maximum at the equator and minima several degrees off the equator. At 180 deg relative phase switching among the components occurred across the latitudes of amplitude minima. From these observations, the field-line displacement of the wave is confirmed to have an antisymmetric standing structure about the magnetic equator with a parallel wave length of a few earth radii. We aslo observed other intriguing properties of the wave, such as different parallel wavelengths of different field components and small-amplitude second harmonics near the nodes. A dielectric tensor appropriate for the ring current plasma is found to give an explanation for the relation between the polarization and the propagation of the wave. However, plasma data available from SCATHA do not support either the drift-mirror instability of Hasegawa or tht coupling between a drift mirror wave and a shear Alfven wave, as discussed by Walker et al.

Astrophysical ZeV acceleration in the relativistic jet from an accreting supermassive blackhole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebisuzaki, Toshikazu; Tajima, Toshiki

2014-04-01

An accreting supermassive blackhole, the central engine of active galactic nucleus (AGN), is capable of exciting extreme amplitude Alfven waves whose wavelength (wave packet) size is characterized by its clumpiness. The pondermotive force and wakefield are driven by these Alfven waves propagating in the AGN (blazar) jet, and accelerate protons/nuclei to extreme energies beyond Zetta-electron volt (ZeV=1021 eV). Such acceleration is prompt, localized, and does not suffer from the multiple scattering/bending enveloped in the Fermi acceleration that causes excessive synchrotron radiation loss beyond 1019 eV. The production rate of ZeV cosmic rays is found to be consistent with the observed gamma-ray luminosity function of blazars and their time variabilities.

ELF waves and ion resonances produced by an electron beam emitting rocket in the ionosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winckler, J. R.; Abe, Y.; Erickson, K. N.

1986-01-01

Results are reported from the ECHO-6 electron-beam-injection experiment, performed in the auroral-zone ionosphere on March 30, 1983 using a sounding rocket equipped with two electron guns and a free-flying plasma-diagnostics instrument package. The data are presented in extensive graphs and diagrams and characterized in detail. Large ELF wave variations, superposed on the strong beam-sector-directed quasi-dc component, are observed in the 100-eV beam-induced plasma when the beam is injected in a transverse spiral, but not when it is injected upward parallel to the magnetic-field line. ELF activity is found to be suppressed whenever the rocket passed through field lines with auroral activity, suggesting that the waves are produced by the interaction of the beam potentials, plasma currents, and return currents neutralizing the accelerator payload.

Surface waves on a soft viscoelastic layer produced by an oscillating microbubble.

PubMed

Tinguely, Marc; Hennessy, Matthew G; Pommella, Angelo; Matar, Omar K; Garbin, Valeria

2016-05-14

Ultrasound-driven bubbles can cause significant deformation of soft viscoelastic layers, for instance in surface cleaning and biomedical applications. The effect of the viscoelastic properties of a boundary on the bubble-boundary interaction has been explored only qualitatively, and remains poorly understood. We investigate the dynamic deformation of a viscoelastic layer induced by the volumetric oscillations of an ultrasound-driven microbubble. High-speed video microscopy is used to observe the deformation produced by a bubble oscillating at 17-20 kHz in contact with the surface of a hydrogel. The localised oscillating pressure applied by the bubble generates surface elastic (Rayleigh) waves on the gel, characterised by elliptical particle trajectories. The tilt angle of the elliptical trajectories varies with increasing distance from the bubble. Unexpectedly, the direction of rotation of the surface elements on the elliptical trajectories shifts from prograde to retrograde at a distance from the bubble that depends on the viscoelastic properties of the gel. To explain these behaviours, we develop a simple three-dimensional model for the deformation of a viscoelastic solid by a localised oscillating force. By using as input for the model the values of the shear modulus obtained from the propagation velocity of the Rayleigh waves, we find good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations.

Microstructure of the IMF turbulences at 2.5 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mavromichalaki, H.; Vassilaki, A.; Marmatsouri, L.; Moussas, X.; Quenby, J. J.; Smith, E. J.

1995-01-01

A detailed analysis of small period (15-900 sec) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulences of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been made using Pioneer-11 high time resolution data (0.75 sec) inside a Corotating Interaction Region (CIR) at a heliocentric distance of 2.5 AU in 1973. The methods used are the hodogram analysis, the minimum variance matrix analysis and the cohenrence analysis. The minimum variance analysis gives evidence of linear polarized wave modes. Coherence analysis has shown that the field fluctuations are dominated by the magnetosonic fast modes with periods 15 sec to 15 min. However, it is also shown that some small amplitude Alfven waves are present in the trailing edge of this region with characteristic periods (15-200 sec). The observed wave modes are locally generated and possibly attributed to the scattering of Alfven waves energy into random magnetosonic waves.

Feedback instability of the ionospheric resonant cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lysak, Robert L.

1991-01-01

A model is developed that provides a theoretical basis for previous numerical results showing a feedback instability with frequencies characteristic of Alfven travel times within the region of the large increase of Alfven speed above the ionosphere. These results have been extended to arbitrary ionospheric conductivity by developing a numerical solution of the cavity dispersion relation that involves Bessel functions of complex order and argument. It is concluded that the large contrast between the magnetospheric and ionospheric Alfven speed leads to the formation of resonant cavity modes with frequencies ranging from 0.1 to 1 Hz. The presence of the cavity leads to a modification of the reflection characteristics of Alfven waves with frequencies that compare to the cavity's normal modes.

Cluster observations of Shear-mode surface waves diverging from Geomagnetic Tail reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, L.; Wygant, J. R.; Dombeck, J. P.; Cattell, C. A.; Thaller, S. A.; Mouikis, C.; Balogh, A.; Reme, H.

2010-12-01

We present the first Cluster spacecraft study of the intense (δB/B~0.5, δE/VAB~0.5) equatorial plane surface waves diverging from magnetic reconnection in the geomagnetic tail at ~17 Re. Using phase lag analysis with multi-spacecraft measurements, we quantitatively determine the wavelength and phase velocity of the waves with spacecraft frame frequencies from 0.03 Hz to 1 Hz and wavelengths from much larger (4Re) than to comparable to the H+ gyroradius (~300km). The phase velocities track the strong variations in the equatorial plane projection of the reconnection outflow velocity perpendicular to the magnetic field. The propagation direction and wavelength of the observed surface waves resemble those of flapping waves of the magnetotail current sheet, suggesting a same origin shared by both of these waves. The observed waves appear ubiquitous in the outflows near magnetotail reconnection. Evidence is found that the observed waves are associated with velocity shear in reconnection outflows. Analysis shows that observed waves are associated with strong field-aligned Alfvenic Poynting flux directed away from the reconnection region toward Earth. These observations present a scenario in which the observed surface waves are driven and convected through a velocity-shear type instability by high-speed (~1000km) reconnection outflows tending to slow down due to power dissipation through Poynting flux. The mapped Poynting flux (100ergs/cm2s) and longitudinal scales (10-100 km) to 100km altitude suggest that the observed waves and their motions are an important boundary condition for night-side aurora. Figure: a) The BX-GSM in the geomagnetic tail current sheet. b) The phase difference wavelet spectrum between Bz_GSM from SC2 and SC3, used to determine the wave phase velocity, is correlated with the reconnection outflow velocity (represented by H+ VX-GSM) c) The spacecraft trajectory through magnetotail reconnection. d) The observed equatorial plane surface wave

ULF Generation by Modulated Ionospheric Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, C.; Labenski, J.; Wallace, T.; Papadopoulos, K.

2013-12-01

Modulated ionospheric heating experiments designed to generate ULF waves using the HAARP heater have been conducted since 2007. Artificial ULF waves in the Pc1 frequency range were observed from space and by ground induction magnetometers located in the vicinity of the heater as well as at long distances. Two distinct generation mechanisms of artificial ULF waves were identified. The first was electroject modulation under geomagnetically disturbed conditions. The second was pressure modulation in the E and F regions of the ionosphere under quiet conditions. Ground detections of ULF waves near the heater included both Shear Alfven waves and Magnetosonic waves generated by electrojet and/or pressure modulations. Distant ULF detections involved Magnetosonic wave propagation in the Alfvenic duct with pressure modulation as the most likely source. Summary of our observations and theoretical interpretations will be presented at the meeting. We would like to acknowledge the support provided by the staff at the HAARP facility during our ULF experiments.

RADIATION WAVE DETECTION

DOEpatents

Wouters, L.F.

1960-08-30

Radiation waves can be detected by simultaneously measuring radiation- wave intensities at a plurality of space-distributed points and producing therefrom a plot of the wave intensity as a function of time. To this end. a detector system is provided which includes a plurality of nuclear radiation intensity detectors spaced at equal radial increments of distance from a source of nuclear radiation. Means are provided to simultaneously sensitize the detectors at the instant a wave of radiation traverses their positions. the detectors producing electrical pulses indicative of wave intensity. The system further includes means for delaying the pulses from the detectors by amounts proportional to the distance of the detectors from the source to provide an indication of radiation-wave intensity as a function of time.

Thermal damage produced by high-irradiance continuous wave CO2 laser cutting of tissue.

PubMed

Schomacker, K T; Walsh, J T; Flotte, T J; Deutsch, T F

1990-01-01

Thermal damage produced by continuous wave (cw) CO2 laser ablation of tissue in vitro was measured for irradiances ranging from 360 W/cm2 to 740 kW/cm2 in order to investigate the extent to which ablative cooling can limit tissue damage. Damage zones thinner than 100 microns were readily produced using single pulses to cut guinea pig skin as well as bovine cornea, aorta, and myocardium. Multiple pulses can lead to increased damage. However, a systematic decrease in damage with irradiance, predicted theoretically by an evaporation model of ablation, was not observed. The damage-zone thickness was approximately constant around the periphery of the cut, consistent with the existence of a liquid layer which stores heat and leads to tissue damage, and with a model of damage and ablation recently proposed by Zweig et al.

What can we learn from the stochastic gravitational wave background produced by oscillons?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antusch, Stefan; Cefalà, Francesco; Orani, Stefano

2018-03-01

The stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background provides a fascinating window to the physics of the very early universe. Beyond the nearly scale-invariant primordial GW spectrum produced during inflation, a spectrum with a much richer structure is typically generated during the preheating phase after inflation (or after some other phase transition at lower energies). This raises the question of what one can learn from a future observation of the stochastic gravitational wave background spectrum about the underlying physics during preheating. Recently, it has been shown that during preheating non-perturbative quasi-stable objects like oscillons can act as strong sources for GW, leading to characteristic features such as distinct peaks in the spectrum. In this paper, we study the GW production from oscillons using semi-analytical techniques. In particular, we discuss how the GW spectrum is affected by the parameters that characterise a given oscillon system, e.g. by the background cosmology, the asymmetry of the oscillons and the evolution of the number density of the oscillons. We compare our semi-analytic results with numerical lattice simulations for a hilltop inflation model and a KKLT scenario, which differ strongly in some of these characteristics, and find very good agreement.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yukhimuk, V.; Roussel-Dupre, R.

In this paper the evolution of nonlinear scattering of whistler mode waves by kinetic Alfven waves (KAW) in time and two spatial dimensions is studied analytically. The authors suggest this nonlinear process as a mechanism of kinetic Alfven wave generation in space plasmas. This mechanism can explain the dependence of Alfven wave generation on whistler waves observed in magnetospheric and ionospheric plasmas. The observational data show a dependence for the generation of long periodic pulsations Pc5 on whistler wave excitation in the auroral and subauroral zone of the magnetosphere. This dependence was first observed by Ondoh T.I. For 79 casesmore » of VLF wave excitation registered by Ondoh at College Observatory (L=64.6 N), 52 of them were followed by Pc5 geomagnetic pulsation generation. Similar results were obtained at the Loparskaia Observatory (L=64 N) for auroral and subauroral zone of the magnetosphere. Thus, in 95% of the cases when VLF wave excitation occurred the generation of long periodic geomagnetic pulsations Pc5 were observed. The observations also show that geomagnetic pulsations Pc5 are excited simultaneously or insignificantly later than VLF waves. In fact these two phenomena are associated genetically: the excitation of VLF waves leads to the generation of geomagnetic pulsations Pc5. The observations show intensive generation of geomagnetic pulsations during thunderstorms. Using an electromagnetic noise monitoring system covering the ULF range (0.01-10 Hz) A.S. Fraser-Smith observed intensive ULF electromagnetic wave during a large thunderstorm near the San-Francisco Bay area on September 23, 1990. According to this data the most significant amplification in ULF wave activity was observed for waves with a frequency of 0.01 Hz and it is entirely possible that stronger enhancements would have been measured at lower frequencies.« less

Ion streaming instabilities with application to collisionless shock wave structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golden, K. I.; Linson, L. M.; Mani, S. A.

1973-01-01

The electromagnetic dispersion relation for two counterstreaming ion beams of arbitrary relative strength flowing parallel to a dc magnetic field is derived. The beams flow through a stationary electron background and the dispersion relation in the fluid approximation is unaffected by the electron thermal pressure. The dispersion relation is solved with a zero net current condition applied and the regions of instability in the k-U space (U is the relative velocity between the two ion beams) are presented. The parameters are then chosen to be applicable for parallel shocks. It was found that unstable waves with zero group velocity in the shock frame can exist near the leading edge of the shock for upstream Alfven Mach numbers greater than 5.5. It is suggested that this mechanism could generate sufficient turbulence within the shock layer to scatter the incoming ions and create the required dissipation for intermediate strength shocks.

Evolution of magnetic flux ropes associated with flux transfer events and interplanetary magnetic clouds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wei, C. Q.; Lee, L. C.; Wang, S.; Akasofu, S.-I.

1991-01-01

Spacecraft observations suggest that flux transfer events and interplanetary magnetic clouds may be associated with magnetic flux ropes which are magnetic flux tubes containing helical magnetic field lines. In the magnetic flux ropes, the azimuthal magnetic field is superposed on the axial field. The time evolution of a localized magnetic flux rope is studied. A two-dimensional compressible MHD simulation code with a cylindrical symmetry is developed to study the wave modes associated with the evolution of flux ropes. It is found that in the initial phase both the fast magnetosonic wave and the Alfven wave are developed in the flux rope. After this initial phase, the Alfven wave becomes the dominant wave mode for the evolution of the magnetic flux rope and the radial expansion velocity of the flux rope is found to be negligible. Numerical results further show that even for a large initial azimuthal component of the magnetic field, the propagation velocity along the axial direction of the flux rope remains the Alfven velocity. It is also found that the localized magnetic flux rope tends to evolve into two separate magnetic ropes propagating in opposite directions. The simulation results are used to study the evolution of magnetic flux ropes associated with flux transfer events observed at the earth's dayside magnetopause and magnetic clouds in the interplanetary space.

Proton-driven electromagnetic instabilities in high-speed solar wind streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abraham-Shrauner, B.; Asbridge, J. R.; Bame, S. J.; Feldman, W. C.

