Improved electron collisional line broadening for low-temperature ions and neutrals in plasma modeling

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

Johns, H. M.; Kilcrease, D. P.; Colgan, J.

In this study, electron collisional broadening of observed spectral lines depends on plasma electron temperature and density. Including this effect in models of measured spectra is necessary to determine plasma conditions; however, computational limits make accurate line broadening treatments difficult to implement in large-scale plasma modeling efforts. In this paper, we report on improvements to the treatment of electron collisional line broadening and illustrate this with calculations using the Los Alamos ATOMIC code. We implement the Dimitrijevic and Konjevic modified semi-empirical model Dimitrijevic and Konjevic (1986 Astron. and Astrophy. 163 297 and 1987 Astron. Astrophys. 172 345), which we amendmore » by employing oscillator strengths from Hartree–Fock calculations. This line broadening model applies to near-neutral plasmas with electron temperatures of Te ~ 1 eV and electron densities of N e ~10 17 cm -3. We evaluate the D.K.-inspired model against the previous hydrogenic approach in ATOMIC through comparison to NIST-rated measurements for selected neutral and singly-ionized Ca, O, Fe, and Sn lines using both fine-structure and configuration-averaged oscillator strengths. The new D.K.-inspired model is significantly more accurate than the previous hydrogenic model and we find the use of configuration-averaged oscillator strengths a good approximation for applications such as LIBS (laser induced breakdown spectroscopy), for which we demonstrate the use of the D.K.-inspired model.« less

Improved electron collisional line broadening for low-temperature ions and neutrals in plasma modeling

DOE PAGES

Johns, H. M.; Kilcrease, D. P.; Colgan, J.; ...

2015-09-29

In this study, electron collisional broadening of observed spectral lines depends on plasma electron temperature and density. Including this effect in models of measured spectra is necessary to determine plasma conditions; however, computational limits make accurate line broadening treatments difficult to implement in large-scale plasma modeling efforts. In this paper, we report on improvements to the treatment of electron collisional line broadening and illustrate this with calculations using the Los Alamos ATOMIC code. We implement the Dimitrijevic and Konjevic modified semi-empirical model Dimitrijevic and Konjevic (1986 Astron. and Astrophy. 163 297 and 1987 Astron. Astrophys. 172 345), which we amendmore » by employing oscillator strengths from Hartree–Fock calculations. This line broadening model applies to near-neutral plasmas with electron temperatures of Te ~ 1 eV and electron densities of N e ~10 17 cm -3. We evaluate the D.K.-inspired model against the previous hydrogenic approach in ATOMIC through comparison to NIST-rated measurements for selected neutral and singly-ionized Ca, O, Fe, and Sn lines using both fine-structure and configuration-averaged oscillator strengths. The new D.K.-inspired model is significantly more accurate than the previous hydrogenic model and we find the use of configuration-averaged oscillator strengths a good approximation for applications such as LIBS (laser induced breakdown spectroscopy), for which we demonstrate the use of the D.K.-inspired model.« less

[Temperature measurement of DC argon plasma jet].

PubMed

Yan, Jian-Hua; Pan, Xin-Chao; Ma, Zeng-Yi; Tu, Xin; Cen, Ke-Fa

2008-01-01

The electron temperature of DC arc plasma jet is an important parameter, which determines the characteristics of plasma jet. The measurement of emission spectrum was performed to obtain the spectral intensities of some Ar lines and the method of diagrammatic view of Boltzmann was adopted to calculate the electron temperature. The results indicated that the electron temperature dropped at different speed along with the axes of the plasma jet and rose rapidly when the current was increased, and it also rose when the flowrate of argon was increased.

Electron beam-plasma interaction and electron-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma with suprathermal electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danehkar, A.

2018-06-01

Suprathermal electrons and inertial drifting electrons, so called electron beam, are crucial to the nonlinear dynamics of electrostatic solitary waves observed in several astrophysical plasmas. In this paper, the propagation of electron-acoustic solitary waves (EAWs) is investigated in a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma consisting of cool inertial background electrons, hot suprathermal electrons (modeled by a κ-type distribution), and stationary ions. The plasma is penetrated by a cool electron beam component. A linear dispersion relation is derived to describe small-amplitude wave structures that shows a weak dependence of the phase speed on the electron beam velocity and density. A (Sagdeev-type) pseudopotential approach is employed to obtain the existence domain of large-amplitude solitary waves, and investigate how their nonlinear structures depend on the kinematic and physical properties of the electron beam and the suprathermality (described by κ) of the hot electrons. The results indicate that the electron beam can largely alter the EAWs, but can only produce negative polarity solitary waves in this model. While the electron beam co-propagates with the solitary waves, the soliton existence domain (Mach number range) becomes narrower (nearly down to nil) with increasing the beam speed and the beam-to-hot electron temperature ratio, and decreasing the beam-to-cool electron density ratio in high suprathermality (low κ). It is found that the electric potential amplitude largely declines with increasing the beam speed and the beam-to-cool electron density ratio for co-propagating solitary waves, but is slightly decreased by raising the beam-to-hot electron temperature ratio.

Temperature anisotropy instabilities stimulated by the interplay of the core and halo electrons in space plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazar, M.; Shaaban, S. M.; Fichtner, H.; Poedts, S.

2018-02-01

Two central components are revealed by electron velocity distributions measured in space plasmas, a thermal bi-Maxwellian core and a bi-Kappa suprathermal halo. A new kinetic approach is proposed to characterize the temperature anisotropy instabilities driven by the interplay of core and halo electrons. Suggested by the observations in the solar wind, direct correlations of these two populations are introduced as co-variations of the key parameters, e.g., densities, temperature anisotropies, and (parallel) plasma betas. The approach involving correlations enables the instability characterization in terms of either the core or halo parameters and a comparative analysis to depict mutual effects. In the present paper, the instability conditions are described for an extended range of plasma beta parameters, making the new dual approach relevant for a wide variety of space plasmas, including the solar wind and planetary magnetospheres.

The Jupiter hot plasma torus - Observed electron temperature and energy flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, R. A.

1981-01-01

The detection of the optical emission /O I/ 6300 A (8 + or - 4 R) and /S III/ 6312 A (48 + or - 5 R) is reported. It is noted that these emissions are indicators of the ion source morphology and the plasma physical state and that the S III emitters have a kinetic temperature of approximately 10 to the 6th K. When combined with observations of UV lines from the same species, the optical measurements separately imply effective electron temperatures for radiative processes that are mutually consistent (approximately 50,000 K).

Effects of finite electron temperature on gradient drift instabilities in partially magnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lakhin, V. P.; Ilgisonis, V. I.; Smolyakov, A. I.; Sorokina, E. A.; Marusov, N. A.

2018-01-01

The gradient-drift instabilities of partially magnetized plasmas in plasma devices with crossed electric and magnetic fields are investigated in the framework of the two-fluid model with finite electron temperature in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The finite electron Larmor radius (FLR) effects are also included via the gyroviscosity tensor taking into account the magnetic field gradient. This model correctly describes the electron dynamics for k⊥ρe>1 in the sense of Padé approximants (here, k⊥ and ρe are the wavenumber perpendicular to the magnetic field and the electron Larmor radius, respectively). The local dispersion relation for electrostatic plasma perturbations with the frequency in the range between the ion and electron cyclotron frequencies and propagating strictly perpendicular to the magnetic field is derived. The dispersion relation includes the effects of the equilibrium E ×B electron current, finite ion velocity, electron inertia, electron FLR, magnetic field gradients, and Debye length effects. The necessary and sufficient condition of stability is derived, and the stability boundary is found. It is shown that, in general, the electron inertia and FLR effects stabilize the short-wavelength perturbations. In some cases, such effects completely suppress the high-frequency short-wavelength modes so that only the long-wavelength low-frequency (with respect to the lower-hybrid frequency) modes remain unstable.

Electron Temperature and Density in Local Helicity Injection and High betat Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlossberg, David J.

Tokamak startup in a spherical torus (ST) and an ST-based fusion nuclear science facility can greatly benefit from using non-inductive methods. The Pegasus Toroidal Experiment has developed a non-inductive startup technique using local helicity injection (LHI). Electron temperature, T e(r), and density, ne( r), profiles during LHI are unknown. These profiles are critical for understanding both the physics of the injection and relaxation mechanisms, as well as for extrapolating this technique to larger devices. A new Thomson scattering system has been designed, installed, and used to characterize Te(r, t) and ne(r, t) during LHI. The diagnostic leverages new technology in image intensified CCD cameras, high-efficiency diffraction gratings, and reliable Nd:YAG lasers. Custom systems for stray light mitigation, fast shuttering, and precision timing have been developed and implemented. The overall system provides a low-maintenance, economic, and effective means to explore novel physics regimes in Pegasus. Electron temperature and density profiles during LHI have been measured for the first time. Results indicate Te(r) peaked in the core of plasmas, and sustained while plasmas are coupled to injection drive. Electron densities also peak near the core of the tokamak, up to local values of n e ˜ 1.5 x 1019 m -3. A comparison of Te( r, t) has been made between discharges with dominant drive voltage from induction versus helicity injection. In both cases Te ( r, t) profiles remain peaked, with values for Te ,max > 150 eV in dominantly helicity-driven plasmas using high-field side LHI. Sustained values of betat ˜ 100% have been demonstrated in a tokamak for the first time. Plasmas are created and driven entirely non-solenoidally, and exhibit MHD stability. Measured temperature and density profiles are used to constrain magnetic equilibrium reconstructions, which calculate 80% < betat < 100% throughout a toroidal field ramp-down. For a continued decrease in the toroidal

Electron energy distribution function, effective electron temperature, and dust charge in the temporal afterglow of a plasma

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

Denysenko, I. B.; Azarenkov, N. A.; Kersten, H.

2016-05-15

Analytical expressions describing the variation of electron energy distribution function (EEDF) in an afterglow of a plasma are obtained. Especially, the case when the electron energy loss is mainly due to momentum-transfer electron-neutral collisions is considered. The study is carried out for different EEDFs in the steady state, including Maxwellian and Druyvesteyn distributions. The analytical results are not only obtained for the case when the rate for momentum-transfer electron-neutral collisions is independent on electron energy but also for the case when the collisions are a power function of electron energy. Using analytical expressions for the EEDF, the effective electron temperaturemore » and charge of the dust particles, which are assumed to be present in plasma, are calculated for different afterglow durations. An analytical expression for the rate describing collection of electrons by dust particles for the case when the rate for momentum-transfer electron-neutral collisions is independent on electron energy is also derived. The EEDF profile and, as a result, the effective electron temperature and dust charge are sufficiently different in the cases when the rate for momentum-transfer electron-neutral collisions is independent on electron energy and when the rate is a power function of electron energy.« less

Estimations of electron densities and temperatures in He-3 dominated plasmas. [in nuclear pumped lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depaola, B. D.; Marcum, S. D.; Wrench, H. K.; Whitten, B. L.; Wells, W. E.

1979-01-01

It is very useful to have a method of estimation for electron temperature and electron densities in nuclear pumped plasmas because measurements of such quantities are very difficult. This paper describes a method, based on rate equation analysis of the ionized species in the plasma and the electron energy balance. In addition to the ionized species, certain neutral species must also be calculated. Examples are given for pure helium and a mixture of helium and argon. In the HeAr case, He(+), He2(+), He/2 3S/, Ar(+), Ar2(+), and excited Ar are evaluated.

Nonlocal collisionless and collisional electron transport in low temperature plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaganovich, Igor

2009-10-01

The purpose of the talk is to describe recent advances in nonlocal electron kinetics in low-pressure plasmas. A distinctive property of partially ionized plasmas is that such plasmas are always in a non-equilibrium state: the electrons are not in thermal equilibrium with the neutral species and ions, and the electrons are also not in thermodynamic equilibrium within their own ensemble, which results in a significant departure of the electron velocity distribution function from a Maxwellian. These non-equilibrium conditions provide considerable freedom to choose optimal plasma parameters for applications, which make gas discharge plasmas remarkable tools for a variety of plasma applications, including plasma processing, discharge lighting, plasma propulsion, particle beam sources, and nanotechnology. Typical phenomena in such discharges include nonlocal electron kinetics, nonlocal electrodynamics with collisionless electron heating, and nonlinear processes in the sheaths and in the bounded plasmas. Significant progress in understanding the interaction of electromagnetic fields with real bounded plasma created by this field and the resulting changes in the structure of the applied electromagnetic field has been one of the major achievements of the last decade in this area of research [1-3]. We show on specific examples that this progress was made possible by synergy between full scale particle-in-cell simulations, analytical models, and experiments. In collaboration with Y. Raitses, A.V. Khrabrov, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, NJ, USA; V.I. Demidov, UES, Inc., 4401 Dayton-Xenia Rd., Beavercreek, OH 45322, USA and AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, USA; and D. Sydorenko, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. [4pt] [1] D. Sydorenko, A. Smolyakov, I. Kaganovich, and Y. Raitses, IEEE Trans. Plasma Science 34, 895 (2006); Phys. Plasmas 13, 014501 (2006); 14 013508 (2007); 15, 053506 (2008). [0pt] [2] I. D. Kaganovich, Y. Raitses, D. Sydorenko, and

Non-invasive probe diagnostic method for electron temperature and ion current density in atmospheric pressure plasma jet source

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

Kim, Young-Cheol; Kim, Yu-Sin; Lee, Hyo-Chang

2015-08-15

The electrical probe diagnostics are very hard to be applied to atmospheric plasmas due to severe perturbation by the electrical probes. To overcome this, the probe for measuring electron temperature and ion current density is indirectly contacted with an atmospheric jet source. The plasma parameters are obtained by using floating harmonic analysis. The probe is mounted on the quartz tube that surrounds plasma. When a sinusoidal voltage is applied to a probe contacting on a quartz tube, the electrons near the sheath at dielectric tube are collected and the probe current has harmonic components due to probe sheath nonlinearity. Frommore » the relation of the harmonic currents and amplitude of the sheath voltage, the electron temperature near the wall can be obtained with collisional sheath model. The electron temperatures and ion current densities measured at the discharge region are in the ranges of 2.7–3.4 eV and 1.7–5.2 mA/cm{sup 2} at various flow rates and input powers.« less

Reduced model prediction of electron temperature profiles in microtearing-dominated NSTX plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaye, S. M.; Guttenfelder, W.; Bell, R.; Gerhardt, S.; Leblanc, B.; Maingi, R.

2014-10-01

A representative H-mode discharge from the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is studied in detail as a basis for a time-evolving prediction of the electron temperature profile using an appropriate reduced transport model. The time evolution of characteristic plasma variables such as βe, νe*, the MHD α parameter and the gradient scale lengths of Te, Ti and ne were examined prior to performing linear gyrokinetic calculations to determine the fastest growing microinstability at various times and locations throughout the discharge. The inferences from the parameter evolutions and the linear stability calculations were consistent. Early in the discharge, when βe and νe* were relatively low, ballooning parity modes were dominant. As both βe and νe* increased with time, microtearing became the dominant low-kθmode, especially in the outer half of the plasma. There are instances in time and radius where other modes, at higher-kθ, may be important for driving electron transport. The Rebut-Lallia-Watkins (RLW) electron thermal diffusivity model, which is based on microtearing-induced transport, was used to predict the time-evolving electron temperature across most of the profile. The results indicate that RLW does a good job of predicting Te for times and locations where microtearing was determined to be important, but not as well when microtearing was predicted to be stable or subdominant. This work has been supported by U.S. Dept of Energy contracts DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Temperature and density evolution during decay in a 2.45 GHz hydrogen electron cyclotron resonance plasma: off-resonant and resonant cases.

PubMed

Cortázar, O D; Megía-Macías, A; Vizcaíno-de-Julián, A

2013-09-01

Time resolved electron temperature and density measurements during the decay stage in a hydrogen electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma are presented for a resonance and off-resonance magnetic field configurations. The measurements are conducted on a ECR plasma generator excited at 2.45 GHz denominated test-bench for ion-sources plasma studies at ESS Bilbao. The plasma parameters evolution is studied by Langmuir probe diagnostic with synchronized sample technique developed for repetitive pulsed plasmas with a temporal resolution of 200 ns in typical decay processes of about 40 μs. An afterglow transient is clearly observed in the reflected microwave power signal from the plasma. Simultaneously, the electron temperature evolution shows rebounding peaks that may be related to the interplay between density drop and microwave coupling with deep impact on the Electron Energy Distribution Function. The correlation of such structures with the plasma absorbed power and the coupling quality is also reported.

Plasma potential and electron temperature evaluated by ball-pen and Langmuir probes in the COMPASS tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimitrova, M.; Popov, Tsv K.; Adamek, J.; Kovačič, J.; Ivanova, P.; Hasan, E.; López-Bruna, D.; Seidl, J.; Vondráček, P.; Dejarnac, R.; Stöckel, J.; Imríšek, M.; Panek, R.; the COMPASS Team

2017-12-01

The radial distributions of the main plasma parameters in the scrape-off-layer of the COMPASS tokamak are measured during L-mode and H-mode regimes by using both Langmuir and ball-pen probes mounted on a horizontal reciprocating manipulator. The radial profile of the plasma potential derived previously from Langmuir probes data by using the first derivative probe technique is compared with data derived using ball-pen probes. A good agreement can be seen between the data acquired by the two techniques during the L-mode discharge and during the H-mode regime within the inter-ELM periods. In contrast with the first derivative probe technique, the ball-pen probe technique does not require a swept voltage and, therefore, the temporal resolution is only limited by the data acquisition system. In the electron temperature evaluation, in the far scrape-off layer and in the limiter shadow, where the electron energy distribution is Maxwellian, the results from both techniques match well. In the vicinity of the last closed flux surface, where the electron energy distribution function is bi-Maxwellian, the ball-pen probe technique results are in agreement with the high-temperature components of the electron distribution only. We also discuss the application of relatively large Langmuir probes placed in parallel and perpendicularly to the magnetic field lines to studying the main plasma parameters. The results obtained by the two types of the large probes agree well. They are compared with Thomson scattering data for electron temperatures and densities. The results for the electron densities are compared also with the results from ASTRA code calculation of the electron source due to the ionization of the neutrals by fast electrons and the origin of the bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function is briefly discussed.

Temporal variations of electron density and temperature in Kr/Ne/H2 photoionized plasma induced by nanosecond pulses from extreme ultraviolet source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saber, I.; Bartnik, A.; Wachulak, P.; Skrzeczanowski, W.; Jarocki, R.; Fiedorowicz, H.

2017-06-01

Spectral investigations of low-temperature photoionized plasmas created in a Kr/Ne/H2 gas mixture were performed. The low-temperature plasmas were generated by gas mixture irradiation using extreme ultraviolet pulses from a laser-plasma source. Emission spectra in the ultraviolet/visible range from the photoionized plasmas contained lines that mainly corresponded to neutral atoms and singly charged ions. Temporal variations in the plasma electron temperature and electron density were studied using different characteristic emission lines at various delay times. Results, based on Kr II lines, showed that the electron temperature decreased from 1.7 to 0.9 eV. The electron densities were estimated using different spectral lines at each delay time. In general, except for the Hβ line, in which the electron density decreased from 3.78 × 1016 cm-3 at 200 ns to 5.77 × 1015 cm-3 at 2000 ns, most of the electron density values measured from the different lines were of the order of 1015 cm-3 and decreased slightly while maintaining the same order when the delay time increased. The time dependences of the measured and simulated intensities of a spectral line of interest were also investigated. The validity of the partial or full local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions in plasma was explained based on time-resolved electron density measurements. The partial LTE condition was satisfied for delay times in the 200 ns to 1500 ns range. The results are summarized, and the dominant basic atomic processes in the gas mixture photoionized plasma are discussed.

Conceptual Design of Electron-Beam Generated Plasma Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Ankur; Rauf, Shahid; Dorf, Leonid; Collins, Ken; Boris, David; Walton, Scott

2015-09-01

Realization of the next generation of high-density nanostructured devices is predicated on etching features with atomic layer resolution, no damage and high selectivity. High energy electron beams generate plasmas with unique features that make them attractive for applications requiring monolayer precision. In these plasmas, high energy beam electrons ionize the background gas and the resultant daughter electrons cool to low temperatures via collisions with gas molecules and lack of any accelerating fields. For example, an electron temperature of <0.6 eV with densities comparable to conventional plasma sources can be obtained in molecular gases. The chemistry in such plasmas can significantly differ from RF plasmas as the ions/radicals are produced primarily by beam electrons rather than those in the tail of a low energy distribution. In this work, we will discuss the conceptual design of an electron beam based plasma processing system. Plasma properties will be discussed for Ar, Ar/N2, and O2 plasmas using a computational plasma model, and comparisons made to experiments. The fluid plasma model is coupled to a Monte Carlo kinetic model for beam electrons which considers gas phase collisions and the effect of electric and magnetic fields on electron motion. The impact of critical operating parameters such as magnetic field, beam energy, and gas pressure on plasma characteristics in electron-beam plasma processing systems will be discussed. Partially supported by the NRL base program.

Measurement of He neutral temperature in detached plasmas using laser absorption spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aramaki, M.; Tsujihara, T.; Kajita, S.; Tanaka, H.; Ohno, N.

2018-01-01

The reduction of the heat load onto plasma-facing components by plasma detachment is an inevitable scheme in future nuclear fusion reactors. Since the control of the plasma and neutral temperatures is a key issue to the detached plasma generation, we have developed a laser absorption spectroscopy system for the metastable helium temperature measurements and used together with a previously developed laser Thomson scattering system for the electron temperature and density measurements. The thermal relaxation process between the neutral and the electron in the detached plasma generated in the linear plasma device, NAGDIS-II was studied. It is shown that the electron temperature gets close to the neutral temperature by increasing the electron density. On the other hand, the pressure dependence of electron and neutral temperatures shows the cooling effect by the neutrals. The possibility of the plasma fluctuation measurement using the fluctuation in the absorption signal is also shown.

Development of a spectroscopic technique for simultaneous magnetic field, electron density, and temperature measurements in ICF-relevant plasmas.

PubMed

Dutra, E C; Koch, J A; Presura, R; Angermeier, W A; Darling, T; Haque, S; Mancini, R C; Covington, A M

2016-11-01

Spectroscopic techniques in the visible range are often used in plasma experiments to measure B-field induced Zeeman splitting, electron densities via Stark broadening, and temperatures from Doppler broadening. However, when electron densities and temperatures are sufficiently high, the broadening of the Stark and Doppler components can dominate the emission spectra and obscure the Zeeman component. In this research, we are developing a time-resolved multi-axial technique for measuring the Zeeman, Stark, and Doppler broadened line emission of dense magnetized plasmas for Z-pinch and Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) accelerators. The line emission is used to calculate the electron densities, temperatures, and B-fields. In parallel, we are developing a line-shape modeling code that incorporates the broadening effects due to Stark, Doppler, and Zeeman effects for dense magnetized plasma. This manuscript presents the details of the experimental setup and line shape code, along with the results obtained from an Al iii doublet at the University of Nevada, Reno at Nevada Terawatt Facility. Future tests are planned to further evaluate the technique and modeling on other material wire array, gas puff, and DPF platforms.

Dense simple plasmas as high-temperature liquid simple metals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perrot, F.

1990-01-01

The thermodynamic properties of dense plasmas considered as high-temperature liquid metals are studied. An attempt is made to show that the neutral pseudoatom picture of liquid simple metals may be extended for describing plasmas in ranges of densities and temperatures where their electronic structure remains 'simple'. The primary features of the model when applied to plasmas include the temperature-dependent self-consistent calculation of the electron charge density and the determination of a density and temperature-dependent ionization state.

Measurement of electron temperature and density of the edge plasma of JET by ECE and microwave reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, D. V.; Costley, A. E.; Porte, L.; Prentice, R.; Salmon, N. A.; Sips, G.

1990-12-01

The potential of electron cyclotron emission and microwave reflectometry as techniques for measuring the electron temperature and density in the edge region of tokamak plasmas is investigated. Experiments to realize this potential on JET are described and some illustrative results presented.

Dust ion acoustic freak waves in a plasma with two temperature electrons featuring Tsallis distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chahal, Balwinder Singh; Singh, Manpreet; Shalini; Saini, N. S.

2018-02-01

We present an investigation for the nonlinear dust ion acoustic wave modulation in a plasma composed of charged dust grains, two temperature (cold and hot) nonextensive electrons and ions. For this purpose, the multiscale reductive perturbation technique is used to obtain a nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The critical wave number, which indicates where the modulational instability sets in, has been determined precisely for various regimes. The influence of plasma background nonextensivity on the growth rate of modulational instability is discussed. The modulated wavepackets in the form of either bright or dark type envelope solitons may exist. Formation of rogue waves from bright envelope solitons is also discussed. The investigation indicates that the structural characteristics of these envelope excitations (width, amplitude) are significantly affected by nonextensivity, dust concentration, cold electron-ion density ratio and temperature ratio.

Gyrokinetic stability of electron-positron-ion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishchenko, A.; Zocco, A.; Helander, P.; Könies, A.

2018-02-01

The gyrokinetic stability of electron-positron plasmas contaminated by an ion (proton) admixture is studied in a slab geometry. The appropriate dispersion relation is derived and solved. Stable K-modes, the universal instability, the ion-temperature-gradient-driven instability, the electron-temperature-gradient-driven instability and the shear Alfvén wave are considered. It is found that the contaminated plasma remains stable if the contamination degree is below some threshold and that the shear Alfvén wave can be present in a contaminated plasma in cases where it is absent without ion contamination.

Electron beam extraction on plasma cathode electron sources system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwadi, Agus; Taufik, M., Lely Susita R.; Suprapto, Saefurrochman, H., Anjar A.; Wibowo, Kurnia; Aziz, Ihwanul; Siswanto, Bambang

2017-03-01

ELECTRON BEAM EXTRACTION ON PLASMA CATHODE ELECTRON SOURCES SYSTEM. The electron beam extraction through window of Plasma Generator Chamber (PGC) for Pulsed Electron Irradiator (PEI) device and simulation of plasma potential has been studied. Plasma electron beam is extracted to acceleration region for enlarging their power by the external accelerating high voltage (Vext) and then it is passed foil window of the PEI for being irradiated to any target (atmospheric pressure). Electron beam extraction from plasma surface must be able to overcome potential barrier at the extraction window region which is shown by estimate simulation (Opera program) based on data of plasma surface potential of 150 V with Ueks values are varied by 150 kV, 175 kV and 200 kV respectively. PGC is made of 304 stainless steel with cylindrical shape in 30 cm of diameter, 90 cm length, electrons extraction window as many as 975 holes on the area of (15 × 65) cm2 with extraction hole cell in 0.3 mm of radius each other, an cylindrical shape IEP chamber is made of 304 stainless steel in 70 cm diameter and 30 cm length. The research result shown that the acquisition of electron beam extraction current depends on plasma parameters (electron density ne, temperature Te), accelerating high voltage Vext, the value of discharge parameter G, anode area Sa, electron extraction window area Se and extraction efficiency value α.

Measurements of electron density and temperature profiles in plasma produced by Nike KrF laser for laser plasma instability research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jaechul; Weaver, J. L.; Karasik, M.; Chan, L. Y.

2015-08-01

A grid image refractometer (GIR) has been implemented at the Nike krypton fluoride laser facility of the Naval Research Laboratory. This instrument simultaneously measures propagation angles and transmissions of UV probe rays (λ = 263 nm, Δt = 10 ps) refracted through plasma. We report results of the first Nike-GIR measurement on a CH plasma produced by the Nike laser pulse (˜1 ns FWHM) with the intensity of 1.1 × 1015 W/cm2. The measured angles and transmissions were processed to construct spatial profiles of electron density (ne) and temperature (Te) in the underdense coronal region of the plasma. Using an inversion algorithm developed for the strongly refracted rays, the deployed GIR system probed electron densities up to 4 × 1021 cm-3 with the density scale length of 120 μm along the plasma symmetry axis. The resulting ne and Te profiles are verified to be self-consistent with the measured quantities of the refracted probe light.

Measurements of electron density and temperature profiles in plasma produced by Nike KrF laser for laser plasma instability research.

PubMed

Oh, Jaechul; Weaver, J L; Karasik, M; Chan, L Y

2015-08-01

A grid image refractometer (GIR) has been implemented at the Nike krypton fluoride laser facility of the Naval Research Laboratory. This instrument simultaneously measures propagation angles and transmissions of UV probe rays (λ = 263 nm, Δt = 10 ps) refracted through plasma. We report results of the first Nike-GIR measurement on a CH plasma produced by the Nike laser pulse (∼1 ns FWHM) with the intensity of 1.1 × 10(15) W/cm(2). The measured angles and transmissions were processed to construct spatial profiles of electron density (ne) and temperature (Te) in the underdense coronal region of the plasma. Using an inversion algorithm developed for the strongly refracted rays, the deployed GIR system probed electron densities up to 4 × 10(21) cm(-3) with the density scale length of 120 μm along the plasma symmetry axis. The resulting n(e) and T(e) profiles are verified to be self-consistent with the measured quantities of the refracted probe light.

Electron Plasmas Cooled by Cyclotron-Cavity Resonance

DOE PAGES

Povilus, A. P.; DeTal, N. D.; Evans, L. T.; ...

2016-10-21

We observe that high-Q electromagnetic cavity resonances increase the cyclotron cooling rate of pure electron plasmas held in a Penning-Malmberg trap when the electron cyclotron frequency, controlled by tuning the magnetic field, matches the frequency of standing wave modes in the cavity. For certain modes and trapping configurations, this can increase the cooling rate by factors of 10 or more. In this paper, we investigate the variation of the cooling rate and equilibrium plasma temperatures over a wide range of parameters, including the plasma density, plasma position, electron number, and magnetic field.

Plasma electron analysis: Voyager plasma science experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sittler, E. C., Jr.

1983-01-01

The Plasma Science Experiment (PLS) on the Voyager spacecraft provide data on the plasma ions and electrons in the interplanetary medium and the magnetospheres of the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. A description of the analysis used to obtain electron parameters (density, temperature, etc.) from the plasma science experiment PLS electron measurements which cover the energy range from 10 eV to 5950 eV is presented. The electron sensor (D cup) and its transmission characteristics are described. A derivation of the fundamental analytical expression of the reduced distribution function F(e) is given. The electron distribution function F(e), used in the moment integrations, can be derived from F(e). Positive ions produce a correction current (ion feedthrough) to the measured electron current, which can be important to the measurements of the suprathermal electron component. In the case of Saturn, this correction current, which can either add to or subtract from the measured electron current, is less than 20% of the measured signal at all times. Comments about the corrections introduced by spacecraft charging to the Saturn encounter data, which can be important in regions of high density and shadow when the spacecraft can become negatively charged are introduced.

Finite temperature static charge screening in quantum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliasson, B.; Akbari-Moghanjoughi, M.

2016-07-01

The shielding potential around a test charge is calculated, using the linearized quantum hydrodynamic formulation with the statistical pressure and Bohm potential derived from finite temperature kinetic theory, and the temperature effects on the force between ions is assessed. The derived screening potential covers the full range of electron degeneracy in the equation of state of the plasma electrons. An attractive force between shielded ions in an arbitrary degenerate plasma exists below a critical temperature and density. The effect of the temperature on the screening potential profile qualitatively describes the ion-ion bound interaction strength and length variations. This may be used to investigate physical properties of plasmas and in molecular-dynamics simulations of fermion plasma. It is further shown that the Bohm potential including the kinetic corrections has a profound effect on the Thomson scattering cross section in quantum plasmas with arbitrary degeneracy.

Properties of ion temperature gradient and trapped electron modes in tokamak plasmas with inverted density profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Huarong; Jhang, Hogun; Hahm, T. S.; Dong, J. Q.; Wang, Z. X.

2017-12-01

We perform a numerical study of linear stability of the ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode and the trapped electron mode (TEM) in tokamak plasmas with inverted density profiles. A local gyrokinetic integral equation is applied for this study. From comprehensive parametric scans, we obtain stability diagrams for ITG modes and TEMs in terms of density and temperature gradient scale lengths. The results show that, for the inverted density profile, there exists a normalized threshold temperature gradient above which the ITG mode and the TEM are either separately or simultaneously unstable. The instability threshold of the TEM for the inverted density profile is substantially different from that for normal and flat density profiles. In addition, deviations are found on the ITG threshold from an early analytic theory in sheared slab geometry with the adiabatic electron response [T. S. Hahm and W. M. Tang, Phys. Fluids B 1, 1185 (1989)]. A possible implication of this work on particle transport in pellet fueled tokamak plasmas is discussed.

Dust Acoustic Solitary Waves in Dusty Plasma with Trapped Electrons Having Different Temperature Nonthermal Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deka, Manoj Kr.

2016-12-01

In this report, a detailed investigation on the study of dust acoustics solitary waves solution with negatively dust charge fluctuation in dusty plasma corresponding to lower and higher temperature nonthermal ions with trapped electrons is presented. We consider temporal variation of dust charge as a source of dissipation term to derive the lower order modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation by using the reductive perturbation technique. Solitary wave solution is obtained with the help of sech method in presence of trapped electrons and low (and high) temperature nonthermal ions. Both nonthermality of ions and trapped state of the electrons are found to have an imperative control on the nonlinear coefficient, dissipative coefficient as well as height of the wave potential.

Cyclic evolution of the electron temperature and density in dusty low-pressure radio frequency plasmas with pulsed injection of hexamethyldisiloxane

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

Garofano, V.; Stafford, L., E-mail: luc.stafford@umontreal.ca, E-mail: kremena.makasheva@laplace.univ-tlse.fr; Despax, B.

2015-11-02

Optical emission spectroscopy was used to analyze the very-low-frequency cyclic evolution of the electron energy and density caused by repetitive formation and loss of dust nanoparticles in argon plasmas with pulsed injection of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO, [CH{sub 3}]{sub 6}Si{sub 2}O). After elaborating a Boltzmann diagram for Ar high-lying levels and a collisional-radiative model for Ar 2p (Paschen notation) states, temperatures characterizing the low- and high-energy parts of the electron population were calculated. Relative electron densities were also estimated from relative line emission intensities. Both temperatures increase when the dust occupation increases, and then decrease when dust is lost. The opposite trendmore » was observed for the electron density. Such cyclic behaviors of the electron energy and electron density in the HMDSO-containing plasmas are in good agreement with the evolution processes in dusty plasmas, in which the formation of negative ions followed by an electron attachment on the surfaces of the nanoparticles is a critical phenomenon driving dust growth.« less

Nonlinear structure formation in ion-temperature-gradient driven drift waves in pair-ion plasma with nonthermal electron distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razzaq, Javaria; Haque, Q.; Khan, Majid; Bhatti, Adnan Mehmood; Kamran, M.; Mirza, Arshad M.