1979-01-01

Electromagnetic instabilities of the field-aligned, right-hand circularly polarized magnetosonic wave and the left-hand circularly polarized Alfven wave driven by two drifted proton components are analyzed for model parameters determined from Imp 7 solar wind proton data measured during high-speed flow conditions. Growth rates calculated using bi-Lorentzian forms for the main and beam proton as well as core and halo electron velocity distributions do not differ significantly from those calculated using bi-Maxwellian forms. Using distribution parameters determined from 17 measured proton spectra, we show that considering the uncertainties the magnetosonic wave may be linearly stable and the Alfven wave is linearly unstable. Because proton velocity distribution function shapes are observed to persist for times long compared to the proton gyroperiod, the latter result suggests that linear stability theory fails for proton-driven ion cyclotron waves in the high-speed solar wind.

The Dissipation Range of Interstellar Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spangler, Steven R.; Buffo, J. J.

2013-06-01

Turbulence may play an important role in a number of interstellar processes. One of these is heating of the interstellar gas, as the turbulent energy is dissipated and changed into thermal energy of the gas, or at least other forms of energy. There have been very promising recent results on the mechanism for dissipation of turbulence in the Solar Wind (Howes et al, Phys. Plasm. 18, 102305, 2011). In the Solar Wind, the dissipation arises because small-scale irregularities develop properties of kinetic Alfven waves, and apparently damp like kinetic Alfven waves. A property of kinetic Alfven waves is that they become significantly compressive on size scales of order the ion Larmor radius. Much is known about the plasma properties of ionized components of interstellar medium such as HII regions and the Diffuse Ionized Gas (DIG) phase, including information on the turbulence in these media. The technique of radio wave scintillations can yield properties of HII region and DIG turbulence on scales of order the ion Larmor radius, which we refer to as the dissipation scale. In this paper, we collect results from a number of published radio scattering measurements of interstellar turbulence on the dissipation scale. These studies show evidence for a spectral break on the dissipation scale, but no evidence for enhanced compressibility of the fluctuations. The simplest explanation of our result is that turbulence in the ionized interstellar medium does not possess properties of kinetic Alfven waves. This could point to an important difference with Solar Wind turbulence. New observations, particularly with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) could yield much better measurements of the power spectrum of interstellar turbulence in the dissipation range. This research was supported at the University of Iowa by grants AST09-07911 and ATM09-56901 from the National Science Foundation.

Theoretical studies of the physics of the solar atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hollweg, Joseph V.

1992-01-01

Significant advances in our theoretical basis for understanding several physical processes related to dynamical phenomena on the sun were achieved. We have advanced a new model for spicules and fibrils. We have provided a simple physical view of resonance absorption of MHD surface waves; this allowed an approximate mathematical procedure for obtaining a wealth of new analytical results which we applied to coronal heating and p-mode absorption at magnetic regions. We provided the first comprehensive models for the heating and acceleration of the transition region, corona, and solar wind. We provided a new view of viscosity under coronal conditions. We provided new insights into Alfven wave propagation in the solar atmosphere. And recently we have begun work in a new direction: parametric instabilities of Alfven waves.

A theory of the Io phase asymmetry of the Jovian decametric radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashimoto, K.; Goldstein, M. L.

1982-01-01

An explanation of an asymmetry in the occurrence probability of the Io-dependent Jovian decametric radiation is proposed. Io generates stronger Alfven waves toward the south when it is in the northern part of the torus. This wave then generates decametric radiation in the northern ionosphere after it reflects in the southern ionosphere. The asymmetry then results from computing the propagation time of the alfven wave along this trajectory. The ray paths of the decameter radiation are calculated using a three dimensional ray tracing program in the Jovian ionosphere. Variations in the expected probability plots are computer for two models of the Jovian ionosphere and global magnetic field, as well as for several choices of the ratio of the radiated frequency to the X-mode cutoff frequency.

Digging Deeper: Observing Primordial Gravitational Waves below the Binary-Black-Hole-Produced Stochastic Background.

PubMed

Regimbau, T; Evans, M; Christensen, N; Katsavounidis, E; Sathyaprakash, B; Vitale, S

2017-04-14

The merger rate of black hole binaries inferred from the detections in the first Advanced LIGO science run implies that a stochastic background produced by a cosmological population of mergers will likely mask the primordial gravitational wave background. Here we demonstrate that the next generation of ground-based detectors, such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, will be able to observe binary black hole mergers throughout the Universe with sufficient efficiency that the confusion background can potentially be subtracted to observe the primordial background at the level of Ω_{GW}≃10^{-13} after 5 years of observation.

The Atmospheric Dynamics of alpha Tau (K5 III) - Clues to Understanding the Magnetic Dynamo in Late-Type Giant Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, Kenneth G.; Airapetian, Vladimir

2008-01-01

Using HST/GHRS, HST/STIS and FUSE archival data for alpha Tau and the CHIANTI spectroscopic code, we have derived line shifts, volumetric emission measures, and plasma density estimates, and calculated filling factors for a number of UV lines forming between 10,000 K and 300,000 K in the outer atmosphere of this red giant star. The data suggest the presence of low-temperature extended regions and high-temperature compact regions, associated with magnetically open and closed structures in the stellar atmosphere, respectively. The signatures of UV lines from alpha Tau can be consistently understood via a model of upward-traveling Alfven waves in a gravitationally stratified atmosphere. These waves cause non-thermal broadening in UV lines due to unresolved wave motions and downward plasma motions in compact magnetic loops heated by resonant Alfven wave heating.

Coronal Seismology: The Search for Propagating Waves in Coronal Loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schad, Thomas A.; Seeley, D.; Keil, S. L.; Tomczyk, S.

2007-05-01

We report on Doppler observations of the solar corona obtained in the Fe XeXIII 1074.7nm coronal emission line with the HAO Coronal Multi-Channel Polarimeter (CoMP) mounted on the NSO Coronal One Shot coronagraph located in the Hilltop Facility of NSO/Sacramento Peak. The COMP is a tunable filtergraph instrument that records the entire corona from the edge of the occulting disk at approximately 1.03 Rsun out to 1.4 Rsun with a spatial resolution of about 4” x 4”. COMP can be rapidly scanned through the spectral line while recording orthogonal states of linear and circular polarization. The two dimensional spatial resolution allows us to correlate temporal fluctuations observed in one part of the corona with those seen at other locations, in particular along coronal loops. Using cross spectral analysis we find that the observations reveal upward propagating waves that are characterized by Doppler shifts with rms velocities of 0.3 km/s, peak wave power in the 3-5 mHz frequency range, and phase speeds 1-3 Mm/s. The wave trajectories are consistent with the direction of the magnetic field inferred from the linear polarization measurements. We discuss the phase and coherence of these waves as a function of height in the corona and relate our findings to previous observations. The observed waves appear to be Alfvenic in character. "Thomas Schad was supported through the National Solar Observatory Research Experiences for Undergraduate (REU) site program, which is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the National Science Foundation REU Program." Daniel Seeley was supported through the National Solar Observatory Research Experience for Teachers (RET) site program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation RET program.

Study of continuous-wave domain fluorescence diffuse optical tomography for quality control on agricultural produce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadhira, Vebi; Kurniadi, Deddy; Juliastuti, E.; Sutiswan, Adeline

2014-03-01

The importance of monitoring the quality of vegetables and fruits is prosperity by giving a competitive advantage for producer and providing a more healthy food for consumer. Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) is offering the possibility to detect the internal defects of the agricultural produce quality. Fluorescence diffuse optical tomography (FDOT) is the development of DOT, offering the possibilities to improve spatial resolution and to contrast image. The purpose of this research is to compare FDOT and DOT in forward analysis with continuous wave approach. The scattering and absorbing parameters of potatoes are used to represent the real condition. The object was illuminated by the NIR source from some positions on the boundary of object. A set of NIR detector are placed on the peripheral position of the object to measure the intensity of propagated or emitted light. In the simulation, we varied a condition of object then we analyzed the sensitivity of forward problem. The result of this study shows that FDOT has a better sensitivity than DOT and a better potential to monitor internal defects of agricultural produce because of the contrast value between optical and fluorescence properties of agricultural produce normal tissue and defects.

High Harmonic Fast Wave Damping on an Ion Beam: NSTX and DIII-D Regimes Compared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinsker, R. I.; Choi, C. C.; Petty, C. C.; Porkolab, M.; Wilson, J. R.; Murakami, M.; Harvey, R. W.

2004-11-01

Both NSTX and DIII-D use the combination of fast Alfven waves (FW) and neutral beam injection (NBI) for central electron heating and current drive. Damping of the fast wave on the beam ions at moderate to high harmonics (4th--20th) of the beam ion cyclotron frequency represents a loss process. In DIII-D current drive experiments at low density in which 4th and 8th harmonics were compared, damping at the 8th harmonic damping was much weaker than at the 4th [1]. However, recent simulations have predicted that in higher density and higher beam power regimes (of interest to the Advanced Tokamak program) the beam ion absorption will transition to the unmagnetized ion regime, where the damping is significant and essentially independent of harmonic number. In the present work, the transition from magnetized to unmagnetized ion regimes for the NSTX and DIII-D HHFW experiments is studied theoretically, with a combination of simple semi-analytic models and numerical models. \\vspace0.25 em [1] C.C. Petty, et al., Plasma Phys. and Contr. Fusion 43, 1747 (2001).

Io's Interaction with the Jovian Magnetosphere: Models of Particle Acceleration and Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crary, Frank Judson

1998-09-01

I develop models of electron acceleration and ion scattering which result from Io's interaction with the jovian magnetosphere. According to my models, Io initially generates transient currents and an Alfvenic disturbance when it first encounters a jovian magnetic field line, and the interaction would eventually settle into a system of steady Birkeland currents as the field line is advected downstream past Io and into Io's wake. I derive a model of wave propagation and electron acceleration by the Alfvenic transient, due to electron inertial effects. My numerical calculations show that the power and particle energy of the resulting electron beam are consistent with observations of the Io-related auroral spot and of Jupiter's S-burst decametric emissions. In the case of the steady currents and Io's wake. I show that these currents would drive instabilities and argue that electrostatic double layers would form in the high latitudes of the Io/Io wake flux tubes. I examine the role of these double layers in producing energetic electrons and estimate the likely electron energies and power. This model agrees with observations of a long arc in the jovian aurora, extending away from the Io-related spot, the L-burst decametric radio emissions and electron beams observed by the Galileo spacecraft in Io's wake. Finally, I consider the Galileo observations of ion cyclotron waves near Io. I use the absence of waves near the S and O gyrofrequencies to place limits on the source rate of heavy ions near Io. For a sufficiently low source rate, the thermal core population prevents ion cyclotron instabilities and wave growth. I use these limits to constrain the neutral column density of Io's exosphere and amount of plasma produced within 2 to 10 body radii of Io.

Turbulence and Global Properties of the Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2010-01-01

The solar wind shows striking characteristics that suggest that it is a turbulent magnetofluid, but the picture is not altogether simple. From the earliest observations, a strong correlation between magnetic fluctuations and plasma velocity fluctuations was noted. The high corrections suggest that the fluctuations are Alfven waves. In addition, the power spectrum of the magnetic fluctuation showed evidence of an inertial range that resembled that seen in fully-developed fluid turbulence. Alfven waves, however, are exact solutions of the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. Thus, there was a puzzle: how can a magnetofluid consisting of Alfven waves be turbulent? The answer lay in the role of velocity shears in the solar wind that could drive turbulent evolution. Puzzles remain: for example, the power spectrum of the velocity fluctuations is less steep than the slope of the magnetic fluctuations. The plasma in the magnetic tail of Earth's magnetosphere also shows aspects of turbulence, as does the plasma in the dayside magnetosphere near the poles the dayside cusps. Recently, new analyses of high time resolution magnetic field data from Cluster have offered a glimpse of how turbulence is dissipated, thus heating the ambient plasma.

Simulations of Solar Wind Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Melvyn L.; Usmanov, A. V.; Roberts, D. A.

2008-01-01

Recently we have restructured our approach to simulating magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the solar wind. Previously, we had defined a 'virtual' heliosphere that contained, for example, a tilted rotating current sheet, microstreams, quasi-two-dimensional fluctuations as well as Alfven waves. In this new version of the code, we use the global, time-stationary, WKB Alfven wave-driven solar wind model developed by Usmanov and described in Usmanov and Goldstein [2003] to define the initial state of the system. Consequently, current sheets, and fast and slow streams are computed self-consistently from an inner, photospheric, boundary. To this steady-state configuration, we add fluctuations close to, but above, the surface where the flow become super-Alfvenic. The time-dependent MHD equations are then solved using a semi-discrete third-order Central Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (CWENO) numerical scheme. The computational domain now includes the entire sphere; the geometrical singularity at the poles is removed using the multiple grid approach described in Usmanov [1996]. Wave packets are introduced at the inner boundary such as to satisfy Faraday's Law [Yeh and Dryer, 1985] and their nonlinear evolution are followed in time.

Island-Trapped Waves, Internal Waves, and Island Circulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

from the government of Palau to allow us to deliver some water and food to the officers. Governor Patris of Hatohobei State and the Coral Reef ...Island-trapped waves , internal waves , and island circulation T. M. Shaun Johnston Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California...large islands (Godfrey, 1989; Firing et al., 1999); • Westward propagating eddies and/or Rossby waves encounter large islands and produce boundary

Oceanographic, Air-sea Interaction, and Environmental Aspects of Artificial Upwelling Produced by Wave-Inertia Pumps for Potential Hurricane Intensity Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soloviev, A.; Dean, C.

2017-12-01

The artificial upwelling system consisting of the wave-inertia pumps driven by surface waves can produce flow of cold deep water to the surface. One of the recently proposed potential applications of the artificial upwelling system is the hurricane intensity mitigation. Even relatively small reduction of intensity may provide significant benefits. The ocean heat content (OHC) is the "fuel" for hurricanes. The OHC can be reduced by mixing of the surface layer with the cold water produced by wave-inertia pumps. Implementation of this system for hurricane mitigation has several oceanographic and air-sea interaction aspects. The cold water brought to the surface from a deeper layer has higher density than the surface water and, therefore, tends to sink back down. The mixing of the cold water produced by artificial upwelling depends on environmental conditions such as stratification, regional ocean circulation, and vertical shear. Another aspect is that as the sea surface temperature drops below the air temperature, the stable stratification develops in the atmospheric boundary layer. The stable atmospheric stratification suppresses sensible and latent heat air-sea fluxes and reduces the net longwave irradiance from the sea surface. As a result, the artificial upwelling may start increasing the OHC (though still reducing the sea surface temperature). In this work, the fate of the cold water in the stratified environment with vertical shear has been studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. A 3D large eddy simulation model is initialized with observational temperature, salinity, and current velocity data from a sample location in the Straits of Florida. A periodic boundary condition is set along the direction of the current, which allows us to simulate infinite fetch. The model results indicate that the cold water brought to the sea surface by a wave-inertia pump forms a convective jet. This jet plunges into the upper ocean mixed layer and penetrates the

Growth rates of new parametric instabilities occurring in a plasma with streaming He(2+)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jayanti, V.; Hollweg, Joseph V.

1994-01-01

We consider parametic instabilities of a circularly polarized pump Alfven wave, which propagates parallel to the ambient magnetic field; the daughter waves are also parallel-propagating. We follow Hollweg et al. (1993) and consider several new instabilites that owe their existence to the presence of streaming alpha particles. One of the new instabilites is similar to the famililar decay instability, but the daughter waves are a forward going alpha sound wave and a backward going Alfven wave. The growth rate of this instability is usually small if the alpha abundance is small. The other three new instabilities occur at high frequencies and small wavelengths. We find that the new instability which involves the proton cyclotron wave and alpha sound (i.e., the +f, - alpha) instability, which involves both the proton and alpha cycltron resonances, but if the pump wave must have low frequency and large amplitude. These instabilities may be a means of heating and accelerating alpha particles in the solar wind, but this claim is unproven until a fully kinetic study is carried out.

A New Look at Some Solar Wind Turbulence Puzzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Aaron

2006-01-01

Some aspects of solar wind turbulence have defied explanation. While it seems likely that the evolution of Alfvenicity and power spectra are largely explained by the shearing of an initial population of solar-generated Alfvenic fluctuations, the evolution of the anisotropies of the turbulence does not fit into the model so far. A two-component model, consisting of slab waves and quasi-two-dimensional fluctuations, offers some ideas, but does not account for the turning of both wave-vector-space power anisotropies and minimum variance directions in the fluctuating vectors as the Parker spiral turns. We will show observations that indicate that the minimum variance evolution is likely not due to traditional turbulence mechanisms, and offer arguments that the idea of two-component turbulence is at best a local approximation that is of little help in explaining the evolution of the fluctuations. Finally, time-permitting, we will discuss some observations that suggest that the low Alfvenicity of many regions of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere is not due to turbulent evolution, but rather to the existence of convected structures, including mini-clouds and other twisted flux tubes, that were formed with low Alfvenicity. There is still a role for turbulence in the above picture, but it is highly modified from the traditional views.

A multidisciplinary study of planetary, solar and astrophysical radio emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, D. A.; Calvert, W.; Fielder, R.; Goertz, C.; Grabbe, C.; Kurth, W.; Mutel, R.; Sheerin, J.; Mellott, M.; Spangler, S.

1986-01-01

Combination of the related fields of planetary, solar, and astrophysical radio emissions was attempted in order to more fully understand the radio emission processes. Topics addressed include: remote sensing of astrophysical plasma turbulence; Alfven waves; astrophysical shock waves; surface waves; very long base interferometry results; very large array observations; solar magnetic flux; and magnetohydrodynamic waves as a tool for solar corona diagnostics.

Medium-energy electrons and heavy ions in Jupiter's magnetosphere - Effects of lower hybrid wave-particle interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbosa, D. D.

1986-01-01

A theory of medium-energy (about keV) electrons and heavy ions in Jupiter's magnetosphere is presented. Lower hybrid waves are generated by the combined effects of a ring instability of neutral wind pickup ions and the modified two-stream instability associated with transport of cool Iogenic plasma. The quasi-linear energy diffusion coefficient for lower hybrid wave-particle interactions is evaluated, and several solutions to the diffusion equation are given. Calculations based on measured wave properties show that the noise substantially modifies the particle distribution functions. The effects are to accelerate superthermal ions and electrons to keV energies and to thermalize the pickup ions on time scales comparable to the particle residence time. The S(2+)/S(+) ratio at medium energies is a measure of the relative contribution from Iogenic thermal plasma and neutral wind ions, and this important quantity should be determined from future measurements. The theory also predicts a preferential acceleration of heavy ions with an accleration time that scales inversely with the root of the ion mass. Electrons accelerated by the process contribute to further reionization of the neutral wind by electron impact, thus providing a possible confirmation of Alfven's critical velocity effect in the Jovian magnetosphere.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boldyrev, Stanislav; Perez, Jean Carlos

The complete project had two major goals — investigate MHD turbulence generated by counterpropagating Alfven modes, and study such processes in the LAPD device. In order to study MHD turbulence in numerical simulations, two codes have been used: full MHD, and reduced MHD developed specialy for this project. Quantitative numerical results are obtained through high-resolution simulations of strong MHD turbulence, performed through the 2010 DOE INCITE allocation. We addressed the questions of the spectrum of turbulence, its universality, and the value of the so-called Kolmogorov constant (the normalization coefficient of the spectrum). In these simulations we measured with unprecedented accuracymore » the energy spectra of magnetic and velocity fluctuations. We also studied the so-called residual energy, that is, the difference between kinetic and magnetic energies in turbulent fluctuations. In our analytic work we explained generation of residual energy in weak MHD turbulence, in the process of random collisions of counterpropagating Alfven waves. We then generalized these results for the case of strong MHD turbulence. The developed model explained generation of residual energy is strong MHD turbulence, and verified the results in numerical simulations. We then analyzed the imbalanced case, where more Alfven waves propagate in one direction. We found that spectral properties of the residual energy are similar for both balanced and imbalanced cases. We then compared strong MHD turbulence observed in the solar wind with turbulence generated in numerical simulations. Nonlinear interaction of Alfv´en waves has been studied in the upgraded Large Plasma Device (LAPD). We have simulated the collision of the Alfven modes in the settings close to the experiment. We have created a train of wave packets with the apltitudes closed to those observed n the experiment, and allowed them to collide. We then saw the generation of the second harmonic, resembling that observed in

Heating and Acceleration of Solar Wind Ions by Turbulent Wave Spectrum in Inhomogeneous Expanding Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, Leon; Ozak, Nataly; Vinas, Adolfo F.

2016-01-01

Near the Sun (< 10Rs) the acceleration, heating, and propagation of the solar wind are likely affected by the background inhomogeneities of the magnetized plasma. The heating and the acceleration of the solar wind ions by turbulent wave spectrum in inhomogeneous plasma is studied using a 2.5D hybrid model. The hybrid model describes the kinetics of the ions, while the electrons are modeled as massless neutralizing fluid in an expanding box approach. Turbulent magnetic fluctuations dominated by power-law frequency spectra, which are evident from in-situ as well as remote sensing measurements, are used in our models. The effects of background density inhomogeneity across the magnetic field on the resonant ion heating are studied. The effect of super- Alfvenic ion drift on the ion heating is investigated. It is found that the turbulent wave spectrum of initially parallel propagating waves cascades to oblique modes, and leads to enhanced resonant ion heating due to the inhomogeneity. The acceleration of the solar wind ions is achieved by the parametric instability of large amplitude waves in the spectrum, and is also affected by the inhomogeneity. The results of the study provide the ion temperature anisotropy and drift velocity temporal evolution due to relaxation of the instability. The non-Maxwellian velocity distribution functions (VDFs) of the ions are modeled in the inhomogeneous solar wind plasma in the acceleration region close to the Sun.

Far-Field RF Sheaths due to Shear Alfvén Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Michael; van Compernolle, Bart; Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Pat; Carter, Troy; D'Ippolito, Daniel A.; Myra, James R.

2013-10-01

Ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) is an important tool in current fusion experiments and will be an essential heating component in ITER. ICRH could be limited by deleterious effects due to the formation of radio frequency (RF) sheaths in the near-field (at the antenna) and in the far-field (e.g. in the divertor region). Far-field sheaths are thought to be caused by the direct launch of or mode conversion to a shear Alfvén wave with an electric field component parallel to the background magnetic field at the wall. In this experiment a limiter plate was inserted into a cylindrical plasma in the LAPD (ne ~ 1010-11 cm-3, Te ~ 5 eV, B0 = 1.2 kG) and RF sheaths were created by directly launching the shear Alfven wave. Plasma potential measurements were made with an emissive probe. DC plasma potential rectification was observed along field lines connected to the plate, serving as an indirect measure of RF sheath formation. 2-D maps of plasma properties and rectified plasma potential will be presented. This research is part of an ongoing campaign to study the formation and structure of RF sheaths.

A theory for narrow-banded radio bursts at Uranus - MHD surface waves as an energy driver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, W. M.; Curtis, S. A.; Desch, M. D.; Lepping, R. P.

1992-01-01

A possible scenario for the generation of the narrow-banded radio bursts detected at Uranus by the Voyager 2 planetary radio astronomy experiment is described. In order to account for the emission burstiness which occurs on time scales of hundreds of milliseconds, it is proposed that ULF magnetic surface turbulence generated at the frontside magnetopause propagates down the open/closed field line boundary and mode-converts to kinetic Alfven waves (KAW) deep within the polar cusp. The oscillating KAW potentials then drive a transient electron stream that creates the bursty radio emission. To substantiate these ideas, Voyager 2 magnetometer measurements of enhanced ULF magnetic activity at the frontside magnetopause are shown. It is demonstrated analytically that such magnetic turbulence should mode-convert deep in the cusp at a radial distance of 3 RU.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Niemann, Christoph; Gekelman, W.; Winske, D.

We have performed several thousand high-energy laser shots in the LAPD to investigate the dynamics of an exploding laser-produced plasma in a large ambient magneto-plasma. Debris-ions expanding at super-Alfvenic velocity (up to MA=1.5) expel the ambient magnetic field, creating a large (> 20 cm) diamagnetic cavity. We observed field compressions of up to B/B{sub 0} = 1.5 at the edge of the bubble, consistent with the MHD jump conditions, as well as localized electron heating at the edge of the bubble. Two-dimensional hybrid simulations reproduce these measurements well and show that the majority of the ambient ions are energized bymore » the magnetic piston to super-Alfvenic speeds and swept outside the bubble volume. Nonlinear shear-Alfven waves ({delta}B/B{sub 0} > 25%) are radiated from the cavity with a coupling efficiency of 70% from magnetic energy in the bubble to the wave. While the data is consistent with a weak magneto-sonic shock, the experiments were severely limited by the low ambient plasma densities (10{sup 12} cm{sup -3}). 2D hybrid simulations indicate that future experiments with the new LAPD plasma source and densities in excess of 10{sup 13} cm{sup -3} will drive full-blown collisionless shocks with MA>10 over several c/wpi and shocked Larmor radii. In a separate experiment at the LANL Trident laser facility we have performed a proof-of-principle experiment at higher densities to demonstrate key elements of collisionless shocks in laser-produced magnetized plasmas with important implications to NIF. Simultaneously we have upgraded the UCLA glass-laser system by adding two large amplitude disk amplifiers from the NOVA laser and boost the on-target energy from 30 J to up to 1 kJ, making this one of the world’s largest university-scale laser systems. We now have the infrastructure in place to perform novel and unique high-impact experiments on collision-less shocks at the LAPD.« less

Alfven seismic vibrations of crustal solid-state plasma in quaking paramagnetic neutron star

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bastrukov, S.; Xu, R.-X.; Molodtsova, I.

2010-11-15

Magneto-solid-mechanical model of two-component, core-crust, paramagnetic neutron star responding to quake-induced perturbation by differentially rotational, torsional, oscillations of crustal electron-nuclear solid-state plasma about axis of magnetic field frozen in the immobile paramagnetic core is developed. Particular attention is given to the node-free torsional crust-against-core vibrations under combined action of Lorentz magnetic and Hooke's elastic forces; the damping is attributed to Newtonian force of shear viscose stresses in crustal solid-state plasma. The spectral formulas for the frequency and lifetime of this toroidal mode are derived in analytic form and discussed in the context of quasiperiodic oscillations of the x-ray outburst fluxmore » from quaking magnetars. The application of obtained theoretical spectra to modal analysis of available data on frequencies of oscillating outburst emission suggests that detected variability is the manifestation of crustal Alfven's seismic vibrations restored by Lorentz force of magnetic field stresses.« less

Wave energy and intertidal productivity

PubMed Central

Leigh, Egbert G.; Paine, Robert T.; Quinn, James F.; Suchanek, Thomas H.

1987-01-01

In the northeastern Pacific, intertidal zones of the most wave-beaten shores receive more energy from breaking waves than from the sun. Despite severe mortality from winter storms, communities at some wave-beaten sites produce an extraordinary quantity of dry matter per unit area of shore per year. At wave-beaten sites of Tatoosh Island, WA, sea palms, Postelsia palmaeformis, can produce > 10 kg of dry matter, or 1.5 × 108 J, per m2 in a good year. Extraordinarily productive organisms such as Postelsia are restricted to wave-beaten sites. Intertidal organisms cannot transform wave energy into chemical energy, as photosynthetic plants transform solar energy, nor can intertidal organisms “harness” wave energy. Nonetheless, wave energy enhances the productivity of intertidal organisms. On exposed shores, waves increase the capacity of resident algae to acquire nutrients and use sunlight, augment the competitive ability of productive organisms, and protect intertidal residents by knocking away their enemies or preventing them from feeding. PMID:16593813

Reconnection-Driven Coronal-Hole Jets with Gravity and Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karpen, J. T.; Devore, C. R.; Antiochos, S. K.; Pariat, E.

2017-01-01

Coronal-hole jets occur ubiquitously in the Sun's coronal holes, at EUV and X-ray bright points associated with intrusions of minority magnetic polarity. The embedded-bipole model for these jets posits that they are driven by explosive, fast reconnection between the stressed closed field of the embedded bipole and the open field of the surrounding coronal hole. Previous numerical studies in Cartesian geometry, assuming uniform ambient magnetic field and plasma while neglecting gravity and solar wind, demonstrated that the model is robust and can produce jet-like events in simple configurations. We have extended these investigations by including spherical geometry,gravity, and solar wind in a nonuniform, coronal hole-like ambient atmosphere. Our simulations confirm that the jet is initiated by the onset of a kink-like instability of the internal closed field, which induces a burst of reconnection between the closed and external open field, launching a helical jet. Our new results demonstrate that the jet propagation is sustained through the outer corona, in the form of a traveling nonlinear Alfven wave front trailed by slower-moving plasma density enhancements that are compressed and accelerated by the wave. This finding agrees well with observations of white-light coronal-hole jets, and can explain microstreams and torsional Alfven waves detected in situ in the solar wind. We also use our numerical results to deduce scaling relationships between properties of the coronal source region and the characteristics of the resulting jet, which can be tested against observations.

Saturation of the Electric Field Transmitted to the Magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyatsky, Wladislaw; Khazanov, George V.; Slavin, James A.

2010-01-01

We reexamined the processes leading to saturation of the electric field, transmitted into the Earth's ionosphere from the solar wind, incorporating features of the coupled system previously ignored. We took into account that the electric field is transmitted into the ionosphere through a region of open field lines, and that the ionospheric conductivity in the polar cap and auroral zone may be different. Penetration of the electric field into the magnetosphere is linked with the generation of the Alfven wave, going out from the ionosphere into the solar wind and being coupled with the field-aligned currents at the boundary of the open field limes. The electric field of the outgoing Alfven wave reduces the original electric field and provides the saturation effect in the electric field and currents during strong geomagnetic disturbances, associated with increasing ionospheric conductivity. The electric field and field-aligned currents of this Alfven wave are dependent on the ionospheric and solar wind parameters and may significantly affect the electric field and field-aligned currents, generated in the polar ionosphere. Estimating the magnitude of the saturation effect in the electric field and field-aligned currents allows us to improve the correlation between solar wind parameters and resulting disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Physics of the inner heliosphere: Mechanisms, models and observational signatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withbroe, G. L.