2018-02-01

Nonlinear structure formation in ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven waves is investigated in pair-ion plasma comprising ions and nonthermal electrons (kappa, Cairns). By using the transport equations of the Braginskii model, a new set of nonlinear equations are derived. A linear dispersion relation is obtained and discussed analytically as well as numerically. It is shown that the nonthermal population of electrons affects both the linear and nonlinear characteristics of the ITG mode in pair-ion plasma. This work will be useful in tokamaks and stellarators where non-Maxwellian population of electrons may exist due to resonant frequency heating, electron cyclotron heating, runaway electrons, etc.

Electron density and electron temperature measurement in a bi-Maxwellian electron distribution using a derivative method of Langmuir probes

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

Choi, Ikjin; Chung, ChinWook; Youn Moon, Se

2013-08-15

In plasma diagnostics with a single Langmuir probe, the electron temperature T{sub e} is usually obtained from the slope of the logarithm of the electron current or from the electron energy probability functions of current (I)-voltage (V) curve. Recently, Chen [F. F. Chen, Phys. Plasmas 8, 3029 (2001)] suggested a derivative analysis method to obtain T{sub e} by the ratio between the probe current and the derivative of the probe current at a plasma potential where the ion current becomes zero. Based on this method, electron temperatures and electron densities were measured and compared with those from the electron energymore » distribution function (EEDF) measurement in Maxwellian and bi-Maxwellian electron distribution conditions. In a bi-Maxwellian electron distribution, we found the electron temperature T{sub e} obtained from the method is always lower than the effective temperatures T{sub eff} derived from EEDFs. The theoretical analysis for this is presented.« less

Filtering peripheral high temperature electrons in a cylindrical rf-driven plasmas by an axisymmetric radial magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akahoshi, Hikaru; Takahashi, Kazunori; Ando, Akira

2018-03-01

High temperature electrons generated near a radial wall of a cylindrical source tube in a radiofrequency (rf) inductively-coupled plasma is filtered by an axisymmetric radial magnetic field formed near the source exit by locating annular permanent magnets, where the axial magnetic field strength in the radially central region is fairly uniform inside the source tube and is close to zero near the source exit. The source is operated at 3 mTorr in argon and the rf antenna is powered by a 13.56 MHz and 400 W rf generator. Measurement of electron energy probability functions shows the presence of the peripheral high temperature electrons inside the source, while the temperature of the peripheral electrons downstream of the source is observed to be reduced.

Impact of Pre-Plasma on Electron Generation and Transport in Laser Plasma Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peebles, Jonathan Lee

Relativistic laser plasma interactions in conjunction with an underdense pre-plasma have been shown to generate a two temperature component electron spectrum. The lower temperature component described by "ponderomotive scaling'" is relatively well known and understood and is useful for applications such as the fast ignition inertial confinement fusion scheme. The higher energy electrons generated due to pre-plasma are denoted as "super-ponderomotive" electrons and facilitate interesting and useful applications. These include but are not limited to table top particle acceleration and generating high energy protons, x-rays and neutrons from secondary interactions. This dissertation describes experimental and particle-in-cell computational studies of the electron spectra produced from interactions between short pulse high intensity lasers and controlled pre-plasma conditions. Experiments were conducted at 3 laser labs: Texas Petawatt (University of Texas at Austin), Titan (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) and OMEGA-EP (University of Rochester). These lasers have different capabilities, and multiple experiments were carried out in order to fully understand super-ponderomotive electron generation and transport in the high intensity laser regime (I > 1018 W/cm2). In these experiments, an additional secondary long pulse beam was used to generate different scale lengths of "injected" pre-plasma while the pulse length and intensity of the short pulse beam were varied. The temperature and quantity of super-ponderomotive electrons were monitored with magnetic spectrometers and inferred via bremsstrahlung spectrometers while trajectory was estimated via Cu-Kalpha imaging. The experimental and simulation data show that super-ponderomotive electrons require pulse lengths of at least 450 fs to be accelerated and that higher intensity interactions generate large magnetic fields which cause severe deflection of the super-ponderomotive electrons. Laser incidence angle is

Magnetic shear effects on plasma transport and turbulence at high electron to ion temperature ratio in DIII-D and JT-60U plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, M.; McKee, G. R.; Murakami, M.; Grierson, B. A.; Nakata, M.; Davis, E. M.; Marinoni, A.; Ono, M.; Rhodes, T. L.; Sung, C.; Schmitz, L.; Petty, C. C.; Ferron, J. R.; Turco, F.; Garofalo, A. M.; Holcomb, C. T.; Collins, C. M.; Solomon, W. M.

2017-05-01

Negative magnetic shear has been demonstrated in DIII-D and JT-60U to mitigate the confinement degradation typically observed with increasing the electron to ion temperature ratio (T e/T i). In recent experiments in DIII-D negative central magnetic shear (NCS) discharges, the thermal transport in the internal transport barrier formed around the radius of the minimum safety factor (q min) remained almost constant and modestly increased in the region outside of q min compared to the positive shear (PS) case, when T e/T i increased from about 0.8 to 1.1 through electron cyclotron heating (ECH). The benefit of NCS extending into the region outside of q min can be explained by the lower magnetic shear in the NCS plasma over the plasma radius relative to the PS plasma. Reduced confinement degradation at high T e/T i with NCS plasmas was commonly observed in DIII-D and JT-60U. The mechanism of the different transport responses between the NCS and PS plasmas has been assessed in terms of fluctuation measurements and gyrokinetic simulations in DIII-D; NCS gave a smaller rise in the low-wavenumber broadband turbulent fluctuations with the increase in T e/T i compared with the PS case. This is consistent with gyrokinetic simulations, which show a smaller rise in the growth rates of the ion temperature gradient mode in the NCS plasmas, with increasing T e/T i. Gyrokinetic simulations also showed a change in the stability of the electron modes with ECH applied, consistent with higher-wavenumber fluctuation measurements, although more detailed simulations are needed to give a quantitative explanation for the experimental observations. Control of q-profile and magnetic shear will allow confinement improvement in future machines with dominant electron heating.

Magnetic shear effects on plasma transport and turbulence at high electron to ion temperature ratio in DIII-D and JT-60U plasmas

DOE PAGES

Yoshida, Maiko; McKee, George R.; Murakami, Masanori; ...

2017-03-30

We demonstrated negative magnetic shear in DIII-D and JT-60U in order to mitigate the confinement degradation typically observed with increasing the electron to ion temperature ratio (T-e/T-i). In recent experiments in DIII-D negative central magnetic shear (NCS) discharges, the thermal transport in the internal transport barrier formed around the radius of the minimum safety factor (q(min)) remained almost constant and modestly increased in the region outside of q(min) compared to the positive shear (PS) case, when T-e/T-i increased from about 0.8 to 1.1 through electron cyclotron heating (ECH). The benefit of NCS extending into the region outside of qmin canmore » be explained by the lower magnetic shear in the NCS plasma over the plasma radius relative to the PS plasma. Reduced confinement degradation at high T-e/T-i with NCS plasmas was commonly observed in DIII-D and JT-60U. Furthermore, the mechanism of the different transport responses between the NCS and PS plasmas has been assessed in terms of fluctuation measurements and gyrokinetic simulations in DIII-D; NCS gave a smaller rise in the low-wavenumber broadband turbulent fluctuations with the increase in T-e/T-i compared with the PS case. This is consistent with gyrokinetic simulations, and this shows a smaller rise in the growth rates of the ion temperature gradient mode in the NCS plasmas, with increasing T-e/T-i. Gyrokinetic simulations also showed a change in the stability of the electron modes with ECH applied, consistent with higher-wavenumber fluctuation measurements, although more detailed simulations are needed to give a quantitative explanation for the experimental observations. Control of q-profile and magnetic shear will allow confinement improvement in future machines with dominant electron heating.« less

Non-monotonic behavior of electron temperature in argon inductively coupled plasma and its analysis via novel electron mean energy equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Shu-Xia

2018-03-01

In this work, the behavior of electron temperature against the power in argon inductively coupled plasma is investigated by a fluid model. The model properly reproduces the non-monotonic variation of temperature with power observed in experiments. By means of a novel electron mean energy equation proposed for the first time in this article, this electron temperature behavior is interpreted. In the overall considered power range, the skin effect of radio frequency electric field results in localized deposited power density, responsible for an increase of electron temperature with power by means of one parameter defined as power density divided by electron density. At low powers, the rate fraction of multistep and Penning ionizations of metastables that consume electron energy two times significantly increases with power, which dominates over the skin effect and consequently leads to the decrease of temperature with power. In the middle power regime, a transition region of temperature is given by the competition between the ionizing effect of metastables and the skin effect of electric field. The power location where the temperature alters its trend moves to the low power end as increasing the pressure due to the lack of metastables. The non-monotonic curve of temperature is asymmetric at the short chamber due to the weak role of skin effect in increasing the temperature and tends symmetric when axially prolonging the chamber. Still, the validity of the fluid model in this prediction is estimated and the role of neutral gas heating is guessed. This finding is helpful for people understanding the different trends of temperature with power in the literature.

Kinetic Temperature and Electron Density Measurement in an Inductively Coupled Plasma Torch using Degenerate Four-Wave Mixing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schafer, Julia; Lyons, Wendy; Tong, WIlliam G.; Danehy, Paul M.

2008-01-01

Laser wave mixing is presented as an effective technique for spatially resolved kinetic temperature measurements in an atmospheric-pressure radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma. Measurements are performed in a 1 kW, 27 MHz RF plasma using a continuous-wave, tunable 811.5-nm diode laser to excite the 4s(sup 3)P2 approaches 4p(sup 3)D3 argon transition. Kinetic temperature measurements are made at five radial steps from the center of the torch and at four different torch heights. The kinetic temperature is determined by measuring simultaneously the line shape of the sub-Doppler backward phase-conjugate degenerate four-wave mixing and the Doppler-broadened forward-scattering degenerate four-wave mixing. The temperature measurements result in a range of 3,500 to 14,000 K+/-150 K. Electron densities measured range from 6.1 (+/-0.3) x 10(exp 15)/cu cm to 10.1 (+/-0.3) x 10(exp 15)/cu cm. The experimental spectra are analyzed using a perturbative treatment of the backward phase-conjugate and forward-geometry wave-mixing theory. Stark width is determined from the collisional broadening measured in the phase-conjugate geometry. Electron density measurements are made based on the Stark width. The kinetic temperature of the plasma was found to be more than halved by adding deionized water through the nebulizer.

Diagnosing pure-electron plasmas with internal particle flux probes.

PubMed

Kremer, J P; Pedersen, T Sunn; Marksteiner, Q; Lefrancois, R G; Hahn, M

2007-01-01

Techniques for measuring local plasma potential, density, and temperature of pure-electron plasmas using emissive and Langmuir probes are described. The plasma potential is measured as the least negative potential at which a hot tungsten filament emits electrons. Temperature is measured, as is commonly done in quasineutral plasmas, through the interpretation of a Langmuir probe current-voltage characteristic. Due to the lack of ion-saturation current, the density must also be measured through the interpretation of this characteristic thereby greatly complicating the measurement. Measurements are further complicated by low densities, low cross field transport rates, and large flows typical of pure-electron plasmas. This article describes the use of these techniques on pure-electron plasmas in the Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) stellarator. Measured values for present baseline experimental parameters in CNT are phi(p)=-200+/-2 V, T(e)=4+/-1 eV, and n(e) on the order of 10(12) m(-3) in the interior.

Effect of ion temperature on ion-acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma in presence of superthermal electrons

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

Singh, S. V.; Devanandhan, S.; Lakhina, G. S.

2013-01-15

Obliquely propagating ion-acoustic soliatry waves are examined in a magnetized plasma composed of kappa distributed electrons and fluid ions with finite temperature. The Sagdeev potential approach is used to study the properties of finite amplitude solitary waves. Using a quasi-neutrality condition, it is possible to reduce the set of equations to a single equation (energy integral equation), which describes the evolution of ion-acoustic solitary waves in magnetized plasmas. The temperature of warm ions affects the speed, amplitude, width, and pulse duration of solitons. Both the critical and the upper Mach numbers are increased by an increase in the ion temperature.more » The ion-acoustic soliton amplitude increases with the increase in superthermality of electrons. For auroral plasma parameters, the model predicts the soliton speed, amplitude, width, and pulse duration, respectively, to be in the range of (28.7-31.8) km/s, (0.18-20.1) mV/m; (590-167) m, and (20.5-5.25) ms, which are in good agreement with Viking observations.« less

Electron density measurements in STPX plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Jerry; Williams, R.; Titus, J. B.; Mezonlin, E. D.; Akpovo, C.; Thomas, E.

2017-10-01

Diagnostics have been installed to measure the electron density of Spheromak Turbulent Physics Experiment (STPX) plasmas at Florida A. & M. University. An insertable probe, provided by Auburn University, consisting of a combination of a triple-tipped Langmuir probe and a radial array consisting of three ion saturation current / floating potential rings has been installed to measure instantaneous plasma density, temperature and plasma potential. As the ramp-up of the experimental program commences, initial electron density measurements from the triple-probe show that the electron density is on the order of 1019 particles/m3. For a passive measurement, a CO2 interferometer system has been designed and installed for measuring line-averaged densities and to corroborate the Langmuir measurements. We describe the design, calibration, and performance of these diagnostic systems on large volume STPX plasmas.

Electron-cyclotron absorption in high-temperature plasmas: quasi-exact analytical evaluation and comparative numerical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albajar, F.; Bertelli, N.; Bornatici, M.; Engelmann, F.

2007-01-01

On the basis of the electromagnetic energy balance equation, a quasi-exact analytical evaluation of the electron-cyclotron (EC) absorption coefficient is performed for arbitrary propagation (with respect to the magnetic field) in a (Maxwellian) magneto-plasma for the temperature range of interest for fusion reactors (in which EC radiation losses tend to be important in the plasma power balance). The calculation makes use of Bateman's expansion for the product of two Bessel functions, retaining the lowest-order contribution. The integration over electron momentum can then be carried out analytically, fully accounting for finite Larmor radius effects in this approximation. On the basis of the analytical expressions for the EC absorption coefficients of both the extraordinary and ordinary modes thus obtained, (i) for the case of perpendicular propagation simple formulae are derived for both modes and (ii) a numerical analysis of the angular distribution of EC absorption is carried out. An assessment of the accuracy of asymptotic expressions that have been given earlier is also performed, showing that these approximations can be usefully applied for calculating EC power losses from reactor-grade plasmas. Presented in part at the 14th Joint Workshop on Electron Cyclotron Emission and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating, Santorini, Greece, 9-12 May 2006.

Nonlinear magnetic electron tripolar vortices in streaming plasmas.

PubMed

Vranjes, J; Marić, G; Shukla, P K

2000-06-01

Magnetic electron modes in nonuniform magnetized and unmagnetized streaming plasmas, with characteristic frequencies between the ion and electron plasma frequencies and at spatial scales of the order of the collisionless skin depth, are studied. Two coupled equations, for the perturbed (in the case of magnetized plasma) or self-generated (for the unmagnetized plasma case) magnetic field, and the temperature, are solved in the strongly nonlinear regime and stationary traveling solutions in the form of tripolar vortices are found.

Electron temperature differences and double layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, C.; Hershkowitz, N.; Lonngren, K. E.

1983-01-01

Electron temperature differences across plasma double layers are studied experimentally. It is shown that the temperature differences across a double layer can be varied and are not a result of thermalization of the bump-on-tail distribution. The implications of these results for electron thermal energy transport in laser-pellet and tandem-mirror experiments are also discussed.

Adiabatic electron thermal pressure fluctuations in tokamak plasmas.

PubMed

Meier, M A; Bengtson, R D; Hallock, G A; Wootton, A J

2001-08-20

Electron thermal pressure fluctuations measured in the edge plasma of the Texas Experimental Tokamak Upgrade are a fundamental component of plasma turbulence on both sides of the velocity shear layer. The ratio of specific heats, estimated from fluctuations in electron temperature and electron number density measured simultaneously at the same electrode, indicates that observed fluctuations are adiabatic. The observations are made by means of a novel Langmuir probe technique, the time domain triple-probe method, which concurrently measures multiple plasma properties at each of two electrodes with the temporal and the spatial resolution required to estimate thermodynamic properties in a turbulent plasma.

Velocity distribution of electrons in time-varying low-temperature plasmas: progress in theoretical procedures over the past 70 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makabe, Toshiaki

2018-03-01

A time-varying low-temperature plasma sustained by electrical powers with various kinds of fRequencies has played a key role in the historical development of new technologies, such as gas lasers, ozonizers, micro display panels, dry processing of materials, medical care, and so on, since World War II. Electrons in a time-modulated low-temperature plasma have a proper velocity spectrum, i.e. velocity distribution dependent on the microscopic quantum characteristics of the feed gas molecule and on the external field strength and the frequency. In order to solve and evaluate the time-varying velocity distribution, we have mostly two types of theoretical methods based on the classical and linear Boltzmann equations, namely, the expansion method using the orthogonal function and the procedure of non-expansional temporal evolution. Both methods have been developed discontinuously and progressively in synchronization with those technological developments. In this review, we will explore the historical development of the theoretical procedure to evaluate the electron velocity distribution in a time-varying low-temperature plasma over the past 70 years.

Foundations of low-temperature plasma physics—an introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Keudell, A.; Schulz-von der Gathen, V.

2017-11-01

The use of plasmas as a reactive mixture of ions, electrons and neutrals is at the core of numerous technologies in industry, enabling applications in microelectronics, automotives, packaging, environment and medicine. Recently, even the use of plasmas in medical applications has made great progress. The dominant character of a plasma is often its non equilibrium nature with different temperatures for the individual species in a plasma, the ions, electrons and neutrals. This opens up a multitude of reaction pathways which are inaccessible to conventional methods in chemistry, for example. The understanding of plasmas requires expertise in plasma physics, plasma chemistry and in electrical engineering. This first paper in a series of foundation papers on low temperature plasma science is intended to provide the very basics of plasmas as a common starting point for the more in-depth discussion of particular plasma generation methods, plasma modeling and diagnostics in the other foundation papers. In this first paper of the series, the common terminology, definitions and main concepts are introduced. The covered aspects start with the basic definitions and include further plasma equilibria, particle collisions and transport, sheaths and discharge breakdowns.

Electron temperature response to ECRH on FTU tokamak in transient conditions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacchia, A.; Bruschi, A.; Cirant, S.; Granucci, G.; Sozzi, C.; de Luca, F.; Amadeo, P.; Bracco, G.; Tudisco, O.

2001-10-01

Steady-state electron heat transport analysis of FTU high density plasmas under Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECRH) shows "stiff" electron temperature profiles [1,2,3]. Plasma response to off-axis EC heating, in fact, exibits a lower limit to electron temperature gradient length, Lc , below which electron thermal conductivity switches to higher values. Stiffness, however, is attenuated in the plasma core of saw-tooth free discharges with flat-hollow temperature profile and during current ramp-up [3,4,5], in which cases the temperature gradient length can be brought to very low values by means of on-axis ECH. Steady and current ramp-up discharges probed by steady and modulated ECH are analyzed in terms of stiffnes. Critical gradient length dependence on local features of computed current density profile is discussed. [1] Sozzi, C. et al., Paper EXP5/13, Plasma Phys. Contr. Fus. Res., Proc.18th IAEA Conf., Sorrento, 2000. [2] Jacchia, A. et al. Topical Conference on Radio Frequency Power in Plasmas, Oxnard, USA, (2001). [3] Cirant, S. et al. Topical Conference on Radio Frequency Power in Plasmas, Oxnard, USA, (2001). [4] Sozzi, C. et al., EPS, Madeira 2001. [5] Bracco, G. et al.,Plasma Phys. Contr. Fus. Res., Proc.18th IAEA Conf., Sorrento, 2000.

Thermodynamic properties and transport coefficients of two-temperature helium thermal plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiaoxue; Murphy, Anthony B.; Li, Xingwen

2017-03-01

Helium thermal plasmas are in widespread use in arc welding and many other industrial applications. Simulation of these processes relies on accurate plasma property data, such as plasma composition, thermodynamic properties and transport coefficients. Departures from LTE (local thermodynamic equilibrium) generally occur in some regions of helium plasmas. In this paper, properties are calculated allowing for different values of the electron temperature, T e, and heavy-species temperature, T h, at atmospheric pressure from 300 K to 30 000 K. The plasma composition is first calculated using the mass action law, and the two-temperature thermodynamic properties are then derived. The viscosity, diffusion coefficients, electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity of the two-temperature helium thermal plasma are obtained using a recently-developed method that retains coupling between electrons and heavy species by including the electron-heavy-species collision term in the heavy-species Boltzmann equation. It is shown that the viscosity and the diffusion coefficients strongly depend on non-equilibrium ratio θ (θ ={{T}\\text{e}}/{{T}\\text{h}} ), through the plasma composition and the collision integrals. The electrical conductivity, which depends on the electron number density and ordinary diffusion coefficients, and the thermal conductivity have similar dependencies. The choice of definition of the Debye length is shown to affect the electrical conductivity significantly for θ  >  1. By comparing with literature data, it is shown that the coupling between electrons and heavy species has a significant influence on the electrical conductivity, but not on the viscosity. Plasma properties are tabulated in the supplementary data.

Scattering of magnetized electrons at the boundary of low temperature plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krüger, Dennis; Trieschmann, Jan; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter

2018-02-01

Magnetized technological plasmas with magnetic fields of 10-200 mT, plasma densities of 1017-1019 m-3, gas pressures of less than 1 Pa, and electron energies from a few to (at most) a few hundred electron volts are characterized by electron Larmor radii r L, that are small compared to all other length scales of the system, including the spatial scale L of the magnetic field and the collisional mean free path λ. In this regime, the classical drift approximation applies. In the boundary sheath of these discharges, however, that approximation breaks down: The sheath penetration depth of electrons (a few to some ten Debye length λ D; depending on the kinetic energy; typically much smaller than the sheath thickness of tens/hundreds of λ D) is even smaller than r L. For a model description of the electron dynamics, an appropriate boundary condition for the plasma/sheath interface is required. To develop such, the interaction of magnetized electrons with the boundary sheath is investigated using a 3D kinetic single electron model that sets the larger scales L and λ to infinity, i.e. neglects magnetic field gradients, the electric field in the bulk, and collisions. A detailed comparison of the interaction for a Bohm sheath (which assumes a finite Debye length) and a hard wall model (representing the limit {λ }{{D}}\\to 0; also called the specular reflection model) is conducted. Both models are found to be in remarkable agreement with respect to the sheath-induced drift. It is concluded that the assumption of specular reflection can be used as a valid boundary condition for more realistic kinetic models of magnetized technological plasmas.

Kinetic electron model for plasma thruster plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merino, Mario; Mauriño, Javier; Ahedo, Eduardo

2018-03-01

A paraxial model of an unmagnetized, collisionless plasma plume expanding into vacuum is presented. Electrons are treated kinetically, relying on the adiabatic invariance of their radial action integral for the integration of Vlasov's equation, whereas ions are treated as a cold species. The quasi-2D plasma density, self-consistent electric potential, and electron pressure, temperature, and heat fluxes are analyzed. In particular, the model yields the collisionless cooling of electrons, which differs from the Boltzmann relation and the simple polytropic laws usually employed in fluid and hybrid PIC/fluid plume codes.

Ion Temperature Control of the Io Plasma Torus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delamere, P. A.; Schneider, N. M.; Steffl, A. J.; Robbins, S. J.

2005-01-01

We report on observational and theoretical studies of ion temperature in the Io plasma torus. Ion temperature is a critical factor for two reasons. First, ions are a major supplier of energy to the torus electrons which power the intense EUV emissions. Second, ion temperature determines the vertical extent of plasma along field lines. Higher temperatures spread plasma out, lowers the density and slows reaction rates. The combined effects can play a controlling role in torus energetics and chemistry. An unexpected tool for the study of ion temperature is the longitudinal structure in the plasma torus which often manifests itself as periodic brightness variations. Opposite sides of the torus (especially magnetic longitudes 20 and 200 degrees) have been observed on numerous occasions to have dramatically different brightness, density, composition, ionization state, electron temperature and ion temperature. These asymmetries must ultimately be driven by different energy flows on the opposite sides, presenting an opportunity to observe key torus processes operating under different conditions. The most comprehensive dataset for the study of longitudinal variations was obtained by the Cassini UVIS instrument during its Jupiter flyby. Steffl (Ph.D. thesis, 2005) identified longitudinal variations in all the quantities listed above wit the exception of ion temperature. We extend his work by undertaking the first search for such variation in the UVIS dataset. We also report on a 'square centimeter' model of the torus which extend the traditional 'cubic centimeter' models by including the controlling effects of ion temperature more completely.

Measurements of hot-electron temperature in laser-irradiated plasmas

DOE PAGES

Solodov, A. A.; Yaakobi, B.; Edgell, D. H.; ...

2016-10-26

In a recently published work 1–3 we reported on measuring the total energy of hot electrons produced by the interaction of a nanosecond laser with planar CH-coated molybdenum targets, using the Mo K α emission. The temperature of the hot electrons in that work was determined by the high-energy bremsstrahlung [hard x-ray (HXR)] spectrum measured by a three-channel fluorescence-photomultiplier detector (HXRD). In the present work, we replaced the HXRD with a nine-channel image-plate (IP)–based detector (HXIP). For the same conditions (irradiance of the order of 10 14 W/cm 2; 2-ns pulses) the measured temperatures are consistently lower than those measuredmore » by the HXRD (by a factor ~1.5 to 1.7). In addition, we supplemented this measurement with three experiments that measure the hot-electron temperature using K α line-intensity ratios from high-Z target layers, independent of the HXR emission. These experiments yielded temperatures that were consistent with those measured by the HXIP. We showed that the thermal x-ray radiation must be included in the derivation of total energy in hot electrons (E hot), and that this makes E hot only weakly dependent on hot-electron temperature. For a given x-ray emission in inertial confinement fusion compression experiments, this result would lead to a higher total energy in hot electrons, but the preheat of the compressed fuel may be lower because of the reduced hot-electron range.« less

Measurements of hot-electron temperature in laser-irradiated plasmas

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

Solodov, A. A.; Yaakobi, B.; Edgell, D. H.

In a recently published work 1–3 we reported on measuring the total energy of hot electrons produced by the interaction of a nanosecond laser with planar CH-coated molybdenum targets, using the Mo K α emission. The temperature of the hot electrons in that work was determined by the high-energy bremsstrahlung [hard x-ray (HXR)] spectrum measured by a three-channel fluorescence-photomultiplier detector (HXRD). In the present work, we replaced the HXRD with a nine-channel image-plate (IP)–based detector (HXIP). For the same conditions (irradiance of the order of 10 14 W/cm 2; 2-ns pulses) the measured temperatures are consistently lower than those measuredmore » by the HXRD (by a factor ~1.5 to 1.7). In addition, we supplemented this measurement with three experiments that measure the hot-electron temperature using K α line-intensity ratios from high-Z target layers, independent of the HXR emission. These experiments yielded temperatures that were consistent with those measured by the HXIP. We showed that the thermal x-ray radiation must be included in the derivation of total energy in hot electrons (E hot), and that this makes E hot only weakly dependent on hot-electron temperature. For a given x-ray emission in inertial confinement fusion compression experiments, this result would lead to a higher total energy in hot electrons, but the preheat of the compressed fuel may be lower because of the reduced hot-electron range.« less

Influence of electron injection into 27 cm audio plasma cell on the plasma diagnostics

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

Haleem, N. A.; Ragheb, M. S.; Zakhary, S. G.

2013-08-15

In this article, the plasma is created in a Pyrex tube (L = 27 cm, φ= 4 cm) as a single cell, by a capacitive audio frequency (AF) discharge (f = 10–100 kHz), at a definite pressure of ∼0.2 Torr. A couple of tube linear and deviating arrangements show plasma characteristic conformity. The applied AF plasma and the injection of electrons into two gas mediums Ar and N{sub 2} revealed the increase of electron density at distinct tube regions by one order to attain 10{sup 13}/cm{sup 3}. The electrons temperature and density strengths are in contrast to each other. Whilemore » their distributions differ along the plasma tube length, they show a decaying sinusoidal shape where their peaks position varies by the gas type. The electrons injection moderates electron temperature and expands their density. The later highest peak holds for the N{sub 2} gas, at electrons injection it changes to hold for the Ar. The sinusoidal decaying density behavior generates electric fields depending on the gas used and independent of tube geometry. The effect of the injected electrons performs a responsive impact on electrons density not attributed to the gas discharge. Analytical tools investigate the interaction of the plasma, the discharge current, and the gas used on the electrodes. It points to the emigration of atoms from each one but for greater majority they behave to a preferred direction. Meanwhile, only in the linear regime, small percentage of atoms still moves in reverse direction. Traces of gas atoms revealed on both electrodes due to sheath regions denote lack of their participation in the discharge current. In addition, atoms travel from one electrode to the other by overcoming the sheaths regions occurring transportation of particles agglomeration from one electrode to the other. The electrons injection has contributed to increase the plasma electron density peaks. These electrons populations have raised the generated electrostatic fields assisting the elemental ions

Survey of the plasma electron environment of Jupiter: A view from Voyager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scudder, J. D.; Sittler, E. C., Jr.; Bridge, H. S.

1980-01-01

The plasma environment within Jupiter's bow shock is considered in terms of the in situ, calibrated electron plasma measurements made between 10 eV and 5.95 keV by the Voyager plasma science experiment (PLS). Measurements were analyzed and corrected for spacecraft potential variations; the data were reduced to nearly model independent macroscopic parameters of the local electron density and temperature. It is tentatively concluded that the radial temperature profile within the plasma sheet is caused by the intermixing of two different electron populations that probably have different temporal histories and spatial paths to their local observation. The cool plasma source of the plasma sheet and spikes is probably the Io plasma torus and arrives in the plasma sheet as a result of flux tube interchange motions or other generalized transport which can be accomplished without diverting the plasma from the centrifugal equator. The hot suprathermal populations in the plasma sheet have most recently come from the sparse, hot mid-latitude "bath" of electrons which were directly observed juxtaposed to the plasma sheet.

Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award Talk: Simultaneous Measurement of Electron Temperature and Density Fluctuations in the Core of DIII-D Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, A. E.

2009-11-01

Multi-field fluctuation measurements provide opportunities for rigorous comparison between experiment and nonlinear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. A unique set of diagnostics on DIII-D allows for simultaneous study of local, long-wavelength (0 < kθρs< 0.5) electron temperature and density fluctuations in the core plasma (0.4 < ρ< 0.8). Previous experiments in L-mode indicate that normalized electron temperature fluctuation levels (40 < f < 400,kHz) increase with radius from ˜0.4% at ρ= 0.5 to ˜2% at ρ=0.8, similar to simultaneously measured density fluctuations. Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is used to increase Te, which increases electron temperature fluctuation levels and electron heat transport in the experiments. In contrast, long wavelength density fluctuation levels change very little. The different responses are consistent with increased TEM drive relative to ITG-mode drive. A new capability at DIII-D is the measurement of phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations using coupled correlation electron cyclotron emission radiometer and reflectometer diagnostics. Linear and nonlinear GYRO runs have been used to design validation experiments that focus on measurements of the phase angle. GYRO shows that if Te and ∇Te increase 50% in a beam-heated L-mode plasma (ρ=0.5), then the phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations decreases 30%-50% and electron temperature fluctuation levels increase a factor of two more than density fluctuations. Comparisons between these predictions and experimental results will be presented.

Ion and electron temperatures in the SUMMA mirror device by emission spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patch, R. W.; Voss, D. E.; Reinmann, J. J.; Snyder, A.

1974-01-01

Ion and electron temperatures, and ion drift were measured in a superconducting magnetic mirror apparatus by observing the Doppler-broadened charge-exchange component of the 667.8 and 587.6 nanometer He lines in He plasma, and the H sub alpha and H sub beta lines in H2 plasma. The second moment of the line profiles was used as the parameter for determining ion temperature. Corrections for magnetic splitting, fine structure, monochromator slit function, and variation in charge-exchange cross section with energy are included. Electron temperatures were measured by the line ratio method for the corona model, and correlations of ion and electron temperatures with plasma parameters are presented.

Reduced model prediction of electron temperature profiles in microtearing-dominated National Spherical Torus eXperiment plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaye, S. M.; Guttenfelder, W.; Bell, R. E.; Gerhardt, S. P.; LeBlanc, B. P.; Maingi, R.

2014-08-01

A representative H-mode discharge from the National Spherical Torus eXperiment is studied in detail to utilize it as a basis for a time-evolving prediction of the electron temperature profile using an appropriate reduced transport model. The time evolution of characteristic plasma variables such as β e , νe ∗ , the MHD α parameter, and the gradient scale lengths of Te, Ti, and ne were examined as a prelude to performing linear gyrokinetic calculations to determine the fastest growing micro instability at various times and locations throughout the discharge. The inferences from the parameter evolutions and the linear stability calculations were consistent. Early in the discharge, when βe and νe ∗ were relatively low, ballooning parity modes were dominant. As time progressed and both βe and νe ∗ increased, microtearing became the dominant low-kθ mode, especially in the outer half of the plasma. There are instances in time and radius, however, where other modes, at higher-kθ, may, in addition to microtearing, be important for driving electron transport. Given these results, the Rebut-Lallia-Watkins (RLW) electron thermal diffusivity model, which is based on microtearing-induced transport, was used to predict the time-evolving electron temperature across most of the profile. The results indicate that RLW does a good job of predicting Te for times and locations where microtearing was determined to be important, but not as well when microtearing was predicted to be stable or subdominant.

Long-term stability of the Io high-temperature plasma torus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moos, H. W.; Skinner, T. E.; Durrance, S. T.; Feldman, P. D.; Festou, M. C.

1985-01-01

The short wavelength camera of the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite was used to measure S II 1256, S III 1199, semiforbidden S III 1729, and semiforbidden S IV 1406 emission from the high-temperature region of the Io plasma torus. Observations over a period of five years (1979-1984) indicate that the Io plasma parameters have relatively small variations, particularly in the case of the mixing ratio for the dominant constituent S(++), and electron temperature. A simple three-dimensional model of the plasma torus was used to obtain the ion mixing ratios and the plasma density for each observation. The results are compared with Voyager 1 data for mixing ratio (ion density divided by electron density); ionization balance; and plasma density. The results of the comparison are discussed in detail.