1985-01-01

The physics of the solar wind acceleration phenomena (e.g. effect of transient momentum deposition on the temporal and spatial variation of the temperature, density and flow speed of the solar wind, formation of shocks, etc.) and the resultant effects on observational signatures, particularly spectroscopic signature are studied. Phenomena under study include: (1) wave motions, particularly spectroscopic signatures are studied. Phenomena under study include:(1) wave motions, particularly Alfven and fast mode waves, (2) the formation of standing shocks in the inner heliosphere as a result of momentum and/or heat addition to the wind and (3) coronal transient phenomena where momentum and/or heat are deposited in the corona to produce transient plasma heating and/or mass ejections. Also included are the theoretical investigation of spectroscopic plasma diagnostics for the inner heliosphere and the analysis of existing Skylab and other relevant data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanchez-Arriaga, G.; Hada, T.; Nariyuki, Y.

The triple-degenerate derivative nonlinear Schroedinger (TDNLS) system modified with resistive wave damping and growth is truncated to study the coherent coupling of four waves, three Alfven and one acoustic, near resonance. In the conservative case, the truncation equations derive from a time independent Hamiltonian function with two degrees of freedom. Using a Poincare map analysis, two parameters regimes are explored. In the first regime we check how the modulational instability of the TDNLS system affects to the dynamics of the truncation model, while in the second one the exact triple degenerated case is discussed. In the dissipative case, the truncationmore » model gives rise to a six dimensional flow with five free parameters. Computing some bifurcation diagrams the dependence with the sound to Alfven velocity ratio as well as the Alfven modes involved in the truncation is analyzed. The system exhibits a wealth of dynamics including chaotic attractor, several kinds of bifurcations, and crises. The truncation model was compared to numerical integrations of the TDNLS system.« less

A Simple Wave Driver

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Temiz, Burak Kagan; Yavuz, Ahmet

2015-01-01

This study was done to develop a simple and inexpensive wave driver that can be used in experiments on string waves. The wave driver was made using a battery-operated toy car, and the apparatus can be used to produce string waves at a fixed frequency. The working principle of the apparatus is as follows: shortly after the car is turned on, the…

40-Hz square-wave stimulation requires less energy to produce muscle contraction: compared with the TASER® X26 conducted energy weapon.

PubMed

Comeaux, James A; Jauchem, James R; Cox, D Duane; Crane, Carrie C; D'Andrea, John A

2013-07-01

Conducted energy weapons (CEWs) (including the Advanced TASER(®) X26 model produced by TASER International, Inc.) incapacitate individuals by causing muscle contractions. In this study using anesthetized swine, the potential incapacitating effect of primarily monophasic, 19-Hz voltage imposed by the commercial CEW was compared with the effect of voltages imposed by a laboratory device that created 40-Hz square waves. Forces of muscle contraction were measured with the use of strain gauges. Stimulation with 40-Hz square waves required less pulse energy than stimulation with the commercial CEW to produce similar muscle contraction. The square-pulse stimulation, at the higher repetition rate, caused a more complete tetanus at a lower energy. Use of such a simple shape of waveform may be used to make future nonlethal weapon devices more efficient. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the U.S.A.

Influence of Background Noise Produced in University Facilities on the Brain Waves Associated With Attention of Students and Employees.

PubMed

Trista N-Hernández, E; Pav On-García, I; Campos-Cantón, I; Ontaño N-García, L J; Kolosovas-Machuca, E S

2017-09-01

As a consequence of noise exposure, lack of attention badly affects directly the academic and work performance. The study of the brain and the waves that it produces is the most objective way to evaluate this process. Attentional improvement is associated with increases of the amplitude in both beta and theta bands. The objective of this work is to study the influence of background noise produced inside university facilities on changes in the cerebral waves related to attention processes (beta 13-30 Hz and theta 4-7 Hz). Volunteers were asked to perform a specific task in which attention was involved. This task was performed in both silent and noisy conditions. To evaluate the cerebral activity of volunteers during the development of the test, measurement of spontaneous activity (electroencephalogram) was developed. The results show significant decreases in both beta and theta frequency bands under background noise exposure. Since attentional improvement is related to an increment on amplitude of both beta and theta bands, it is suggested that decreases on amplitude of these frequency bands could directly be related to a lack of attention caused by the exposure to background noise.

Can a minimalist model of wind forced baroclinic Rossby waves produce reasonable results?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Wandrey B.; Polito, Paulo S.; da Silveira, Ilson C. A.

2016-04-01

The linear theory predicts that Rossby waves are the large scale mechanism of adjustment to perturbations of the geophysical fluid. Satellite measurements of sea level anomaly (SLA) provided sturdy evidence of the existence of these waves. Recent studies suggest that the variability in the altimeter records is mostly due to mesoscale nonlinear eddies and challenges the original interpretation of westward propagating features as Rossby waves. The objective of this work is to test whether a classic linear dynamic model is a reasonable explanation for the observed SLA. A linear-reduced gravity non-dispersive Rossby wave model is used to estimate the SLA forced by direct and remote wind stress. Correlations between model results and observations are up to 0.88. The best agreement is in the tropical region of all ocean basins. These correlations decrease towards insignificance in mid-latitudes. The relative contributions of eastern boundary (remote) forcing and local wind forcing in the generation of Rossby waves are also estimated and suggest that the main wave forming mechanism is the remote forcing. Results suggest that linear long baroclinic Rossby wave dynamics explain a significant part of the SLA annual variability at least in the tropical oceans.

Understanding Solar Coronal Heating through Atomic and Plasma Physics Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savin, Daniel Wolf; Arthanayaka, Thusitha; Beiersdorfer, Peter; Brown, Gregory V.; Gekelman, Walter; Hahn, Michael; Vincena, Steve

2017-06-01

Recent solar observations suggest that the Sun's corona is heated by Alfven waves that dissipate at unexpectedly low heights in the corona. These observations raise a number of questions. Among them are the problems of accurately quantifying the energy flux of the waves and that of describing the physical mechanism that leads to the wave damping. We are performing laboratory experiments to address both of these issues.The energy flux depends on the electron density, which can be measured spectroscopically. However, spectroscopic density diagnostics have large uncertainties, because they depend sensitively on atomic collisional excitation, de-excitation, and radiative transition rates for multiple atomic levels. Essentially all of these data come from theory and have not been experimentally validated. We are conducting laboratory experiments using the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that will provide accurate empirical calibrations for spectroscopic density diagnostics and which will also help to guide theoretical calculations.The observed rapid wave dissipation is likely due to inhomogeneities in the plasma that drive flows and currents at small length scales where energy can be more efficiently dissipated. This may take place through gradients in the Alfven speed along the magnetic field, which causes wave reflection and generates turbulence. Alternatively, gradients in the Alfven speed across the field can lead to dissipation through phase-mixing. Using the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California Los Angeles, we are studying both of these dissipation mechanisms in the laboratory in order to understand their potential roles in coronal heating.

Flute Instability of Expanding Plasma Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudnikova, Galina; Vshivkov, Vitali

2000-10-01

The expansion of plasma against a magnetized background where collisions play no role is a situation common to many plasma phenomena. The character of interaction between expanding plasma and background plasma is depending of the ratio of the expansion velocity to the ambient Alfven velocity. If the expansion speed is greater than the background Alfven speed (super-Alfvenic flows) a collisionless shock waves are formed in background plasma. It is originally think that if the expansion speed is less than Alfvenic speed (sub-Alfvenic flows) the interaction of plasma flows will be laminar in nature. However, the results of laboratory experiments and chemical releases in magnetosphere have shown the development of flute instability on the boundary of expanding plasma (Rayleigh-Taylor instability). A lot of theoretical and experimental papers have been devoted to study the Large Larmor Flute Instability (LLFI) of plasma expanding into a vacuum magnetic field. In the present paper on the base of computer simulation of plasma cloud expansion in magnetizied background plasma the regimes of development and stabilization LLFI for super- and sub-Alfvenic plasma flows are investigated. 2D hybrid numerical model is based on kinetic Vlasov equation for ions and hydrodynamic approximation for electrons. The similarity parameters characterizing the regimes of laminar flows are founded. The stabilization of LLFI takes place with the transition from sub- to super-Alfvenic plasma cloud expansion. The results of the comparision between computer simulation and laboratory simulation are described.

Nonequilibrium, large-amplitude MHD fluctuations in the solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, D. Aaron; Wiltberger, Michael J.

1995-01-01

Compressible MHD simulations in one dimension with three-dimensional vectors are used to investigate a number of processes relevant to problems in interplanetary physics. The simulations indicate that a large-amplitude nonequilibrium (e.g., linearly polarized) Alfvenic wave, which always starts with small relative fluctuations in the magnitude B of the magnetic field, typically evolves to flatten the magnetic profile in most regions. Under a wide variety of conditions B and the density rho become anticorrelated on average. If the mean magnetic field is allowed to decrease in time, the point where the transverse magnetic fluctuation amplitude delta B(sub T) is greater than the mean field B(sub 0) is not special, and large values of delta B(sub T)/B(sub 0) do not cause the compressive thermal energy to increase remarkably or the wave energy to dissipate at an unusually high rate. Nor does the 'backscatter' of the waves that occurs when the sound speed is less than the Alfven speed result, in itself, in substantial energy dissipation, but rather primarily in a phase change between the magnetic and velocity fields. For isolated wave packets the backscatter does not occur for any of the parameters examined; an initial radiation of acoustic waves away from the packet establishes a stable traveling structure. Thus these simulations, although greatly idealized compared to reality, suggest a picture in which the interplanetary fluctuations should have small deltaB and increasingly quasi-pressure balanced compressive fluctuations, as observed, and in which the dissipation and 'saturation' at delta B(sub T)/B(sub 0) approximately = 1 required by some theories of wave acceleration of the solar wind do not occur. The simulations also provide simple ways to understand the processes of nonlinear steepening and backscattering of Alfven waves and demonstrate the existence of previously unreported types of quasi-steady MHD states.

Guitar Strings as Standing Waves: A Demonstration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Michael

2007-08-01

An undergraduate student's first exposure to modern atomic theory tends to start with Bohr's model of the atom. This familiar introduction to atomic structure also marks a general chemistry student's first foray into waves. Many popular chemistry textbooks illustrate the concept of a standing wave in the development of the modern quantum model by using the phrase “as seen on a guitar string”. In these illustrations, the wave itself is often small and difficult to discern. The same phenomenon, however, can be easily and audibly observed. This demonstration uses an acoustic guitar to produce three unique harmonic vibrations, each of which is representative of a standing wave and illustrates the concept of quantization. Manipulation of the guitar string to produce a standing wave is pervasive in popular music and is audibly recognizable. Lightly placing a finger on the 12th, 7th, or 5th fret and strumming any one or all six strings can produce an audible example of a standing wave on a guitar. This corresponds to a standing wave with 1, 2, or 3 nodes, respectively. Attempting to induce a node at other points on a guitar string does not generate a standing wave, due to destructive interference, thus no audible tone is produced.

Stochastic Particle Acceleration in Impulsive Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, James A.

2001-01-01

The acceleration of a huge number of electrons and ions to relativistic energies over timescales ranging from several seconds to several tens of seconds is the fundamental problem in high-energy solar physics. The cascading turbulence model we have developed has been shown previously (e.g., Miller 2000; Miller & Roberts 1995; Miner, LaRosa, & Moore 1996) to account for all the bulk features (such as acceleration timescales, fluxes, total number of energetic particles, and maximum energies) of electron and proton acceleration in impulsive solar flares. While the simulation of this acceleration process is involved, the essential idea of the model is quite simple, and consists of just a few parts: 1. During the primary flare energy release phase, we assume that low-amplitude MHD Alfven and fast mode waves are excited at long wavelengths, say comparable to the size of the event (although the results are actually insensitive to this initial wavelength). While an assumption, this appears reasonable in light of the likely highly turbulent nature of the flare. 2. These waves then cascade in a Kolmogorov-like fashion to smaller wavelengths (e.g., Verma et al. 1996), forming a power-law spectral density in wavenumber space through the inertial range. 3. When the mean wavenumber of the fast mode waves has increased sufficiently, the transit-time acceleration rate (Miller 1997) for superAlfvenic electrons can overcome Coulomb energy losses, and these electrons are accelerated out of the thermal distribution and to relativistic energies (Miller et al. 1996). As the Alfven waves cascade to higher wavenumbers, they can cyclotron resonate with progressively lower energy protons. Eventually, they will resonate with protons in the tail of the thermal distribution, which will then be accelerated to relativistic energies as well (Miller & Roberts 1995). Hence, both ions and electrons are stochastically accelerated, albeit by different mechanisms and different waves. 4. When the

Interaction of Energetic Particles with Discontinuities Upstream of Strong Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malkov, Mikhail; Diamond, Patrick

2008-11-01

Acceleration of particles in strong astrophysical shocks is known to be accompanied and promoted by a number of instabilities which are driven by the particles themselves. One of them is an acoustic (also known as Drury's) instability driven by the pressure gradient of accelerated particles upstream. The generated sound waves naturally steepen into shocks thus forming a shocktrain. Similar magnetoacoustic or Alfven type structures may be driven by pick-up ions, for example. We consider the solutions of kinetic equation for accelerated particles within the shocktrain. The accelerated particles are assumed to be coupled to the flow by an intensive pitch-angle scattering on the self-generated Alfven waves. The implications for acceleration and confinement of cosmic rays in this shock environment will be discussed.

CMB B-mode auto-bispectrum produced by primordial gravitational waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahara, Hiroaki W. H.; Yokoyama, Jun'ichi

2018-01-01

Gravitational waves from inflation induce polarization patterns in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). It is known that there are only two types of non-Gaussianities of the gravitational waves in the most general covariant scalar field theory having second-order field equations, namely, generalized G-inflation. One originates from the inherent non-Gaussianity in general relativity, and the other from a derivative coupling between the Einstein tensor and the scalar field. We calculate polarization bispectra induced by these non-Gaussianities by transforming them into separable forms by virtue of the Laplace transformation. It is shown that future experiments can constrain the new one but cannot detect the general relativistic one.