A compact new incoherent Thomson scattering diagnostic for low-temperature plasma studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Benjamin; Tsikata, Sedina; Mazouffre, Stéphane; Minea, Tiberiu; Fils, Jérôme

2018-05-01

Incoherent Thomson scattering (ITS) has a long history of application for the determination of electron density and temperature in dense fusion plasmas, and in recent years, has been increasingly extended to studies in low-temperature plasma environments. In this work, the design and preliminary implementation of a new, sensitive and uniquely compact ITS platform known as Thomson scattering experiments for low temperature ion sources are described. Measurements have been performed on a hollow cathode plasma source, providing access to electron densities as low as 1016 m‑3 and electron temperatures of a few eV and below. This achievement has been made possible by the implementation of a narrow volume Bragg grating notch filter for the attenuation of stray light, a feature which guarantees compactness and reduced transmission losses in comparison to standard ITS platforms.

Effect of electron temperature on small-amplitude electron acoustic solitary waves in non-planar geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansal, Sona; Aggarwal, Munish; Gill, Tarsem Singh

2018-04-01

Effects of electron temperature on the propagation of electron acoustic solitary waves in plasma with stationary ions, cold and superthermal hot electrons is investigated in non-planar geometry employing reductive perturbation method. Modified Korteweg-de Vries equation is derived in the small amplitude approximation limit. The analytical and numerical calculations of the KdV equation reveal that the phase velocity of the electron acoustic waves increases as one goes from planar to non planar geometry. It is shown that the electron temperature ratio changes the width and amplitude of the solitary waves and when electron temperature is not taken into account,our results completely agree with the results of Javidan & Pakzad (2012). It is found that at small values of τ , solitary wave structures behave differently in cylindrical ( {m} = 1), spherical ( {m} = 2) and planar geometry ( {m} = 0) but looks similar at large values of τ . These results may be useful to understand the solitary wave characteristics in laboratory and space environments where the plasma have multiple temperature electrons.

Parametric dependence of ion temperature and electron density in the SUMMA hot-ion plasma using laser light scattering and emission spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, A.; Patch, R. W.; Lauver, M. R.

1980-01-01

Hot-ion plasma experiments were conducted in the NASA Lewis SUMMA facility. A steady-state modified Penning discharge was formed by applying a radially inward dc electric field of several kilovolts near the magnetic mirror maxima. Results are reported for a hydrogen plasma covering a wide range in midplane magnetic flux densities from 0.5 to 3.37 T. Input power greater than 45 kW was obtained with water-cooled cathodes. Steady-state plasmas with ion kinetic temperatures from 18 to 830 eV were produced and measured spectroscopically. These ion temperatures were correlated with current, voltage, and magnetic flux density as the independent variables. Electron density measurements were made using an unusually sensitive Thomson scattering apparatus. The measured electron densities range from 2.1 x 10 to the 11th to 6.8 x 10 to the 12th per cu cm.

dc-plasma-sprayed electronic-tube device

DOEpatents

Meek, T.T.

1982-01-29

An electronic tube and associated circuitry which is produced by dc plasma arc spraying techniques is described. The process is carried out in a single step automated process whereby both active and passive devices are produced at very low cost. The circuitry is extremely reliable and is capable of functioning in both high radiation and high temperature environments. The size of the electronic tubes produced are more than an order of magnitude smaller than conventional electronic tubes.

Chitin and Cellulose Processing in Low-Temperature Electron Beam Plasma.

PubMed

Vasilieva, Tatiana; Chuhchin, Dmitry; Lopatin, Sergey; Varlamov, Valery; Sigarev, Andrey; Vasiliev, Michael

2017-11-06

Polysaccharide processing by means of low-temperature Electron Beam Plasma (EBP) is a promising alternative to the time-consuming and environmentally hazardous chemical hydrolysis in oligosaccharide production. The present paper considers mechanisms of the EBP-stimulated destruction of crab shell chitin, cellulose sulfate, and microcrystalline cellulose, as well as characterization of the produced oligosaccharides. The polysaccharide powders were treated in oxygen EBP for 1-20 min at 40 °C in a mixing reactor placed in the zone of the EBP generation. The chemical structure and molecular mass of the oligosaccharides were analyzed by size exclusion and the reversed phase chromatography, FTIR-spectroscopy, XRD-, and NMR-techniques. The EBP action on original polysaccharides reduces their crystallinity index and polymerization degree. Water-soluble products with lower molecular weight chitooligosaccharides (weight-average molecular mass, M w = 1000-2000 Da and polydispersity index 2.2) and cellulose oligosaccharides with polymerization degrees 3-10 were obtained. The ¹H-NMR analysis revealed 25-40% deacetylation of the EBP-treated chitin and FTIR-spectroscopy detected an increase of carbonyl- and carboxyl-groups in the oligosaccharides produced. Possible reactions of β-1,4-glycosidic bonds' destruction due to active oxygen species and high-energy electrons are given.

Two-dimensional quasi-double-layers in two-electron-temperature, current-free plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merino, Mario; Ahedo, Eduardo

2013-02-01

The expansion of a plasma with two disparate electron populations into vacuum and channeled by a divergent magnetic nozzle is analyzed with an axisymmetric model. The purpose is to study the formation and two-dimensional shape of a current-free double-layer in the case when the electric potential steepening can still be treated within the quasineutral approximation. The properties of this quasi-double-layer are investigated in terms of the relative fraction of the high-energy electron population, its radial distribution when injected into the nozzle, and the geometry and intensity of the applied magnetic field. The two-dimensional double layer presents a curved shape, which is dependent on the natural curvature of the equipotential lines in a magnetically expanded plasma and the particular radial distribution of high-energy electrons at injection. The double layer curvature increases the higher the nozzle divergence is, the lower the magnetic strength is, and the more peripherally hot electrons are injected. A central application of the study is the operation of a helicon plasma thruster in space. To this respect, it is shown that the curvature of the double layer does not increment the thrust, it does not modify appreciably the downstream divergence of the plasma beam, but it increases the magnetic-to-pressure thrust ratio. The present study does not attempt to cover current-free double layers involving plasmas with multiple populations of positive ions.

TG wave autoresonant control of plasma temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabantsev, A. A.; Driscoll, C. F.

2015-06-01

The thermal correction term in the Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) wave's frequency has been used to accurately control the temperature of electron plasma, by applying a swept-frequency continuous drive autoresonantly locked in balance with the cyclotron cooling. The electron temperature can be either "pegged" at a desired value (by constant drive frequency); or varied cyclically (following the tailored frequency course), with rates limited by the cooling time (on the way down) and by chosen drive amplitude (on the way up).

Reduced model prediction of electron temperature profiles in microtearing-dominated National Spherical Torus eXperiment plasmas

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

Kaye, S. M.; Guttenfelder, W.; Bell, R. E.

A representative H-mode discharge from the National Spherical Torus eXperiment is studied in detail to utilize it as a basis for a time-evolving prediction of the electron temperature profile using an appropriate reduced transport model. The time evolution of characteristic plasma variables such as βe, ν*e, the MHD α parameter, and the gradient scale lengths of Te, Ti, and ne were examined as a prelude to performing linear gyrokinetic calculations to determine the fastest growing micro instability at various times and locations throughout the discharge. The inferences from the parameter evolutions and the linear stability calculations were consistent. Early inmore » the discharge, when βe and ν*e were relatively low, ballooning parity modes were dominant. As time progressed and both βe and ν*e increased, microtearing became the dominant low-κθ mode, especially in the outer half of the plasma. There are instances in time and radius, however, where other modes, at higher-κθ, may, in addition to microtearing, be important for driving electron transport. Given these results, the Rebut-Lallia-Watkins (RLW) electron thermal diffusivity model, which is based on microtearing-induced transport, was used to predict the time-evolving electron temperature across most of the profile. The results indicate that RLW does a good job of predicting Te for times and locations where microtearing was determined to be important, but not as well when microtearing was predicted to be stable or subdominant.« less

Ideal laser-beam propagation through high-temperature ignition Hohlraum plasmas.

PubMed

Froula, D H; Divol, L; Meezan, N B; Dixit, S; Moody, J D; Neumayer, P; Pollock, B B; Ross, J S; Glenzer, S H

2007-02-23

We demonstrate that a blue (3omega, 351 nm) laser beam with an intensity of 2 x 10(15) W cm(-2) propagates nearly within the original beam cone through a millimeter scale, T(e)=3.5 keV high density (n(e)=5 x 10(20) cm(-3)) plasma. The beam produced less than 1% total backscatter at these high temperatures and densities; the resulting transmission is greater than 90%. Scaling of the electron temperature in the plasma shows that the plasma becomes transparent for uniform electron temperatures above 3 keV. These results are consistent with linear theory thresholds for both filamentation and backscatter instabilities inferred from detailed hydrodynamic simulations. This provides a strong justification for current inertial confinement fusion designs to remain below these thresholds.

Plasma properties in electron-bombardment ion thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matossian, J. N.; Beattie, J. R.

1987-01-01

The paper describes a technique for computing volume-averaged plasma properties within electron-bombardment ion thrusters, using spatially varying Langmuir-probe measurements. Average values of the electron densities are defined by integrating the spatially varying Maxwellian and primary electron densities over the ionization volume, and then dividing by the volume. Plasma properties obtained in the 30-cm-diameter J-series and ring-cusp thrusters are analyzed by the volume-averaging technique. The superior performance exhibited by the ring-cusp thruster is correlated with a higher average Maxwellian electron temperature. The ring-cusp thruster maintains the same fraction of primary electrons as does the J-series thruster, but at a much lower ion production cost. The volume-averaged predictions for both thrusters are compared with those of a detailed thruster performance model.

Material for electrodes of low temperature plasma generators

DOEpatents

Caplan, Malcolm; Vinogradov, Sergel Evge'evich; Ribin, Valeri Vasil'evich; Shekalov, Valentin Ivanovich; Rutberg, Philip Grigor'evich; Safronov, Alexi Anatol'evich

2008-12-09

Material for electrodes of low temperature plasma generators. The material contains a porous metal matrix impregnated with a material emitting electrons. The material uses a mixture of copper and iron powders as a porous metal matrix and a Group IIIB metal component such as Y.sub.2O.sub.3 is used as a material emitting electrons at, for example, the proportion of the components, mass %: iron: 3-30; Y.sub.2O.sub.3:0.05-1; copper: the remainder. Copper provides a high level of heat conduction and electric conductance, iron decreases intensity of copper evaporation in the process of plasma creation providing increased strength and lifetime, Y.sub.2O.sub.3 provides decreasing of electronic work function and stability of arc burning. The material can be used for producing the electrodes of low temperature AC plasma generators used for destruction of liquid organic wastes, medical wastes, and municipal wastes as well as for decontamination of low level radioactive waste, the destruction of chemical weapons, warfare toxic agents, etc.

Material for electrodes of low temperature plasma generators

DOEpatents

Caplan, Malcolm; Vinogradov, Sergel Evge'evich; Ribin, Valeri Vasil'evich; Shekalov, Valentin Ivanovich; Rutberg, Philip Grigor'evich; Safronov, Alexi Anatol'evich; Shiryaev, Vasili Nikolaevich

2010-03-02

Material for electrodes of low temperature plasma generators. The material contains a porous metal matrix impregnated with a material emitting electrons. The material uses a mixture of copper and iron powders as a porous metal matrix and a Group IIIB metal component such as Y.sub.2O.sub.3 is used as a material emitting electrons at, for example, the proportion of the components, mass %: iron:3-30; Y.sub.2O.sub.3:0.05-1; copper: the remainder. Copper provides a high level of heat conduction and electric conductance, iron decreases intensity of copper evaporation in the process of plasma creation providing increased strength and lifetime, Y.sub.2O.sub.3 provides decreasing of electronic work function and stability of arc burning. The material can be used for producing the electrodes of low temperature AC plasma generators used for destruction of liquid organic wastes, medical wastes, municipal wastes as well as for decontamination of low level radioactive waste, the destruction of chemical weapons, warfare toxic agents, etc.

Helicon plasma ion temperature measurements and observed ion cyclotron heating in proto-MPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beers, C. J.; Goulding, R. H.; Isler, R. C.; Martin, E. H.; Biewer, T. M.; Caneses, J. F.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Kafle, N.; Rapp, J.

2018-01-01

The Prototype-Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) linear plasma device is a test bed for exploring and developing plasma source concepts to be employed in the future steady-state linear device Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) that will study plasma-material interactions for the nuclear fusion program. The concept foresees using a helicon plasma source supplemented with electron and ion heating systems to reach necessary plasma conditions. In this paper, we discuss ion temperature measurements obtained from Doppler broadening of spectral lines from argon ion test particles. Plasmas produced with helicon heating alone have average ion temperatures downstream of the Helicon antenna in the range of 3 ± 1 eV; ion temperature increases to 10 ± 3 eV are observed with the addition of ion cyclotron heating (ICH). The temperatures are higher at the edge than the center of the plasma either with or without ICH. This type of profile is observed with electrons as well. A one-dimensional RF antenna model is used to show where heating of the plasma is expected.

Whistler waves with electron temperature anisotropy and non-Maxwellian distribution functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, M. Usman; Masood, W.; Qureshi, M. N. S.; Mirza, Arshad M.

2018-05-01

The previous works on whistler waves with electron temperature anisotropy narrated the dependence on plasma parameters, however, they did not explore the reasons behind the observed differences. A comparative analysis of the whistler waves with different electron distributions has not been made to date. This paper attempts to address both these issues in detail by making a detailed comparison of the dispersion relations and growth rates of whistler waves with electron temperature anisotropy for Maxwellian, Cairns, kappa and generalized (r, q) distributions by varying the key plasma parameters for the problem under consideration. It has been found that the growth rate of whistler instability is maximum for flat-topped distribution whereas it is minimum for the Maxwellian distribution. This work not only summarizes and complements the previous work done on the whistler waves with electron temperature anisotropy but also provides a general framework to understand the linear propagation of whistler waves with electron temperature anisotropy that is applicable in all regions of space plasmas where the satellite missions have indicated their presence.

Origin of low proton-to-electron temperature ratio in the Earth's plasma sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigorenko, E. E.; Kronberg, E. A.; Daly, P. W.; Ganushkina, N. Yu.; Lavraud, B.; Sauvaud, J.-A.; Zelenyi, L. M.

2016-10-01

We study the proton-to-electron temperature ratio (Tp/Te) in the plasma sheet (PS) of the Earth's magnetotail using 5 years of Cluster observations (2001-2005). The PS intervals are searched within a region defined with -19 < X ≤ -7 RE and |Y| < 15 RE (GSM) under the condition |BX| ≤ 10 nT. One hundred sixty PS crossings are identified. We find an average value of 6.0. However, in many PS intervals Tp/Te varies over a wide range from a few units to several tens of units. In 86 PS intervals the Tp/Te decreases below 3.5. Generally, the decreases of Tp/Te are due to some increase of Te while Tp either decreases or remains unchanged. In the majority of these intervals the Tp/Te drops are observed during magnetotail dipolarizations. A superposed epoch analysis applied to these events shows that the minimum value of Tp/Te is observed after the dipolarization onset during the "turbulent phase" of dipolarization, when a number of transient BZ pulses are reduced, but the value of BZ is still large and an intensification of wave activity is observed. The Tp/Te drops, and associated increases of Te often coincide either with bursts of broadband electrostatic emissions, which may include electron cyclotron harmonics, or with broadband electromagnetic emission in a frequency range from proton plasma frequency (fpp) up to the electron gyrofrequency (fce). These findings show that the wave activity developing in the current sheet after dipolarization onset may play a role in the additional electron heating and the associated Tp/Te decrease.

Nonlinear electrostatic solitary waves in electron-positron plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarus, I. J.; Bharuthram, R.; Moolla, S.; Singh, S. V.; Lakhina, G. S.

2016-02-01

The generation of nonlinear electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) is explored in a magnetized four component two-temperature electron-positron plasma. Fluid theory is used to derive a set of nonlinear equations for the ESWs, which propagate obliquely to an external magnetic field. The electric field structures are examined for various plasma parameters and are shown to yield sinusoidal, sawtooth and bipolar waveforms. It is found that an increase in the densities of the electrons and positrons strengthen the nonlinearity while the periodicity and nonlinearity of the wave increases as the cool-to-hot temperature ratio increases. Our results could be useful in understanding nonlinear propagation of waves in astrophysical environments and related laboratory experiments.

Slow electron acoustic double layer (SEADL) structures in bi-ion plasma with trapped electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Shaukat Ali; Imtiaz, Nadia

2018-05-01

The properties of ion acoustic double layer (IADL) structures in bi-ion plasma with electron trapping are investigated by using the quasi-potential analysis. The κ-distributed trapped electrons number density expression is truncated to some finite order of the electrostatic potential. By utilizing the reductive perturbation method, a modified Schamel equation which describes the evolution of the slow electron acoustic double layer (SEADL) with the modified speed due to the presence of bi-ion species is investigated. The Sagdeev-like potential has been derived which accounts for the effect of the electron trapping and superthermality in a bi-ion plasma. It is found that the superthermality index, the trapping efficiency of electrons, and ion to electron temperature ratio are the inhibiting parameters for the amplitude of the slow electron acoustic double layers (SEADLs). However, the enhanced population of the cold ions is found to play a supportive role for the low frequency DLs in bi-ion plasmas. The illustrations have been presented with the help of the bi-ion plasma parameters in the Earth's ionosphere F-region.

Enhanced confinement in electron cyclotron resonance ion source plasma.

PubMed

Schachter, L; Stiebing, K E; Dobrescu, S

2010-02-01

Power loss by plasma-wall interactions may become a limitation for the performance of ECR and fusion plasma devices. Based on our research to optimize the performance of electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) devices by the use of metal-dielectric (MD) structures, the development of the method presented here, allows to significantly improve the confinement of plasma electrons and hence to reduce losses. Dedicated measurements were performed at the Frankfurt 14 GHz ECRIS using argon and helium as working gas and high temperature resistive material for the MD structures. The analyzed charge state distributions and bremsstrahlung radiation spectra (corrected for background) also clearly verify the anticipated increase in the plasma-electron density and hence demonstrate the advantage by the MD-method.

Method to estimate the electron temperature and neutral density in a plasma from spectroscopic measurements using argon atom and ion collisional-radiative models.

PubMed

Sciamma, Ella M; Bengtson, Roger D; Rowan, W L; Keesee, Amy; Lee, Charles A; Berisford, Dan; Lee, Kevin; Gentle, K W

2008-10-01

We present a method to infer the electron temperature in argon plasmas using a collisional-radiative model for argon ions and measurements of electron density to interpret absolutely calibrated spectroscopic measurements of argon ion (Ar II) line intensities. The neutral density, and hence the degree of ionization of this plasma, can then be estimated using argon atom (Ar I) line intensities and a collisional-radiative model for argon atoms. This method has been tested for plasmas generated on two different devices at the University of Texas at Austin: the helicon experiment and the helimak experiment. We present results that show good correlation with other measurements in the plasma.

Axisymmetric Eigenmodes of Spheroidal Pure Electron Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Yosuke; Saitoh, Haruhiko; Yoshida, Zensho; Kiwamoto, Yasuhito

2010-11-01

The axisymmetric electrostatic eigenmodes of spheroidal pure electron plasmas have been studied experimentally. It is confirmed that the observed spheroidal plasma attains a theoretically expected equilibrium density distribution, with the exception of a low-density halo distribution surrounding the plasma. When the eigenmode frequency observed for the plasma is compared with the frequency predicted by the dispersion relation derived under ideal conditions wherein the temperature is zero and the boundary is located at an infinite distance from the plasma, it is observed that the absolute value of the observed frequency is systematically higher than the theoretical prediction. Experimental examinations and numerical calculations indicate that the upward shift of the eigenmode frequency cannot be accounted for solely by the finite temperature effect, but is significantly affected by image charges induced on the conducting boundary and the resulting distortion of the density profile from the theoretical expectation.

Observation of high-temperature bubbles in an ECR plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terasaka, K.; Yoshimura, S.; Tanaka, M. Y.

2018-05-01

Creation and annihilation of high-temperature bubbles have been observed in an electron cyclotron resonance plasma. The electron temperature in the bubble core is three times higher than that in the ambient region, and the size perpendicular to the magnetic field is much smaller than the plasma diameter. Formation of a bubble accompanies large negative spikes in the floating potential of a Langmuir probe, and the spatiotemporal behavior of the bubble has been visualized with a high-impedance wire grid detector. It is found that the bubble is in a prolate spheroidal shape with the axis along the magnetic field and occurs randomly in time and independently in space.

Solitary Potential in a Space Plasma Containing Dynamical Heavy Ions and Bi-Kappa Distributed Electrons of Two Distinct Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarker, M.; Hosen, B.; Hossen, M. R.; Mamun, A. A.

2018-01-01

The heavy ion-acoustic solitary waves (HIASWs) in a magnetized, collisionless, space plasma system (containing dynamical heavy ions and bi-kappa distributed electrons of two distinct temperatures) have been theoretically investigated. The Korteweg-de Vries (K-dV), modified K-dV (MK-dV), and higher-order MK-dV (HMK-dV) equations are derived by employing the reductive perturbation method. The basic features of HIASWs (viz. speed, polarity, amplitude, width, etc.) are found to be significantly modified by the effects of number density and temperature of different plasma species, and external magnetic field (obliqueness). The K-dV and HM-KdV equations give rise to both compressive and rarefactive solitary structures, whereas the MK-dV equation supports only the compressive solitary structures. The implication of our results in some space and laboratory plasma situations are briefly discussed.

Implementation of a multichannel soft x-ray diagnostic for electron temperature measurements in TJ-II high-density plasmas

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

Baiao, D.; Varandas, C.; Medina, F.

2012-10-15

Based on the multi-foil technique, a multichannel soft x-ray diagnostic for electron temperature measurements has been recently implemented in the TJ-II stellarator. The diagnostic system is composed by four photodiodes arrays with beryllium filters of different thickness. An in-vacuum amplifier board is coupled to each array, aiming at preventing induced noise currents. The Thomson scattering and the vacuum ultraviolet survey diagnostics are used for assessing plasma profiles and composition, being the analysis carried out with the radiation code IONEQ. The electron temperature is determined through the different signal-pair ratios with temporal and spatial resolution. The design and preliminary results frommore » the diagnostic are presented.« less

Reduced model prediction of electron temperature profiles in microtearing-dominated National Spherical Torus eXperiment plasmas

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

Kaye, S. M., E-mail: skaye@pppl.gov; Guttenfelder, W.; Bell, R. E.

A representative H-mode discharge from the National Spherical Torus eXperiment is studied in detail to utilize it as a basis for a time-evolving prediction of the electron temperature profile using an appropriate reduced transport model. The time evolution of characteristic plasma variables such as β{sub e}, ν{sub e}{sup ∗}, the MHD α parameter, and the gradient scale lengths of T{sub e}, T{sub i}, and n{sub e} were examined as a prelude to performing linear gyrokinetic calculations to determine the fastest growing micro instability at various times and locations throughout the discharge. The inferences from the parameter evolutions and the linear stabilitymore » calculations were consistent. Early in the discharge, when β{sub e} and ν{sub e}{sup ∗} were relatively low, ballooning parity modes were dominant. As time progressed and both β{sub e} and ν{sub e}{sup ∗} increased, microtearing became the dominant low-k{sub θ} mode, especially in the outer half of the plasma. There are instances in time and radius, however, where other modes, at higher-k{sub θ}, may, in addition to microtearing, be important for driving electron transport. Given these results, the Rebut-Lallia-Watkins (RLW) electron thermal diffusivity model, which is based on microtearing-induced transport, was used to predict the time-evolving electron temperature across most of the profile. The results indicate that RLW does a good job of predicting T{sub e} for times and locations where microtearing was determined to be important, but not as well when microtearing was predicted to be stable or subdominant.« less

Radial Profiles of the Plasma Electron Characteristics in a 30 kW Arc Jet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Codron, Douglas A.; Nawaz, Anuscheh

2013-01-01

The present effort aims to strengthen modeling work conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center by measuring the critical plasma electron characteristics within and slightly outside of an arc jet plasma column. These characteristics are intended to give physical insights while assisting in the formulation of boundary conditions to validate full scale simulations. Single and triple Langmuir probes have been used to achieve estimates of the electron temperature (T(sub e)), electron number density (n(sub e)) and plasma potential (outside of the plasma column) as probing location is varied radially from the flow centerline. Both the electron temperature and electron number density measurements show a large dependence on radial distance from the plasma column centerline with T(sub e) approx. = (3 - 12 eV and n(sub e) approx. = 10(exp 12) - 10(exp 14)/cu cm.

Comparative electron temperature measurements of Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission diagnostics in TCABR plasmas.

PubMed

Alonso, M P; Figueiredo, A C A; Borges, F O; Elizondo, J I; Galvão, R M O; Severo, J H F; Usuriaga, O C; Berni, L A; Machida, M

2010-10-01

We present the first simultaneous measurements of the Thomson scattering and electron cyclotron emission radiometer diagnostics performed at TCABR tokamak with Alfvén wave heating. The Thomson scattering diagnostic is an upgraded version of the one previously installed at the ISTTOK tokamak, while the electron cyclotron emission radiometer employs a heterodyne sweeping radiometer. For purely Ohmic discharges, the electron temperature measurements from both diagnostics are in good agreement. Additional Alfvén wave heating does not affect the capability of the Thomson scattering diagnostic to measure the instantaneous electron temperature, whereas measurements from the electron cyclotron emission radiometer become underestimates of the actual temperature values.

Kinetic theory of two-temperature polyatomic plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlac'h, Jean-Maxime; Giovangigli, Vincent; Novikova, Tatiana; Roca i Cabarrocas, Pere

2018-03-01

We investigate the kinetic theory of two-temperature plasmas for reactive polyatomic gas mixtures. The Knudsen number is taken proportional to the square root of the mass ratio between electrons and heavy-species, and thermal non-equilibrium between electrons and heavy species is allowed. The kinetic non-equilibrium framework also requires a weak coupling between electrons and internal energy modes of heavy species. The zeroth-order and first-order fluid equations are derived by using a generalized Chapman-Enskog method. Expressions for transport fluxes are obtained in terms of macroscopic variable gradients and the corresponding transport coefficients are expressed as bracket products of species perturbed distribution functions. The theory derived in this paper provides a consistent fluid model for non-thermal multicomponent plasmas.

Role of electron temperature on charging of dust grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausik, S. S.; Chakraborty, M.; Saikia, B. K.

2007-02-01

Dust grains are produced by evaporation of silver in an experimental setup consisting of a dust chamber, a plasma chamber, and a deflection chamber. Due to differential pressure between the dust and plasma chambers, the dust grains move upward and after passing through plasma they become negatively charged. These charged dust grains are then deflected by a dc field applied across a pair of deflector plates in the deflection chamber. Both from the amount of deflection and also from the floating potential, the number of charges collected on the dust grains is calculated. As the gas pressure is changed, the plasma density and the electron temperature changes. Dust charge is then calculated at each value of pressure from the deflection and floating potential. It is found that the electron temperature has a profound effect in the accumulation of charge on dust grains.

Three-temperature plasma shock solutions with gray radiation diffusion

DOE PAGES

Johnson, Bryan M.; Klein, Richard I.

2016-04-19

Here we discuss the effects of radiation on the structure of shocks in a fully ionized plasma are investigated by solving the steady-state fluid equations for ions, electrons, and radiation. The electrons and ions are assumed to have the same bulk velocity but separate temperatures, and the radiation is modeled with the gray diffusion approximation. Both electron and ion conduction are included, as well as ion viscosity. When the material is optically thin, three-temperature behavior occurs. When the diffusive flux of radiation is important but radiation pressure is not, two-temperature behavior occurs, with the electrons strongly coupled to the radiation.more » Since the radiation heats the electrons on length scales that are much longer than the electron–ion Coulomb coupling length scale, these solutions resemble radiative shock solutions rather than plasma shock solutions that neglect radiation. When radiation pressure is important, all three components are strongly coupled. Results with constant values for the transport and coupling coefficients are compared to a full numerical simulation with a good match between the two, demonstrating that steady shock solutions constitute a straightforward and comprehensive verification test methodology for multi-physics numerical algorithms.« less

Three-temperature plasma shock solutions with gray radiation diffusion

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

Johnson, Bryan M.; Klein, Richard I.

Here we discuss the effects of radiation on the structure of shocks in a fully ionized plasma are investigated by solving the steady-state fluid equations for ions, electrons, and radiation. The electrons and ions are assumed to have the same bulk velocity but separate temperatures, and the radiation is modeled with the gray diffusion approximation. Both electron and ion conduction are included, as well as ion viscosity. When the material is optically thin, three-temperature behavior occurs. When the diffusive flux of radiation is important but radiation pressure is not, two-temperature behavior occurs, with the electrons strongly coupled to the radiation.more » Since the radiation heats the electrons on length scales that are much longer than the electron–ion Coulomb coupling length scale, these solutions resemble radiative shock solutions rather than plasma shock solutions that neglect radiation. When radiation pressure is important, all three components are strongly coupled. Results with constant values for the transport and coupling coefficients are compared to a full numerical simulation with a good match between the two, demonstrating that steady shock solutions constitute a straightforward and comprehensive verification test methodology for multi-physics numerical algorithms.« less

Quantum Shielding Effects on the Eikonal Collision Cross Section in Strongly Coupled Two-temperature Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2017-05-01

The influence of nonisothermal and quantum shielding on the electron-ion collision process is investigated in strongly coupled two-temperature plasmas. The eikonal method is employed to obtain the eikonal scattering phase shift and eikonal cross section as functions of the impact parameter, collision energy, electron temperature, ion temperature, Debye length, and de Broglie wavelength. The results show that the quantum effect suppresses the eikonal scattering phase shift for the electron-ion collision in two-temperature dense plasmas. It is also found that the differential eikonal cross section decreases for small impact parameters. However, it increases for large impact parameters with increasing de Broglie wavelength. It is also found that the maximum position of the differential eikonal cross section is receded from the collision center with an increase in the nonisothermal character of the plasma. In addition, it is found that the total eikonal cross sections in isothermal plasmas are always greater than those in two-temperature plasmas. The variations of the eikonal cross section due to the two-temperature and quantum shielding effects are also discussed.

Relativistic thermal electron scale instabilities in sheared flow plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Evan D.; Rogers, Barrett N.

2016-04-01

> The linear dispersion relation obeyed by finite-temperature, non-magnetized, relativistic two-fluid plasmas is presented, in the special case of a discontinuous bulk velocity profile and parallel wave vectors. It is found that such flows become universally unstable at the collisionless electron skin-depth scale. Further analyses are performed in the limits of either free-streaming ions or ultra-hot plasmas. In these limits, the system is highly unstable in the parameter regimes associated with either the electron scale Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (ESKHI) or the relativistic electron scale sheared flow instability (RESI) recently highlighted by Gruzinov. Coupling between these modes provides further instability throughout the remaining parameter space, provided both shear flow and temperature are finite. An explicit parameter space bound on the highly unstable region is found.

Principle of radial transport in low temperature annular plasmas

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

Zhang, Yunchao, E-mail: yunchao.zhang@anu.edu.au; Charles, Christine; Boswell, Rod

2015-07-15

Radial transport in low temperature annular plasmas is investigated theoretically in this paper. The electrons are assumed to be in quasi-equilibrium due to their high temperature and light inertial mass. The ions are not in equilibrium and their transport is analyzed in three different situations: a low electric field (LEF) model, an intermediate electric field (IEF) model, and a high electric field (HEF) model. The universal IEF model smoothly connects the LEF and HEF models at their respective electric field strength limits and gives more accurate results of the ion mobility coefficient and effective ion temperature over the entire electricmore » field strength range. Annular modelling is applied to an argon plasma and numerical results of the density peak position, the annular boundary loss coefficient and the electron temperature are given as functions of the annular geometry ratio and Paschen number.« less

Transitional properties of supersolitons in a two electron temperature warm multi-ion plasma

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

Varghese, Steffy S., E-mail: steffy13@iigs.iigm.res.in; Ghosh, S. S., E-mail: sukti@iigs.iigm.res.in

The existence domain of an ion acoustic supersoliton and its transition to a regular kind of solitary wave have been explored in detail using Sagdeev pseudopotential technique for a two electron temperature warm multi-ion plasma having two species of ions. It was found that both the cold to hot electron temperature ratio and their respective ambient densities play a deterministic role for the existence of a supersoliton, as well as its transitional processes to a regular solitary wave. Analogous to a double layer solution, which often marks the boundary of the existence domain of a regular solitary wave, a “curvemore » of inflection” determines the boundary of the existence domain of a supersoliton. The characteristics of the “curve of inflection,” in turn, depend on the respective concentrations of the two ion species. It is observed that the supersolitons are actually a subset of a more general kind of solutions which are characterized by a fluctuation in the corresponding charge separation which precedes their maximum amplitude. It is also observed that these novel kinds of solitary structures, including supersolitons, occur only for a very narrow range of parameters near constant amplitude beyond which the wave breaks.« less

Effects of finite beam and plasma temperature on the growth rate of a two-stream free electron laser with background plasma

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

Mahdizadeh, N.; Aghamir, F. M.

2013-02-28

A fluid theory is used to derive the dispersion relation of two-stream free electron laser (TSFEL) with a magnetic planar wiggler pump in the presence of background plasma (BP). The effect of finite beams and plasma temperature on the growth rate of a TSFEL has been verified. The twelve order dispersion equation has been solved numerically. Three instabilities, FEL along with the TS and TS-FEL instabilities occur simultaneously. The analysis in the case of cold BP shows that when the effect of the beam temperature is taken into account, both instable bands of wave-number and peak growth rate in themore » TS instability increase, but peak growth of the FEL and TS-FEL instabilities decreases. Thermal motion of the BP causes to diminish the TS instability and it causes to decrease the FEL and TS-FEL instabilities. By increasing the beam densities and lowering initial velocities (in the collective Raman regime), growth rate of instabilities increases; however, it has opposite behavior in the Campton regime.« less

On the use of the double floating probe method to infer the difference between the electron and the heavy particles temperatures in an atmospheric pressure, vortex-stabilized nitrogen plasma jet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prevosto, L.; Kelly, H.; Mancinelli, B. R.

2014-05-01

Sweeping double probe measurements in an atmospheric pressure direct current vortex-stabilized plasma jet are reported (plasma conditions: 100 A discharge current, N2 gas flow rate of 25 Nl/min, thoriated tungsten rod-type cathode, copper anode with 5 mm inner diameter). The interpretation of the double probe characteristic was based on a generalization of the standard double floating probe formulae for non-uniform plasmas coupled to a non-equilibrium plasma composition model. Perturbations caused by the current to the probe together with collisional and thermal processes inside the probe perturbed region were taken into account. Radial values of the average electron and heavy particle temperatures as well as the electron density were obtained. The calculation of the temperature values did not require any specific assumption about a temperature relationship between different particle species. An electron temperature of 10 900 ± 900 K, a heavy particle temperature of 9300 ± 900 K, and an electron density of about 3.5 × 1022 m-3 were found at the jet centre at 3.5 mm downstream from the torch exit. Large deviations from kinetic equilibrium were found toward the outer border of the plasma jet. These results showed good agreement with those previously reported by the authors by using a single probe technique. The calculations have shown that this method is particularly useful for studying spraying-type plasma torches operated at power levels of about 15 kW.