Wave-induced current considering wave-tide interaction in Haeundae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Hak Soo

2017-04-01

The Haeundae, located at the south eastern end of the Korean Peninsula, is a famous beach, which has an approximately 1.6 km long and 70 m wide coastline. The beach has been repeatedly eroded by the swell waves caused by typhoons in summer and high waves originating in the East Sea in winter. The Korean government conducted beach restoration projects including beach nourishment (620,000 m3) and construction of two submerged breakwaters near both ends of the beach. To prevent the beach erosion and to support the beach restoration project, the Korean government initiated a R&D project, the development of coastal erosion control technology since 2013. As a part of the project, we have been measuring waves and currents at a water depth of 22 m, 1.8 km away from the beach using an acoustic wave and current meter (AWAC) continuously for more than three years; we have also measured waves and currents intensively near the surf-zone in summer and winter. In this study, a numerical simulation using a wave and current coupled model (ROMS-SWAN) was conducted for determining the wave-induced current considering seasonal swell waves (Hs : 2.5 m, Tp: 12 s) and for better understanding of the coastal process near the surf-zone in Haeundae. By comparing the measured and simulated results, we found that cross-shore current during summer is mainly caused by the eddy produced by the wave-induced current near the beach, which in turn, is generated by the strong waves coming from the SSW and S directions. During other seasons, longshore wave-induced current is produced by the swell waves coming from the E and ESE directions. The longshore current heading west toward Dong-Back Island, west end of the beach, during all the seasons and eddy current toward Mipo-Port, east end of the beach, in summer which is well matched with the observed residual current. The wave-induced current with long-term measurement data is incorporated in simulation of sediment transport modeling for developing

Longitudinal Waves Drive the Solar Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Orvin

2000-05-01

In Physics Essays 12: 3-10 I explain the placement of the planets in terms of low velocity waves emitted by the sun. Evidence for the wave pulse generated near the center of the sun is indicated by the initial high latitude sunspots observed on the butterfly diagram. The wave pulse carries charge with it as observed for similar waves in plants (W-waves). For the first half cycle negative charge is carried to the surface of the sun where much of the wave pulse radiates a wave crest into space while the charge slowly redistributes itself. Meanwhile the next wave pulse carrying excess positive charge moves outward. Rotating charge determines the polarity of the sun's magnetic poles so they reverse as the pulse moves outward. The wave pulse, which interacts strongly with force fields, is guided by centripetal force and gravity so that the pulse comes out near the sun's equator. W-waves produce an automatic return wave in the vacuum so that standing waves are produced in the space around the sun providing a template for the formation and stabilization planets. W-waves are hypothesized to provide self organization for both the universe and life. See the

A simple model for testing the effects of gravity-wave-produced vertical oscillations of scattering irregularities on spaced-antenna, horizontal drift measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meek, C. E.; Reid, I. M.

1984-01-01

It has been suggested that the velocities produced by the spaced antenna partial-reflection drift experiment may constitute a measure of the vertical oscillations due to short-period gravity waves rather than the mean horizontal flow. The contention is that the interference between say two scatterers, one of which is traveling upward, and the other down, will create a pattern which sweeps across the ground in the direction (or anti-parallel) of the wave propagation. Since the expected result, viz., spurious drift directions, is seldom, if ever, seen in spaced antenna drift velocities, this speculation is tested in an atmospheric model.

Jeans instability of rotating magnetized dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, S.; Sutar, D. L.; Kumar, V.; Pensia, R. K.

2018-05-01

It has been shown that rotation has to play a predominant important role in the formation of many astrophysical objects and the stability of molecular clouds. In this paper the theoretical investigation of the presence of rotation in the magnetized dusty plasma. The general dispersion relation is obtained normal mode analysis technique, and we found the Alfven mode is modified due to the presence of rotation and magnetic field. The graphical presentation shows that rotation and Alfven wave velocity have a stabilizing in the system.

Gravitational Radiation of a Vibrating Physical String as a Model for the Gravitational Emission of an Astrophysical Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Ray A.; Modanese, Giovanni

Vibrating media offer an important testing ground for reconciling conflicts between General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and other branches of physics. For sources like a Weber bar, the standard covariant formalism for elastic bodies can be applied. The vibrating string, however, is a source of gravitational waves which requires novel computational techniques, based on the explicit construction of a conserved and renormalized energy-momentum tensor. Renormalization (in a classical sense) is necessary to take into account the effect of external constraints, which affect the emission considerably. Our computation also relaxes usual simplifying assumptions like far-field approximation, spherical or plane wave symmetry, TT gauge and absence of internal interference. In a further step towards unification, the method is then adapted to give the radiation field of a transversal Alfven wave in a rarefied astrophysical plasma, where the tension is produced by an external static magnetic field.

Piezoelectric wave motor

DOEpatents

Yerganian, Simon Scott

2001-07-17

A piezoelectric motor having a stator in which piezoelectric elements are contained in slots formed in the stator transverse to the desired wave motion. When an electric field is imposed on the elements, deformation of the elements imposes a force perpendicular to the sides of the slot, deforming the stator. Appropriate frequency and phase shifting of the electric field will produce a wave in the stator and motion in a rotor. In a preferred aspect, the piezoelectric elements are configured so that deformation of the elements in direction of an imposed electric field, generally referred to as the d.sub.33 direction, is utilized to produce wave motion in the stator. In a further aspect, the elements are compressed into the slots so as to minimize tensile stresses on the elements in use.

Piezoelectric wave motor

DOEpatents

Yerganian, Simon Scott

2003-02-11

A piezoelectric motor having a stator in which piezoelectric elements are contained in slots formed in the stator transverse to the desired wave motion. When an electric field is imposed on the elements, deformation of the elements imposes a force perpendicular to the sides of the slot, deforming the stator. Appropriate frequency and phase-shifting of the electric field will produce a wave in the stator and motion in a rotor. In a preferred aspect, the piezoelectric elements are configured so that deformation of the elements in the direction of an imposed electric field, generally referred to as the d.sub.33 direction, is utilized to produce wave motion in the stator. In a further aspect, the elements are compressed into the slots so as to minimize tensile stresses on the elements in use.

Physics of the inner heliosphere: Mechanisms, models and observational signatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Withbroe, George L.

1987-01-01

Selected problems concerned with the important physical processes that occur in the corona and solar wind acceleration region, particularly time dependent phenomena were studied. Both the physics of the phenomena and the resultant effects on observational signatures, particularly spectroscopic signatures were also studied. Phenomena under study include: wave motions, particularly Alfven and fast mode waves; the formation of standing shocks in the inner heliosphere as a result of momentum and/or heat addition to the wind; and coronal transient phenomena where momentum and/or heat are deposited in the corona to produce transient plasma heating and/or mass ejection. The development of theoretical models for the inner heliosphere, the theoretical investigation of spectroscopic plasma diagnostics for this region, and the analysis of existing skylab and other relevant data are also included.

Spectral Indices in Simulations of Imbalanced Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, C. S.; Dennis, T. J.

2017-12-01

Three-dimensional (3D) simulations of imbalanced magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence based on reduced MHD equations have been performed. Alfven waves are launched from both ends of a long tube along the background uniform magnetic field so that turbulence develops due to collision between counter propagating Alfven waves in the interior region. Waves are launched randomly with specified correlation time Tc such that the length of the tube, L, is greater than (but of the same order of) VA Tc such that turbulence can fill most of the tube. While waves at both ends are launched with equal power, turbulence generated is imbalanced in general, with normalized cross-helicity gets close to -1 at one end and 1 at the other end. One fundamental unresolved problem in the theory of imbalanced turbulence is how turbulence spectral indices depend on the normalized cross-helicity. We will present turbulence spectral indices found in our latest simulations and discuss theoretical implications. This work is supported by a NASA grant NNX15AU61G.

Flowing Magnetized Plasma experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhehui; Si, Jiahe

2006-10-01

Results from the Flowing Magnetized Plasma experiment at Los Alamos are summarized. Plasmas are produced using a modified coaxial plasma gun with a center electrode extending into a cylindrical vacuum tank with 0.75 m in radius and 4.5 m long. The basic diagnostics are Bdot probes for edge and internal magnetic field, Mach probes and Doppler spectroscopy for plasma flow in the axial and azimuthal directions, and Langmuir probes for plasma floating potential, electron density and temperature. We have found two different plasma flow patterns associated with distinct IV characteristics of the coaxial plasma gun, indicating axial flow is strongly correlated with the plasma ejection from the plasma gun. Global electromagnetic oscillations at frequencies below ion cyclotron frequency are observed, indicating that familiar waves at these frequencies, e.g. Alfven wave or drift wave, are strongly modified by the finite plasma beta. We eliminate the possibility of ion sound waves since the ion and electron temperatures are comparable, and therefore, ion sound waves are strongly Landau damped.

Spike-like solitary waves in incompressible boundary layers driven by a travelling wave.

PubMed

Feng, Peihua; Zhang, Jiazhong; Wang, Wei

2016-06-01

Nonlinear waves produced in an incompressible boundary layer driven by a travelling wave are investigated, with damping considered as well. As one of the typical nonlinear waves, the spike-like wave is governed by the driven-damped Benjamin-Ono equation. The wave field enters a completely irregular state beyond a critical time, increasing the amplitude of the driving wave continuously. On the other hand, the number of spikes of solitary waves increases through multiplication of the wave pattern. The wave energy grows in a sequence of sharp steps, and hysteresis loops are found in the system. The wave energy jumps to different levels with multiplication of the wave, which is described by winding number bifurcation of phase trajectories. Also, the phenomenon of multiplication and hysteresis steps is found when varying the speed of driving wave as well. Moreover, the nature of the change of wave pattern and its energy is the stability loss of the wave caused by saddle-node bifurcation.

Relic gravitational waves and extended inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Michael S.; Wilczek, Frank

1990-01-01

In extended inflation, a new version of inflation where the transition from the false-vacuum phase to a radiation-dominated Universe is accomplished by bubble nucleation and percolation, bubble collisions supply a potent-and potentially detectable-source of gravitational waves. The present energy density in relic gravity waves from bubble collisions is expected to be about 10(exp -5) of closure density-many orders of magnitude greater than that of the gravity waves produced by quantum fluctuations. Their characteristic wavelength depends upon the reheating temperature T(sub RH): lambda is approximately 10(exp 4) cm (10(exp 14) GeV/T(sub RH)). If large numbers of black holes are produced, a not implausible outcome, they will evaporate producing comparable amounts of shorter wavelength waves, lambda is approximately 10(exp -6) cm (T(sub RH)/10(exp 14) GeV).

Standing shocks in a two-fluid solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Habbal, Shadia R.; Hu, You Qiu; Esser, Ruth

1994-01-01

We present a numerical study of the formation of standing shocks in the solar wind using a two-fluid time-dependent model in the presence of Alfven waves. Included in this model is the adiabatic cooling and thermal conduction of both electrons and protons. In this study, standing shocks develop in the flow when additional critical points form as a result of either localized momentum addition or rapid expansion of the flow tube below the existing sonic point. While the flow speed and density exhibit the same characteristics as found in earlier studies of the formation of standing shocks, the inclusion of electron and proton heat conduction produces different signatures in the electron and proton temperature profiles across the shock layer. Owing to the strong heat conduction, the electron temperature is nearly continuous across the shock, but its gradient has a negative jump across it, thus producing a net heat flux out of the shock layer. The proton temperature exhibits the same characteristics for shocks produced by momentum addition but behaves differently when the shock is formed by the rapid divergence of the flow tube. The adiabatic cooling in a rapidly diverging flow tube reduces the proton temperature so substantially that the proton heat conduction becomes negligible in the vicinity of the shock. As a result, protons experience a positive jump in temperature across the shock. While Alfven waves do not affect the formation of standing shocks, they contribute to the change of the mmomentum and energy balance across them. We also find that for this solar wind model the inclusion of thermal conduction and adiabatic cooling for the elctrons and protons increases significantly the range of parameters characterizing the formation of standing shocks over those previously found for isothermal and polytropic models.

Role of Turbulent Damping in Cosmic Ray Galactic Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holguin, Francisco; Ruszkowski, Mateusz; Lazarian, Alex; Yang, H. Y. Karen

2018-06-01

Large-scale galactic winds driven by stellar feedback are one phenomenon that influences the dynamical and chemical evolution of a galaxy, pushing and redistributing material throughout the interstellar medium (ISM) and galactic halo. A detailed understanding of the exact physical mechanisms responsible for these winds is lacking. Non-thermal feedback from galactic cosmic rays (CR), high-energy charged particles accelerated in supernovae and young stars, can impact the efficiency in accelerating the wind. In the self-confinement model, CR stream along magnetic field lines at the Alfven speed due to scattering off self-excited Aflv{é}n waves. However, magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence stirred up by stellar feedback dissipates these confining waves, allowing CR to be super Aflvenic. Previous simulations relying on a simplified model of transport have shown that super-Alfv{é}nic streaming of CRs can launch a stronger wind. We perform three-dimensional MHD simulations of a section of a galactic disk, including CR streaming dependent on the local environment, using a realistic model of turbulent dissipation of Alfven waves presented in Lazarian (2016). In this implementation, the CR streaming speed can be super Alfv{é}nic depending on local conditions. We compare results for Alfv{é}nic and locally determined streaming, and find that gas/CR distributions and instantaneous mass loading factor of the wind are different depending on the level of turbulence.Lazarian, A. “Damping of Alfven waves by turbulence and its consequences: from cosmic-ray streaming to launching winds.” ApJ. Vol. 833, Num. 2. (2016).

Large Amplitude IMF Fluctuations in Corotating Interaction Regions: Ulysses at Midlatitudes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Ho, Christian M.; Arballo, John K.; Goldstein, Bruce E.; Balogh, Andre

1995-01-01

Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs), formed by high-speed corotating streams interacting with slow speed streams, have been examined from -20 deg to -36 deg heliolatitudes. The high-speed streams emanate from a polar coronal hole that Ulysses eventually becomes fully embedded in as it travels towards the south pole. We find that the trailing portion of the CIR, from the interface surface (IF) to the reverse shock (RS), contains both large amplitude transverse fluctuations and magnitude fluctuations. Similar fluctuations have been previously noted to exist within CIRs detected in the ecliptic plane, but their existence has not been explained. The normalized magnetic field component variances within this portion of the CIR and in the trailing high-speed stream are approximately the same, indicating that the fluctuations in the CIR are compressed Alfven waves. Mirror mode structures with lower intensities are also observed in the trailing portion of the CIR, presumably generated from a local instability driven by free energy associated with compression of the high-speed solar wind plasma. The mixture of these two modes (compressed Alfven waves and mirror modes) plus other modes generated by three wave processes (wave-shock interactions) lead to a lower Alfvenicity within the trailing portion of the CfR than in the high-speed stream proper. The results presented in this paper suggest a mechanism for generation of large amplitude B(sub z) fluctuations within CIRS. Such phenomena have been noted to be responsible for the generation of moderate geomagnetic storms during the declining phase of the solar cycle.

Measurements of the interaction of wave groups with shorter wind-generated waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, Jacob S.; Long, Steven R.; Phillips, O. M.

1992-01-01

Fields of statistically steady wind-generated waves produced in a wind wave facility were perturbed by the injection of groups of longer, mechanically generated waves with various slopes. The time histories of the surface displacements were measured at four fetches in ensembles consisting of 100 realizations of each set of experimental conditions; the data were stored and analyzed digitally. Four distinct stages in the overall interaction are identified and characterized. The properties of the wave energy front are documented, and a preliminary discussion is given of the dynamic processes involved in its formation.

Modeling and Theory of RF Antenna Systems on Proto-MPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piotrowicz, P. A.; Caneses, J. F.; Goulding, R. H.; Green, D.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Ruzic, D. N.; Proto-MPEX Team

2017-10-01

The RF wave coupling of the helicon and ICH antennas installed on the Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) has been explored theoretically and via a full wave model implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics. The high-density mode in Proto-MPEX has been shown to occur when exciting radial eigenmodes of the plasma column which coincides with entering a Trivelpiece Gould (TG) anti-resonant regime, therefore suppressing edge heating in favor of core power deposition. The fast wave launched by the helicon antenna has a large wavelength and travels at a steep group velocity angle with the background magnetic field; for this reason the fast wave launched by the helicon antenna efficiently couples power to the core plasma. However, the ICH heating scheme relies on a small wavelength slow wave to couple power to the core of the plasma column. Coupling slow wave power to the core of the plasma column is sensitive to the location of the Alfven resonance. The wave-vector and group velocity vector of the slow wave in this parameter regime undergoes a drastic change in behavior when approaching the Alfven resonance. Full wave simulation results and dispersion analysis will be presented with suggestions to guide experimental progress. This work was supported by the US. D.O.E. contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

On mass transport in porosity waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, Jacob S.; Hesse, Marc A.; Rudge, John F.

2018-03-01

Porosity waves arise naturally from the equations describing fluid migration in ductile rocks. Here, we show that higher-dimensional porosity waves can transport mass and therefore preserve geochemical signatures, at least partially. Fluid focusing into these high porosity waves leads to recirculation in their center. This recirculating fluid is separated from the background flow field by a circular dividing streamline and transported with the phase velocity of the porosity wave. Unlike models for one-dimensional chromatography in geological porous media, tracer transport in higher-dimensional porosity waves does not produce chromatographic separations between relatively incompatible elements due to the circular flow pattern. This may allow melt that originated from the partial melting of fertile heterogeneities or fluid produced during metamorphism to retain distinct geochemical signatures as they rise buoyantly towards the surface.

A Fresh Look at Longitudinal Standing Waves on a Spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutherford, Casey

2013-01-01

Transverse standing waves produced on a string, as shown in Fig. 1, are a common demonstration of standing wave patterns that have nodes at both ends. Longitudinal standing waves can be produced on a helical spring that is mounted vertically and attached to a speaker, as shown in Fig. 2, and used to produce both node-node (NN) and node-antinode (NA) standing waves. The resonant frequencies of the two standing wave patterns are related with theory that is accessible to students in algebra-based introductory physics courses, and actual measurements show good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Band gaps and localization of surface water waves over large-scale sand waves with random fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Yan; Shao, Hao; Zhong, Yaozhao; Zhang, Sai; Zhao, Zongxi

2012-06-01

Band structure and wave localization are investigated for sea surface water waves over large-scale sand wave topography. Sand wave height, sand wave width, water depth, and water width between adjacent sand waves have significant impact on band gaps. Random fluctuations of sand wave height, sand wave width, and water depth induce water wave localization. However, random water width produces a perfect transmission tunnel of water waves at a certain frequency so that localization does not occur no matter how large a disorder level is applied. Together with theoretical results, the field experimental observations in the Taiwan Bank suggest band gap and wave localization as the physical mechanism of sea surface water wave propagating over natural large-scale sand waves.

Plasma physics abstracts, 1 January - 31 December 1971

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, D. C.; Gurnett, D. A.

1971-01-01

Abstracts are presented on various aspects of plasma physics, including theoretical discussions and ionospheric plasmas. The topics considered cover Alfven waves, magnetized plasmas, plasma diffusion, Poynting flux measurements, electric fields, the magnetosphere, auroras, and plasma convection.

A Fresh Look at Longitudinal Standing Waves on a Spring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutherford, Casey

2013-01-01

Transverse standing waves produced on a string, as shown in Fig. 1, are a common demonstration of standing wave patterns that have nodes at both ends. Longitudinal standing waves can be produced on a helical spring that is mounted vertically and attached to a speaker, as shown in Fig. 2, and used to produce both node-node (NN) and node-antinode…

Assimilation of Wave Imaging Radar Observations for Real-time Wave-by-Wave Forecasting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simpson, Alexandra; Haller, Merrick; Walker, David

This project addressed Topic 3: “Wave Measurement Instrumentation for Feed Forward Controls” under the FOA number DE-FOA-0000971. The overall goal of the program was to develop a phase-resolving wave forecasting technique for application to the active control of Wave Energy Conversion (WEC) devices. We have developed an approach that couples a wave imaging marine radar with a phase-resolving linear wave model for real-time wave field reconstruction and forward propagation of the wave field in space and time. The scope of the project was to develop and assess the performance of this novel forecasting system. Specific project goals were as follows:more » Develop and verify a fast, GPU-based (Graphical Processing Unit) wave propagation model suitable for phase-resolved computation of nearshore wave transformation over variable bathymetry; Compare the accuracy and speed of performance of the wave model against a deep water model in their ability to predict wave field transformation in the intermediate water depths (50 to 70 m) typical of planned WEC sites; Develop and implement a variational assimilation algorithm that can ingest wave imaging radar observations and estimate the time-varying wave conditions offshore of the domain of interest such that the observed wave field is best reconstructed throughout the domain and then use this to produce model forecasts for a given WEC location; Collect wave-resolving marine radar data, along with relevant in situ wave data, at a suitable wave energy test site, apply the algorithm to the field data, assess performance, and identify any necessary improvements; and Develop a production cost estimate that addresses the affordability of the wave forecasting technology and include in the Final Report. The developed forecasting algorithm (“Wavecast”) was evaluated for both speed and accuracy against a substantial synthetic dataset. Early in the project, performance tests definitively demonstrated that the system was capable

Experimental observation of left polarized wave absorption near electron cyclotron resonance frequency in helicon antenna produced plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barada, Kshitish K.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Ghosh, J.

2013-01-15

Asymmetry in density peaks on either side of an m = +1 half helical antenna is observed both in terms of peak position and its magnitude with respect to magnetic field variation in a linear helicon plasma device [Barada et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 063501 (2012)]. The plasma is produced by powering the m = +1 half helical antenna with a 2.5 kW, 13.56 MHz radio frequency source. During low magnetic field (B < 100 G) operation, plasma density peaks are observed at critical magnetic fields on either side of the antenna. However, the density peaks occurred at differentmore » critical magnetic fields on both sides of antenna. Depending upon the direction of the magnetic field, in the m = +1 propagation side, the main density peak has been observed around 30 G of magnetic field. On this side, the density peak around 5 G corresponding to electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) is not very pronounced, whereas in the m = -1 propagation side, very pronounced ECR peak has been observed around 5 G. Another prominent density peak around 12 G has also been observed in m = -1 side. However, no peak has been observed around 30 G on this m = -1 side. This asymmetry in the results on both sides is explained on the basis of polarization reversal of left hand polarized waves to right hand polarized waves and vice versa in a bounded plasma system. The density peaking phenomena are likely to be caused by obliquely propagating helicon waves at the resonance cone boundary.« less

Wave Engine Topping Cycle Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welch, Gerard E.

1996-01-01

The performance benefits derived by topping a gas turbine engine with a wave engine are assessed. The wave engine is a wave rotor that produces shaft power by exploiting gas dynamic energy exchange and flow turning. The wave engine is added to the baseline turboshaft engine while keeping high-pressure-turbine inlet conditions, compressor pressure ratio, engine mass flow rate, and cooling flow fractions fixed. Related work has focused on topping with pressure-exchangers (i.e., wave rotors that provide pressure gain with zero net shaft power output); however, more energy can be added to a wave-engine-topped cycle leading to greater engine specific-power-enhancement The energy addition occurs at a lower pressure in the wave-engine-topped cycle; thus the specific-fuel-consumption-enhancement effected by ideal wave engine topping is slightly lower than that effected by ideal pressure-exchanger topping. At a component level, however, flow turning affords the wave engine a degree-of-freedom relative to the pressure-exchanger that enables a more efficient match with the baseline engine. In some cases, therefore, the SFC-enhancement by wave engine topping is greater than that by pressure-exchanger topping. An ideal wave-rotor-characteristic is used to identify key wave engine design parameters and to contrast the wave engine and pressure-exchanger topping approaches. An aerodynamic design procedure is described in which wave engine design-point performance levels are computed using a one-dimensional wave rotor model. Wave engines using various wave cycles are considered including two-port cycles with on-rotor combustion (valved-combustors) and reverse-flow and through-flow four-port cycles with heat addition in conventional burners. A through-flow wave cycle design with symmetric blading is used to assess engine performance benefits. The wave-engine-topped turboshaft engine produces 16% more power than does a pressure-exchanger-topped engine under the specified topping

Parametric Study of Preferential Ion Heating Due to Intermittent Magnetic Fields in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbajal Gomez, L.; Chapman, S. C.; Dendy, R. O.; Watkins, N. W.

2014-12-01

In situ observations and remote measurements of the solar wind show strong preferential heating of ions along the ambient magnetic field. Understanding the mechanism for this heating process is an open problem. The observed broad-band spectrum of Alfven waves permeating the fast solar wind provide a candidate mechanism for this preferential heating through wave-particle interactions on ion kinetic scales. Previous analytical and numerical studies have considered a single pump wave [1, 2] or a turbulent, broad-band spectra of Alfven waves [3, 4, 5] to drive the ion heating. The latter studies investigated the effects on ion heating due to different initial 1/fγpower spectral exponents and number of modes and the signals were random phase. However, the observed solar wind fluctuations are intermittent so that the phases of the modes comprising the power spectrum are not random. Non-Gaussian fluctuations are seen both on scales identified with the inertial range of Alfvenic turbulence [6], and on longer scales typified by '1/f' spectra [7]. We present results of the first parametric numerical simulations on the effects of different levels of intermittency of the broad-band spectra of Alfven waves on the preferential heating of ions in the solar wind. We performed hybrid simulations for the local heating of the solar wind, which resolves the full kinetic physics of the ions and treats the electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. Our simulations evolve the full vector velocities and electromagnetic fields in one configuration space coordinate and in time.We compare the efficiency of different levels of intermittency of the initial turbulent fields and their effect on the efficiency of the wave-particle interactions which are a mechanism for driving preferential ion heating in the solar wind. [1] J. A. Araneda, E. Marsh, A. F. Viñas, J. Geophys. Res. 112, A04104 (2007). [2] J. A. Araneda, E. Marsh, A. F. Viñas, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 125003 (2008) [3] Y. G. Maneva, A

Effects of stress waves on cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, H L; Da Silva, L B; Visuri, S R

Laser induced stress waves are being used in a variety of medical applications, including drug delivery and targeted tissue disruption. Stress waves can also be an undesirable side effect in laser procedures such as ophthalmology and angioplasty. Thus, a study of the effects of stress waves on a cellular level is useful. Thermoelastic stress waves were produced using a Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser (@.=532nm) with a pulse duration of 4 ns. The laser radiation was delivered to an absorbing media. A thermoelastic stress wave was produced in the absorbing media and propagated into plated cells. The energy per pulse deliveredmore » to a sample and the spot size were varied. Stress waves were quantified. We assayed for cell viability and damage using two methods. The laser parameters within which cells maintain viability were investigated and thresholds for cell damage were defined. A comparison of cell damage thresholds for different cell lines was made.« less

The Effects of Wave Escape on Fast Magnetosonic Wave Turbulence in Solar Flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pongkitiwanichakul, Peera; Chandran, Benjamin D. G.; Karpen, Judith T.; DeVore, C. Richard

2012-01-01

One of the leading models for electron acceleration in solar flares is stochastic acceleration by weakly turbulent fast magnetosonic waves ("fast waves"). In this model, large-scale flows triggered by magnetic reconnection excite large-wavelength fast waves, and fast-wave energy then cascades from large wavelengths to small wavelengths. Electron acceleration by large-wavelength fast-waves is weak, and so the model relies on the small-wavelength waves produced by the turbulent cascade. In order for the model to work, the energy cascade time for large-wavelength fast waves must be shorter than the time required for the waves to propagate out of the solar-flare acceleration region. To investigate the effects of wave escape, we solve the wave kinetic equation for fast waves in weak turbulence theory, supplemented with a homogeneous wave-loss term.We find that the amplitude of large-wavelength fast waves must exceed a minimum threshold in order for a significant fraction of the wave energy to cascade to small wavelengths before the waves leave the acceleration region.We evaluate this threshold as a function of the dominant wavelength of the fast waves that are initially excited by reconnection outflows.

Linear excitation of the trapped waves by an incident wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postacioglu, Nazmi; Sinan Özeren, M.

2016-04-01

The excitation of the trapped waves by coastal events such as landslides has been extensively studied. The events in the open sea have in general larger magnitude. However the incident waves produced by these events in the open sea can only excite the the trapped waves through no linearity if the isobaths are straight lines that are in parallel with the coastline. We will show that the imperfections of the coastline can couple the incident and trapped waves using only linear processes. The Coriolis force is neglected in this work . Accordingly the trapped waves are consequence of uneven bathimetry. In the bathimetry we consider, the sea is divided into zones of constant depth and the boundaries between the zones are a family of hyperbolas. The boundary conditions between the zones will lead to an integral equation for the source distribution on the boundaries. The solution will contain both radiating and trapped waves. The trapped waves pose a serious threat for the coastal communities as they can travel long distances along the coastline without losing their energy through geometrical spreading.

Energy in a String Wave

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ng, Chiu-king

2010-01-01

When one end of a taut horizontal elastic string is shaken repeatedly up and down, a transverse wave (assume sine waveform) will be produced and travel along it. College students know this type of wave motion well. They know when the wave passes by, each element of the string will perform an oscillating up-down motion, which in mechanics is termed…

Wave-current interactions at the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noble, Donald; Davey, Thomas; Steynor, Jeffrey; Bruce, Tom; Smith, Helen; Kaklis, Panagiotis

2015-04-01

Physical scale model testing is an important part of the marine renewable energy development process, allowing the study of forces and device behaviour in a controlled environment prior to deployment at sea. FloWave is a new state-of-the-art ocean energy research facility, designed to provide large scale physical modelling services to the tidal and wave sector. It has the unique ability to provide complex multi-directional waves that can be combined with currents from any direction in the 25m diameter circular tank. The facility is optimised for waves around 2s period and 0.4m height, and is capable of generating currents upwards of 1.6m/s. This offers the ability to model metocean conditions suitable for most renewable energy devices at a typical scale of between 1:10 and 1:40. The test section is 2m deep, which can be classed as intermediate-depth for most waves of interest, thus the full dispersion equation must be solved as the asymptotic simplifications do not apply. The interaction between waves and currents has been studied in the tank. This has involved producing in the tank sets of regular waves, focussed wave groups, and random sea spectra including multi-directional sea states. These waves have been both inline-with and opposing the current, as well as investigating waves at arbitrary angles to the current. Changes in wave height and wavelength have been measured, and compared with theoretical results. Using theoretical wave-current interaction models, methods have been explored to "correct" the wave height in the central test area of the tank when combined with a steady current. This allows the wave height with current to be set equal to that without a current. Thus permitting, for example, direct comparison of device motion response between tests with and without current. Alternatively, this would also permit a specific wave height and current combination to be produced in the tank, reproducing recorded conditions at a particular site of interest. The

Experimental Study of the Shock Waves Produced by Condenser Discharge in a Gas Tube (thesis); ETUDE EXPERIMENTALE DES ONDES DE CHOC PRODUITES PAR DECHARGES D'UN CONDENSATEUR DANS UN TUBE A GAZ (thesis)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Der Agobian, R.