On the use of the double floating probe method to infer the difference between the electron and the heavy particles temperatures in an atmospheric pressure, vortex-stabilized nitrogen plasma jet.

PubMed

Prevosto, L; Kelly, H; Mancinelli, B R

2014-05-01

Sweeping double probe measurements in an atmospheric pressure direct current vortex-stabilized plasma jet are reported (plasma conditions: 100 A discharge current, N2 gas flow rate of 25 Nl/min, thoriated tungsten rod-type cathode, copper anode with 5 mm inner diameter). The interpretation of the double probe characteristic was based on a generalization of the standard double floating probe formulae for non-uniform plasmas coupled to a non-equilibrium plasma composition model. Perturbations caused by the current to the probe together with collisional and thermal processes inside the probe perturbed region were taken into account. Radial values of the average electron and heavy particle temperatures as well as the electron density were obtained. The calculation of the temperature values did not require any specific assumption about a temperature relationship between different particle species. An electron temperature of 10,900 ± 900 K, a heavy particle temperature of 9300 ± 900 K, and an electron density of about 3.5 × 10(22) m(-3) were found at the jet centre at 3.5 mm downstream from the torch exit. Large deviations from kinetic equilibrium were found toward the outer border of the plasma jet. These results showed good agreement with those previously reported by the authors by using a single probe technique. The calculations have shown that this method is particularly useful for studying spraying-type plasma torches operated at power levels of about 15 kW.

Electron temperature critical gradient and transport stiffness in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Smith, Sterling P.; Petty, Clinton C.; White, Anne E.; ...

2015-07-06

The electron energy flux has been probed as a function of electron temperature gradient on the DIII-D tokamak, in a continuing effort to validate turbulent transport models. In the scan of gradient, a critical electron temperature gradient has been found in the electron heat fluxes and stiffness at various radii in L-mode plasmas. The TGLF reduced turbulent transport model [G.M. Staebler et al, Phys. Plasmas 14, 055909 (2007)] and full gyrokinetic GYRO model [J. Candy and R.E. Waltz, J. Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)] recover the general trend of increasing electron energy flux with increasing electron temperature gradient scale length,more » but they do not predict the absolute level of transport at all radii and gradients. Comparing the experimental observations of incremental (heat pulse) diffusivity and stiffness to the models’ reveals that TGLF reproduces the trends in increasing diffusivity and stiffness with increasing electron temperature gradient scale length with a critical gradient behavior. Furthermore, the critical gradient of TGLF is found to have a dependence on q 95, contrary to the independence of the experimental critical gradient from q 95.« less

Positive ion temperature effect on the plasma-wall transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales Crespo, R.

2018-06-01

This paper analyses the plasma-wall interaction of a plasma in contact with a conducting planar surface when the positive-ion temperature is not negligible compared with the electron one. The electric potential from the plasma to the wall is obtained by the appropriate formulation of the model as an initial-value problem as well as some features useful for experimental applications, such as the positive current-to-voltage characteristics, the saturation current density, the floating potential or an estimation of the sheath thickness. Finally, it is analysed how all these quantities depend on the ionization degree and the positive-ion temperature.

Mixing the Solar Wind Proton and Electron Scales: Effects of Electron Temperature Anisotropy on the Oblique Proton Firehose Instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maneva, Y.; Lazar, M.; Vinas, A.; Poedts, S.

2016-01-01

The double adiabatic expansion of the nearly collisionless solar wind plasma creates conditions for the firehose instability to develop and efficiently prevent the further increase of the plasma temperature in the direction parallel to the interplanetary magnetic field. The conditions imposed by the firehose instability have been extensively studied using idealized approaches that ignore the mutual effects of electrons and protons. Recently, more realistic approaches have been proposed that take into account the interplay between electrons and protons,? unveiling new regimes of the parallel oscillatory modes. However, for oblique wave propagation the instability develops distinct branches that grow much faster and may therefore be more efficient than the parallel firehose instability in constraining the temperature anisotropy of the plasma particles. This paper reports for the first time on the effects of electron plasma properties on the oblique proton firehose (PFH) instability and provides a comprehensive vision of the entire unstable wave-vector spectrum, unifying the proton and the smaller electron scales. The plasma ß and temperature anisotropy regimes considered here are specific for the solar wind and magnetospheric conditions, and enable the electrons and protons to interact via the excited electromagnetic fluctuations. For the selected parameters, simultaneous electron and PFH instabilities can be observed with a dispersion spectrum of the electron firehose (EFH) extending toward the proton scales. Growth rates of the PFH instability are markedly boosted by the anisotropic electrons, especially in the oblique direction where the EFH growth rates are orders of magnitude higher.

Electron temperatures and densities in the venus ionosphere: pioneer venus orbiter electron temperature probe results.

PubMed

Brace, L H; Theis, R F; Krehbiel, J P; Nagy, A F; Donahue, T M; McElroy, M B; Pedersen, A

1979-02-23

Altitude profiles of electron temperature and density in the ionosphere of Venus have been obtained by the Pioneer Venus orbiter electron temperatutre probe. Elevated temperatutres observed at times of low solar wind flux exhibit height profiles that are consistent with a model in which less than 5 percent of the solar wind energy is deposited at the ionopause and is conducted downward through an unmagnetized ionosphere to the region below 200 kilomneters where electron cooling to the neutral atmosphere proceeds rapidly. When solar wind fluxes are higher, the electron temperatures and densities are highly structured and the ionopause moves to lower altitudes. The ionopause height in the late afternoon sector observed thus far varies so widely from day to (day that any height variation with solar zenith angle is not apparent in the observations. In the neighborhood of the ionopause, measuremnents of plasma temperatures and densities and magnetic field strength indicate that an induced magnetic barrier plays an important role in the pressure transfer between the solar wind and the ionosphere. The bow, shock is marked by a distinct increase in electron current collected by the instrument, a featutre that provides a convenient identification of the bow shock location.

Electron kinetics in capacitively coupled plasmas modulated by electron injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ya; Peng, Yanli; Innocenti, Maria Elena; Jiang, Wei; Wang, Hong-yu; Lapenta, Giovanni

2017-09-01

The controlling effect of an electron injection on the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) and on the energetic electron flux, in a capacitive radio-frequency argon plasma, is studied using a one-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collisions model. The input power of the electron beam is as small as several tens of Watts with laboratory achievable emission currents and energies. With the electron injection, the electron temperature decreases but with a significant high energy tail. The electron density, electron temperature in the sheath, and electron heating rate increase with the increasing emission energy. This is attributed to the extra heating of the energetic electrons in the EEDF tail. The non-equilibrium EEDF is obtained for strong non-local distributions of the electric field, electron heating rate, excitation, and ionization rate, indicating the discharge has transited from a volume heating (α-mode dominated) into a sheath heating (γ-mode dominated) type. In addition, the electron injection not only modifies the self-bias voltage, but also enhances the electron flux that can reach the electrodes. Moreover, the relative population of energetic electrons significantly increases with the electron injection compared to that without the electron injection, relevant for modifying the gas and surface chemistry reactions.

Electron-temperature dependence of dissociative recombination of electrons with N2/+/.N2 dimer ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitaker, M.; Biondi, M. A.; Johnsen, R.

1981-01-01

The variation with electron temperature of the dissociative recombination of electrons with N2(+).N2 dimer ions is investigated in light of the importance of such ions in the lower ionosphere and in laser plasmas. Dissociative recombination coefficients were determined by means of a microwave afterglow mass spectrometer technique for electron temperatures from 300-5600 K and an ion and neutral temperature of 300 K. The recombination coefficient is found to be proportional to the -0.41 power of the electron temperature in this range, similar to that observed for the CO(+).CO dimer ion and consistent with the expected energy dependence for a fast dissociative process.

Characteristics of surface sterilization using electron cyclotron resonance plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yonesu, Akira; Hara, Kazufumi; Nishikawa, Tatsuya; Hayashi, Nobuya

2016-07-01

The characteristics of surface sterilization using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma were investigated. High-energy electrons and oxygen radicals were observed in the ECR zone using electric probe and optical emission spectroscopic methods. A biological indicator (BI), Geobacillus stearothermophilus, containing 1 × 106 spores was sterilized in 120 s by exposure to oxygen discharges while maintaining a temperature of approximately 55 °C at the BI installation position. Oxygen radicals and high-energy electrons were found to be the sterilizing species in the ECR region. It was demonstrated that the ECR plasma could be produced in narrow tubes with an inner diameter of 5 mm. Moreover, sterilization tests confirmed that the spores present inside the narrow tube were successfully inactivated by ECR plasma irradiation.

Methane chemistry involved in a low-pressure electron cyclotron wave resonant plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, N. A.; William, C.; Milne, W. I.

2003-12-01

Radio frequency (rf) generated methane plasmas are commonly employed in the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films. However, very little is known about the rf discharge chemistry and how it relates to the deposition process. Consequently, we have characterized a low-pressure methane plasma and compared the results with those obtained theoretically by considering the steady-state kinetics of the chemical processes present in a low-pressure plasma reactor, in order to elucidate the dominant reaction channels responsible for the generation of the active precursors required for film growth. Mass spectrometry measurements of the gas phase indicated little variation in the plasma chemistry with increasing electron temperature. This was later attributed to the partial saturation of the electron-impact dissociation and ionization rate constants at electron temperatures in excess of ˜4 eV. The ion densities in the plasma were also found to be strongly dependent upon the parent neutral concentration in the gas phase, indicating that direct electron-impact reactions exerted greater influence on the plasma chemistry than secondary ion-neutral reactions.

Radial Distribution Functions of Strongly Coupled Two-Temperature Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaffer, Nathaniel R.; Tiwari, Sanat Kumar; Baalrud, Scott D.

2017-10-01

We present tests of three theoretical models for the radial distribution functions (RDFs) in two-temperature strongly coupled plasmas. RDFs are useful in extending plasma thermodynamics and kinetic theory to strong coupling, but they are usually known only for thermal equilibrium or for approximate one-component model plasmas. Accurate two-component modeling is necessary to understand the impact of strong coupling on inter-species transport, e.g., ambipolar diffusion and electron-ion temperature relaxation. We demonstrate that the Seuferling-Vogel-Toeppfer (SVT) extension of the hypernetted chain equations not only gives accurate RDFs (as compared with classical molecular dynamics simulations), but also has a simple connection with the Yukawa OCP model. This connection gives a practical means to recover the structure of the electron background from knowledge of the ion-ion RDF alone. Using the model RDFs in Effective Potential Theory, we report the first predictions of inter-species transport coefficients of strongly coupled plasmas far from equilibrium. This work is supported by NSF Grant No. PHY-1453736, AFSOR Award No. FA9550-16-1-0221, and used XSEDE computational resources.

Nonextensive statistical mechanics approach to electron trapping in degenerate plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mebrouk, Khireddine; Gougam, Leila Ait; Tribeche, Mouloud

2016-06-01

The electron trapping in a weakly nondegenerate plasma is reformulated and re-examined by incorporating the nonextensive entropy prescription. Using the q-deformed Fermi-Dirac distribution function including the quantum as well as the nonextensive statistical effects, we derive a new generalized electron density with a new contribution proportional to the electron temperature T, which may dominate the usual thermal correction (∼T2) at very low temperatures. To make the physics behind the effect of this new contribution more transparent, we analyze the modifications arising in the propagation of ion-acoustic solitary waves. Interestingly, we find that due to the nonextensive correction, our plasma model allows the possibility of existence of quantum ion-acoustic solitons with velocity higher than the Fermi ion-sound velocity. Moreover, as the nonextensive parameter q increases, the critical temperature Tc beyond which coexistence of compressive and rarefactive solitons sets in, is shifted towards higher values.

Estimation of Electron Temperature on Glass Spherical Tokamak (GLAST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, S.; Sadiq, M.; Shah, S. I. W.; GLAST Team

2015-03-01

Glass Spherical Tokamak (GLAST) is a small spherical tokamak indigenously developed in Pakistan with an insulating vacuum vessel. A commercially available 2.45 GHz magnetron is used as pre-ionization source for plasma current startup. Different diagnostic systems like Rogowski coils, magnetic probes, flux loops, Langmuir probe, fast imaging and emission spectroscopy are installed on the device. The plasma temperature inside of GLAST, at the time of maxima of plasma current, is estimated by taking into account the Spitzer resistivity calculations with some experimentally determined plasma parameters. The plasma resistance is calculated by using Ohm's law with plasma current and loop voltage as experimentally determined inputs. The plasma resistivity is then determined by using length and area of the plasma column. Finally, the average plasma electron temperature is predicted to be 12.65eV for taking neon (Ne) as a working gas.

Application of low-temperature plasma for the synthesis of hydrogenated graphene (graphane)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shavelkina, M. B.; Amirov, R. H.; Katarzhis, V. A.; Kiselev, V. I.

2017-12-01

The possibility of a direct synthesis of hydrogenated graphene in decomposition of methane by means of low-temperature plasma was investigated. A DC plasma torch with an expanding channel-anode, a vortex gas supply and a self-setting arc length was used as a generator of low-temperature plasma. Argon was used as the plasma-forming gas. The temperatures of argon plasma and with methane addition to it were determined on the basis of spectral measurements. The synthesis products were characterized by electron microscopy and thermogravimetry. The effect of hydrogenated graphene as a nanomodifier on the properties of the cubic boron nitride based functional ceramics was investigated.

Effects of target plasma electron-electron collisions on correlated motion of fragmented protons.

PubMed

Barriga-Carrasco, Manuel D

2006-02-01

The objective of the present work is to examined the effects of plasma target electron-electron collisions on H2 + protons traversing it. Specifically, the target is deuterium in a plasma state with temperature Te=10 eV and density n=10(23) cm(-3), and proton velocities are vp=vth, vp=2vth, and vp=3vth, where vth is the electron thermal velocity of the target plasma. Proton interactions with plasma electrons are treated by means of the dielectric formalism. The interactions among close protons through plasma electronic medium are called vicinage forces. It is checked that these forces always screen the Coulomb explosions of the two fragmented protons from the same H2 + ion decreasing their relative distance. They also align the interproton vector along the motion direction, and increase the energy loss of the two protons at early dwell times while for longer times the energy loss tends to the value of two isolated protons. Nevertheless, vicinage forces and effects are modified by the target electron collisions. These collisions enhance the calculated self-stopping and vicinage forces over the collisionless results. Regarding proton correlated motion, when these collisions are included, the interproton vector along the motion direction overaligns at slower proton velocities (vp=vth) and misaligns for faster ones (vp=2vth, vp=3vth). They also contribute to a great extend to increase the energy loss of the fragmented H2 + ion. This later effect is more significant in reducing projectile velocity.

MIXING THE SOLAR WIND PROTON AND ELECTRON SCALES: EFFECTS OF ELECTRON TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY ON THE OBLIQUE PROTON FIREHOSE INSTABILITY

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

Maneva, Y.; Lazar, M.; Poedts, S.

2016-11-20

The double adiabatic expansion of the nearly collisionless solar wind plasma creates conditions for the firehose instability to develop and efficiently prevent the further increase of the plasma temperature in the direction parallel to the interplanetary magnetic field. The conditions imposed by the firehose instability have been extensively studied using idealized approaches that ignore the mutual effects of electrons and protons. Recently, more realistic approaches have been proposed that take into account the interplay between electrons and protons, unveiling new regimes of the parallel oscillatory modes. However, for oblique wave propagation the instability develops distinct branches that grow much fastermore » and may therefore be more efficient than the parallel firehose instability in constraining the temperature anisotropy of the plasma particles. This paper reports for the first time on the effects of electron plasma properties on the oblique proton firehose (PFH) instability and provides a comprehensive vision of the entire unstable wave-vector spectrum, unifying the proton and the smaller electron scales. The plasma β and temperature anisotropy regimes considered here are specific for the solar wind and magnetospheric conditions, and enable the electrons and protons to interact via the excited electromagnetic fluctuations. For the selected parameters, simultaneous electron and PFH instabilities can be observed with a dispersion spectrum of the electron firehose (EFH) extending toward the proton scales. Growth rates of the PFH instability are markedly boosted by the anisotropic electrons, especially in the oblique direction where the EFH growth rates are orders of magnitude higher.« less

Molecular dynamics studies of electron-ion temperature equilibration in hydrogen plasmas within the coupled-mode regime

DOE PAGES

Benedict, Lorin X.; Surh, Michael P.; Stanton, Liam G.; ...

2017-04-10

Here, we use classical molecular dynamics (MD) to study electron-ion temperature equilibration in two-component plasmas in regimes for which the presence of coupled collective modes has been predicted to substantively reduce the equilibration rate. Guided by previous kinetic theory work, we examine hydrogen plasmas at a density of n = 10 26cm –3, T i = 10 5K, and 10 7 K < Te < 10 9K. The nonequilibrium classical MD simulations are performed with interparticle interactions modeled by quantum statistical potentials (QSPs). Our MD results indicate (i) a large effect from time-varying potential energy, which we quantify by appealingmore » to an adiabatic two-temperature equation of state, and (ii) a notable deviation in the energy equilibration rate when compared to calculations from classical Lenard-Balescu theory including the QSPs. In particular, it is shown that the energy equilibration rates from MD are more similar to those of the theory when coupled modes are neglected. We suggest possible reasons for this surprising result and propose directions of further research along these lines.« less

Observations of ionospheric electron beams in the plasma sheet.

PubMed

Zheng, H; Fu, S Y; Zong, Q G; Pu, Z Y; Wang, Y F; Parks, G K

2012-11-16

Electrons streaming along the magnetic field direction are frequently observed in the plasma sheet of Earth's geomagnetic tail. The impact of these field-aligned electrons on the dynamics of the geomagnetic tail is however not well understood. Here we report the first detection of field-aligned electrons with fluxes increasing at ~1 keV forming a "cool" beam just prior to the dissipation of energy in the current sheet. These field-aligned beams at ~15 R(E) in the plasma sheet are nearly identical to those commonly observed at auroral altitudes, suggesting the beams are auroral electrons accelerated upward by electric fields parallel (E([parallel])) to the geomagnetic field. The density of the beams relative to the ambient electron density is δn(b)/n(e)~5-13% and the current carried by the beams is ~10(-8)-10(-7) A m(-2). These beams in high β plasmas with large density and temperature gradients appear to satisfy the Bohm criteria to initiate current driven instabilities.

Effect of secondary electron emission on the plasma sheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langendorf, S.; Walker, M.

2015-03-01

In this experiment, plasma sheath potential profiles are measured over boron nitride walls in argon plasma and the effect of secondary electron emission is observed. Results are compared to a kinetic model. Plasmas are generated with a number density of 3 × 1012 m-3 at a pressure of 10-4 Torr-Ar, with a 1%-16% fraction of energetic primary electrons. The sheath potential profile at the surface of each sample is measured with emissive probes. The electron number densities and temperatures are measured in the bulk plasma with a planar Langmuir probe. The plasma is non-Maxwellian, with isotropic and directed energetic electron populations from 50 to 200 eV and hot and cold Maxwellian populations from 3.6 to 6.4 eV and 0.3 to 1.3 eV, respectively. Plasma Debye lengths range from 4 to 7 mm and the ion-neutral mean free path is 0.8 m. Sheath thicknesses range from 20 to 50 mm, with the smaller thickness occurring near the critical secondary electron emission yield of the wall material. Measured floating potentials are within 16% of model predictions. Measured sheath potential profiles agree with model predictions within 5 V (˜1 Te), and in four out of six cases deviate less than the measurement uncertainty of 1 V.

Pulsed Plasma Electron Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasik, Yakov

2008-11-01

Pulsed (˜10-7 s) electron beams with high current density (>10^2 A/cm^2) are generated in diodes with electric field of E > 10^6 V/cm. The source of electrons in these diodes is explosive emission plasma, which limits pulse duration; in the case E < 10^5 V/cm this plasma is not uniform and there is a time delay in its formation. Thus, there is a continuous interest in research of electron sources which can be used for generation of uniform electron beams produced at E <= 10^5 V/cm. In the present report, several types of plasma electron source (PES) will be considered. The first type of PES is fiber-based cathodes, with and without CsI coating. The operation of these cathodes is governed by the formation of the flashover plasma which serves as a source of electrons. The second type of PES is the ferroelectric plasma source (FPS). The operation of FPS, characterized by the formation of dense surface flashover plasma is accompanied also by the generation of fast microparticles and energetic neutrals. The latter was explained by Coulomb micro-explosions of the ferroelectric surface due to an large time-varying electric field at the front of the expanding plasma. A short review of recent achievements in the operation of a multi-FPS-assisted hollow anode to generate a large area electron beam will be presented as well. Finally, parameters of the plasma produced by a multi-capillary cathode with FPS and velvet igniters will be discussed. Ya. E. Krasik, J. Z. Gleizer, D. Yarmolich, A. Krokhmal, V. Ts. Gurovich, S.Efimov, J. Felsteiner V. Bernshtam, and Yu. M. Saveliev, J. Appl. Phys. 98, 093308 (2005). Ya. E. Krasik, A. Dunaevsky, and J. Felsteiner, Phys. Plasmas 8, 2466 (2001). D. Yarmolich, V. Vekselman, V. Tz. Gurovich, and Ya. E. Krasik, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 075004 (2008). J. Z. Gleizer, Y. Hadas and Ya. E. Krasik, Europhysics Lett. 82, 55001 (2008).

Ion acoustic solitons and supersolitons in a magnetized plasma with nonthermal hot electrons and Boltzmann cool electrons

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

Rufai, O. R., E-mail: rajirufai@gmail.com; Bharuthram, R., E-mail: rbharuthram@uwc.ac.za; Singh, S. V., E-mail: satyavir@iigs.iigm.res.in

2014-08-15

Arbitrary amplitude, ion acoustic solitons, and supersolitons are studied in a magnetized plasma with two distinct groups of electrons at different temperatures. The plasma consists of a cold ion fluid, cool Boltzmann electrons, and nonthermal energetic hot electrons. Using the Sagdeev pseudo-potential technique, the effect of nonthermal hot electrons on soliton structures with other plasma parameters is studied. Our numerical computation shows that negative potential ion-acoustic solitons and double layers can exist both in the subsonic and supersonic Mach number regimes, unlike the case of an unmagnetized plasma where they can only exist in the supersonic Mach number regime. Formore » the first time, it is reported here that in addition to solitions and double layers, the ion-acoustic supersoliton solutions are also obtained for certain range of parameters in a magnetized three-component plasma model. The results show good agreement with Viking satellite observations of the solitary structures with density depletions in the auroral region of the Earth's magnetosphere.« less

Observation of warm, higher energy electrons transiting a double layer in a helicon plasma

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

Sung, Yung-Ta, E-mail: ysung2@wisc.edu; Li, Yan; Scharer, John E.

2015-03-15

Measurements of an inductive RF helicon argon plasma double layer with two temperature electron distributions including a fast (>80 eV) tail are observed at 0.17 mTorr Ar pressure. The fast, untrapped electrons observed downstream of the double layer have a higher temperature (13 eV) than the trapped (T{sub e} = 4 eV) electrons. The reduction of plasma potential and density observed in the double layer region would require an upstream temperature ten times the measured 4 eV if occurring via Boltzmann ambipolar expansion. The experimental observation in Madison helicon experiment indicates that fast electrons with substantial density fractions can be created at low helicon operating pressures.

Calculating the electron temperature in the lightning channel by continuous spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiangcheng, DONG; Jianhong, CHEN; Xiufang, WEI; Ping, YUAN

2017-12-01

Based on the theory of plasma continuous radiation, the relationship between the emission intensity of bremsstrahlung and recombination radiation and the plasma electron temperature is obtained. During the development process of a return stroke of ground flash, the intensity of continuous radiation spectrum is separated on the basis of the spectrums with obviously different luminous intensity at two moments. The electron temperature of the lightning discharge channel is obtained through the curve fitting of the continuous spectrum intensity. It is found that electron temperature increases with the increase of wavelength and begins to reduce after the peak. The peak temperature of the two spectra is close to 25 000 K. To be compared with the result of discrete spectrum, the electron temperature is fitted by the O I line and N II line of the spectrum respectively. The comparison shows that the high temperature value is in good agreement with the temperature of the lightning core current channel obtained from the ion line information, and the low temperature at the high band closes to the calculation result of the atomic line, at a low band is lower than the calculation of the atomic line, which reflects the temperature of the luminous channel of the outer corona.

First quantitative measurements of charged-particle stopping and its dependence on electron temperature and density in Inertial-Confinement-Fusion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frenje, J.; Li, C. K.; Séguin, F.; Zylstra, A.; Rinderknecht, H.; Petrasso, R.; Delettrez, J.; Glebov, V.; Sangster, T.

2013-10-01

We report on the first quantitative measurements of charged-particle stopping in Inertial-Confinement-Fusion (ICF) plasmas at various conditions. In these experiments, four charged fusion products from the DD and D3He reactions in D3He gas-filled filled implosions were used to determine the stopping power of ICF plasmas at electron temperatures (Te) , ion temperatures (Ti) , and areal densities (ρR) in the range of 0.6-4.0 keV, 3-14 keV and 2-10 mg/cm2, respectively. The resulting data, in the form of measured energy downshift of the charged fusion products, clearly indicate that the stopping-power function depends strongly on Te. It was also observed that the stopping-power function change in characteristics for higher-density implosions in which ions and electrons equilibrate faster, resulting in higher Te relative to Ti and higher ρR s. These results will be modelled by Landau-Spitzer theory and contrasted to different stopping-power models. This work was partially supported by the US DOE, NLUF, LLE, and GA.

Effects of electron-ion temperature equilibration on inertial confinement fusion implosions.

PubMed

Xu, Barry; Hu, S X

2011-07-01

The electron-ion temperature relaxation essentially affects both the laser absorption in coronal plasmas and the hot-spot formation in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). It has recently been reexamined for plasma conditions closely relevant to ICF implosions using either classical molecular-dynamics simulations or analytical methods. To explore the electron-ion temperature equilibration effects on ICF implosion performance, we have examined two Coulomb logarithm models by implementing them into our hydrocodes, and we have carried out hydrosimulations for ICF implosions. Compared to the Lee-More model that is currently used in our standard hydrocodes, the two models predict substantial differences in laser absorption, coronal temperatures, and neutron yields for ICF implosions at the OMEGA Laser Facility [Boehly et al. Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. Such effects on the triple-picket direct-drive design at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have also been explored. Based on the validity of the two models, we have proposed a combined model of the electron-ion temperature-relaxation rate for the overall ICF plasma conditions. The hydrosimulations using the combined model for OMEGA implosions have shown ∼6% more laser absorption, ∼6%-15% higher coronal temperatures, and ∼10% more neutron yield, when compared to the Lee-More model prediction. It is also noticed that the gain for the NIF direct-drive design can be varied by ∼10% among the different electron-ion temperature-relaxation models.

Diagnostics of microwave assisted electron cyclotron resonance plasma source for surface modification of nylon 6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

More, Supriya E.; Das, Partha Sarathi; Bansode, Avinash; Dhamale, Gayatri; Ghorui, S.; Bhoraskar, S. V.; Sahasrabudhe, S. N.; Mathe, Vikas L.

2018-01-01

Looking at the increasing scope of plasma processing of materials surface, here we present the development and diagnostics of a microwave assisted Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma system suitable for surface modification of polymers. Prior to the surface-treatment, a detailed diagnostic mapping of the plasma parameters throughout the reactor chamber was carried out by using single and double Langmuir probe measurements in Ar plasma. Conventional analysis of I-V curves as well as the elucidation form of the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) has become the source of calibration of plasma parameters in the reaction chamber. The high energy tail in the EEDF of electron temperature is seen to extend beyond 60 eV, at much larger distances from the ECR zone. This proves the suitability of the rector for plasma processing, since the electron energy is much beyond the threshold energy of bond breaking in most of the polymers. Nylon 6 is used as a representative candidate for surface processing in the presence of Ar, H2 + N2, and O2 plasma, treated at different locations inside the plasma chamber. In a typical case, the work of adhesion is seen to almost get doubled when treated with oxygen plasma. Morphology of the plasma treated surface and its hydrophilicity are discussed in view of the variation in electron density and electron temperature at these locations. Nano-protrusions arising from plasma treatment are set to be responsible for the hydrophobicity. Chemical sputtering and physical sputtering are seen to influence the surface morphology on account of sufficient electron energies and increased plasma potential.

Excitation of Plasma Waves in Aurora by Electron Beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

daSilva, C. E.; Vinas, A. F.; deAssis, A. S.; deAzevedo, C. A.

1996-01-01

In this paper, we study numerically the excitation of plasma waves by electron beams, in the auroral region above 2000 km of altitude. We have solved the fully kinetic dispersion relation, using numerical method and found the real frequency and the growth rate of the plasma wave modes. We have examined the instability properties of low-frequency waves such as the Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) wave as well as Lower-Hybrid (LH) wave in the range of high-frequency. In all cases, the source of free energy are electron beams propagating parallel to the geomagnetic field. We present some features of the growth rate modes, when the cold plasma parameters are changed, such as background electrons and ions species (H(+) and O(+)) temperature, density or the electron beam density and/or drift velocity. These results can be used in a test-particle simulation code, to investigate the ion acceleration and their implication in the auroral acceleration processes, by wave-particle interaction.

Resolving an anomaly in electron temperature measurement using double and triple Langmuir probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Soumen; Barada, K. K.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Ghosh, J.; Bora, D.

2015-02-01

Langmuir probes with variants such as single, double and triple probes remain the most common method of electron temperature measurement in low-temperature laboratory plasmas. However, proper estimation of electron temperature mainly using triple probe configuration requires the proper choice of compensation factor (W). Determination of the compensating factor is not very straightforward as it depends heavily on plasma floating potential (Vf), electron temperature (Te), the type of gas used for plasma production and the bias voltage applied to probe pins, especially in cases where there are substantial variations in floating potential. In this paper we highlight the anomaly in electron temperature measurement using double and triple Langmuir probe techniques as well as the proper determination of the compensation factor (W) to overcome this anomaly. Experiments are carried out with helicon antenna producing inductive radiofrequency plasmas, where significant variation of floating potential along the axis enables a detailed study of deviations introduced in Te measurements using triple probes compared to double and single probes. It is observed that the bias voltage between the probe pins of the triple probes plays an important role in the accurate determination of the compensating factor (W) and should be in the range (5Vd2 < Vd3 < 10Vd2), where Vd2 and Vd3 are the voltage between floating probe pins 2 and 1 and the bias voltage, respectively.

Magnetic Effects in a Moderate-Temperature, High-Beta, Toroidal Plasma Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, W. F.; Singh, A. K.; Held, E. D.

2011-10-01

A small toroidal machine (STOR-1M; minor radius 4.5 cm), on loan from the University of Saskatchewan, has been modified to operate at hydrogen ionization levels ~0.1%, beta values between 0.1 and 1, electron number density ~5x1016/m3, temperature ~5 eV, and applied toroidal magnetic field ~20 gauss. Plasma is generated using magnetron-produced microwaves. Langmuir and Hall probes determine radial profiles of electron number density, temperature, and magnetic field. For most values of the externally-applied magnetic field, the internal field is the same with or without plasma, however, in a narrow window of B, diamagnetism and other effects are present. The effect is observed with no externally induced current; plasma currents are self generated through some sort of relaxation process. Beta and radius conditions correlate well with similar magnetic structures in the laboratory (eg., plasma focus, Z pinch) and in space (eg., Venus flux ropes, solar coronal loops).

Existence domains of arbitrary amplitude nonlinear structures in two-electron temperature space plasmas. II. High-frequency electron-acoustic solitons

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

Maharaj, S. K.; Bharuthram, R.; Singh, S. V.

2012-12-15

A three-component plasma model composed of ions, cool electrons, and hot electrons is adopted to investigate the existence of large amplitude electron-acoustic solitons not only for the model for which inertia and pressure are retained for all plasma species which are assumed to be adiabatic but also neglecting inertial effects of the hot electrons. Using the Sagdeev potential formalism, the Mach number ranges supporting the existence of large amplitude electron-acoustic solitons are presented. The limitations on the attainable amplitudes of electron-acoustic solitons having negative potentials are attributed to a number of different physical reasons, such as the number density ofmore » either the cool electrons or hot electrons ceases to be real valued beyond the upper Mach number limit, or, alternatively, a negative potential double layer occurs. Electron-acoustic solitons having positive potentials are found to be supported only if inertial effects of the hot electrons are retained and these are found to be limited only by positive potential double layers.« less

Ion acceleration and non-Maxwellian electron distributions in a low collisionality, high power helicon plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan; Sung, Yung-Ta; Scharer, John

2015-11-01

Ion acceleration through plasma double layer and non-Maxwellian two temperature electron distributions have been observed in Madison Helicon Experiment (MadHeX) operated in high RF power (>1000 W) and low Ar pressure (0.17 mtorr) inductive mode. By applying Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) cross-checked with an RF-compensated Langmuir probe (at 13.56 MHz and its second and third harmonics), the fast (>80 eV), untrapped electrons downstream of the double layer have a higher temperature of 13 eV than the trapped bulk electrons upstream with a temperature of 4 eV. The reduction of plasma potential and density observed in the double layer region require an upstream temperature ten times the measured 4 eV if occurring via Boltzmann ambipolar expansion. The hot tail electrons of the non-Maxwellian electron distribution affect the formation and the potential drop of the double layer region. The mechanism behind this has been explored via several non-invasive plasma diagnostics tools. The OES measured electron temperatures and densities are also cross-checked with Atomic Data and Analysis Structure (ADAS) and a millimeter wave interferometer respectively. The IEDF is measured by a four-grid RPA and also cross-checked with argon 668 nm Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF). An emissive probe has been used to measure the plasma potential.

Temperature gradients due to adiabatic plasma expansion in a magnetic nozzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, J. P.; Longmier, B. W.; Bering, E. A.; Olsen, C. S.; Squire, J. P.; Ballenger, M. G.; Carter, M. D.; Cassady, L. D.; Díaz, F. R. Chang; Glover, T. W.; Ilin, A. V.

2014-08-01

A mechanism for ambipolar ion acceleration in a magnetic nozzle is proposed. The plasma is adiabatic (i.e., does not exchange energy with its surroundings) in the diverging section of a magnetic nozzle so any energy lost by the electrons must be transferred to the ions via the electric field. Fluid theory indicates that the change in plasma potential is proportional to the change in average electron energy. These predictions were compared to measurements in the VX-200 experiment which has conditions conducive to ambipolar ion acceleration. A planar Langmuir probe was used to measure the plasma potential, electron density, and electron temperature for a range of mass flow rates and power levels. Axial profiles of those parameters were also measured, showing consistency with the adiabatic ambipolar fluid theory.