1964-10-31

The shock waves Droduced by condenser discharge in a gas tube were investigated. The study was limited to wave velocities less than five times the speed of sound, propagated in gas at low pressure (several mm Hg). A method was designed and perfected for the detection of the shock waves that are insufficiently rapid to produce gas ionization. This method consisted of the creation of an autonomous plasma, before the arrival of the wave, which was then modified by the wave passage. two methods were used for the detection of phenomena accompanying the passage of the shock waves, an opticalmore » method and a radioelectric method. The qualitative study of the modifications produced on the wave passage showed the remarkable correlation existing between the results obtained by the two methods. The experimental results on the propagation laws for shock waves in a low-diameter tube agreed with theory. The variations of the coefficient oi recombination were determined as a iunction of the electron temperature, and the results were in good agreement with the Bates theory. It was shown that the electron gas of the plasma had the same increase of density as a neutral gas during the passage of a shock wave. The variations of the frequency of electron collisions on passage of the shock wave could be explained by considering the electron--ion collisions with respect to electron-- atom collisions. (J.S.R.)« less

Effects of modification of the polar ionosphere with high-power short-wave extraordinary-mode HF waves produced by the spear heating facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisova, T. D.; Blagoveshchenskaya, N. F.; S. Kalishin, A.; Oksavik, K.; Baddelley, L.; K. Yeoman, T.

2012-06-01

We present the results of modifying the F2 layer of the polar ionosphere experimentally with highpower HF extraordinary-mode waves. The experiments were performed in October 2010 using the short-wave SPEAR heating facility (Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen). To diagnose the effects of high-power HF waves by the aspect-scattering method in a network of diagnostic paths, we used the short-wave Doppler radar CUTLASS (Hankasalmi, Finland) and the incoherent scatter radar ESR (Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen). Excitation of small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities was revealed, which were responsible for the aspect and backward scattering of the diagnostic signals. The measurements performed by the ESR incoherent scatter radar simultaneously with the heating demonstrated changes in the parameters of the ionospheric plasma, specifically, an increase in the electron density by 10-25 % and an increase in the electron temperature by 10-30 % at the altitudes of the F2 layer, as well as formation of sporadic ionization at altitudes of 140-180 km (below the F2 layer maximum). To explain the effects of ionosphere heating with HF extraordinary-mode waves, we propose a hypothesis of transformation of extraordinary electromagnetic waves to ordinary in the anisotropic, smoothly nonuniform ionosphere.

Numerical study of the existence criterion for the reversed shear Alfven eigenmode in the presence of a parallel equilibrium current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahzad, M.; Rizvi, H.; Panwar, A.; Ryu, C. M.

2017-06-01

We have re-visited the existence criterion of the reverse shear Alfven eigenmodes (RSAEs) in the presence of the parallel equilibrium current by numerically solving the eigenvalue equation using a fast eigenvalue solver code KAES. The parallel equilibrium current can bring in the kink effect and is known to be strongly unfavorable for the RSAE. We have numerically estimated the critical value of the toroidicity factor Qtor in a circular tokamak plasma, above which RSAEs can exist, and compared it to the analytical one. The difference between the numerical and analytical critical values is small for low frequency RSAEs, but it increases as the frequency of the mode increases, becoming greater for higher poloidal harmonic modes.

Artificial stimulation of auroral electron acceleration by intense field aligned currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmgren, G.; Bostrom, R.; Kelley, M. C.; Kintner, P. M.; Lundin, R.; Bering, E. A.; Sheldon, W. R.; Fahleson, U. V.

1979-01-01

A cesium-doped high explosion was detonated at 165 km altitude in the auroral ionosphere during quiet conditions. An Alfven wave pulse with a 200-mV/m electric field was observed, with the peak occurring 135 ms after the explosion at a distance of about 1 km. The count rate of fixed energy 2-keV electron detectors abruptly increased at 140 ms, peaked at 415 ms, and indicated a downward field-aligned beam of accelerated electrons. An anomalously high-field aligned beam of backscattered electrons was also detected. The acceleration is interpreted as due to production of an electrostatic shock or double layer between 300 and 800 km altitude. The structure was probably formed by an instability of the intense field-aligned currents in the Alfven wave launched by the charge-separation electric field due to the explosion.

Merging Black Holes and Gravitational Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Centrella, Joan

2009-01-01

This talk will focus on simulations of binary black hole mergers and the gravitational wave signals they produce. Applications to gravitational wave detection with LISA, and electronagnetic counterparts, will be highlighted.

Rapid Monte Carlo Simulation of Gravitational Wave Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breivik, Katelyn; Larson, Shane L.

2015-01-01

With the detection of gravitational waves on the horizon, astrophysical catalogs produced by gravitational wave observatories can be used to characterize the populations of sources and validate different galactic population models. Efforts to simulate gravitational wave catalogs and source populations generally focus on population synthesis models that require extensive time and computational power to produce a single simulated galaxy. Monte Carlo simulations of gravitational wave source populations can also be used to generate observation catalogs from the gravitational wave source population. Monte Carlo simulations have the advantes of flexibility and speed, enabling rapid galactic realizations as a function of galactic binary parameters with less time and compuational resources required. We present a Monte Carlo method for rapid galactic simulations of gravitational wave binary populations.

Hydraulic concentration of magnetic fields in the solar photosphere. III - Fields of one or two kilogauss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1976-01-01

Detailed analysis of weak and strong lines suggests that the magnetic fields in isolated intense flux tubes in supergranule boundaries in the solar photosphere may be as large as 2000 gauss. This paper is a concise systematic review of hydrodynamic effects that might compress a magnetic field to great intensity. The properties of force-free fields are reviewed to show that they do not contribute to concentration of magnetic fields, in spite of the popular notion to the contrary. Of the seven effects considered, it is concluded that only cooling of the gas within the field can produce the high field densities inferred from observation. It is shown that inhibition of convection appears not to possess the necessary qualitative cooling features and that overstability, generating transverse hydromagnetic waves - essentially Alfven waves - is the only way to account for the cooling and field intensification.

Turbulence Evolution and Shock Acceleration of Solar Energetic Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chee, Ng K.

2007-01-01

We model the effects of self-excitation/damping and shock transmission of Alfven waves on solar-energetic-particle (SEP) acceleration at a coronal-mass-ejection (CME) driven parallel shock. SEP-excited outward upstream waves speedily bootstrap acceleration. Shock transmission further raises the SEP-excited wave intensities at high wavenumbers but lowers them at low wavenumbers through wavenumber shift. Downstream, SEP excitation of inward waves and damping of outward waves tend to slow acceleration. Nevertheless, > 2000 km/s parallel shocks at approx. 3.5 solar radii can accelerate SEPs to 100 MeV in < 5 minutes.

Retinal Wave Behavior through Activity-Dependent Refractory Periods

PubMed Central

Godfrey, Keith B; Swindale, Nicholas V

2007-01-01

In the developing mammalian visual system, spontaneous retinal ganglion cell (RGC) activity contributes to and drives several aspects of visual system organization. This spontaneous activity takes the form of spreading patches of synchronized bursting that slowly advance across portions of the retina. These patches are non-repeating and tile the retina in minutes. Several transmitter systems are known to be involved, but the basic mechanism underlying wave production is still not well-understood. We present a model for retinal waves that focuses on acetylcholine mediated waves but whose principles are adaptable to other developmental stages. Its assumptions are that a) spontaneous depolarizations of amacrine cells drive wave activity; b) amacrine cells are locally connected, and c) cells receiving more input during their depolarization are subsequently less responsive and have longer periods between spontaneous depolarizations. The resulting model produces waves with non-repeating borders and randomly distributed initiation points. The wave generation mechanism appears to be chaotic and does not require neural noise to produce this wave behavior. Variations in parameter settings allow the model to produce waves that are similar in size, frequency, and velocity to those observed in several species. Our results suggest that retinal wave behavior results from activity-dependent refractory periods and that the average velocity of retinal waves depends on the duration a cell is excitatory: longer periods of excitation result in slower waves. In contrast to previous studies, we find that a single layer of cells is sufficient for wave generation. The principles described here are very general and may be adaptable to the description of spontaneous wave activity in other areas of the nervous system. PMID:18052546

New Hybridized Surface Wave Approach for Geotechnical Modeling of Shear Wave Velocity at Strong Motion Recording Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayen, R.; Carkin, B.; Minasian, D.

2006-12-01

Strong motion recording (SMR) networks often have little or no shear wave velocity measurements at stations where characterization of site amplification and site period effects is needed. Using the active Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) method, and passive H/V microtremor method we have investigated nearly two hundred SMR sites in California, Alaska, Japan, Australia, China and Taiwan. We are conducting these studies, in part, to develop a new hybridized method of site characterization that utilizes a parallel array of harmonic-wave sources for active-source SASW, and a single long period seismometer for passive-source microtremor measurement. Surface wave methods excel in their ability to non-invasively and rapidly characterize the variation of ground stiffness properties with depth below the surface. These methods are lightweight, inexpensive to deploy, and time-efficient. They have been shown to produce accurate and deep soil stiffness profiles. By placing and wiring shakers in a large parallel circuit, either side-by-side on the ground or in a trailer-mounted array, a strong in-phase harmonic wave can be produced. The effect of arraying many sources in parallel is to increase the amplitude of waves received at far-away spaced seismometers at low frequencies so as to extend the longest wavelengths of the captured dispersion curve. The USGS system for profiling uses this concept by arraying between two and eight electro-mechanical harmonic-wave shakers. With large parallel arrays of vibrators, a dynamic force in excess of 1000 lb can be produced to vibrate the ground and produce surface waves. We adjust the harmonic wave through a swept-sine procedure to profile surface wave dispersion down to a frequency of 1 Hz and out to surface wave-wavelengths of 200-1000 meters, depending on the site stiffness. The parallel-array SASW procedure is augmented using H/V microtremor data collected with the active source turned off. Passive array microtremor data

Experiments in Wave Record Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-01

manipulation of wave records in digital form to produce a power density spectrum (PDS) with great efficiency. The PDS gives a presentation of the...instantaneous surface elevation digital points (the zero level reference). The individual period, Ti, was taken as the time difference between two successive...CONCLUSIONS This thesis presents the results of experiments in the analysis of ocean wave records. For this purpose 19 digitized records obtained from a wave

Converging Oceaniac Internal Waves, Somalia, Africa

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-10-03

The arculate fronts of these apparently converging internal waves off the northeast coast of Somalia (11.5N, 51.5E) probably were produced by interaction with two parallel submarine canyons off the Horn of Africa. Internal waves are packets of tidally generated waves traveling within the ocean at varying depths and are not detectable by any surface disturbance.

Comparative study of ion cyclotron waves at Mars, Venus and Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, H. Y.; Russell, C. T.; Zhang, T. L.; Blanco-Cano, X.

2011-08-01

Ion cyclotron waves are generated in the solar wind when it picks up freshly ionized planetary exospheric ions. These waves grow from the free energy of the highly anisotropic distribution of fresh pickup ions, and are observed in the spacecraft frame with left-handed polarization and a wave frequency near the ion's gyrofrequency. At Mars and Venus and in the Earth's polar cusp, the solar wind directly interacts with the planetary exospheres. Ion cyclotron waves with many similar properties are observed in these diverse plasma environments. The ion cyclotron waves at Mars indicate its hydrogen exosphere to be extensive and asymmetric in the direction of the interplanetary electric field. The production of fast neutrals plays an important role in forming an extended exosphere in the shape and size observed. At Venus, the region of exospheric proton cyclotron wave production may be restricted to the magnetosheath. The waves observed in the solar wind at Venus appear to be largely produced by the solar-wind-Venus interaction, with some waves at higher frequencies formed near the Sun and carried outward by the solar wind to Venus. These waves have some similarity to the expected properties of exospherically produced proton pickup waves but are characterized by magnetic connection to the bow shock or by a lack of correlation with local solar wind properties respectively. Any confusion of solar derived waves with exospherically derived ion pickup waves is not an issue at Mars because the solar-produced waves are generally at much higher frequencies than the local pickup waves and the solar waves should be mostly absorbed when convected to Mars distance as the proton cyclotron frequency in the plasma frame approaches the frequency of the solar-produced waves. In the Earth's polar cusp, the wave properties of ion cyclotron waves are quite variable. Spatial gradients in the magnetic field may cause this variation as the background field changes between the regions in which

Helicons in uniform fields. I. Wave diagnostics with hodograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R. L.

2018-03-01

The wave equation for whistler waves is well known and has been solved in Cartesian and cylindrical coordinates, yielding plane waves and cylindrical waves. In space plasmas, waves are usually assumed to be plane waves; in small laboratory plasmas, they are often assumed to be cylindrical "helicon" eigenmodes. Experimental observations fall in between both models. Real waves are usually bounded and may rotate like helicons. Such helicons are studied experimentally in a large laboratory plasma which is essentially a uniform, unbounded plasma. The waves are excited by loop antennas whose properties determine the field rotation and transverse dimensions. Both m = 0 and m = 1 helicon modes are produced and analyzed by measuring the wave magnetic field in three dimensional space and time. From Ampère's law and Ohm's law, the current density and electric field vectors are obtained. Hodograms for these vectors are produced. The sign ambiguity of the hodogram normal with respect to the direction of wave propagation is demonstrated. In general, electric and magnetic hodograms differ but both together yield the wave vector direction unambiguously. Vector fields of the hodogram normal yield the phase flow including phase rotation for helicons. Some helicons can have locally a linear polarization which is identified by the hodogram ellipticity. Alternatively the amplitude oscillation in time yields a measure for the wave polarization. It is shown that wave interference produces linear polarization. These observations emphasize that single point hodogram measurements are inadequate to determine the wave topology unless assuming plane waves. Observations of linear polarization indicate wave packets but not plane waves. A simple qualitative diagnostics for the wave polarization is the measurement of the magnetic field magnitude in time. Circular polarization has a constant amplitude; linear polarization results in amplitude modulations.