Observations of temperature rise during electron cyclotron heating application in Proto-MPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biewer, T. M.; Bigelow, T.; Caneses, J. F.; Diem, S. J.; Rapp, J.; Reinke, M.; Kafle, N.; Ray, H. B.; Showers, M.

2017-10-01

The Prototype Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (Proto-MPEX) at ORNL utilizes a variety of power systems to generate and deliver a high heat flux plasma (1 MW/m2 for these discharges) onto the surface of material targets. In the experiments described here, up to 120 kW of 13.56 MHz ``helicon'' waves are combined with 20 kW of 28 GHz microwaves to produce Deuterium plasma discharges. The 28 GHz waves are launched in a region of the device where the magnetic field is axially varying near 0.8 T, resulting in the presence of a 2nd harmonic electron cyclotron heating (ECH) resonance layer that transects the plasma column. The electron density and temperature profiles are measured using a Thomson scattering (TS) diagnostic, and indicate that the electron density is radially peaked. In the core of the plasma column the electron density is higher than the cut-off density (0.9x1019 m-3) for ECH waves to propagate and O-X-B mode conversion into electron Bernstien waves (EBW) is expected. TS measurements indicate electron temperature increases during 28 GHz wave application, rising (from 5 eV to 20 eV) as the neutral Deuterium pressure is reduced below 1 mTorr. This work was supported by the US. D.O.E. contract DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Two dimensional electrostatic shock waves in relativistic electron positron ion plasmas

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

Masood, W.; Rizvi, H.

2010-05-15

Ion-acoustic shock waves (IASWs) are studied in an unmagnetized plasma consisting of electrons, positrons and hot ions. In this regard, Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-Burgers (KPB) equation is derived using the small amplitude perturbation expansion method. The dependence of the IASWs on various plasma parameters is numerically investigated. It is observed that ratio of ion to electron temperature, kinematic viscosity, positron concentration, and the relativistic ion streaming velocity affect the structure of the IASW. Limiting case of the KPB equation is also discussed. Stability of KPB equation is also presented. The present investigation may have relevance in the study of electrostatic shock waves inmore » relativistic electron-positron-ion plasmas.« less

Impurities, temperature, and density in a miniature electrostatic plasma and current source

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

Den Hartog, D.J.; Craig, D.J.; Fiksel, G.

1996-10-01

We have spectroscopically investigated the Sterling Scientific miniature electrostatic plasma source-a plasma gun. This gun is a clean source of high density (10{sup 19} - 10{sup 20} m{sup -3}), low temperature (5 - 15 eV) plasma. A key result of our investigation is that molybdenum from the gun electrodes is largely trapped in the internal gun discharge; only a small amount escapes in the plasma flowing out of the gun. In addition, the gun plasma parameters actually improve (even lower impurity contamination and higher ion temperature) when up to 1 kA of electron current is extracted from the gun viamore » the application of an external bias. This improvement occurs because the internal gun anode no longer acts as the current return for the internal gun discharge. The gun plasma is a virtual plasma electrode capable of sourcing an electron emission current density of 1 kA/cm{sup 2}. The high emission current, small size (3 - 4 cm diameter), and low impurity generation make this gun attractive for a variety of fusion and plasma technology applications.« less

Experimental confirmation of stable, small-debye-length, pure-electron-plasma equilibria in a stellarator.

PubMed

Kremer, J P; Pedersen, T Sunn; Lefrancois, R G; Marksteiner, Q

2006-09-01

The creation of the first small-Debye length, low temperature pure electron plasmas in a stellarator is reported. A confinement time of 20 ms has been measured. The long confinement time implies the existence of macroscopically stable equilibria and that the single particle orbits are well confined despite the lack of quasisymmetry in the device, the Columbia non-neutral torus. This confirms the beneficial confinement effects of strong electric fields and the resulting rapid E x B rotation of the electrons. The particle confinement time is presently limited by the presence of bulk insulating materials in the plasma, rather than any intrinsic plasma transport processes. A nearly flat temperature profile is seen in the inner part of the plasma.

Electron plasma wave filamentation in the kinetic regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lushnikov, Pavel; Rose, Harvey; Silantyev, Denis

2016-10-01

We consider nonlinear electron plasma wave (EPW) dynamics in the kinetic wavenumber regime, 0.25 < kλD < 0.45 , which is typical for current high temperature laser-plasma interaction experiments, where k is the EPW wavenumber and λD is the electron Debye length. In this kinetic regime, EPW frequency reduction due to electron trapping may dominate the ponderomotive frequency shift. Previous 3D PIC simulations showed that the trapped electron EPW filamentation instability can saturate stimulated Raman backscatter by reducing the EPWs coherence but multidimensional Vlasov simulations [1] are needed to address that saturation in details. We performed nonlinear, non-equilibrium 2D Vlasov simulations to study the EPW filamentation. The initial conditions are created either by external forcing or by constructing the appropriate 1D travelling Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) mode. Transverse perturbations of any of these initial conditions grow with time eventually producing strongly nonlinear filamentation followed by plasma turbulence. We compared these simulations with the theoretical results on growth rates of the transverse instability BGK mode showing the satisfactory agreement. Supported by the New Mexico Consortium and NSF DMS-1412140.

Generation of zonal flows by electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas

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

Kaladze, T. D.; I. Vekua Institute of Applied Mathematics, Tbilisi State University, 2 University Str., 0186 Tbilisi; Shad, M.

2010-02-15

Generation of large-scale zonal flows by comparatively small-scale electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas is considered. The generation mechanism is based on the parametric excitation of convective cells by finite amplitude drift waves having arbitrary wavelengths (as compared with the ion Larmor radius of plasma ions at the plasma electron temperature). Temperature inhomogeneity of electrons and positrons is taken into account assuming ions to be cold. To describe the generation of zonal flow generalized Hasegawa-Mima equation containing both vector and two scalar (of different nature) nonlinearities is used. A set of coupled equations describing the nonlinear interaction of drift wavesmore » and zonal flows is deduced. Explicit expressions for the maximum growth rate as well as for the optimal spatial dimensions of the zonal flows are obtained. Enriched possibilities of zonal flow generation with different growth rates are revealed. The present theory can be used for interpretations of drift wave observations in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.« less

Plasma-anode electron gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santoru, Joseph; Schumacher, Robert W.; Gregoire, Daniel J.

1994-11-01

The plasma-anode electron gun (PAG) is an electron source in which the thermionic cathode is replaced with a cold, secondary-electron-emitting electrode. Electron emission is stimulated by bombarding the cathode with high-energy ions. Ions are injected into the high-voltage gap through a gridded structure from a plasma source (gas pressure less than or equal to 50 mTorr) that is embedded in the anode electrode. The gridded structure serves as both a cathode for the plasma discharge and as an anode for the PAG. The beam current is modulated at near ground potential by modulating the plasma source, eliminating the need for a high-voltage modulator system. During laboratory tests, the PAG has demonstrated square-wave, 17-microsecond-long beam pulses at 100 kV and 10 A, and it has operated stably at 70 kV and 2.5 A for 210 microsecond pulse lengths without gap closure.

Stark width and shift for electron number density diagnostics of low temperature plasma: Application to silicon Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivković, M.; Konjević, N.

2017-05-01

In this work we summarize, analyze and critically evaluate experimental procedures and results of LIBS electron number density plasma characterization using as examples Stark broadened Si I and Si II line profiles. Selected publications are covering the time period from very beginning of silicon LIBS studies until the end of the year 2015. To perform the analysis of experimental LIBS data, the testing of available semiclassical theoretical Stark broadening parameters for Si I and Si II lines was accomplished first. This is followed by the description of experimental setups, results and details of experimental procedure relevant for the line shape analysis of spectral lines used for plasma characterization. Although most of results and conclusions of this analysis are related to the application of silicon lines for LIBS characterization they are of general importance and may be applied to other elements and different low-temperature plasma sources. The analysis of experimental procedures used for LIBS diagnostics from emission profiles of non-hydrogenic spectral lines is carried out in the following order: the influence of laser ablation and crater formation, spatial and temporal plasma observation, line self-absorption and experimental profile deconvolution, the contribution of ion broadening in comparison with electron impacts contributions to the line width in case of neutral atom line and some other aspects of line shape analysis are considered. The application of Stark shift for LIBS diagnostics is demonstrated and discussed. Finally, the recommendations for an improvement of experimental procedures for LIBS electron number density plasma characterization are offered.

Mitigation of hot electrons from laser-plasma instabilities in high-Z, highly ionized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fein, J. R.; Holloway, J. P.; Trantham, M. R.; Keiter, P. A.; Edgell, D. H.; Froula, D. H.; Haberberger, D.; Frank, Y.; Fraenkel, M.; Raicher, E.; Shvarts, D.; Drake, R. P.

2017-03-01

Hard x-ray measurements are used to infer production of hot electrons in laser-irradiated planar foils of materials ranging from low- to high-Z. The fraction of laser energy converted to hot electrons, fhot , was reduced by a factor of 103 going from low-Z CH to high-Z Au, and hot electron temperatures were reduced from 40 to ˜20 keV. The reduction in fhot correlates with steepening electron density gradient length-scales inferred from plasma refraction measurements. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations predicted electron density profiles in reasonable agreement with those from measurements. Both multi-beam two-plasmon decay (TPD) and multi-beam stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) were predicted to be above threshold with linear threshold parameters that decreased with increasing Z due to steepening length-scales, as well as enhanced laser absorption and increased electron plasma wave collisional and Landau damping. The results add to the evidence that SRS may play a comparable or a greater role relative to TPD in generating hot electrons in multi-beam experiments.

Electron density measurements for plasma adaptive optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neiswander, Brian W.

Over the past 40 years, there has been growing interest in both laser communications and directed energy weapons that operate from moving aircraft. As a laser beam propagates from an aircraft in flight, it passes through boundary layers, turbulence, and shear layers in the near-region of the aircraft. These fluid instabilities cause strong density gradients which adversely affect the transmission of laser energy to a target. Adaptive optics provides corrective measures for this problem but current technology cannot respond quickly enough to be useful for high speed flight conditions. This research investigated the use of plasma as a medium for adaptive optics for aero-optics applications. When a laser beam passes through plasma, its phase is shifted proportionally to the electron density and gas heating within the plasma. As a result, plasma can be utilized as a dynamically controllable optical medium. Experiments were carried out using a cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge plasma chamber which generated a sub-atmospheric pressure, low-temperature plasma. An electrostatic model of this design was developed and revealed an important design constraint relating to the geometry of the chamber. Optical diagnostic techniques were used to characterize the plasma discharge. Single-wavelength interferometric experiments were performed and demonstrated up to 1.5 microns of optical path difference (OPD) in a 633 nm laser beam. Dual-wavelength interferometry was used to obtain time-resolved profiles of the plasma electron density and gas heating inside the plasma chamber. Furthermore, a new multi-wavelength infrared diagnostic technique was developed and proof-of-concept simulations were conducted to demonstrate the system's capabilities.

A generalized plasma dispersion function for electron damping in tokamak plasmas

DOE PAGES

Berry, L. A.; Jaeger, E. F.; Phillips, C. K.; ...

2016-10-14

Radio frequency wave propagation in finite temperature, magnetized plasmas exhibits a wide range of physics phenomena. The plasma response is nonlocal in space and time, and numerous modes are possible with the potential for mode conversions and transformations. Additionally, diffraction effects are important due to finite wavelength and finite-size wave launchers. Multidimensional simulations are required to describe these phenomena, but even with this complexity, the fundamental plasma response is assumed to be the uniform plasma response with the assumption that the local plasma current for a Fourier mode can be described by the Stix conductivity. But, for plasmas with non-uniformmore » magnetic fields, the wave vector itself is nonlocal. When resolved into components perpendicular (k ) and parallel (k ||) to the magnetic field, locality of the parallel component can easily be violated when the wavelength is large. The impact of this inconsistency is that estimates of the wave damping can be incorrect (typically low) due to unresolved resonances. For the case of ion cyclotron damping, this issue has already been addressed by including the effect of parallel magnetic field gradients. In this case, a modified plasma response (Z function) allows resonance broadening even when k || = 0, and this improves the convergence and accuracy of wave simulations. In our paper, we extend this formalism to include electron damping and find improved convergence and accuracy for parameters where electron damping is dominant, such as high harmonic fast wave heating in the NSTX-U tokamak, and helicon wave launch for off-axis current drive in the DIII-D tokamak.« less

Surface passivation of p-type Ge substrate with high-quality GeNx layer formed by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma nitridation at low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukuda, Yukio; Okamoto, Hiroshi; Iwasaki, Takuro; Otani, Yohei; Ono, Toshiro

2011-09-01

We have investigated the effects of the formation temperature and postmetallization annealing (PMA) on the interface properties of GeNx/p-Ge fabricated by the plasma nitridation of Ge substrates using an electron-cyclotron-resonance-generated nitrogen plasma. The nitridation temperature is found to be a critical parameter in improving the finally obtained GeNx/Ge interface properties. The GeNx/Ge formed at room temperature and treated by PMA at 400 °C exhibits the best interface properties with an interface trap density of 1 × 1011 cm-2 eV-1. The GeNx/Ge interface is unpinned and the Fermi level at the Ge surface can move from the valence band edge to the conduction band edge.

Stopping power of ions in a magnetized two-temperature plasma.

PubMed

Nersisyan, H B; Walter, M; Zwicknagel, G

2000-06-01

Using the dielectric theory for a weakly coupled plasma, we investigate the stopping power of an ion in an anisotropic two-temperature electron plasma in the presence of a magnetic field. The analysis is based on the assumption that the energy variation of the ion is much less than its kinetic energy. A general expression for the stopping power is analyzed for weak and strong magnetic fields (i.e., for the electron cyclotron frequency less than and greater than the plasma frequency), and for low and high ion velocities. It is found that the usually velocity independent friction coefficient contains an anomalous term which diverges logarithmically as the projectile velocity approaches zero. The physical origin of this anomalous term is the coupling between the cyclotron motion of the electrons and the long-wavelength, low-frequency fluctuations produced by the projectile ion.

Runaway electrons and mitigation studies in MST tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goetz, J. A.; Chapman, B. E.; Almagri, A. F.; Cornille, B. S.; Dubois, A.; McCollam, K. J.; Munaretto, S.; Sovinec, C. R.

2016-10-01

Studies of runaway electrons generated in low-density MST tokamak plasmas are being undertaken. The plasmas have Bt <= 0.14 T, Ip <= 50 kA, q (a) = 2.2 , and an electron density and temperature of about 5 ×1017m-3 and 150 eV. Runaway electrons are detected via x-ray bremsstrahlung emission. The density and electric field thresholds for production and suppression have been previously explored with variations in gas puffing for density control. Runaway electrons are now being probed with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP's). An m = 3 RMP strongly suppresses the runaway electrons and initial NIMROD modeling shows that this may be due to degradation of flux surfaces. The RMP is produced by a poloidal array of 32 saddle coils at the narrow vertical insulated cut in MST's thick conducting shell, with each RMP having a single m but a broad n spectrum. While a sufficiently strong m = 3 RMP suppresses the runaway electrons, an RMP with m = 1 and comparable amplitude has little effect. The impact of the RMP's on the magnetic topology of these plasmas is being studied with the nonlinear MHD code NIMROD. With an m = 3 RMP, stochasticity is introduced in the outer third of the plasma but no such flux surface degradation is observed with an m = 1 RMP. NIMROD also predicts regularly occurring MHD activity similar to that observed in the experiment. These studies have also been done in q (a) = 2.7 plasmas and analysis and modeling is ongoing. This work supported by USDoE.

Optical diagnostics with radiation trapping effect in low density and low temperature helium plasma

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

Lee, Wonwook, E-mail: wwlee@kaeri.re.kr; Kwon, Duck-Hee; Park, Kyungdeuk

2016-06-15

Low density (n{sub e} < 10{sup 11 }cm{sup −3}) and low temperature (T{sub e} < 10 eV) helium plasma was generated by hot filament discharge. Electron temperature and density of neutral helium plasma were measured by Langmuir probe and were determined by line intensity ratio method using optical emission spectroscopy with population modelings. Simple corona model and collisional-radiative (CR) model without consideration for radiation trapping effect are applied. In addition, CR model taking into account the radiation trapping effect (RTE) is adopted. The change of single line intensity ratio as a function of electron temperature and density were investigated when the RTE is included and excluded.more » The changes of multi line intensity ratios as a function of electron temperature were scanned for various radiative-excitation rate coefficients from the ground state and the helium gas pressures related with the RTE. Our CR modeling with RTE results in fairly better agreement of the spectroscopic diagnostics for the plasma temperature or density with the Langmuir probe measurements for various helium gas pressures than corona modeling and CR modeling without RTE.« less

Coupled mode effects on energy transfer in weakly coupled, two-temperature plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorberger, J.; Gericke, D. O.

2009-08-01

The effects of collective modes on the temperature relaxation in fully ionized, weakly coupled plasmas are investigated. A coupled mode (CM) formula for the electron-ion energy transfer is derived within the random phase approximation and it is shown how it can be evaluated using standard methods. The CM rates are considerably smaller than rates based on Fermi's golden rule for some parameters and identical for others. It is shown how the CM effects are connected to the occurrence of ion acoustic modes and when they occur. Interestingly, CM effects occur also for plasmas with very high electron temperatures; a regime, where the Landau-Spitzer approach is believed to be accurate.

Low Temperature Plasma Science: Not Only the Fourth State of Matter but All of Them. Report of the Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Sciences Workshop on Low Temperature Plasmas, March 25-57, 2008

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

None

2008-09-01

Low temperature plasma science (LTPS) is a field on the verge of an intellectual revolution. Partially ionized plasmas (often referred to as gas discharges) are used for an enormous range of practical applications, from light sources and lasers to surgery and making computer chips, among many others. The commercial and technical value of low temperature plasmas (LTPs) is well established. Modern society would simply be less advanced in the absence of LTPs. Much of this benefit has resulted from empirical development. As the technology becomes more complex and addresses new fields, such as energy and biotechnology, empiricism rapidly becomes inadequatemore » to advance the state of the art. The focus of this report is that which is less well understood about LTPs - namely, that LTPS is a field rich in intellectually exciting scientific challenges and that addressing these challenges will result in even greater societal benefit by placing the development of plasma technologies on a solid science foundation. LTPs are unique environments in many ways. Their nonequilibrium and chemically active behavior deviate strongly from fully ionized plasmas, such as those found in magnetically confined fusion or high energy density plasmas. LTPs are strongly affected by the presence of neutral species-chemistry adds enormous complexity to the plasma environment. A weakly to partially ionized gas is often characterized by strong nonequilibrium in the velocity and energy distributions of its neutral and charged constituents. In nonequilibrium LTP, electrons are generally hot (many to tens of electron volts), whereas ions and neutrals are cool to warm (room temperature to a few tenths of an electron volt). Ions and neutrals in thermal LTP can approach or exceed an electron volt in temperature. At the same time, ions may be accelerated across thin sheath boundary layers to impact surfaces, with impact energies ranging up to thousands of electron volts. These moderately energetic

Temperature Measurements in Compressed and Uncompressed SPECTOR Plasmas at General Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, William; Carter, Neil; Howard, Stephen; Carle, Patrick; O'Shea, Peter; Fusion Team, General

2017-10-01

Accurate temperature measurements are critical to establishing the behavior of General Fusion's SPECTOR plasma injector, both before and during compression. As compression tests impose additional constraints on diagnostic access to the plasma, a two-color, filter-based soft x-ray electron temperature diagnostic has been implemented. Ion Doppler spectroscopy measurements also provide impurity ion temperatures on compression tests. The soft x-ray and ion Doppler spectroscopy measurements are being validated against a Thomson scattering system on an uncompressed version of SPECTOR with more diagnostic access. The multipoint Thomson scattering diagnostic also provides up to a six point temperature and density profile, with the density measurements validated against a far infrared interferometer. Temperatures above 300 eV have been demonstrated to be sustained for over 500 microseconds in uncompressed plasmas. Optimization of soft x-ray filters is ongoing, in order to balance blocking of impurity line radiation with signal strength.

Beltrami–Bernoulli equilibria in plasmas with degenerate electrons

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

Berezhiani, V. I., E-mail: vazhab@yahoo.com; Shatashvili, N. L., E-mail: shatash@ictp.it; Mahajan, S. M., E-mail: mahajan@mail.utexas.edu

2015-02-15

A new class of Double Beltrami–Bernoulli equilibria, sustained by electron degeneracy pressure, is investigated. It is shown that due to electron degeneracy, a nontrivial Beltrami–Bernoulli equilibrium state is possible even for a zero temperature plasma. These states are, conceptually, studied to show the existence of new energy transformation pathways converting, for instance, the degeneracy energy into fluid kinetic energy. Such states may be of relevance to compact astrophysical objects like white dwarfs, neutron stars, etc.

Development and studies on a compact electron cyclotron resonance plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, A.; Tarey, R. D.; Arora, N.; Narayanan, R.

2016-04-01

It is well known that electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) produced plasmas are efficient, high-density plasma sources and have many industrial applications. The concept of a portable compact ECR plasma source (CEPS) would thus become important from an application point of view. This paper gives details of such a CEPS that is both portable and easily mountable on a chamber of any size. It uses a fully integrated microwave line operating at 2.45 GHz, up to 800 W, cw. The required magnetic field is produced by a set of suitably designed NdFeB ring magnets; the device has an overall length of  ≈60 cm and weighs  ≈14 kg including the permanent magnets. The CEPS was attached to a small experimental chamber to judge its efficacy for plasma production. In the pressure range of 0.5-10 mTorr and microwave power of  ≈400-500 W the experiments indicate that the CEPS is capable of producing high-density plasma (≈9  ×  1011-1012 cm-3) with bulk electron temperature in the range  ≈2-3 eV. In addition, a warm electron population with density and temperature in the range ≈7  ×  108-109 cm-3 and  ≈45-80 eV, respectively has been detected. This warm population plays an important role at high pressures in maintaining the high-density plasma, when plasma flow from the CEPS into the test chamber is strongly affected.

Electron-Temperature Dependence of the Recombination of NH4(+)((NH3)(sub n) Ions with Electrons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skrzypkowski, M. P.; Johnson, R.

1997-01-01

The two-body recombination of NH4(+)(NH3)(sub 2,3) cluster-ions with electrons has been studied in an afterglow experiment in which the electron temperature T, was elevated by radio-frequency heating from 300 K up to 900 K. The recombination coefficients for the n = 2 and n = 3 cluster ions were found to be equal, alpha(sub 2, sup(2)) = alpha(sub 3, sup(2)) = (4.8 +/- 0.5) x 10(exp - 6)cu cm/s, and to vary with electron temperature as T(sub c, sup -0.65) rather than to be nearly temperature-independent as had been inferred from measurements in microwave-heated plasmas.

The nonlocal electron kinetics for a low-pressure glow discharge dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yonggan; Wang, Ying; Li, Hui; Tian, Ruihuan; Yuan, Chengxun; Kudryavtsev, A. A.; Rabadanov, K. M.; Wu, Jian; Zhou, Zhongxiang; Tian, Hao

2018-05-01

The nonlocal electron kinetic model based on the Boltzmann equation is developed in low-pressure argon glow discharge dusty plasmas. The additional electron-dust elastic and inelastic collision processes are considered when solving the kinetic equation numerically. The orbital motion limited theory and collision enhanced collection approximation are employed to calculate the dust surface potential. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF), effective electron temperature Teff, and dust surface potential are investigated under different plasma and dust conditions by solving the Boltzmann and the dust charging current balance equations self-consistently. A comparison of the calculation results obtained from nonlocal and local kinetic models is made. It is shown that the appearance of dust particles leads to a deviation of the EEDF from its original profile for both nonlocal and local kinetic models. With the increase in dust density and size, the effective electron temperature and dust surface potential decrease due to the high-energy electron loss on the dust surface. Meanwhile, the nonlocal and local results differ much from each other under the same calculation condition. It is concluded that, for low-pressure (PR ≤ 1 cm*Torr) glow discharge dusty plasmas, the existence of dust particles will amplify the difference of local and nonlocal EEDFs, which makes the local kinetic model more improper to determine the main parameters of the positive column. The nonlocal kinetic model should be used for the calculation of the EEDFs and dusty plasma parameters.

Axial- and radial-resolved electron density and excitation temperature of aluminum plasma induced by nanosecond laser: Effect of the ambient gas composition and pressure

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

Dawood, Mahmoud S.; Hamdan, Ahmad, E-mail: ahmad.ba.hamdan@gmail.com, E-mail: Joelle.margot@umontreal.ca; Margot, Joëlle, E-mail: ahmad.ba.hamdan@gmail.com, E-mail: Joelle.margot@umontreal.ca

2015-11-15

The spatial variation of the characteristics of an aluminum plasma induced by a pulsed nanosecond XeCl laser is studied in this paper. The electron density and the excitation temperature are deduced from time- and space- resolved Stark broadening of an ion line and from a Boltzmann diagram, respectively. The influence of the gas pressure (from vacuum up to atmospheric pressure) and compositions (argon, nitrogen and helium) on these characteristics is investigated. It is observed that the highest electron density occurs near the laser spot and decreases by moving away both from the target surface and from the plume center tomore » its edge. The electron density increases with the gas pressure, the highest values being occurred at atmospheric pressure when the ambient gas has the highest mass, i.e. in argon. The excitation temperature is determined from the Boltzmann plot of line intensities of iron impurities present in the aluminum target. The highest temperature is observed close to the laser spot location for argon at atmospheric pressure. It decreases by moving away from the target surface in the axial direction. However, no significant variation of temperature occurs along the radial direction. The differences observed between the axial and radial direction are mainly due to the different plasma kinetics in both directions.« less

Electron heated target temperature measurements in petawatt laser experiments based on extreme ultraviolet imaging and spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ma, T; Beg, F N; MacPhee, A G; Chung, H-K; Key, M H; Mackinnon, A J; Patel, P K; Hatchett, S; Akli, K U; Stephens, R B; Chen, C D; Freeman, R R; Link, A; Offermann, D T; Ovchinnikov, V; Van Woerkom, L D

2008-10-01

Three independent methods (extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy, imaging at 68 and 256 eV) have been used to measure planar target rear surface plasma temperature due to heating by hot electrons. The hot electrons are produced by ultraintense laser-plasma interactions using the 150 J, 0.5 ps Titan laser. Soft x-ray spectroscopy in the 50-400 eV region and imaging at the 68 and 256 eV photon energies give a planar deuterated carbon target rear surface pre-expansion temperature in the 125-150 eV range, with the rear plasma plume averaging a temperature approximately 74 eV.

Effect of q-nonextensive parameter and saturation time on electron density steepening in electron-positron-ion plasmas

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

Hashemzadeh, M., E-mail: hashemzade@gmail.com

2015-11-15

The effect of q-nonextensive parameter and saturation time on the electron density steepening in electron-positron-ion plasmas is studied by particle in cell method. Phase space diagrams show that the size of the holes, and consequently, the number of trapped particles strongly depends on the q-parameter and saturation time. Furthermore, the mechanism of the instability and exchange of energy between electron-positron and electric field is explained by the profiles of the energy density. Moreover, it is found that the q-parameter, saturation time, and electron and positron velocities affect the nonlinear evolution of the electron density which leads to the steepening ofmore » its structure. The q-nonextensive parameter or degree of nonextensivity is the relation between temperature gradient and potential energy of the system. Therefore, the deviation of q-parameter from unity indicates the degree of inhomogeneity of temperature or deviation from equilibrium. Finally, using the kinetic theory, a generalized q-dispersion relation is presented for electron-positron-ion plasma systems. It is found that the simulation results in the linear regime are in good agreement with the growth rate results obtained by the kinetic theory.« less

Study on factors affecting the droplet temperature in plasma MIG welding process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamat, Sarizam Bin; Tashiro, Shinichi; Tanaka, Manabu; Yusoff, Mahani

2018-04-01

In the present study, the mechanism to control droplet temperature in the plasma MIG welding was discussed based on the measurements of the droplet temperature for a wide range of MIG currents with different plasma electrode diameters. The measurements of the droplet temperatures were conducted using a two color temperature measurement method. The droplet temperatures in the plasma MIG welding were then compared with those in the conventional MIG welding. As a result, the droplet temperature in the plasma MIG welding was found to be reduced in comparison with the conventional MIG welding under the same MIG current. Especially when the small plasma electrode diameter was used, the decrease in the droplet temperature reached maximally 500 K. Also, for a particular WFS, the droplet temperatures in the plasma MIG welding were lower than those in the conventional MIG welding. It is suggested that the use of plasma contributes to reducing the local heat input into the base metal by the droplet. The presence of the plasma surrounding the wire is considered to increase the electron density in its vicinity, resulting in the arc attachment expanding upwards along the wire surface to disperse the MIG current. This dispersion of MIG current causes a decrease in current density on the droplet surface, lowering the droplet temperature. Furthermore, dispersed MIG current also weakens the electromagnetic pinch force acting on the neck of the wire above the droplet. This leads to a larger droplet diameter with increased surface area through lower frequency of droplet detachment to decrease the MIG current density on the droplet surface, as compared to the conventional MIG welding at the same MIG current. Thus, the lower droplet temperature is caused by the reduction of heat flux into the droplet. Consequently, the mechanism to control droplet temperature in the plasma MIG welding was clarified.

Some experiments with the tunnel probe in a low temperature magnetized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovačič, J.; Gyergyek, T.; Kavaš, B.; Vodnik, M.; Kavčič, J.; Gunn, J. P.

2018-02-01

Experiments were performed using a Tunnel Probe (TP) inside the weakly-ionised plasma of the Linear Magnetized Plasma Device (LMPD). The TP is designed as a concave probe, which should annihilate the problem of sheath expansion in the ion branch of the I-V characteristic. As the ion saturation current is consequently well defined, the ion parallel current and plasma density can be more accurately calculated. Furthermore the ratio between the ion saturation currents on the two collectors (tunnel ring and the back-plate) can be used to derive the electron temperature. The TP has been repeatedly used with success on the former Castor and Tore-Supra tokamaks and will be used on the upgraded version of Tore-supra, namely the WEST tokamak, as well [1, 2]. It was however never used successfully in a low-temperature plasma. We studied the feasibility of the TP use in a low-temperature plasma for direct measurements of plasma temperature and density. The various probe characteristic dimensions, such as the distance between the two collectors, the aperture size and the probe radius were varied to see influence of the individual probe feature. We also varied the level of magnetization of the charged particle species, the background gas pressure (which influences the electron energy distribution function), the plasma density (important for the ratio between the λ D and the ion Larmor radius). The sensitivity of the probe alignment to the magnetic field lines was also studied. We found, that the ion saturation current does not necessarily saturate and that the probe works according to expectations only in a limited amount of regimes.

Thomson scattering diagnostics of thermal plasmas: Laser heating of electrons and the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium.

PubMed

Murphy, A B

2004-01-01

A number of assessments of electron temperatures in atmospheric-pressure arc plasmas using Thomson scattering of laser light have recently been published. However, in this method, the electron temperature is perturbed due to strong heating of the electrons by the incident laser beam. This heating was taken into account by measuring the electron temperature as a function of the laser pulse energy, and linearly extrapolating the results to zero pulse energy to obtain an unperturbed electron temperature. In the present paper, calculations show that the laser heating process has a highly nonlinear dependence on laser power, and that the usual linear extrapolation leads to an overestimate of the electron temperature, typically by 5000 K. The nonlinearity occurs due to the strong dependence on electron temperature of the absorption of laser energy and of the collisional and radiative cooling of the heated electrons. There are further problems in deriving accurate electron temperatures from laser scattering due to necessary averages that have to be made over the duration of the laser pulse and over the finite volume from which laser light is scattered. These problems are particularly acute in measurements in which the laser beam is defocused in order to minimize laser heating; this can lead to the derivation of electron temperatures that are significantly greater than those existing anywhere in the scattering volume. It was concluded from the earlier Thomson scattering measurements that there were significant deviations from equilibrium between the electron and heavy-particle temperatures at the center of arc plasmas of industrial interest. The present calculations indicate that such deviations are only of the order of 1000 K in 20 000 K, so that the usual approximation that arc plasmas are approximately in local thermodynamic equilibrium still applies.

Heavy ion-acoustic rogue waves in electron-positron multi-ion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, N. A.; Mannan, A.; Hasan, M. M.; Mamun, A. A.

2017-09-01

The nonlinear propagation of heavy-ion-acoustic (HIA) waves (HIAWs) in a four-component multi-ion plasma (containing inertial heavy negative ions and light positive ions, as well as inertialess nonextensive electrons and positrons) has been theoretically investigated. The nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is derived by employing the reductive perturbation method. It is found that the NLS equation leads to the modulational instability (MI) of HIAWs, and to the formation of HIA rogue waves (HIARWs), which are due to the effects of nonlinearity and dispersion in the propagation of HIAWs. The conditions for the MI of HIAWs and the basic properties of the generated HIARWs are identified. It is observed that the striking features (viz., instability criteria, growth rate of MI, amplitude and width of HIARWs, etc.) of the HIAWs are significantly modified by the effects of nonextensivity of electrons and positrons, the ratio of light positive ion mass to heavy negative ion mass, the ratio of electron number density to light positive ion number density, the ratio of electron temperature to positron temperature, etc. The relevancy of our present investigation to the observations in space (viz., cometary comae and earth's ionosphere) and laboratory (viz., solid-high intense laser plasma interaction experiments) plasmas is pointed out.

Heavy ion-acoustic rogue waves in electron-positron multi-ion plasmas.

PubMed

Chowdhury, N A; Mannan, A; Hasan, M M; Mamun, A A

2017-09-01

The nonlinear propagation of heavy-ion-acoustic (HIA) waves (HIAWs) in a four-component multi-ion plasma (containing inertial heavy negative ions and light positive ions, as well as inertialess nonextensive electrons and positrons) has been theoretically investigated. The nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is derived by employing the reductive perturbation method. It is found that the NLS equation leads to the modulational instability (MI) of HIAWs, and to the formation of HIA rogue waves (HIARWs), which are due to the effects of nonlinearity and dispersion in the propagation of HIAWs. The conditions for the MI of HIAWs and the basic properties of the generated HIARWs are identified. It is observed that the striking features (viz., instability criteria, growth rate of MI, amplitude and width of HIARWs, etc.) of the HIAWs are significantly modified by the effects of nonextensivity of electrons and positrons, the ratio of light positive ion mass to heavy negative ion mass, the ratio of electron number density to light positive ion number density, the ratio of electron temperature to positron temperature, etc. The relevancy of our present investigation to the observations in space (viz., cometary comae and earth's ionosphere) and laboratory (viz., solid-high intense laser plasma interaction experiments) plasmas is pointed out.

The influence of the Ar/O2 ratio on the electron density and electron temperature in microwave discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinho, S.; Hofmann, S.; Palomares, J. M.; Nijdam, S.

2017-10-01

The aim of this work is to study the properties of Ar-O2 microwave driven surfatron plasmas as a function of the Ar/O2 ratio in the gas mixture. The key parameters are the plasma electron density and electron temperature, which are estimated with Thomson scattering (TS) for O2 contents up to 50% of the total gas flow. A sharp drop in the electron density from {10}20 {{{m}}}-3 to approximately {10}18 {{{m}}}-3 is estimated as the O2 content in the gas mixture is increased up to 15%. For percentages of O2 lower than 10%, the electron temperature is estimated to be about 2-3 times higher than in the case of a pure argon discharge in the same conditions ({T}{{e}}≈ 1 eV) and gradually decreases as the O2 percentage is raised to 50%. However, for O2 percentages above 30%, the scattering spectra become Raman dominated, resulting in large uncertainties in the estimated electron densities and temperatures. The influence of photo-detached electrons from negative ions caused by the typical TS laser fluences is also likely to contribute to the uncertainty in the measured electron densities for high O2 percentages. Moreover, the detection limit of the system is reached for percentages of O2 higher than 25%. Additionally, both the electron density and temperature of microwave discharges with large Ar/O2 ratios are more sensitive to gas pressure variations.

Electron residual energy due to stochastic heating in field-ionized plasma

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

Khalilzadeh, Elnaz; The Plasma Physics and Fusion Research School, Tehran; Yazdanpanah, Jam, E-mail: jamal.yazdan@gmail.com

2015-11-15

The electron residual energy originated from the stochastic heating in under-dense field-ionized plasma is investigated here. Initially, the optical response of plasma is modeled by using two counter-propagating electromagnetic waves. In this case, the solution of motion equation of a single electron indicates that by including the ionization, the electron with higher residual energy compared with that without ionization could be obtained. In agreement with chaotic nature of the motion, it is found that the electron residual energy will be significantly changed by applying a minor change in the initial conditions. Extensive kinetic 1D-3V particle-in-cell simulations have been performed inmore » order to resolve full plasma reactions. In this way, two different regimes of plasma behavior are observed by varying the pulse length. The results indicate that the amplitude of scattered fields in a proper long pulse length is high enough to act as a second counter-propagating wave and trigger the stochastic electron motion. On the contrary, the analyses of intensity spectrum reveal the fact that the dominant scattering mechanism tends to Thomson rather than Raman scattering by increasing the pulse length. A covariant formalism is used to describe the plasma heating so that it enables us to measure electron temperature inside and outside of the pulse region.« less

Green frequency-doubled laser-beam propagation in high-temperature hohlraum plasmas.

PubMed

Niemann, C; Berger, R L; Divol, L; Froula, D H; Jones, O; Kirkwood, R K; Meezan, N; Moody, J D; Ross, J; Sorce, C; Suter, L J; Glenzer, S H

2008-02-01

We demonstrate propagation and small backscatter losses of a frequency-doubled (2omega) laser beam interacting with inertial confinement fusion hohlraum plasmas. The electron temperature of 3.3 keV, approximately a factor of 2 higher than achieved in previous experiments with open geometry targets, approaches plasma conditions of high-fusion yield hohlraums. In this new temperature regime, we measure 2omega laser-beam transmission approaching 80% with simultaneous backscattering losses of less than 10%. These findings suggest that good laser coupling into fusion hohlraums using 2omega light is possible.

Plasma parameters in a multidipole plasma system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruscanu, D.; Anita, V.; Popa, G.

Plasma potential and electron number densities and electron temperatures under bi-Maxwellian approximation for electron distribution function of the multidipole argon plasma source system were measured for a gas pressure ranging between 10-4 and 10-3 mbar and an anode-cathode voltage ranging between 40 and 120 V but a constant discharge current intensity. The first group, as ultimate or cold electrons and main electron plasma population, results by trapping of the slow electrons produced by ionisation process due to primary-neutral collisions. The trapping process is produced by potential well due to positive plasma potential with respect to the anode so that electron temperature of the ultimate electrons does not depend on both the gas pressure and discharge voltage. The second group, as secondary or hot electrons, results as degrading process of the primaries and their number density increases while their temperature decreases with the increase of both the gas pressure and discharge voltage.

[Plasma temperature of white-eye hexagonal pattern in dielectric barrier discharge].

PubMed

Zhao, Yang; Dong, Li-fang; Fu, Hong-yan

2015-01-01

By using the water-electrode discharge experimental setup, the white-eye hexagonal pattern is firstly observed and investigated in the dielectric barrier discharge with the mixture of argon and air whose content can be varied whenever necessary, and the study shows that the white-eye cell is an interleaving of three different hexagonal sub-structures: the spot, the ring, and the halo. The white-eye hexagonal pattern has the excellent discharge stability and sustainability during the experiment. Pictures recorded by ordinary camera with long exposure time in the same argon content condition show that the spot, the ring, and the halo of the white-eye hexagonal pattern have different brightness, which may prove that their plasma states are different. And, it is worth noting that there are obvious differences not only on the brightness but also on the color of the white-eye cell in conditions of different argon content, which shows that its plasma state also changed with the variation of the argon content. The white-eye hexagonal pattern is observed at a lower applied voltage so that the temperature of the water electrodes almost keeps unchanged during the whole experiment, which is advantageous for the long term stable measurement. The plasma state will not be affected by the temperature of the electrodes during the continuous discharge. Based on the above phenomena, plasma temperatures of the spot, the ring, and the halo in white-eye hexagonal pattern including molecule vibrational temperature and variations of electron density at different argon content are investigated by means of optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The emission spectra of the N2 second positive band(C3Πu-->B3Πg)are measured, and the molecule vibrational temperature of the spot, the ring, and the halo of the white-eye hexagonal pattern are calculated by the emission intensities. Furthermore, emission spectra of Ar I (2P2-->1S5)is collected and the changes of its width with different argon

Temperature Control in Radiatively Cooled Plasmas through Autoresonant Drive of TG-waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabantsev, A. A.; Driscoll, C. F.

2013-10-01

We demonstrate accurate temperature control of pure electron plasmas, using driven wave heating ``autoresonantly'' in balance with cyclotron cooling. The mθ = 0 Trivelpiece-Gould wave frequencies are temperature-dependent, asfTG (T) =fTG (0) * [ 1 + ɛT ] ; and they exhibit a narrow Lorentzian absorption response R (f) with width γ ~10-3fTG . A continuous drive amplitude Adr then produces plasma heating power Ph ~Adr2 R (fdr) , which can exactly balance the cyclotron cooling powerPc ~ T /τc . This balance point is autoresonantly stable when fdr ~fTG (T) - γ : if T increases, then fTG (T) also increases and fdr gets further from resonance, so the heating power decreases and T decreases back to the balance point. (The second power-balance point at fdr ~fTG (T) + γ is unstable.) In practice, we use a mz = 3 TG wave having frequency range 5 . 2 temperatures 0 . 03 < T < 3 .eV . The plasma temperature can be either ``pegged'' at a desired value; or varied cyclically, with rates limited by τc ~ 2 sec and by chosen drive amplitude. Simultaneously monitoring the mz = 1 TG frequency can serve as a verification of the autoresonant ``lock''. This ``at will'' control of T may be experimentally useful, especially for temperature sensitive processes like recombination, charge exchange and electron impact detachment in e +H- plasmas. Supported by NSF PHY-0903877 and DE-SC0002451.

Electron density and plasma dynamics of a colliding plasma experiment

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

Wiechula, J., E-mail: wiechula@physik.uni-frankfurt.de; Schönlein, A.; Iberler, M.

2016-07-15

We present experimental results of two head-on colliding plasma sheaths accelerated by pulsed-power-driven coaxial plasma accelerators. The measurements have been performed in a small vacuum chamber with a neutral-gas prefill of ArH{sub 2} at gas pressures between 17 Pa and 400 Pa and load voltages between 4 kV and 9 kV. As the plasma sheaths collide, the electron density is significantly increased. The electron density reaches maximum values of ≈8 ⋅ 10{sup 15} cm{sup −3} for a single accelerated plasma and a maximum value of ≈2.6 ⋅ 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} for the plasma collision. Overall a raise of the plasma density by a factor ofmore » 1.3 to 3.8 has been achieved. A scaling behavior has been derived from the values of the electron density which shows a disproportionately high increase of the electron density of the collisional case for higher applied voltages in comparison to a single accelerated plasma. Sequences of the plasma collision have been taken, using a fast framing camera to study the plasma dynamics. These sequences indicate a maximum collision velocity of 34 km/s.« less

Temperature Dependence of Dissociative Electron Attachment to Halogenated Hydrocarbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yicheng; Christophorou, Loucas G.

1996-10-01

Most of the gas mixtures currently in use for plasma processing of semiconductors involve halogenated hydrocarbons such as the strongly electronegative gases CCl4 and CFCl_3, the weakly electronegative gas CF_2Cl2 and the very weakly electronegative gases CHF3 and CF_4. Many dissociation processes are known to occur for these molecules. One of these dissociation reactions which is particularly effective for the strongly electronegative hydrocarbons is dissociative electron attachment. Even for weakly electron attaching gases, molecular dissociation via dissociative electron attachment at low energies can be an efficient dissociation process if the gas temperature is higher than ambient. Dissociative electron attachment is known to increase with increasing temperature above room temperature for many such compounds. In this paper, we report our measurements on the increases of the total electron attachment rate constant for CF_2Cl2 with increasing gas temperature from room temperature to about 600 K. -Research sponsored in part by the U.S. Air Force Wright Laboratory under contract F33615-96-C-2600 with the University of Tennessee. Also, Department of Physics, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

Design and validation of the ball-pen probe for measurements in a low-temperature magnetized plasma

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

Bousselin, G.; Cavalier, J.; Pautex, J. F.

Ball-pen probes have been used in fusion devices for direct measurements of the plasma potential. Their application in low-temperature magnetized plasma devices is still subject to studies. In this context, a ball-pen probe has been recently implemented on the linear plasma device Mirabelle. Produced by a thermionic discharge, the plasma is characterized by a low electron temperature and a low density. Plasma confinement is provided by an axial magnetic field that goes up to 100 mT. The principle of the ball-pen probe is to adjust the saturation current ratio to 1 by reducing the electron current contribution. In that case,more » the floating potential of the probe is close to the plasma potential. A thorough study of the ball-pen probe operation is performed for different designs of the probe over a large set of plasma conditions. Comparisons between ball-pen, Langmuir, and emissive probes are conducted in the same plasma conditions. The ball-pen probe is successfully measuring the plasma potential in these specific plasma conditions only if an adapted electronics and an adapted probe size to the plasma characteristic lengths ({lambda}{sub D}, {rho}{sub ce}) are used.« less

Low-Temperature Sterilization with Surface-Wave-Excited Oxygen Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagatsu, Masaaki; Terashita, Fumie; Koide, Yukio

2003-07-01

Low-temperature plasma sterilization has been experimentally demonstrated using surface-wave plasma excited by a 2.45 GHz microwave. With the spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus subtilis as biological indicators, we have carried out the plasma sterilization experiments by varying the irradiation period of oxygen plasma discharges. It was experimentally confirmed that the spores with a population of 1.5 × 106 were sterilized by irradiating them with oxygen plasma discharges generated with a microwave power of 700 W at a pressure of 60-80 mTorr for 3 min or longer. From the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the spores, we found that the sterilized spores clearly had different sizes and shapes compared with those before the plasma irradiation. Furthermore, present experiments suggested that the changes of spore shapes were mainly attributed to the reactive interactions with oxygen radicals.

Plasma production for electron acceleration by resonant plasma wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Curcio, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G. P.; Filippi, F.; Ghigo, A.; Lollo, V.; Pella, S.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Ferrario, M.

2016-09-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration is the most promising acceleration technique known nowadays, able to provide very high accelerating fields (10-100 GV/m), enabling acceleration of electrons to GeV energy in few centimeter. However, the quality of the electron bunches accelerated with this technique is still not comparable with that of conventional accelerators (large energy spread, low repetition rate, and large emittance); radiofrequency-based accelerators, in fact, are limited in accelerating field (10-100 MV/m) requiring therefore hundred of meters of distances to reach the GeV energies, but can provide very bright electron bunches. To combine high brightness electron bunches from conventional accelerators and high accelerating fields reachable with plasmas could be a good compromise allowing to further accelerate high brightness electron bunches coming from LINAC while preserving electron beam quality. Following the idea of plasma wave resonant excitation driven by a train of short bunches, we have started to study the requirements in terms of plasma for SPARC_LAB (Ferrario et al., 2013 [1]). In particular here we focus on hydrogen plasma discharge, and in particular on the theoretical and numerical estimates of the ionization process which are very useful to design the discharge circuit and to evaluate the current needed to be supplied to the gas in order to have full ionization. Eventually, the current supplied to the gas simulated will be compared to that measured experimentally.

Electron Temperature and Plasma Flow Measurements of NIF Hohlraum Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, M. A.; Liedahl, D. A.; Schneider, M. B.; Jones, O.; Brow, G. V.; Regan, S. P.; Fournier, K. B.; Moore, A. S.; Ross, J. S.; Eder, D.; Landen, O.; Kauffman, R. L.; Nikroo, A.; Kroll, J.; Jaquez, J.; Huang, H.; Hansen, S. B.; Callahan, D. A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Bradley, D.; Moody, J. D.; LLNL Collaboration; LLE Collaboration; GA Collaboration; SNL Collaboration

2016-10-01

Characterizing the plasma conditions inside NIF hohlraums, in particular mapping the plasma Te, is critical to gaining insight into mechanisms that affect energy coupling and transport in the hohlraum. The dot spectroscopy platform provides a temporal history of the localized Te and plasma flow inside a NIF hohlraum, by introducing a Mn-Co tracer dot, at strategic locations inside the hohlraum, that comes to equilibrium with the local plasma. K-shell X-ray spectroscopy of the tracer dot is recorded onto an absolutely calibrated X-ray streak spectrometer. Isoelectronic and interstage line ratios are used to infer localized Te through comparison with atomic physics calculations using SCRAM. Time resolved X-ray images are simultaneously taken of the expanding dot, providing plasma (ion) flow information. We present recent results provided by this platform and compare with simulations using HYDRA. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Free-bound electron exchange contribution to l-split atomic structure in dense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennadji, K.; Rosmej, F.; Lisitsa, V. S.

2013-11-01

An analytical expression for the exchange energy between the bound electron in hydrogen-like ions and the free electrons of plasma is proposed. Two limiting cases are identified: 1) the low temperature limit where the energy depends linearly on density and on the ion charge as 1/Z2 but does not depend on the temperature itself, 2) the high temperature limit where the energy depends on temperature as 1/T but does not depend on the ion charge. These two regimes are separated by a characteristic temperature (T∗ = 4Z2Ry) which is a universal parameter depending only on the charge Z of the ions. We presented numerical results for aluminum: the exchange energy contributes about 15% to the total plasma energy and can reach an order of 10-4 of the total transition energy. Comparison to the Local-density Approximation (Kohn-Sham) exchange energy shows a good agreement.

Plasma diagnostics of low pressure high power impulse magnetron sputtering assisted by electron cyclotron wave resonance plasma

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

Stranak, Vitezslav; University of South Bohemia, Institute of Physics and Biophysics, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice; Herrendorf, Ann-Pierra

2012-11-01

This paper reports on an investigation of the hybrid pulsed sputtering source based on the combination of electron cyclotron wave resonance (ECWR) inductively coupled plasma and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of a Ti target. The plasma source, operated in an Ar atmosphere at a very low pressure of 0.03 Pa, provides plasma where the major fraction of sputtered particles is ionized. It was found that ECWR assistance increases the electron temperature during the HiPIMS pulse. The discharge current and electron density can achieve their stable maximum 10 {mu}s after the onset of the HiPIMS pulse. Further, a highmore » concentration of double charged Ti{sup ++} with energies of up to 160 eV was detected. All of these facts were verified experimentally by time-resolved emission spectroscopy, retarding field analyzer measurement, Langmuir probe, and energy-resolved mass spectrometry.« less

Low-Temperature Plasma Coating for Aluminum

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-03-01

AFRL-ML-WP-TR-2001-4104 LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASMA COATING FOR ALUMINUM DR. HIROTSUGU YASUDA CENTER FOR SURFACE SCIENCE & PLASMA TECHNOLOGY...Date 00032001 Report Type N/A Dates Covered (from... to) - Title and Subtitle Low-Temperature Plasma Coating for Aluminum Contract Number...REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Final, 6/29/1996 - 3/31/2001 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE LOW-TEMPERATURE PLASMA COATING FOR ALUMINUM 5. FUNDING NUMBERS C

Determination of electron density and temperature in non-LTE plasmas from spectral lines of impurity ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kunc, Joseph A.

1988-01-01

A novel approach for calculating the populations of the excited Li-like ions C IV, N V, O VI, and Ne VIII is presented. The populations of the 2(2P), 3(2S), 3(2P), and 3(2D) electronic levels in these ions in optically thin plasmas with a broad range of electron density, N(e), and temperature, T(e), are determined from the collisional-radiative model by solving the system of rate equations for the production of excited ions; the equations are linear with respect to the excited ion populations, and the N(e) and T(e) are taken as independent variables. These populations are used to determine the ratios of line intensities for dipole allowed transitions between various energy levels. This approach can be applied to impurities other than the lithiumlike ions and is especially useful for diagnostics of systems where nonintrusive spectroscopic techniques must be used.

WE-E-18A-05: Bremsstrahlung of Laser-Plasma Interaction at KeV Temperature: Forward Dose and Attenuation Factors

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

Saez-Beltran, M; Fernandez Gonzalez, F

2014-06-15

Purpose: To obtain an analytical empirical formula for the photon dose source term in forward direction from bremsstrahlung generated from laser-plasma accelerated electron beams in aluminum solid targets, with electron-plasma temperatures in the 10–100 keV energy range, and to calculate transmission factors for iron, aluminum, methacrylate, lead and concrete and air, materials most commonly found in vacuum chamber labs. Methods: Bremsstrahlung fluence is calculated from the convolution of thin-target bremsstrahlung spectrum for monoenergetic electrons and the relativistic Maxwell-Juettner energy distribution for the electron-plasma. Unattenuatted dose in tissue is calculated by integrating the photon spectrum with the mass-energy absorption coefficient. Formore » the attenuated dose, energy dependent absorption coefficient, build-up factors and finite shielding correction factors were also taken into account. For the source term we use a modified formula from Hayashi et al., and we fitted the proportionality constant from experiments with the aid of the previously calculated transmission factors. Results: The forward dose has a quadratic dependence on electron-plasma temperature: 1 joule of effective laser energy transferred to the electrons at 1 m in vacuum yields 0,72 Sv per MeV squared of electron-plasma temperature. Air strongly filters the softer part of the photon spectrum and reduce the dose to one tenth in the first centimeter. Exponential higher energy tail of maxwellian spectrum contributes mainly to the transmitted dose. Conclusion: A simple formula for forward photon dose from keV range temperature plasma is obtained, similar to those found in kilovoltage x-rays but with higher dose per dissipated electron energy, due to thin target and absence of filtration.« less

Temperature estimation from molecular nitrogen UV spectra in atmospheric pressure plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pepper, Keenan; Kim, Yongho; Kim, Jihun

2008-11-01

Atmospheric pressure plasmas have many potential applications to fuel processing, surface treatment, and manipulation of chemical reactions. These plasmas are often non-thermal, which means different species are not in equilibrium and have different effective temperatures. This is critical for many applications because it allows high concentrations of reactive species to be produced without using a prohibitive amount of power. In the present work, numerical software was developed to estimate the vibrational and rotational temperatures (Tvib and Trot) of N2 molecules from their ultraviolet emission spectra. The electron temperature Te can also be estimated by comparing the N2 spectrum to that of the N2^+ molecular ion. This technique is applied to several plasma sources including audio frequency, RF, and microwave devices. The results are presented and their implications for practical applications are discussed.

The structure of high-temperature solar flare plasma in non-thermal flare models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Emslie, A. G.

1985-01-01

Analytic differential emission measure distributions have been derived for coronal plasma in flare loops heated both by collisions of high-energy suprathermal electrons with background plasma, and by ohmic heating by the beam-normalizing return current. For low densities, reverse current heating predominates, while for higher densities collisional heating predominates. There is thus a minimum peak temperature in an electron-heated loop. In contrast to previous approximate analyses, it is found that a stable reverse current can dominate the heating rate in a flare loop, especially in the low corona. Two 'scaling laws' are found which relate the peak temperature in the loop to the suprathermal electron flux. These laws are testable observationally and constitute a new diagnostic procedure for examining modes of energy transport in flaring loops.

Nonlinear Right-Hand Polarized Wave in Plasma in the Electron Cyclotron Resonance Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasovitskiy, V. B.; Turikov, V. A.

2018-05-01

The propagation of a nonlinear right-hand polarized wave along an external magnetic field in subcritical plasma in the electron cyclotron resonance region is studied using numerical simulations. It is shown that a small-amplitude plasma wave excited in low-density plasma is unstable against modulation instability with a modulation period equal to the wavelength of the excited wave. The modulation amplitude in this case increases with decreasing detuning from the resonance frequency. The simulations have shown that, for large-amplitude waves of the laser frequency range propagating in plasma in a superstrong magnetic field, the maximum amplitude of the excited longitudinal electric field increases with the increasing external magnetic field and can reach 30% of the initial amplitude of the electric field in the laser wave. In this case, the energy of plasma electrons begins to substantially increase already at magnetic fields significantly lower than the resonance value. The laser energy transferred to plasma electrons in a strong external magnetic field is found to increase severalfold compared to that in isotropic plasma. It is shown that this mechanism of laser radiation absorption depends only slightly on the electron temperature.

Effect of remote inductively coupled plasma (ICP) on the electron energy probability function of an in-tandem main ICP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jaewon; Kim, Kyung-Hyun; Chung, Chin-Wook

2017-02-01

The remote plasma has been generally used as the auxiliary plasma source for indirect plasma processes such as cleaning or ashing. When tandem plasma sources that contain main and remote plasma sources are discharged, the main plasma is affected by the remote plasma and vice versa. Charged particles can move between two chambers due to the potential difference between the two plasmas. For this reason, the electron energy possibility function of the main plasma can be controlled by adjusting the remote plasma state. In our study, low energy electrons in the main plasma are effectively heated with varying remote plasma powers, and high energy electrons which overcome potential differences between two plasmas—are exchanged with no remarkable change in the plasma density and the effective electron temperature.

Electron temperature measurements inside the ablating plasma of gas-filled hohlraums at the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, M. A.; Liedahl, D. A.; Schneider, M. B.; Jones, O.; Brown, G. V.; Regan, S. P.; Fournier, K. B.; Moore, A. S.; Ross, J. S.; Landen, O.; Kauffman, R. L.; Nikroo, A.; Kroll, J.; Jaquez, J.; Huang, H.; Hansen, S. B.; Callahan, D. A.; Hinkel, D. E.; Bradley, D.; Moody, J. D.

2016-05-01

The first measurement of the electron temperature (Te) inside a National Ignition Facility hohlraum is obtained using temporally resolved K-shell X-ray spectroscopy of a mid-Z tracer dot. Both isoelectronic- and interstage-line ratios are used to calculate the local Te via the collisional-radiative atomic physics code SCRAM [Hansen et al., High Energy Density Phys 3, 109 (2007)]. The trajectory of the mid-Z dot as it is ablated from the capsule surface and moves toward the laser entrance hole (LEH) is measured using side-on x-ray imaging, characterizing the plasma flow of the ablating capsule. Data show that the measured dot location is farther away from the LEH in comparison to the radiation-hydrodynamics simulation prediction using HYDRA [Marinak et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2070 (1996)]. To account for this discrepancy, the predicted simulation Te is evaluated at the measured dot trajectory. The peak Te, measured to be 4.2 keV ± 0.2 keV, is ˜0.5 keV hotter than the simulation prediction.

A generalized electron energy probability function for inductively coupled plasmas under conditions of nonlocal electron kinetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouchtouris, S.; Kokkoris, G.

2018-01-01

A generalized equation for the electron energy probability function (EEPF) of inductively coupled Ar plasmas is proposed under conditions of nonlocal electron kinetics and diffusive cooling. The proposed equation describes the local EEPF in a discharge and the independent variable is the kinetic energy of electrons. The EEPF consists of a bulk and a depleted tail part and incorporates the effect of the plasma potential, Vp, and pressure. Due to diffusive cooling, the break point of the EEPF is eVp. The pressure alters the shape of the bulk and the slope of the tail part. The parameters of the proposed EEPF are extracted by fitting to measure EEPFs (at one point in the reactor) at different pressures. By coupling the proposed EEPF with a hybrid plasma model, measurements in the gaseous electronics conference reference reactor concerning (a) the electron density and temperature and the plasma potential, either spatially resolved or at different pressure (10-50 mTorr) and power, and (b) the ion current density of the electrode, are well reproduced. The effect of the choice of the EEPF on the results is investigated by a comparison to an EEPF coming from the Boltzmann equation (local electron kinetics approach) and to a Maxwellian EEPF. The accuracy of the results and the fact that the proposed EEPF is predefined renders its use a reliable alternative with a low computational cost compared to stochastic electron kinetic models at low pressure conditions, which can be extended to other gases and/or different electron heating mechanisms.

On the importance of electron impact processes in excimer-pumped alkali laser-induced plasmas

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

Markosyan, Aram H.

We present that the excimer-pumped alkali laser (XPAL) system has recently been demonstrated in several different mixtures of alkali vapor and rare gas. Without special preventive measures, plasma formation during operation of XPAL is unavoidable. Some recent advancements in the availability of reliable data for electron impact collisions with atoms and molecules have enabled development of a complete reaction mechanism to investigate XPAL-induced plasmas. Here, we report on pathways leading to plasma formation in an Ar/C 2H 6/CsAr/C2H6/Cs XPAL sustained at different cell temperatures. We find that depending on the operating conditions, the contribution of electron impact processes can bemore » as little as bringing the excitation of Cs(P 2) states to higher level Cs** states, and can be as high as bringing Cs(P 2) excited states to a full ionization. Increasing the input pumping power or cell temperature, or decreasing the C 2H 6 mole fraction leads to electron impact processes dominating in plasma formation over the energy pooling mechanisms previously reported in literature.« less

On the importance of electron impact processes in excimer-pumped alkali laser-induced plasmas

DOE PAGES

Markosyan, Aram H.

2017-10-18

We present that the excimer-pumped alkali laser (XPAL) system has recently been demonstrated in several different mixtures of alkali vapor and rare gas. Without special preventive measures, plasma formation during operation of XPAL is unavoidable. Some recent advancements in the availability of reliable data for electron impact collisions with atoms and molecules have enabled development of a complete reaction mechanism to investigate XPAL-induced plasmas. Here, we report on pathways leading to plasma formation in an Ar/C 2H 6/CsAr/C2H6/Cs XPAL sustained at different cell temperatures. We find that depending on the operating conditions, the contribution of electron impact processes can bemore » as little as bringing the excitation of Cs(P 2) states to higher level Cs** states, and can be as high as bringing Cs(P 2) excited states to a full ionization. Increasing the input pumping power or cell temperature, or decreasing the C 2H 6 mole fraction leads to electron impact processes dominating in plasma formation over the energy pooling mechanisms previously reported in literature.« less

Low Temperature Plasma Medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graves, David

2013-10-01

Ionized gas plasmas near room temperature are used in a remarkable number of technological applications mainly because they are extraordinarily efficient at exploiting electrical power for useful chemical and material transformations near room temperature. In this tutorial address, I will focus on the newest area of low temperature ionized gas plasmas (LTP), in this case operating under atmospheric pressure conditions, in which the temperature-sensitive material is living tissue. LTP research directed towards biomedical applications such as sterilization, surgery, wound healing and anti-cancer therapy has seen remarkable growth in the last 3-5 years, but the mechanisms responsible for the biomedical effects have remained mysterious. It is known that LTP readily create reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). ROS and RNS (or RONS), in addition to a suite of other radical and non-radical reactive species, are essential actors in an important sub-field of aerobic biology termed ``redox'' (or oxidation-reduction) biology. I will review the evidence suggesting that RONS generated by plasmas are responsible for their observed therapeutic effects. Other possible bio-active mechanisms include electric fields, charges and photons. It is common in LTP applications that synergies between different mechanisms can play a role and I will review the evidence for synergies in plasma biomedicine. Finally, I will address the challenges and opportunities for plasma physicists to enter this novel, multidisciplinary field.

Non-thermal plasma mills bacteria: Scanning electron microscopy observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunov, O.; Churpita, O.; Zablotskii, V.; Deyneka, I. G.; Meshkovskii, I. K.; Jäger, A.; Syková, E.; Kubinová, Š.; Dejneka, A.

2015-02-01

Non-thermal plasmas hold great promise for a variety of biomedical applications. To ensure safe clinical application of plasma, a rigorous analysis of plasma-induced effects on cell functions is required. Yet mechanisms of bacteria deactivation by non-thermal plasma remain largely unknown. We therefore analyzed the influence of low-temperature atmospheric plasma on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Using scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate that both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains in a minute were completely destroyed by helium plasma. In contrast, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were not affected by the same treatment. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of hematoxylin and eosin-stained rat skin sections from plasma-treated animals did not reveal any abnormalities in comparison to control ones. We discuss possible physical mechanisms leading to the shred of bacteria under non-thermal plasma irradiation. Our findings disclose how helium plasma destroys bacteria and demonstrates the safe use of plasma treatment for MSCs and skin cells, highlighting the favorability of plasma applications for chronic wound therapy.

Soluble Proteins Form Film by the Treatment of Low Temperature Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikehara, Sanae; Sakakita, Hajime; Ishikawa, Kenji; Akimoto, Yoshihiro; Nakanishi, Hayao; Shimizu, Nobuyuki; Hori, Masaru; Ikehara, Yuzuru

2015-09-01

It has been pointed out that low temperature plasma in atmosphere was feasible to use for hemostasis without heat injury. Indeed, earlier studies demonstrated that low temperature plasma played an important role to stimulate platelets to aggregate and turned on the proteolytic activities of coagulation factors, resulting in the acceleration of the natural blood coagulation process. On the other hands, our developed equips could immediately form clots upon the contact with plasma flair, while the histological appearance was different from natural coagulation. Based on these findings in formed clots, we sought to determine if plasma flair supplied by our devices was capable of forming film using a series of soluble proteins Following plasma treatment, films were formed from bovine serum albumin, and the other plasma proteins at physiological concentration. Analysis of trans-electron microscope demonstrated that plasma treatment generated small protein particles and made them fuse to be larger aggregations The combined results demonstrated that plasma are capable of aggregating soluble proteins and that platelets and coagulation factors are not necessary for plasma induced blood coagulation. Supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Area (21590454, 24590498, and 24108006 to Y. I.).

Nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries equation for soliton propagation in relativistic electron-positron-ion plasma with thermal ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, R.; Shah, Asif; Noaman-Ul-Haq, Muhammad

2010-10-01

The nonlinear propagation of ion-acoustic solitons in relativistic electron-positron-ion plasma comprising of Boltzmannian electrons, positrons, and relativistic thermal ions has been examined. The Korteweg-de Vries equation has been derived by reductive perturbation technique. The effect of various plasma parameters on amplitude and structure of solitary wave is investigated. The pert graphical view of the results has been presented for illustration. It is observed that increase in the relativistic streaming factor causes the soliton amplitude to thrive and its width shrinks. The soliton amplitude and width decline as the ion to electron temperature ratio is increased. The increase in positron concentration results in reduction of soliton amplitude. The soliton amplitude enhances as the electron to positron temperature ratio is increased. Our results may have relevance in the understanding of astrophysical plasmas.

Non-thermal plasma mills bacteria: Scanning electron microscopy observations

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

Lunov, O., E-mail: lunov@fzu.cz; Churpita, O.; Zablotskii, V.

2015-02-02

Non-thermal plasmas hold great promise for a variety of biomedical applications. To ensure safe clinical application of plasma, a rigorous analysis of plasma-induced effects on cell functions is required. Yet mechanisms of bacteria deactivation by non-thermal plasma remain largely unknown. We therefore analyzed the influence of low-temperature atmospheric plasma on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Using scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrate that both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains in a minute were completely destroyed by helium plasma. In contrast, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were not affected by the same treatment. Furthermore, histopathological analysis of hematoxylin and eosin–stained rat skin sections frommore » plasma–treated animals did not reveal any abnormalities in comparison to control ones. We discuss possible physical mechanisms leading to the shred of bacteria under non-thermal plasma irradiation. Our findings disclose how helium plasma destroys bacteria and demonstrates the safe use of plasma treatment for MSCs and skin cells, highlighting the favorability of plasma applications for chronic wound therapy.« less

Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of Electron Vortex Magnetic Hole in the Turbulent Magnetosheath Plasma

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

Huang, S. Y.; Yuan, Z. G.; Wang, D. D.

We report on the observations of an electron vortex magnetic hole corresponding to a new type of coherent structure in the turbulent magnetosheath plasma using the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data. The magnetic hole is characterized by a magnetic depression, a density peak, a total electron temperature increase (with a parallel temperature decrease but a perpendicular temperature increase), and strong currents carried by the electrons. The current has a dip in the core region and a peak in the outer region of the magnetic hole. The estimated size of the magnetic hole is about 0.23 ρ {sub i} (∼30 ρ {submore » e}) in the quasi-circular cross-section perpendicular to its axis, where ρ {sub i} and ρ {sub e} are respectively the proton and electron gyroradius. There are no clear enhancements seen in high-energy electron fluxes. However, there is an enhancement in the perpendicular electron fluxes at 90° pitch angle inside the magnetic hole, implying that the electrons are trapped within it. The variations of the electron velocity components V {sub em} and V {sub en} suggest that an electron vortex is formed by trapping electrons inside the magnetic hole in the cross-section in the M – N plane. These observations demonstrate the existence of a new type of coherent structures behaving as an electron vortex magnetic hole in turbulent space plasmas as predicted by recent kinetic simulations.« less

Development of plasma cathode electron guns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oks, Efim M.; Schanin, Peter M.