The Spectral Ocean Wave Model (SOWM), a Northern Hemisphere Computer Model for Specifying and Forecasting Ocean Wave Spectra

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-07-01

directions. SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT A further sua-tion of (3) over the 15 frequency bands yields, within a linear model , the variance of a time history of...SPECTRAL Of.EAN WAVE MODEL (SOWM), A NORTHERN Final Report HEMtISPHEE COMPUTER MODELL Foyt SPECIFYING AND FORECASTING OCEAN WAVE .SftfTRA S EFRIGOG...Ocean Wave Model (SWM() In use at the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center si.nce 1974 has been used to produce spectra for a 20- year ocean wave

Unidirectional Transition Waves in Bistable Lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadkarni, Neel; Arrieta, Andres F.; Chong, Christopher; Kochmann, Dennis M.; Daraio, Chiara

2016-06-01

We present a model system for strongly nonlinear transition waves generated in a periodic lattice of bistable members connected by magnetic links. The asymmetry of the on-site energy wells created by the bistable members produces a mechanical diode that supports only unidirectional transition wave propagation with constant wave velocity. We theoretically justify the cause of the unidirectionality of the transition wave and confirm these predictions by experiments and simulations. We further identify how the wave velocity and profile are uniquely linked to the double-well energy landscape, which serves as a blueprint for transition wave control.

Turbulence and Global Properties of the Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2007-01-01

The solar wind shows striking characteristics that suggest that it is a turbulent magnetofluid, but the picture is not altogether simple. From the earliest observations, a strong correlation between magnetic fluctuations and plasma velocity fluctuations as noted. The high corrections suggest that the fluctuations are Alven waves. In addition, the power spectrum of the magnetic fluctuation showed evidence of an inertial range that resembled that seen in fully-developed fluid turbulence. Alfven waves, however, are exact solutions of the equations of an incompressible magnetohydrodynamics. Thus, there was a puzzle: how can a magnetofluid consisting of Alfven waves be turbulent? The answer lay in the role of velocity shears in the solar wind that could drive turbulent evolution. Puzzles remain: for example, the power spectrum of the velocity fluctuations is less steep than the slope of the magnetic fluctuations. The plasma in the magnetic tail of Earth's magnetosphere also shows aspects of turbulence, as does the plasma in the dayside magnetosphere near the poles--the so-called dayside cusps.

Kinetic effects on the velocity-shear-driven instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Z.; Pritchett, P. L.; Ashour-Abdalla, M.

1992-01-01

A comparison is made between the properties of the low-frequency long-wavelength velocity-shear-driven instability in kinetic theory and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). The results show that the removal of adiabaticity along the magnetic field line in kinetic theory leads to modifications in the nature of the instability. Although the threshold for the instability in the two formalisms is the same, the kinetic growth rate and the unstable range in wave-number space can be larger or smaller than the MHD values depending on the ratio between the thermal speed, Alfven speed, and flow speed. When the thermal speed is much larger than the flow speed and the flow speed is larger than the Alfven speed, the kinetic formalism gives a larger maximum growth rate and broader unstable range in wave-number space. In this regime, the normalized wave number for instability can be larger than unity, while in MHD it is always less than unity. The normal mode profile in the kinetic case has a wider spatial extent across the shear layer.

Novel wave power analysis linking pressure-flow waves, wave potential, and the forward and backward components of hydraulic power.

PubMed

Mynard, Jonathan P; Smolich, Joseph J

2016-04-15

Wave intensity analysis provides detailed insights into factors influencing hemodynamics. However, wave intensity is not a conserved quantity, so it is sensitive to diameter variations and is not distributed among branches of a junction. Moreover, the fundamental relation between waves and hydraulic power is unclear. We, therefore, propose an alternative to wave intensity called "wave power," calculated via incremental changes in pressure and flow (dPdQ) and a novel time-domain separation of hydraulic pressure power and kinetic power into forward and backward wave-related components (ΠP±and ΠQ±). Wave power has several useful properties:1) it is obtained directly from flow measurements, without requiring further calculation of velocity;2) it is a quasi-conserved quantity that may be used to study the relative distribution of waves at junctions; and3) it has the units of power (Watts). We also uncover a simple relationship between wave power and changes in ΠP±and show that wave reflection reduces transmitted power. Absolute values of ΠP±represent wave potential, a recently introduced concept that unifies steady and pulsatile aspects of hemodynamics. We show that wave potential represents the hydraulic energy potential stored in a compliant pressurized vessel, with spatial gradients producing waves that transfer this energy. These techniques and principles are verified numerically and also experimentally with pressure/flow measurements in all branches of a central bifurcation in sheep, under a wide range of hemodynamic conditions. The proposed "wave power analysis," encompassing wave power, wave potential, and wave separation of hydraulic power provides a potent time-domain approach for analyzing hemodynamics. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Spatial structures arising along a surface wave produced plasma column: an experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atanassov, V.; Mateev, E.

2007-04-01

The formation of spatial structures in high-frequency and microwave discharges has been known for several decades. Nevertheless it still raises increased interest, probably due to the variety of the observed phenomena and the lack of adequate and systematic theoretical interpretation. In this paper we present preliminary results on observation of spatial structures appearing along a surface wave sustained plasma column. The experiments have been performed in noble gases (xenon and neon) at low to intermediate pressure and the surface wave has been launched by a surfatron. Under these conditions we have observed and documented: i) appearance of stationary plasma rings; ii) formation of standing-wave striationlike patterns; iii) contraction of the plasma column; iv) plasma column transition into moving plasma balls and filaments. Some of the existing theoretical considerations of these phenomena are reviewed and discussed.

INSTABILITIES DRIVEN BY THE DRIFT AND TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY OF ALPHA PARTICLES IN THE SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verscharen, Daniel; Bourouaine, Sofiane; Chandran, Benjamin D. G., E-mail: daniel.verscharen@unh.edu, E-mail: s.bourouaine@unh.edu, E-mail: benjamin.chandran@unh.edu

2013-08-20

We investigate the conditions under which parallel-propagating Alfven/ion-cyclotron (A/IC) waves and fast-magnetosonic/whistler (FM/W) waves are driven unstable by the differential flow and temperature anisotropy of alpha particles in the solar wind. We focus on the limit in which w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} {approx}> 0.25v{sub A}, where w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} is the parallel alpha-particle thermal speed and v{sub A} is the Alfven speed. We derive analytic expressions for the instability thresholds of these waves, which show, e.g., how the minimum unstable alpha-particle beam speed depends upon w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}}/v{sub A}, the degree of alpha-particle temperature anisotropy, and the alpha-to-proton temperature ratio. Wemore » validate our analytical results using numerical solutions to the full hot-plasma dispersion relation. Consistent with previous work, we find that temperature anisotropy allows A/IC waves and FM/W waves to become unstable at significantly lower values of the alpha-particle beam speed U{sub {alpha}} than in the isotropic-temperature case. Likewise, differential flow lowers the minimum temperature anisotropy needed to excite A/IC or FM/W waves relative to the case in which U{sub {alpha}} = 0. We discuss the relevance of our results to alpha particles in the solar wind near 1 AU.« less

SOLAR X-RAY JETS, TYPE-II SPICULES, GRANULE-SIZE EMERGING BIPOLES, AND THE GENESIS OF THE HELIOSPHERE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moore, Ronald L.; Sterling, Alphonse C.; Cirtain, Jonathan W.

2011-04-10

From Hinode observations of solar X-ray jets, Type-II spicules, and granule-size emerging bipolar magnetic fields in quiet regions and coronal holes, we advocate a scenario for powering coronal heating and the solar wind. In this scenario, Type-II spicules and Alfven waves are generated by the granule-size emerging bipoles (EBs) in the manner of the generation of X-ray jets by larger magnetic bipoles. From observations and this scenario, we estimate that Type-II spicules and their co-generated Alfven waves carry into the corona an area-average flux of mechanical energy of {approx}7 x 10{sup 5} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}. This is enoughmore » to power the corona and solar wind in quiet regions and coronal holes, and therefore indicates that the granule-size EBs are the main engines that generate and sustain the entire heliosphere.« less

Internal waves interacting with particles in suspension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micard, Diane

2016-04-01

Internal waves are produced as a consequence of the dynamic balance between buoy- ancy and gravity forces when a particle of fluid is vertically displaced in a stable stratified environment. Geophysical systems such as ocean and atmosphere are naturally stratified and therefore suitable for internal waves to propagate. Furthermore, these two environ- ments stock a vast amount of particles in suspension, which present a large spectrum of physical properties (size, density, shape), and can be organic, mineral or pollutant agents. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that internal waves will have an active effect over the dynamics of these particles. In order to study the interaction of internal waves and suspended particles, an ide- alized experimental setup has been implemented. A linear stratification is produced in a 80×40×17 cm3 tank, in which two dimensional plane waves are created thanks to the inno- vative wave generator GOAL. In addition, a particle injector has been developed to produce a vertical column of particles within the fluid, displaying the same two-dimensional sym- metry as the waves. The particle injector allows to control the volumic fraction of particles and the size of the column. The presence of internal waves passing through the column of particles allowed to observe two main effects: The column oscillates around an equilibrium position (which is observed in both, the contours an the interior of the column), and the column is displaced as a whole. The column is displaced depending on the characteristics of the column, the gradient of the density, and the intensity and frequency of the wave. When displaced, the particles within the column are sucked towards the source of waves. The direction of the displacement of the column is explained by computing the effect of the Lagrangian drift generated by the wave over the time the particles stay in the wave beam before settling.

Helicon wave excitation to produce energetic electrons for manufacturing semiconductors

DOEpatents

Molvik, Arthur W.; Ellingboe, Albert R.

1998-01-01

A helicon plasma source is controlled by varying the axial magnetic field or rf power controlling the formation of the helicon wave. An energetic electron current is carried on the wave when the magnetic field is 90 G; but there is minimal energetic electron current when the magnetic field is 100 G in one particular plasma source. Similar performance can be expected from other helicon sources by properly adjusting the magnetic field and power to the particular geometry. This control for adjusting the production of energetic electrons can be used in the semiconductor and thin-film manufacture process. By applying energetic electrons to the insulator layer, such as silicon oxide, etching ions are attracted to the insulator layer and bombard the insulator layer at higher energy than areas that have not accumulated the energetic electrons. Thus, silicon and metal layers, which can neutralize the energetic electron currents will etch at a slower or non-existent rate. This procedure is especially advantageous in the multilayer semiconductor manufacturing because trenches can be formed that are in the range of 0.18-0.35 mm or less.

Helicon wave excitation to produce energetic electrons for manufacturing semiconductors

DOEpatents

Molvik, A.W.; Ellingboe, A.R.

1998-10-20

A helicon plasma source is controlled by varying the axial magnetic field or rf power controlling the formation of the helicon wave. An energetic electron current is carried on the wave when the magnetic field is 90 G; but there is minimal energetic electron current when the magnetic field is 100 G in one particular plasma source. Similar performance can be expected from other helicon sources by properly adjusting the magnetic field and power to the particular geometry. This control for adjusting the production of energetic electrons can be used in the semiconductor and thin-film manufacture process. By applying energetic electrons to the insulator layer, such as silicon oxide, etching ions are attracted to the insulator layer and bombard the insulator layer at higher energy than areas that have not accumulated the energetic electrons. Thus, silicon and metal layers, which can neutralize the energetic electron currents will etch at a slower or non-existent rate. This procedure is especially advantageous in the multilayer semiconductor manufacturing because trenches can be formed that are in the range of 0.18--0.35 mm or less. 16 figs.

Estimating model parameters for an impact-produced shock-wave simulation: Optimal use of partial data with the extended Kalman filter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kao, Jim; Flicker, Dawn; Ide, Kayo

2006-05-20

This paper builds upon our recent data assimilation work with the extended Kalman filter (EKF) method [J. Kao, D. Flicker, R. Henninger, S. Frey, M. Ghil, K. Ide, Data assimilation with an extended Kalman filter for an impact-produced shock-wave study, J. Comp. Phys. 196 (2004) 705-723.]. The purpose is to test the capability of EKF in optimizing a model's physical parameters. The problem is to simulate the evolution of a shock produced through a high-speed flyer plate. In the earlier work, we have showed that the EKF allows one to estimate the evolving state of the shock wave from amore » single pressure measurement, assuming that all model parameters are known. In the present paper, we show that imperfectly known model parameters can also be estimated accordingly, along with the evolving model state, from the same single measurement. The model parameter optimization using the EKF can be achieved through a simple modification of the original EKF formalism by including the model parameters into an augmented state variable vector. While the regular state variables are governed by both deterministic and stochastic forcing mechanisms, the parameters are only subject to the latter. The optimally estimated model parameters are thus obtained through a unified assimilation operation. We show that improving the accuracy of the model parameters also improves the state estimate. The time variation of the optimized model parameters results from blending the data and the corresponding values generated from the model and lies within a small range, of less than 2%, from the parameter values of the original model. The solution computed with the optimized parameters performs considerably better and has a smaller total variance than its counterpart using the original time-constant parameters. These results indicate that the model parameters play a dominant role in the performance of the shock-wave hydrodynamic code at hand.« less

Resonant-cavity antenna for plasma heating

DOEpatents

Perkins, Jr., Francis W.; Chiu, Shiu-Chu; Parks, Paul; Rawls, John M.

1987-01-01

Disclosed is a resonant coil cavity wave launcher for energizing a plasma immersed in a magnetic field. Energization includes launching fast Alfven waves to excite ion cyclotron frequency resonances in the plasma. The cavity includes inductive and capacitive reactive members spaced no further than one-quarter wavelength from a first wall confinement chamber of the plasma. The cavity wave launcher is energized by connection to a waveguide or transmission line carrying forward power from a remote radio frequency energy source.

Amplitudes and Anisotropies at Kinetic Scales in Reflection-Driven Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, B. D. G.; Perez, J. C.

2016-12-01

The dissipation processes in solar-wind turbulence depend critically on the amplitudes and anisotropies of the fluctuations at kinetic scales. For example, the efficiencies of nonlinear dissipation mechanisms such as stochastic heating are a strongly increasing function of the kinetic-scale fluctuation amplitudes. In addition, ``slab-like'' fluctuations that vary most rapidly parallel to the background magnetic field dissipate very differently than ``quasi-2D'' fluctuations that vary most rapidly perpendicular to the magnetic field. Both the amplitudes and anisotropies of the kinetic-scale fluctuations are heavily influenced by the cascade mechanisms and spectral scalings in the inertial range of the turbulence. More precisely, the properties and dynamics of the turbulence within the inertial range (at ``fluid length scales'') to a large extent determine the amplitudes and anisotropies of the fluctuations at the proton kinetic scales, which bound the inertial range from below. In this presentation I will describe recent work by Jean Perez and myself on direct numerical simulations of non-compressive turbulence at ``fluid length scales'' between the Sun and a heliocentric distance of 65 solar radii. These simulations account for the non-WKB reflection of outward-propagating Alfven-wave-like fluctuations. This partial reflection produces Sunward-propagating fluctuations, which interact with the outward-propagating fluctuations to produce turbulence and a cascade of energy from large scales to small scales. I will discuss the relative strength of the parallel and perpendicular energy cascades in our simulations, and the implications of our results for the spatial anisotropies of non-compressive fluctuations at the proton kinetic scales near the Sun. I will also present results on the parallel and perpendicular power spectra of both outward-propagating and inward-propagating Alfven-wave-like fluctuations at different heliocentric distances. I will discuss the

Diffraction of dust acoustic waves by a circular cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)