1999-05-01

The status of experimental research and ongoing development of plasma cathode electron guns in recent years is reviewed, including some novel upgrades and applications to various technological fields. The attractiveness of this kind of e-gun is due to its capability of creating high current, broad or focused beams, both in pulsed and steady-state modes of operation. An important characteristic of the plasma cathode electron gun is the absence of a thermionic cathode, a feature which leads to long lifetime and reliable operation even in the presence of aggressive background gas media and at fore-vacuum gas pressure ranges such as achieved by mechanical pumps. Depending on the required beam parameters, different kinds of plasma discharge systems can be used in plasma cathode electron guns, such as vacuum arcs, constricted gaseous arcs, hollow cathode glows, and two kinds of discharges in crossed E×B fields: Penning and magnetron. At the present time, plasma cathode electron guns provide beams with transverse dimension from fractional millimeter up to about one meter, beam current from microamperes to kiloamperes, beam current density up to about 100 A/cm2, pulse duration from nanoseconds to dc, and electron energy from several keV to hundreds of keV. Applications include electron beam melting and welding, surface treatment, plasma chemistry, radiation technologies, laser pumping, microwave generation, and more.

Interplay between protons and electrons in a firehose-unstable plasma: Particle-in-cell simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourdin, Philippe-A.; Maneva, Yana

2017-04-01

Kinetic plasma instabilities originating from unstable, non-Maxwellian shapes of the velocity distribution functions serve as internal degrees of freedom in plasma dynamics, and play an important role near solar current sheets and in solar wind plasmas. In the presence of strong temperature anisotropy (different thermal spreads in the velocity space with respect to the mean magnetic field), plasmas are unstable either to the firehose mode or to the mirror mode in the case of predominant parallel and perpendicular temperatures, respectively. The growth rates of these instabilities and their thresholds depend on plasma properties, such as the temperature anisotropy and the plasma beta. The physics of the temperature anisotropy-driven instabilities becomes even more diverse for various shapes of velocity distribution functions and the particle species of interest. Recent studies based on a linear instability analysis show an interplay in the firehose instability between protons and electrons when the both types of particle species are prone to unstable velocity distribution functions and their instability thresholds. In this work we perform for the first time 3D nonlinear PIC (particle-in-cell) numerical simulations to test for the linear-theory prediction of the simultaneous proton-electron firehose instability. The simulation setup allows us not only to evaluate the growth rate of each firehose instability, but also to track its nonlinear evolution and the related wave-particle interactions such as the pitch-angle scattering or saturation effects. The specialty of our simulation is that the magnetic and electric fields have a low numerical noise level by setting a sufficiently large number of super-particles into the simulation box and enhancing the statistical significance of the velocity distribution functions. We use the iPIC3D code with fully periodic boundaries under various conditions of the electron-to-proton mass ratio, which gives insight into the

Role of ionization and electron drift velocity profile to Rayleigh instability in a Hall thruster plasma

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

Singh, Sukhmander; Malik, Hitendra K.

Role of ionization to Rayleigh instability is clarified in a Hall thruster plasma under the variety of profiles of electron drift velocity, namely, step-like profile (SLP) and two different super-Gaussian profiles (SGP1 and SGP2). For this, a relevant Rayleigh equation is derived and solved numerically using fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Interestingly, an upper cutoff frequency of oscillations {omega}{sub max} is realized for the occurrence of the instability that shows dependence on the ionization rate {alpha}, electron drift velocity u{sub 0}, electron cyclotron frequency {Omega}, azimuthal wave number k{sub y}, plasma density n{sub 0}, density gradient {partial_derivative}n{sub 0}/{partial_derivative}x, ion (electron) thermal speedmore » V{sub thI}(V{sub thE}), and ion (electron) plasma frequency {omega}{sub pi}({omega}{sub pe}). The frequency {omega}{sub max} follows the trend {omega}{sub max} (for SGP2) >{omega}{sub max} (for SLP) >{omega}{sub max} (for SGP1) and shows a similar behaviour with ionization for all types of the velocity profiles. The instability is found to grow faster for the higher {alpha} and the ion temperature but it acquires lower rate under the effect of the higher electron temperature; the perturbed potential also varies in accordance with the growth rate. The electron temperature influences the growth rate and cutoff frequency less significantly in comparison with the ion temperature.« less

Refractory clad transient internal probe for magnetic field measurements in high temperature plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyundae; Cellamare, Vincent; Jarboe, Thomas R.; Mattick, Arthur T.

2005-05-01

The transient internal probe (TIP) is a diagnostic for local internal field measurements in high temperature plasmas. A verdet material, which rotates the polarization angle of the laser light under magnetic fields, is launched into a plasma at about 1.8km/s. A linearly polarized Ar+ laser illuminates the probe in transit and the light retroreflected from the probe is analyzed to determine the local magnetic field profiles. The TIP has been used for magnetic field measurements on the helicity injected torus where electron temperature Te⩽80eV. In order to apply the TIP in higher temperature plasmas, refractory clad probes have been developed utilizing a sapphire tube, rear disc, and a MgO window on the front. The high melting points of these refractory materials should allow probe operation at plasma electron temperatures up to Te˜300eV. A retroreflecting probe has also been developed using "catseye" optics. The front window is replaced with a plano-convex MgO lens, and the back surface of the probe is aluminized. This approach reduces spurious polarization effects and provides refractory cladding for the probe entrance face. In-flight measurements of a static magnetic field demonstrate the ability of the clad probes to withstand gun-launch acceleration, and provide high accuracy measurements of magnetic field.

External control of electron energy distributions in a dual tandem inductively coupled plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lei; Sridhar, Shyam; Zhu, Weiye; Donnelly, Vincent M.; Economou, Demetre J.; Logue, Michael D.; Kushner, Mark J.

2015-08-01

The control of electron energy probability functions (EEPFs) in low pressure partially ionized plasmas is typically accomplished through the format of the applied power. For example, through the use of pulse power, the EEPF can be modulated to produce shapes not possible under continuous wave excitation. This technique uses internal control. In this paper, we discuss a method for external control of EEPFs by transport of electrons between separately powered inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs). The reactor incorporates dual ICP sources (main and auxiliary) in a tandem geometry whose plasma volumes are separated by a grid. The auxiliary ICP is continuously powered while the main ICP is pulsed. Langmuir probe measurements of the EEPFs during the afterglow of the main ICP suggests that transport of hot electrons from the auxiliary plasma provided what is effectively an external source of energetic electrons. The tail of the EEPF and bulk electron temperature were then elevated in the afterglow of the main ICP by this external source of power. Results from a computer simulation for the evolution of the EEPFs concur with measured trends.

Spectroscopic method to study low charge state ion and cold electron population in ECRIS plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kronholm, R.; Kalvas, T.; Koivisto, H.; Tarvainen, O.

2018-04-01

The results of optical emission spectroscopy experiments probing the cold electron population of a 14 GHz Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) are reported. The study has been conducted with a high resolution spectrometer and data acquisition setup developed specifically for the diagnostics of weak emission line characteristic to ECRIS plasmas. The optical emission lines of low charge state ions and neutral atoms of neon have been measured and analyzed with the line-ratio method. The aforementioned electron population temperature of the cold electron population (Te < 100 eV) is determined for Maxwell-Boltzmann and Druyvesteyn energy distributions to demonstrate the applicability of the method. The temperature was found to change significantly when the extraction voltage of the ion source is turned on/off. In the case of the Maxwellian distribution, the temperature of the cold electron population is 20 ± 10 eV when the extraction voltage is off and 40 ± 10 eV when it is on. The optical emission measurements revealed that the extraction voltage also affects both neutral and ion densities. Based on the rate coefficient analysis with the aforementioned temperatures, switching the extraction voltage off decreases the rate coefficient of neutral to 1+ ionization to 42% and 1+ to 2+ ionization to 24% of the original. This suggests that switching the extraction voltage on favors ionization to charge states ≥2+ and, thus, the charge state distributions of ECRIS plasmas are probably different with the extraction voltage on/off. It is therefore concluded that diagnostics results of ECRIS plasmas obtained without the extraction voltage are not depicting the plasma conditions in normal ECRIS operation.

Electron temperature and density measurement of tungsten inert gas arcs with Ar-He shielding gas mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kühn-Kauffeldt, M.; Marques, J.-L.; Forster, G.; Schein, J.

2013-10-01

The diagnostics of atmospheric welding plasma is a well-established technology. In most cases the measurements are limited to processes using pure shielding gas. However in many applications shielding gas is a mixture of various components including metal vapor in gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Shielding gas mixtures are intentionally used for tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding in order to improve the welding performance. For example adding Helium to Argon shielding gas allows the weld geometry and porosity to be influenced. Yet thermal plasmas produced with gas mixtures or metal vapor still require further experimental investigation. In this work coherent Thomson scattering is used to measure electron temperature and density in these plasmas, since this technique allows independent measurements of electron and ion temperature. Here thermal plasmas generated by a TIG process with 50% Argon and 50% Helium shielding gas mixture have been investigated. Electron temperature and density measured by coherent Thomson scattering have been compared to the results of spectroscopic measurements of the plasma density using Stark broadening of the 696.5 nm Argon spectral line. Further investigations of MIG processes using Thomson scattering technique are planned.

Relativistic shock waves in an electron-positron plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsintsadze, Levan N.

1995-12-01

The equations describing the detailed structure of radiation electromagnetic hydrodynamics for a relativistically hot electron-positron plasma are derived. Various discontinuities are studied by these equations. It is shown that the dependence of the electron (positron) mass on the temperature changes the structure of discontinuities, including shock waves, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Steady radiative shocks are considered, which can arise in steady flows, and which also can be used to describe the propagation of shocks when the shock thickness is very small as compared to the characteristic length over which the ambient medium changes significantly. First, the magnetohydrodynamic shock wave is treated as a discontinuity and jump relations, which relate the equilibrium states of the upstream and downstream plasma far from the front, are derived. Then the structure of the front itself is considered and tangential, contact (or entropy) and rotational discontinuities are investigated.

Density effects on electronic configurations in dense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faussurier, Gérald; Blancard, Christophe

2018-02-01

We present a quantum mechanical model to describe the density effects on electronic configurations inside a plasma environment. Two different approaches are given by starting from a quantum average-atom model. Illustrations are shown for an aluminum plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium at solid density and at a temperature of 100 eV and in the thermodynamic conditions of a recent experiment designed to characterize the effects of the ionization potential depression treatment. Our approach compares well with experiment and is consistent in that case with the approach of Stewart and Pyatt to describe the ionization potential depression rather than with the method of Ecker and Kröll.

Calculation of electronic transport coefficients of Ag and Au plasma.

PubMed

Apfelbaum, E M

2011-12-01

The thermoelectric transport coefficients of silver and gold plasma have been calculated within the relaxation-time approximation. We considered temperatures of 10-100 kK and densities of ρ plasma composition was calculated using a corresponding system of coupled mass action laws, including the atom ionization up to +4. For momentum cross sections of electron-atom scattering we used the most accurate expressions available. The results of our modeling have been compared with other researchers' data whenever possible.

PREFACE: VII Conference on Low Temperature Plasma in the Processes of Functional Coating Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nail, Kashapov

2016-01-01

The VII All-Russian (with international participation) Scientific Technical Conference "Low-temperature plasma during the deposition of functional coatings" took place from 4-7 November 2015 at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Kazan Federal University. The conference was attended by over 150 people from Russia and abroad. The participants proposed a wide range of issues affecting the theoretical and experimental aspects of the problems of the physics of low-temperature plasma. We heard the reports of experts from leading universities and research organizations in the field of plasma physics: Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, MEPhI, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Institute of High Current Electronics SB RAS, etc. A series of works were devoted to the study of thin films obtained by low-temperature plasma. This year, work dedicated to the related field of heat mass transfer in multiphase media and low-temperature plasma was also presented. Of special interest were reports on the exploration of gas discharges with liquid electrolytic electrodes and the study of dusty plasmas. Kashapov Nail, D.Sc., professor (Kazan Federal University)

MAVEN observations of electron temperatures in the dayside ionosphere at Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, S.; Cravens, T.; Andersson, L.; Fowler, C. M.; Thiemann, E.; Eparvier, F. G.; Bougher, S. W.; Rahmati, A.; Reedy, N. L.; Mitchell, D. L.; Mazelle, C. X.; Mahaffy, P. R.; Jakosky, B. M.

2016-12-01

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) have observed the ionospheric electron temperature at Mars since November 2014. The only in-situ measurements of plasma temperatures were provided by the two Viking landers in 1976 before the MAVEN mission. The ionospheric electron temperatures are particularly important for determining the neutral escape rate from the atmosphere of Mars. We have investigated the electron temperatures on the dayside ionosphere using the Langmuir Probe and Waves instrument onboard MAVEN. The temperatures are studied in two regions of (1) the crustal magnetic field and (2) the solar wind/induced (or draped) magnetic field. We also focused on how temperatures vary with solar zenith angle (SZA) and the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiances. The electron temperatures did not vary much due to the SZA variation, but increased when the solar EUV irradiances are high. This means the ionospheric temperatures are sensitive to the solar activity. Furthermore, we investigated the correlation of electron temperatures against magnetic field configurations under the same EUV irradiances. The electron temperatures in the crustal region were lower than those in the draped region. One possible explanation is that the energy input from high altitude, which is related to the tail and solar wind electrons, might control the temperatures in the draped region. Vertical heat conductance in the draped region could also affect the electron temperatures (with a greater effect in the draped region), so that electrons cooled at low altitude tend to transport to high altitude. However, the electron heating is more local in the draped region, and the electrons would be heated efficiently. Therefore, the electron temperatures in the draped region were higher than those in the crustal region. It is implied that the rate of atmospheric escape, which is attributed to photochemical escape, depends on the topology of the magnetic fields.

Thermodynamic properties and transport coefficients of a two-temperature polytetrafluoroethylene vapor plasma for ablation-controlled discharge applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Haiyan; Wang, Weizong; Yan, Joseph D.; Qi, Haiyang; Geng, Jinyue; Wu, Yaowu

2017-10-01

Ablation-controlled plasmas have been used in a range of technical applications where local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) is often violated near the wall due to the strong cooling effect caused by the ablation of wall materials. The thermodynamic and transport properties of ablated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) vapor, which determine the flowing plasma behavior in such applications, are calculated based on a two-temperature model at atmospheric pressure. To our knowledge, no data for PTFE have been reported in the literature. The species composition and thermodynamic properties are numerically determined using the two-temperature Saha equation and the Guldberg-Waage equation according to van de Sanden et al’s derivation. The transport coefficients, including viscosity, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, are calculated with the most recent collision interaction potentials using Devoto’s electron and heavy-particle decoupling approach but expanded to the third-order approximation (second-order for viscosity) in the frame of the Chapman-Enskog method. Results are computed for different degrees of thermal non-equilibrium, i.e. the ratio of electron to heavy-particle temperatures, from 1 to 10, with electron temperature ranging from 300 to 40 000 K. Plasma transport properties in the LTE state obtained from the present work are compared with existing published results and the causes for the discrepancy analyzed. The two-temperature plasma properties calculated in the present work enable the modeling of wall ablation-controlled plasma processes.

Temperature and Electron Density Determination on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Plasmas: A Physical Chemistry Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Najarian, Maya L.; Chinni, Rosemarie C.

2013-01-01

This laboratory is designed for physical chemistry students to gain experience using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in understanding plasma diagnostics. LIBS uses a high-powered laser that is focused on the sample causing a plasma to form. The emission of this plasma is then spectrally resolved and detected. Temperature and electron…

Characteristics of temporal evolution of particle density and electron temperature in helicon discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiong; Cheng, Mousen; Guo, Dawei; Wang, Moge; Li, Xiaokang

2017-10-01

On the basis of considering electrochemical reactions and collision relations in detail, a direct numerical simulation model of a helicon plasma discharge with three-dimensional two-fluid equations was employed to study the characteristics of the temporal evolution of particle density and electron temperature. With the assumption of weak ionization, the Maxwell equations coupled with the plasma parameters were directly solved in the whole computational domain. All of the partial differential equations were solved by the finite element solver in COMSOL MultiphysicsTM with a fully coupled method. In this work, the numerical cases were calculated with an Ar working medium and a Shoji-type antenna. The numerical results indicate that there exist two distinct modes of temporal evolution of the electron and ground atom density, which can be explained by the ion pumping effect. The evolution of the electron temperature is controlled by two schemes: electromagnetic wave heating and particle collision cooling. The high RF power results in a high peak electron temperature while the high gas pressure leads to a low steady temperature. In addition, an OES experiment using nine Ar I lines was conducted using a modified CR model to verify the validity of the results by simulation, showing that the trends of temporal evolution of electron density and temperature are well consistent with the numerically simulated ones.

Observation of Flat Electron Temperature Profiles in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

DOE PAGES

Boyle, D. P.; Majeski, R.; Schmitt, J. C.; ...

2017-07-05

It has been predicted for over a decade that low-recycling plasma-facing components in fusion devices would allow high edge temperatures and flat or nearly flat temperature profiles. In recent experiments with lithium wall coatings in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX), a hot edge ( > 200 eV ) and flat electron temperature profiles have been measured following the termination of external fueling. In this work, reduced recycling was demonstrated by retention of ~ 60% of the injected hydrogen in the walls following the discharge. Electron energy confinement followed typical Ohmic confinement scaling during fueling, but did not decrease with densitymore » after fueling terminated, ultimately exceeding the scaling by ~ 200% . Lastly, achievement of the low-recycling, hot edge regime has been an important goal of LTX and lithium plasma-facing component research in general, as it has potentially significant implications for the operation, design, and cost of fusion devices.« less

Observation of Flat Electron Temperature Profiles in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

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

Boyle, D. P.; Majeski, R.; Schmitt, J. C.

It has been predicted for over a decade that low-recycling plasma-facing components in fusion devices would allow high edge temperatures and flat or nearly flat temperature profiles. In recent experiments with lithium wall coatings in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX), a hot edge ( > 200 eV ) and flat electron temperature profiles have been measured following the termination of external fueling. In this work, reduced recycling was demonstrated by retention of ~ 60% of the injected hydrogen in the walls following the discharge. Electron energy confinement followed typical Ohmic confinement scaling during fueling, but did not decrease with densitymore » after fueling terminated, ultimately exceeding the scaling by ~ 200% . Lastly, achievement of the low-recycling, hot edge regime has been an important goal of LTX and lithium plasma-facing component research in general, as it has potentially significant implications for the operation, design, and cost of fusion devices.« less

Dispersion characteristics of anisotropic unmagnetized ultra-relativistic transverse plasma wave with arbitrary electron degeneracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarfraz, M.; Farooq, H.; Abbas, G.; Noureen, S.; Iqbal, Z.; Rasheed, A.

2018-03-01

Thermal momentum space anisotropy is ubiquitous in many astrophysical and laboratory plasma environments. Using Vlasov-Maxwell's model equations, a generalized polarization tensor for a collisionless ultra-relativistic unmagnetized electron plasma is derived. In particular, the tensor is obtained by considering anisotropy in the momentum space. The integral of moments of Fermi-Dirac distribution function in terms of Polylog functions is used for describing the border line plasma systems (T/e TF e ≈1 ) comprising arbitrary electron degeneracy, where Te and TF e, are thermal and Fermi temperatures, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of variation in thermal momentum space anisotropy on the electron equilibrium number density and the spectrum of electromagnetic waves are analyzed.

The stationary non-equilibrium plasma of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaschitz, Roman

2016-06-01

The statistical properties of the two-component plasma of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons measured by the AMS-02 experiment on the International Space Station and the HESS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are analyzed. Stationary non-equilibrium distributions defining the relativistic electron-positron plasma are derived semi-empirically by performing spectral fits to the flux data and reconstructing the spectral number densities of the electronic and positronic components in phase space. These distributions are relativistic power-law densities with exponential cutoff, admitting an extensive entropy variable and converging to the Maxwell-Boltzmann or Fermi-Dirac distributions in the non-relativistic limit. Cosmic-ray electrons and positrons constitute a classical (low-density high-temperature) plasma due to the low fugacity in the quantized partition function. The positron fraction is assembled from the flux densities inferred from least-squares fits to the electron and positron spectra and is subjected to test by comparing with the AMS-02 flux ratio measured in the GeV interval. The calculated positron fraction extends to TeV energies, predicting a broad spectral peak at about 1 TeV followed by exponential decay.

Dynamics of bulk electron heating and ionization in solid density plasmas driven by ultra-short relativistic laser pulses

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

Huang, L. G., E-mail: lingen.huang@hzdr.de; Kluge, T.; Cowan, T. E.

The dynamics of bulk heating and ionization is investigated both in simulations and theory, which determines the crucial plasma parameters such as plasma temperature and density in ultra-short relativistic laser-solid target interactions. During laser-plasma interactions, the solid density plasma absorbs a fraction of laser energy and converts it into kinetic energy of electrons. A portion of the electrons with relativistic kinetic energy goes through the solid density plasma and transfers energy into the bulk electrons, which results in bulk electron heating. The bulk electron heating is finally translated into the processes of bulk collisional ionization inside the solid target. Amore » simple model based on the Ohmic heating mechanism indicates that the local and temporal profile of bulk return current is essential to determine the temporal evolution of bulk electron temperature. A series of particle-in-cell simulations showing the local heating model is robust in the cases of target with a preplasma and without a preplasma. Predicting the bulk electron heating is then benefit for understanding the collisional ionization dynamics inside the solid targets. The connection of the heating and ionization inside the solid target is further studied using Thomas-Fermi model.« less

Ponderomotive perturbations of low density low-temperature plasma under laser Thomson scattering diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shneider, Mikhail N.

2017-10-01

The ponderomotive perturbation in the interaction region of laser radiation with a low density and low-temperature plasma is considered. Estimates of the perturbation magnitude are determined from the plasma parameters, geometry, intensity, and wavelength of laser radiation. It is shown that ponderomotive perturbations can lead to large errors in the electron density when measured using Thomson scattering.

Electron-ion relaxation in a dense plasma. [supernovae core physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Littleton, J. E.; Buchler, J.-R.

1974-01-01

The microscopic physics of the thermonuclear runaway in highly degenerate carbon-oxygen cores is investigated to determine if and how a detonation wave is generated. An expression for the electron-ion relaxation time is derived under the assumption of large degeneracy and extreme relativity of the electrons in a two-temperature plasma. Since the nuclear burning time proves to be several orders of magnitude shorter than the relaxation time, it is concluded that in studying the structure of the detonation wave the electrons and ions must be treated as separate fluids.

Suppression of electron temperature gradient turbulence via negative magnetic shear in NSTX.

PubMed

Yuh, H Y; Kaye, S M; Levinton, F M; Mazzucato, E; Mikkelsen, D R; Smith, D R; Bell, R E; Hosea, J C; LeBlanc, B P; Peterson, J L; Park, H K; Lee, W

2011-02-04

Negative magnetic shear is found to suppress electron turbulence and improve electron thermal transport for plasmas in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Sufficiently negative magnetic shear results in a transition out of a stiff profile regime. Density fluctuation measurements from high-k microwave scattering are verified to be the electron temperature gradient (ETG) mode by matching measured rest frequency and linear growth rate to gyrokinetic calculations. Fluctuation suppression under negligible E×B shear conditions confirm that negative magnetic shear alone is sufficient for ETG suppression. Measured electron temperature gradients can significantly exceed ETG critical gradients with ETG mode activity reduced to intermittent bursts, while electron thermal diffusivity improves to below 0.1 electron gyro-Bohms.

Analysis of density effects in plasmas and their influence on electron-impact cross sections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belkhiri, M.; Poirier, M.

2014-12-01

Density effects in plasmas are analyzed using a Thomas-Fermi approach for free electrons. First, scaling properties are determined for the free-electron potential and density. For hydrogen-like ions, the first two terms of an analytical expansion of this potential as a function of the plasma coupling parameter are obtained. In such ions, from these properties and numerical calculations, a simple analytical fit is proposed for the plasma potential, which holds for any electron density, temperature, and atomic number, at least assuming that Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics is applicable. This allows one to analyze perturbatively the influence of the plasma potential on energies, wave functions, transition rates, and electron-impact collision rates for single-electron ions. Second, plasmas with an arbitrary charge state are considered, using a modified version of the Flexible Atomic Code (FAC) package with a plasma potential based on a Thomas-Fermi approach. Various methods for the collision cross-section calculations are reviewed. The influence of plasma density on these cross sections is analyzed in detail. Moreover, it is demonstrated that, in a given transition, the radiative and collisional-excitation rates are differently affected by the plasma density. Some analytical expressions are proposed for hydrogen-like ions in the limit where the Born or Lotz approximation applies and are compared to the numerical results from the FAC.

Electron temperature measurements inside the ablating plasma of gas-filled hohlraums at the National Ignition Facility

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

Barrios, M. A.; Liedahl, D. A.; Schneider, M. B.

The first measurement of the electron temperature (T{sub e}) inside a National Ignition Facility hohlraum is obtained using temporally resolved K-shell X-ray spectroscopy of a mid-Z tracer dot. Both isoelectronic- and interstage-line ratios are used to calculate the local T{sub e} via the collisional–radiative atomic physics code SCRAM [Hansen et al., High Energy Density Phys 3, 109 (2007)]. The trajectory of the mid-Z dot as it is ablated from the capsule surface and moves toward the laser entrance hole (LEH) is measured using side-on x-ray imaging, characterizing the plasma flow of the ablating capsule. Data show that the measured dotmore » location is farther away from the LEH in comparison to the radiation-hydrodynamics simulation prediction using HYDRA [Marinak et al., Phys. Plasmas 3, 2070 (1996)]. To account for this discrepancy, the predicted simulation T{sub e} is evaluated at the measured dot trajectory. The peak T{sub e}, measured to be 4.2 keV ± 0.2 keV, is ∼0.5 keV hotter than the simulation prediction.« less

Three dimensional dust-acoustic solitary waves in an electron depleted dusty plasma with two-superthermal ion-temperature

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

Borhanian, J.; Shahmansouri, M.

2013-01-15

A theoretical investigation is carried out to study the existence and characteristics of propagation of dust-acoustic (DA) waves in an electron-depleted dusty plasma with two-temperature ions, which are modeled by kappa distribution functions. A three-dimensional cylindrical Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation governing evolution of small but finite amplitude DA waves is derived by means of a reductive perturbation method. The influence of physical parameters on solitary wave structure is examined. Furthermore, the energy integral equation is used to study the existence domains of the localized structures. It is found that the present model can be employed to describe the existence of positive asmore » well as negative polarity DA solitary waves by selecting special values for parameters of the system, e.g., superthermal index of cold and/or hot ions, cold to hot ion density ratio, and hot to cold ion temperature ratio. This model may be useful to understand the excitation of nonlinear DA waves in astrophysical objects.« less

Investigation of a Plasma Edge Cathode Under High Current Density Electron Extraction

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-05

simu- lation using the MAGIC code confirmed the expected features of the scheme. SLTMMARY .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 1 I...description. An electron temperature of 1 eV was mea- sured in the extraction region without extraction turned on. The plasma from the plasma gun was...jet is reduced if the time between shots is reduced to below I min. The numerical simulation with MAGIC gave confirming results. The simulated current

The Empowerment of Plasma Modeling by Fundamental Electron Scattering Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kushner, Mark J.

2015-09-01

Modeling of low temperature plasmas addresses at least 3 goals - investigation of fundamental processes, analysis and optimization of current technologies, and prediction of performance of as yet unbuilt systems for new applications. The former modeling may be performed on somewhat idealized systems in simple gases, while the latter will likely address geometrically and electromagnetically intricate systems with complex gas mixtures, and now gases in contact with liquids. The variety of fundamental electron and ion scattering data (FSD) required for these activities increases from the former to the latter, while the accuracy required of that data probably decreases. In each case, the fidelity, depth and impact of the modeling depends on the availability of FSD. Modeling is, in fact, empowered by the availability and robustness of FSD. In this talk, examples of the impact of and requirements for FSD in plasma modeling will be discussed from each of these three perspectives using results from multidimensional and global models. The fundamental studies will focus on modeling of inductively coupled plasmas sustained in Ar/Cl2 where the electron scattering from feed gases and their fragments ultimately determine gas temperatures. Examples of the optimization of current technologies will focus on modeling of remote plasma etching of Si and Si3N4 in Ar/NF3/N2/O2 mixtures. Modeling of systems as yet unbuilt will address the interaction of atmospheric pressure plasmas with liquids Work was supported by the US Dept. of Energy (DE-SC0001939), National Science Foundation (CHE-124752), and the Semiconductor Research Corp.

Modulational instability of an electron plasma wave in a dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, M. R.; Ferdous, T.; Salimullah, M.

1997-03-01

The modulational instability of an electron plasma wave in a homogeneous, unmagnetized, hot, and collisionless dusty plasma has been investigated analytically. The Vlasov equation has been solved perturbatively to find the nonlinear response of the plasma particles with random static distribution of massive and charged dust grains having certain correlation. It is noticed that the growth rate of the modulational instability of the electron plasma wave through a new ultra-low-frequency dust mode is more efficient than that through the usual ion-acoustic mode in the dusty plasma.

Electron acoustic solitary waves in a magnetized plasma with nonthermal electrons and an electron beam

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

Singh, S. V., E-mail: satyavir@iigs.iigm.res.in; Lakhina, G. S., E-mail: lakhina@iigs.iigm.res.in; University of the Western Cape, Belville

2016-08-15

A theoretical investigation is carried out to study the obliquely propagating electron acoustic solitary waves having nonthermal hot electrons, cold and beam electrons, and ions in a magnetized plasma. We have employed reductive perturbation theory to derive the Korteweg-de-Vries-Zakharov-Kuznetsov (KdV-ZK) equation describing the nonlinear evolution of these waves. The two-dimensional plane wave solution of KdV-ZK equation is analyzed to study the effects of nonthermal and beam electrons on the characteristics of the solitons. Theoretical results predict negative potential solitary structures. We emphasize that the inclusion of finite temperature effects reduces the soliton amplitudes and the width of the solitons increasesmore » by an increase in the obliquity of the wave propagation. The numerical analysis is presented for the parameters corresponding to the observations of “burst a” event by Viking satellite on the auroral field lines.« less

Winter nighttime ion temperatures and energetic electrons from OGO 6 plasma measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanatani, S.; Breig, E. L.

1981-01-01

In the reported investigation, ion temperature and suprathermal electron flux data were acquired with the retarding potential analyzer on board the OGO 6 satellite when it was in solar eclipse. Attention is given to measurements in the 400- to 800-km height interval between midnight and predawn in the northern winter nonpolar ionosphere. Statistical analysis of data recorded during a 1 month time span permits a decoupling of horizontal and altitude effects. A distinct longitudinal variation is observed for ion temperature above 500 km, with a significant relative enhancement over the western North Atlantic. Altitude distributions of ion temperature are compatible with Millstone Hill profiles within the common region of this enhancement. Large fluxes of energetic electrons are observed and extend to much lower geomagnetic latitudes in the same longitude sector.

Surface passivation of p-type Ge substrate with high-quality GeN{sub x} layer formed by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma nitridation at low temperature

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

Fukuda, Yukio; Otani, Yohei; Okamoto, Hiroshi

2011-09-26

We have investigated the effects of the formation temperature and postmetallization annealing (PMA) on the interface properties of GeN{sub x}/p-Ge fabricated by the plasma nitridation of Ge substrates using an electron-cyclotron-resonance-generated nitrogen plasma. The nitridation temperature is found to be a critical parameter in improving the finally obtained GeN{sub x}/Ge interface properties. The GeN{sub x}/Ge formed at room temperature and treated by PMA at 400 deg. C exhibits the best interface properties with an interface trap density of 1 x 10{sup 11 }cm{sup -2 }eV{sup -1}. The GeN{sub x}/Ge interface is unpinned and the Fermi level at the Ge surfacemore » can move from the valence band edge to the conduction band edge.« less

Finite Temperature Densities via the S-Function Method with Application to Electron Screening in Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watrous, Mitchell James

1997-12-01

A new approach to the Green's-function method for the calculation of equilibrium densities within the finite temperature, Kohn-Sham formulation of density functional theory is presented, which extends the method to all temperatures. The contour of integration in the complex energy plane is chosen such that the density is given by a sum of Green's function differences evaluated at the Matsubara frequencies, rather than by the calculation and summation of Kohn-Sham single-particle wave functions. The Green's functions are written in terms of their spectral representation and are calculated as the solutions of their defining differential equations. These differential equations are boundary value problems as opposed to the standard eigenvalue problems. For large values of the complex energy, the differential equations are further simplified from second to first-order by writing the Green's functions in terms of logarithmic derivatives. An asymptotic expression for the Green's functions is derived, which allows the sum over Matsubara poles to be approximated. The method is applied to the screening of nuclei by electrons in finite temperature plasmas. To demonstrate the method's utility, and to illustrate its advantages, the results of previous wave function type calculations for protons and neon nuclei are reproduced. The method is also used to formulate a new screening model for fusion reactions in the solar core, and the predicted reaction rate enhancements factors are compared with existing models.

Status of Plasma Electron Hose Instability Studies in FACET

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

Adli, Erik; /U. Oslo; England, Robert Joel

In the FACET plasma-wakefield acceleration experiment a dense 23 GeV electron beam will interact with lithium and cesium plasmas, leading to plasma ion-channel formation. The interaction between the electron beam and the plasma sheath-electrons may lead to a fast growing electron hose instability. By using optics dispersion knobs to induce a controlled z-x tilt along the beam entering the plasma, we investigate the transverse behavior of the beam in the plasma as function of the tilt. We seek to quantify limits on the instability in order to further explore potential limitations on future plasma wakefield accelerators due to the electronmore » hose instability. The FACET plasma-wakefield experiment at SLAC will study beam driven plasma wakefield acceleration. A dense 23 GeV electron beam will interact with lithium or cesium plasma, leading to plasma ion-channel formation. The interaction between the electron beam and the plasma sheath-electrons drives the electron hose instability, as first studied by Whittum. While Ref. [2] indicates the possibility of a large instability growth rate for typical beam and plasma parameters, other studies including have shown that several physical effects may mitigate the hosing growth rate substantially. So far there has been no quantitative benchmarking of experimentally observed hosing in previous experiments. At FACET we aim to perform such benchmarking by for example inducing a controlled z-x tilt along the beamentering the plasma, and observing the transverse behavior of the beam in the plasma as function. The long-term objective of these studies is to quantify potential limitations on future plasma wakefield accelerators due to the electron hose instability.« less

Electron temperatures within magnetic clouds between 2 and 4 AU: Voyager 2 observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sittler, E. C.; Burlaga, L. F.

1998-08-01

We have performed an analysis of Voyager 2 plasma electron observations within magnetic clouds between 2 and 4 AU identified by Burlaga and Behannon [1982]. The analysis has been confined to three of the magnetic clouds identified by Burlaga and Behannon that had high-quality data. The general properties of the plasma electrons within a magnetic cloud are that (1) the moment electron temperature anticorrelates with the electron density within the cloud, (2) the ratio Te/Tp tends to be >1, and (3) on average, Te/Tp~7.0. All three results are consistent with previous electron observations within magnetic clouds. Detailed analyses of the core and halo populations within the magnetic clouds show no evidence of either an anticorrelation between the core temperature TC and the electron density Ne or an anticorrelation between the halo temperature TH and the electron density. Within the magnetic clouds the halo component can contribute more than 50% of the electron pressure. The anticorrelation of Te relative to Ne can be traced to the density of the halo component relative to the density of the core component. The core electrons dominate the electron density. When the density goes up, the halo electrons contribute less to the electron pressure, so we get a lower Te. When the electron density goes down, the halo electrons contribute more to the electron pressure, and Te goes up. We find a relation between the electron pressure and density of the form Pe=αNeγ with γ~0.5.

Role of plasma electrons in the generation of a gas discharge plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruzdev, V. A.; Zalesski, V. G.; Rusetski, I. S.

2012-12-01

The role of different ionization mechanisms in penning-type gas discharges used to generate an emitting plasma in plasma electron sources is considered. It is shown that, under certain conditions, a substantial contribution to the process of gas ionization is provided by plasma electrons.

Analytic non-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution function in a Hall discharge plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shagayda, Andrey; Tarasov, Alexey

2017-10-01

The electron velocity distribution function in the low-pressure discharges with the crossed electric and magnetic fields, which occur in magnetrons, plasma accelerators, and Hall thrusters with a closed electron drift, is not Maxwellian. A deviation from equilibrium is caused by a large electron mean free path relative to the Larmor radius and the size of the discharge channel. In this study, we derived in the relaxation approximation the analytical expression of the electron velocity distribution function in a weakly ionized Lorentz plasma with the crossed electric and magnetic fields in the presence of the electron density and temperature gradients in the direction of the electric field. The solution was obtained in the stationary approximation far from boundary surfaces, when diffusion and mobility are determined by the classical effective collision frequency of electrons with ions and atoms. The moments of the distribution function including the average velocity, the stress tensor, and the heat flux were calculated and compared with the classical hydrodynamic expressions. It was shown that a kinetic correction to the drift velocity stems from a contribution of the off-diagonal component of the stress tensor. This correction becomes essential if the drift velocity in the crossed electric and magnetic fields would be comparable to the thermal velocity of electrons. The electron temperature has three different components at a nonzero effective collision frequency and two different components in the limit when the collision frequency tends to zero. It is shown that, in the presence of ionization collisions, the components of the heat flux have additives that are not related to the temperature gradient, and arise because of the electron drift.

On behavior peculiarity of electron plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordeeva, N. M.; Yushkanov, A. A.

2018-03-01

The analysis of the analytical solution of the problem of the behavior of electron plasma in the AC electric field is fulfilled. Debye mode describes shielding of the external electric field in the plasma. The analysis of the region of existence of Debye mode, depending on the plasma parameters has been realized. A non-trivial dependence of the region of existence of Debye mode on the degree of degeneracy of the electron gas are revealed. For the case of nearly degenerate electron gas Debye mode has several areas of existence, depending on the frequency of the electric field.

Characteristics of Electronegative Plasma Sheath with q-Nonextensive Electron Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgohain, D. R.; Saharia, K.

2018-01-01

The characteristics of sheath in a plasma system containing q-nonextensive electrons, cold fluid ions, and Boltzmann-distributed negative ions are investigated. A modified Bohm sheath criterion is derived by using the Sagdeev pseudopotential technique. It is found that the proposed Bohm velocity depends on the degree of nonextensivity ( q), negative ion temperature to nonextensive electron temperature ratio (σ), and negative ion density ( B). Using the modified Bohm sheath criterion, the sheath characteristics, such as the spatial distribution of the potential, positive ion velocity, and density profile, have been numerically investigated, which clearly shows the effect of negative ions, as well as the nonextensive distribution of electrons. It is found that, as the nonextensivity parameter and the electronegativity increases, the electrostatic sheath potential increases sharply and the sheath width decreases.

Suppression of runaway electrons with a resonant magnetic perturbation in MST tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munaretto, Stefano; Chapman, B. E.; Almagri, A. F.; Cornille, B. S.; Dubois, A. M.; Goetz, J. A.; McCollam, K. J.; Sovinec, C. R.

2016-10-01

Runaway electrons generated in MST tokamak plasmas are now being probed with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP's). An RMP with m =3 strongly suppresses the runaway electrons. Initial modeling of these plasmas with NIMROD shows the degradation of flux surfaces with an m =3 RMP, which may account for the runaway electron suppression. These MST tokamak plasmas have Bt =0.14 T, Ip =50kA, and q(a) =2.2, with a bulk electron density and temperature of 5x1017 m-3 and 150 eV. Runaway electrons are detected via x-ray emission. The RMP is produced by a poloidal array of 32 saddle coils at the narrow vertical insulated cut in MST's thick conducting shell. Each RMP has a single m but a broad n spectrum. A sufficiently strong m =3 RMP completely suppresses the runaway electrons, while a comparable m =1 RMP has little effect. The impact of the RMP's on the magnetic topology of these plasmas is being studied with the nonlinear MHD code, NIMROD. With an m =3 RMP, stochasticity is introduced in the outer third of the plasma. No such change is observed with the m =1 RMP. NIMROD also predicts regularly occurring sawtooth oscillations with a period comparable to MHD activity observed in the experiment. Work supported by USDOE.

Low-temperature electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition silicon dioxide as gate insulator for polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors

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

Maiolo, L.; Pecora, A.; Fortunato, G.

2006-03-15

Silicon dioxide films have been deposited at temperatures below 270 deg. C in an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma reactor from O{sub 2}, SiH{sub 4}, and He gas mixture. Pinhole density analysis as a function of substrate temperature for different microwave powers was carried out. Films deposited at higher microwave power and at room temperature show defect densities (<7 pinhole/mm{sup 2}), ensuring low-temperature process integration on large area. From Fourier transform infrared analysis and thermal desorption spectrometry we also evaluated very low hydrogen content if compared to conventional rf-plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited (PECVD) SiO{sub 2} deposited at 350 deg. C. Electrical propertiesmore » have been measured in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors, depositing SiO{sub 2} at RT as gate dielectric; breakdown electric fields >10 MV/cm and charge trapping at fields >6 MV/cm have been evaluated. From the study of interface quality in MOS capacitors, we found that even for low annealing temperature (200 deg. C), it is possible to considerably reduce the interface state density down to 5x10{sup 11} cm{sup -2} eV{sup -1}. To fully validate the ECR-PECVD silicon dioxide we fabricated polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors using RT-deposited SiO{sub 2} as gate insulator. Different postdeposition thermal treatments have been studied and good device characteristics were obtained even for annealing temperature as low as 200 deg. C.« less

High-temperature electronic structure with the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starrett, C. E.

2018-05-01

Modeling high-temperature (tens or hundreds of eV), dense plasmas is challenging due to the multitude of non-negligible physical effects including significant partial ionization and multisite effects. These effects cause the breakdown or intractability of common methods and approximations used at low temperatures, such as pseudopotentials or plane-wave basis sets. Here we explore the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method at these high-temperature conditions. The method is all electron, does not rely on pseudopotentials, and uses a spherical harmonic basis set, and so avoids the aforementioned limitations. It is found to be accurate for solid density aluminum and iron plasmas when compared to a plane-wave method at low temperature, while being able to access high temperatures.

Extension of operational regime in high-temperature plasmas and effect of ECRH on ion thermal transport in the LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, H.; Nagaoka, K.; Murakami, S.; Osakabe, M.; Nakano, H.; Ida, K.; Tsujimura, T. I.; Kubo, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Tanaka, K.; Seki, R.; Takeiri, Y.; Yokoyama, M.; Maeta, S.; Nakata, M.; Yoshinuma, M.; Yamada, I.; Yasuhara, R.; Ido, T.; Shimizu, A.; Tsuchiya, H.; Tokuzawa, T.; Goto, M.; Oishi, T.; Morita, S.; Suzuki, C.; Emoto, M.; Tsumori, K.; Ikeda, K.; Kisaki, M.; Shimozuma, T.; Yoshimura, Y.; Igami, H.; Makino, R.; Seki, T.; Kasahara, H.; Saito, K.; Kamio, S.; Nagasaki, K.; Mutoh, T.; Kaneko, O.; Morisaki, T.; the LHD Experiment Group

2017-08-01

A simultaneous high ion temperature (T i) and high electron temperature (T e) regime was successfully extended due to an optimized heating scenario in the LHD. Such high-temperature plasmas were realized by the simultaneous formation of an electron internal transport barrier (ITB) and an ion ITB by the combination of high power NBI and ECRH. Although the ion thermal confinement was degraded in the plasma core with an increase of T e/T i by the on-axis ECRH, it was found that the ion thermal confinement was improved at the plasma edge. The normalized ion thermal diffusivity {χ\\text{i}}/T\\text{i}1.5 at the plasma edge was reduced by 70%. The improvement of the ion thermal confinement at the edge led to an increase in T i in the entire plasma region, even though the core transport was degraded.

Formation of microchannels from low-temperature plasma-deposited silicon oxynitride

DOEpatents

Matzke, Carolyn M.; Ashby, Carol I. H.; Bridges, Monica M.; Manginell, Ronald P.

2000-01-01

A process for forming one or more fluid microchannels on a substrate is disclosed that is compatible with the formation of integrated circuitry on the substrate. The microchannels can be formed below an upper surface of the substrate, above the upper surface, or both. The microchannels are formed by depositing a covering layer of silicon oxynitride over a mold formed of a sacrificial material such as photoresist which can later be removed. The silicon oxynitride is deposited at a low temperature (.ltoreq.100.degree. C.) and preferably near room temperature using a high-density plasma (e.g. an electron-cyclotron resonance plasma or an inductively-coupled plasma). In some embodiments of the present invention, the microchannels can be completely lined with silicon oxynitride to present a uniform material composition to a fluid therein. The present invention has applications for forming microchannels for use in chromatography and electrophoresis. Additionally, the microchannels can be used for electrokinetic pumping, or for localized or global substrate cooling.

The ionization length in plasmas with finite temperature ion sources

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

Jelic, N.; Kos, L.; Duhovnik, J.

2009-12-15

The ionization length is an important quantity which up to now has been precisely determined only in plasmas which assume that the ions are born at rest, i.e., in discharges known as 'cold ion-source' plasmas. Presented here are the results of our calculations of the ionization lengths in plasmas with an arbitrary ion source temperature. Harrison and Thompson (H and T) [Proc. Phys. Soc. 74, 145 (1959)] found the values of this quantity for the cases of several ion strength potential profiles in the well-known Tonks-Langmuir [Phys. Rev. 34, 876 (1929)] discharge, which is characterized by 'cold' ion temperature. Thismore » scenario is also known as the 'singular' ion-source discharge. The H and T analytic result covers cases of ion sources proportional to exp(betaPHI) with PHI the normalized plasma potential and beta=0,1,2 values, which correspond to particular physical scenarios. Many years following H and T's work, Bissell and Johnson (B and J) [Phys. Fluids 30, 779 (1987)] developed a model with the so-called 'warm' ion-source temperature, i.e., 'regular' ion source, under B and J's particular assumption that the ionization strength is proportional to the local electron density. However, it appears that B and J were not interested in determining the ionization length at all. The importance of this quantity to theoretical modeling was recognized by Riemann, who recently answered all the questions of the most advanced up-to-date plasma-sheath boundary theory with cold ions [K.-U. Riemann, Phys. Plasmas 13, 063508 (2006)] but still without the stiff warm ion-source case solution, which is highly resistant to solution via any available analytic method. The present article is an extension of H and T's results obtained for a single point only with ion source temperature T{sub n}=0 to arbitrary finite ion source temperatures. The approach applied in this work is based on the method recently developed by Kos et al. [Phys. Plasmas 16, 093503 (2009)].« less

Electron kinetics at the plasma interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronold, Franz Xaver; Fehske, Holger; Pamperin, Mathias; Thiessen, Elena

2018-05-01

The most fundamental response of an ionized gas to a macroscopic object is the formation of the plasma sheath. It is an electron depleted space charge region, adjacent to the object, which screens the object's negative charge arising from the accumulation of electrons from the plasma. The plasma sheath is thus the positively charged part of an electric double layer whose negatively charged part is inside the wall. In the course of the Transregional Collaborative Research Center SFB/TRR24 we investigated, from a microscopic point of view, the elementary charge transfer processes responsible for the electric double layer at a floating plasma-wall interface and made first steps towards a description of the negative part of the layer inside the wall. Below we review our work in a colloquial manner, describe possible extensions, and identify key issues which need to be resolved to make further progress in the understanding of the electron kinetics across plasma-wall interfaces. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Fundamentals of Complex Plasmas", edited by Jürgen Meichsner, Michael Bonitz, Holger Fehske, Alexander Piel.

Stable sustainment of plasmas with electron internal transport barrier by ECH in the LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshimura, Y.; Kasahara, H.; Tokitani, M.; Sakamoto, R.; Ueda, Y.; Marushchenko, N. B.; Seki, R.; Kubo, S.; Shimozuma, T.; Igami, H.; Takahashi, H.; Tsujimura, T. I.; Makino, R.; Kobayashi, S.; Ito, S.; Mizuno, Y.; Okada, K.; Akiyama, T.; Tanaka, K.; Tokuzawa, T.; Yamada, I.; Yamada, H.; Mutoh, T.; Takeiri, Y.; the LHD Experiment Group

2018-02-01

The long pulse experiments in the Large Helical Device has made progress in sustainment of improved confinement states. It was found that steady-state sustainment of the plasmas with improved confinement at the core region, that is, electron internal transport barrier (e-ITB), was achieved with no significant difficulty. Sustainment of a plasma having e-ITB with the line average electron density n e_ave of 1.1 × 1019 m-3 and the central electron temperature T e0 of ˜3.5 keV for longer than 5 min only with 340 kW ECH power was successfully demonstrated.

Development of a Method for Local Electron Temperature and Density Measurements in the Divertor of the JET Tokamak

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jupen, C.; Meigs, A.; Bhatia, A. K.; Brezinsek, S.; OMullane, M.

2004-01-01

Plasma volume recombination in the divertor, a process in which charged particles recombine to neutral atoms, contributes to plasma detachment and hence cooling at the divertor target region. Detachment has been observed at JET and other tokamaks and is known to occur at low electron temperatures (T(sub e)<1 eV) and at high electron density (n(sub e)>10(exp 20)/m(exp 3)). The ability to measure such low temperatures is therefore of interest for modelling the divertor. In present work we report development of a new spectroscopic technique for investigation of local electron density (n(sub e)) and temperature (T,) in the outer divertor at JET.

Suppression of high-energy electrons generated in both disrupting and sustained MST tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandya, M. D.; Chapman, B. E.; Munaretto, S.; Cornille, B. S.; McCollam, K. J.; Sovinec, C. R.; Dubois, A. M.; Almagri, A. F.; Goetz, J. A.

2017-10-01

High-energy electrons appearing during MST tokamak plasma disruptions are rapidly lost from the plasma due apparently to internal MHD activity. Work has just recently begun on generating and diagnosing disruptions in MST tokamak plasmas. Initial measurements show the characteristic drop in central temperature and density preceding a quench of the plasma current. This corresponds to a burst of dominantly n=1 MHD activity, which is accompanied by a short-lived burst of high-energy electrons. The short-lived nature of these electrons is suspected to be due to stochastic transport associated with the increased MHD. Earlier work shows that runaway electrons generated in low density, sustained plasmas are suppressed by a sufficiently large m=3 RMP in plasmas with q(a) <3. RMPs of various poloidal mode number can be generated with an array of saddle coils wound around the vertical insulated gap in MST's thick conducting shell. With an m=3 RMP, the degree of runaway suppression increases with RMP amplitude, while an m=1 RMP has little effect on the runaways. Nonlinear MHD modeling with NIMROD of these MST plasmas indicates increased stochasticity with an m=3 RMP, while no such increase in stochasticity is observed with an m=1 RMP. Work supported by US DOE.

Synthetic Plasma Liquid Based Electronic Circuits Realization-A Novel Concept.

PubMed

Pandya, Killol V; Kosta, ShivPrasad

2016-09-01

Biomedical research is contributing significant role in the field of biomedical engineering and applied science. It brings research and innovations to a different level. This study investigated artificial human blood -synthetic plasma liquid as conductive medium. Keeping in mind the conductivity of synthetic plasma, astable multivibrator as well as differential amplifier circuit were demonstrated. The circuits were given normal input voltages at regular temperature and ideal conditions. The result shows desired response which supports the novel concept. For both the circuits, phase shift of 180° achieved by analysing biological electronic circuits.

Intermittent electron density and temperature fluctuations and associated fluxes in the Alcator C-Mod scrape-off layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kube, R.; Garcia, O. E.; Theodorsen, A.; Brunner, D.; Kuang, A. Q.; LaBombard, B.; Terry, J. L.

2018-06-01

The Alcator C-Mod mirror Langmuir probe system has been used to sample data time series of fluctuating plasma parameters in the outboard mid-plane far scrape-off layer. We present a statistical analysis of one second long time series of electron density, temperature, radial electric drift velocity and the corresponding particle and electron heat fluxes. These are sampled during stationary plasma conditions in an ohmically heated, lower single null diverted discharge. The electron density and temperature are strongly correlated and feature fluctuation statistics similar to the ion saturation current. Both electron density and temperature time series are dominated by intermittent, large-amplitude burst with an exponential distribution of both burst amplitudes and waiting times between them. The characteristic time scale of the large-amplitude bursts is approximately 15 μ {{s}}. Large-amplitude velocity fluctuations feature a slightly faster characteristic time scale and appear at a faster rate than electron density and temperature fluctuations. Describing these time series as a superposition of uncorrelated exponential pulses, we find that probability distribution functions, power spectral densities as well as auto-correlation functions of the data time series agree well with predictions from the stochastic model. The electron particle and heat fluxes present large-amplitude fluctuations. For this low-density plasma, the radial electron heat flux is dominated by convection, that is, correlations of fluctuations in the electron density and radial velocity. Hot and dense blobs contribute only a minute fraction of the total fluctuation driven heat flux.

Determining coronal electron temperatures from observations with UVCS/SOHO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fineschi, S.; Esser, R.; Habbal, S. R.; Karovska, M.; Romoli, M.; Strachan, L.; Kohl, J. L.; Huber, M. C. E.

1995-01-01

The electron temperature is a fundamental physical parameter of the coronal plasma. Currently, there are no direct measurements of this quantity in the extended corona. Observations with the Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) aboard the upcoming Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission can provide the most direct determination of the electron kinetic temperature (or, more precisely, the electron velocity distribution along the line of sight). This measurement is based on the observation of the Thomson-scattered Lyman alpha (Ly-alpha) profile. This observation is made particularly challenging by the fact that the integrated intensity of the electron-scattered Ly-alpha line is about 10(exp 3) times fainter than that of the resonantly-scattered Ly-alpha component. In addition, the former is distributed across 50 A (FWHM), unlike the latter that is concentrated in 1 A. These facts impose stringent requirements on the stray-light rejection properties of the coronagraph/spectrometer, and in particular on the requirements for the grating. We make use of laboratory measurements of the UVCS Ly-alpha grating stray-light, and of simulated electron-scattered Ly-alpha profiles to estimate the expected confidence levels of electron temperature determination. Models of different structures typical of the corona (e.g., streamers, coronal holes) are used for this parameter study.

Ion and electron heating characteristics of magnetic reconnection in tokamak plasma merging experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Y.; Tanabe, H.; Yamada, T.; Inomoto, M.; T, Ii; Inoue, S.; Gi, K.; Watanabe, T.; Gryaznevich, M.; Scannell, R.; Michael, C.; Cheng, C. Z.

2012-12-01

Recently, the TS-3 and TS-4 tokamak merging experiments revealed significant plasma heating during magnetic reconnection. A key question is how and where ions and electrons are heated during magnetic reconnection. Two-dimensional measurements of ion and electron temperatures and plasma flow made clear that electrons are heated inside the current sheet mainly by the Ohmic heating and ions are heated in the downstream areas mainly by the reconnection outflows. The outflow kinetic energy is thermalized by the fast shock formation and viscous damping. The magnetic reconnection converts the reconnecting magnetic field energy mostly to the ion thermal energy in the outflow region whose size is much larger than the current sheet size for electron heating. The ion heating energy is proportional to the square of the reconnection magnetic field component B_p^2 . This scaling of reconnection heating indicates the significant ion heating effect of magnetic reconnection, which leads to a new high-field reconnection heating experiment for fusion plasmas.

The 2017 Plasma Roadmap: Low temperature plasma science and technology

DOE PAGES

Adamovich, I.; Baalrud, S. D.; Bogaerts, A.; ...

2017-07-14

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics published the first Plasma Roadmap in 2012 consisting of the individual perspectives of 16 leading experts in the various sub-fields of low temperature plasma science and technology. The 2017 Plasma Roadmap is the first update of a planned series of periodic updates of the Plasma Roadmap. The continuously growing interdisciplinary nature of the low temperature plasma field and its equally broad range of applications are making it increasingly difficult to identify major challenges that encompass all of the many sub-fields and applications. This intellectual diversity is ultimately a strength of the field. The currentmore » state of the art for the 19 sub-fields addressed in this roadmap demonstrates the enviable track record of the low temperature plasma field in the development of plasmas as an enabling technology for a vast range of technologies that underpin our modern society. At the same time, the many important scientific and technological challenges shared in this roadmap show that the path forward is not only scientifically rich but has the potential to make wide and far reaching contributions to many societal challenges.« less

The 2017 Plasma Roadmap: Low temperature plasma science and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamovich, I.; Baalrud, S. D.; Bogaerts, A.; Bruggeman, P. J.; Cappelli, M.; Colombo, V.; Czarnetzki, U.; Ebert, U.; Eden, J. G.; Favia, P.; Graves, D. B.; Hamaguchi, S.; Hieftje, G.; Hori, M.; Kaganovich, I. D.; Kortshagen, U.; Kushner, M. J.; Mason, N. J.; Mazouffre, S.; Mededovic Thagard, S.; Metelmann, H.-R.; Mizuno, A.; Moreau, E.; Murphy, A. B.; Niemira, B. A.; Oehrlein, G. S.; Petrovic, Z. Lj; Pitchford, L. C.; Pu, Y.-K.; Rauf, S.; Sakai, O.; Samukawa, S.; Starikovskaia, S.; Tennyson, J.; Terashima, K.; Turner, M. M.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; Vardelle, A.

2017-08-01

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics published the first Plasma Roadmap in 2012 consisting of the individual perspectives of 16 leading experts in the various sub-fields of low temperature plasma science and technology. The 2017 Plasma Roadmap is the first update of a planned series of periodic updates of the Plasma Roadmap. The continuously growing interdisciplinary nature of the low temperature plasma field and its equally broad range of applications are making it increasingly difficult to identify major challenges that encompass all of the many sub-fields and applications. This intellectual diversity is ultimately a strength of the field. The current state of the art for the 19 sub-fields addressed in this roadmap demonstrates the enviable track record of the low temperature plasma field in the development of plasmas as an enabling technology for a vast range of technologies that underpin our modern society. At the same time, the many important scientific and technological challenges shared in this roadmap show that the path forward is not only scientifically rich but has the potential to make wide and far reaching contributions to many societal challenges.

The 2017 Plasma Roadmap: Low temperature plasma science and technology

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

Adamovich, I.; Baalrud, S. D.; Bogaerts, A.

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics published the first Plasma Roadmap in 2012 consisting of the individual perspectives of 16 leading experts in the various sub-fields of low temperature plasma science and technology. The 2017 Plasma Roadmap is the first update of a planned series of periodic updates of the Plasma Roadmap. The continuously growing interdisciplinary nature of the low temperature plasma field and its equally broad range of applications are making it increasingly difficult to identify major challenges that encompass all of the many sub-fields and applications. This intellectual diversity is ultimately a strength of the field. The currentmore » state of the art for the 19 sub-fields addressed in this roadmap demonstrates the enviable track record of the low temperature plasma field in the development of plasmas as an enabling technology for a vast range of technologies that underpin our modern society. At the same time, the many important scientific and technological challenges shared in this roadmap show that the path forward is not only scientifically rich but has the potential to make wide and far reaching contributions to many societal challenges.« less

Generation of anomalously energetic suprathermal electrons by an electron beam interacting with a nonuniform plasma

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

Sydorenko, D.; Kaganovich, I. D.; Chen, L.

Generation of anomalously energetic suprathermal electrons was observed in simulation of a high-voltage dc discharge with electron emission from the cathode. An electron beam produced by the emission interacts with the nonuniform plasma in the discharge via a two-stream instability. The energy transfer from the beam to the plasma electrons is ensured by the plasma nonuniformity. The electron beam excites plasma waves whose wavelength and phase speed gradually decrease towards anode. The waves with short wavelength near the anode accelerate plasma bulk electrons to suprathermal energies. The sheath near the anode reflects some of the accelerated electrons back into themore » plasma. These electrons travel through the plasma, reflect near the cathode, and enter the accelerating area again but with a higher energy than before. Such particles are accelerated to energies much higher than after the first acceleration. This mechanism plays a role in explaining earlier experimental observations of energetic suprathermal electrons in similar discharges.« less

Recycling of the Electronic Waste Applying the Plasma Reactor Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lázár, Marián; Jasminská, Natália; Čarnogurská, Mária; Dobáková, Romana

2016-12-01

The following paper discusses a high-temperature gasification process and melting of electronic components and computer equipment using plasma reactor technology. It analyses the marginal conditions of batch processing, as well as the formation of solid products which result from the procedure of waste processing. Attention is also paid to the impact of the emerging products on the environment.

Low frequency solitons and double layers in a magnetized plasma with two temperature electrons

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

Rufai, O. R.; Bharuthram, R.; Singh, S. V.

2012-12-15

Finite amplitude non-linear ion-acoustic solitary waves and double layers are studied in a magnetized plasma with cold ions fluid and two distinct groups of Boltzmann electrons, using the Sagdeev pseudo-potential technique. The conditions under which the solitary waves and double layers can exist are found both analytically and numerically. We have shown the existence of negative potential solitary waves and double layers for subsonic Mach numbers, whereas in the unmagnetized plasma they can only in the supersonic Mach number regime. For the plasma parameters in the auroral region, the electric field amplitude of the solitary structures comes out to bemore » 49 mV/m which is in agreement of the Viking observations in this region.« less

Monitoring Temperature in High Enthalpy Arc-heated Plasma Flows using Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Marcel Nations; Chang, Leyen S.; Jeffries, Jay B.; Hanson, Ronald K.; Nawaz, Anuscheh; Taunk, Jaswinder S.; Driver, David M.; Raiche, George

2013-01-01

A tunable diode laser sensor was designed for in situ monitoring of temperature in the arc heater of the NASA Ames IHF arcjet facility (60 MW). An external cavity diode laser was used to generate light at 777.2 nm and laser absorption used to monitor the population of electronically excited oxygen atoms in an air plasma flow. Under the assumption of thermochemical equilibrium, time-resolved temperature measurements were obtained on four lines-of-sight, which enabled evaluation of the temperature uniformity in the plasma column for different arcjet operating conditions.

Electron cooling and finite potential drop in a magnetized plasma expansion

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

Martinez-Sanchez, M.; Navarro-Cavallé, J.; Ahedo, E.

2015-05-15

The steady, collisionless, slender flow of a magnetized plasma into a surrounding vacuum is considered. The ion component is modeled as mono-energetic, while electrons are assumed Maxwellian upstream. The magnetic field has a convergent-divergent geometry, and attention is restricted to its paraxial region, so that 2D and drift effects are ignored. By using the conservation of energy and magnetic moment of particles and the quasi-neutrality condition, the ambipolar electric field and the distribution functions of both species are calculated self-consistently, paying attention to the existence of effective potential barriers associated to magnetic mirroring. The solution is used to find themore » total potential drop for a set of upstream conditions, plus the axial evolution of various moments of interest (density, temperatures, and heat fluxes). The results illuminate the behavior of magnetic nozzles, plasma jets, and other configurations of interest, showing, in particular, in the divergent plasma the collisionless cooling of electrons, and the generation of collisionless electron heat fluxes.« less

Theory of interparticle correlations in dense, high-temperature plasmas. V - Electric and thermal conductivities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ichimaru, S.; Tanaka, S.

1985-01-01

Ichimaru et al. (1985) have developed a general theory in which the interparticle correlations in dense, high-temperature multicomponent plasmas were formulated systematically over a wide range of plasma parameters. The present paper is concerned with an extension of this theory, taking into account the problems of the electronic transport in such high-density plasmas. It is shown that the resulting theory is capable of describing the transport coefficients accurately over a wide range of the density and temperature parameters. Attention is given to electric and thermal conductivities, generalized Coulomb logarithms, a comparison of the considered theory with other theories, and a comparison of the theory with experimental results.

Ion-acoustic and electron-acoustic type nonlinear waves in dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volosevich, A.-V.; Meister, C.-V.

2003-04-01

In the present work, two three-dimensional nonlinear theoretical models of electrostatic solitary waves are investigated within the frame of magnetohydrodynamics. Both times, a multi-component plasma is considered, which consists of hot electrons with a rather flexible distribution function, hot ions with Boltzmann-type distribution, and (negatively as well as positively charged) dust. Additionally, cold ion beams are taken into account in the model to study ion-acoustic structures (IAS), and cold electron beams are included into the model to investigate electron-acoustic structures (EAS). The numerical results of the considered theoretical models allow to make the following conclusions: 1) Electrostatic structures with negative potential (of rarefaction type) are formed both in the IAS model and in the EAS model, but structures with negative potential (of compressional type) are formed in the IAS model only. 2) The intervals of various plasma parameters (velocities of ion and electron beams, temperatures, densities of the plasma components, ions' masses), for which the existence of IAS and EAS solitary waves and structures is possible, are calculated. 3) Further, the parameters of the electrostatic structures (wave amplitudes, scales along and perpendicular to the magnetic field, velocities) are estimated. 4) The application of the present numerical simulation for multi-component plasmas to various astrophysical systems under different physical conditions is discussed.

Detection of an electron beam in a high density plasma via an electrostatic probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeski, Stephen; Yoo, Jongsoo; Zweben, Stewart; Yamada, Masaaki

2018-07-01

An electron beam is detected by a 1D floating potential probe array in a relatively high density (1012–1013 cm‑3) and low temperature (∼5 eV) plasma of the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment. Clear perturbations in the floating potential profile by the electron beam are observed. Based on the floating potential profile and a current balance equation to the probe array tips, the effective width of the electron beam is determined, from which we determine the radial and toroidal beam current density profiles. After the profile of the electron beam is specified from the measured beam current, we demonstrate the consistency of the current balance equation and the location of the perturbation is also in agreement with field line mapping. No significant broadening of the electron beam is observed after the beam propagates for tens of centimeters through the high density plasma. These results prove that the field line mapping is, in principle, possible in high density plasmas.

Effect of dust charging and trapped electrons on nonlinear solitary structures in an inhomogeneous magnetized plasma

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

Kumar, Ravinder; Malik, Hitendra K.; Singh, Khushvant

2012-01-15

Main concerns of the present article are to investigate the effects of dust charging and trapped electrons on the solitary structures evolved in an inhomogeneous magnetized plasma. Such a plasma is found to support two types of waves, namely, fast wave and slow wave. Slow wave propagates in the plasma only when the wave propagation angle {theta} satisfies the condition {theta}{>=}tan{sup -1}{l_brace}({radical}((1+2{sigma})-[(n{sub dlh}({gamma}{sub 1}-1))/(1+n{sub dlh}{gamma}{sub 1})])-v{sub 0}/u{sub 0}){r_brace}, where v{sub 0}(u{sub 0}) is the z- (x-) component of ion drift velocity, {sigma} = T{sub i}/T{sub eff}, n{sub dlh} = n{sub d0}/(n{sub el0} + n{sub eh0}), and {gamma}{sub 1}=-(1/{Phi}{sub i0})[(1-{Phi}{sub i0}/1+{sigma}(1-{Phi}{submore » i0}))] together with T{sub i} as ion temperature, n{sub el0}(n{sub eh0}) as the density of trapped (isothermal) electrons, {Phi}{sub i0} as the dust grain (density n{sub d0}) surface potential relative to zero plasma potential, and T{sub eff}=(n{sub elo}+n{sub eho})T{sub el}T{sub eh}/(n{sub elo}T{sub eh}+n{sub eho}T{sub el}), where T{sub el}(T{sub eh}) is the temperature of trapped (isothermal) electrons. Both the waves evolve in the form of density hill type structures in the plasma, confirming that these solitary structures are compressive in nature. These structures are found to attain higher amplitude when the charge on the dust grains is fluctuated (in comparison with the case of fixed charge) and also when the dust grains and trapped electrons are more in number; the same is the case with higher temperature of ions and electrons. Slow solitary structures show weak dependence on the dust concentration. Both types of structures are found to become narrower under the application of stronger magnetic field. With regard to the charging of dust grains, it is observed that the charge gets reduced for the higher trapped electron density and temperature of ions and electrons, and dust charging shows weak dependence on the

Dipole configuration for confinement of positrons and electron-positron plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenson, E. V.; Saitoh, H.; Horn-Stanja, J.; Hergenhahn, U.; Paschkowski, N.; Sunn Pedersen, T.; Stoneking, M. R.; Dickmann, M.; Singer, M.; Vohburger, S.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Schweikhard, L.; Danielson, J. R.; Surko, C. M.

2016-10-01

Laboratory creation and confinement of electron-positron plasmas, which are expected to exhibit atypical plasma physics characteristics, would enable tests of many theory and simulation predictions (e.g., the stabilization of anomalous transport mechanisms). This is the goal of APEX/PAX (A Positron-Electron eXperiment/Positron Accumulation eXperiment). Following demonstration of efficient (38%) E ×B injection and subsequent confinement (τ = 3-5 ms) of cold positrons in a dipole magnetic field, the system is undergoing upgrades from a supported permanent magnet to a supported HTSC (high-temperature superconductor) coil, then to a levitated HTSC coil suitable for the simultaneous confinement of electrons and positrons. This contribution will report on the design and testing of the new systems and subsystems (e.g., for cooling, excitation, and levitation) and, if available, on results of upcoming experiments using a ``rotating wall'' to generate inward particle flux deeper into the confinement region. on behalf of the APEX/PAX team and collaborators.

Behavior of collisional sheath in electronegative plasma with q-nonextensive electron distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgohain, Dima Rani; Saharia, K.

2018-03-01

Electronegative plasma sheath is addressed in a collisional unmagnetized plasma consisting of q-nonextensive electrons, Boltzmann distributed negative ions and cold fluid positive ions. Considering the positive ion-neutral collisions and ignoring the effects of ionization and collisions between negative species and positive ions (neutrals), a modified Bohm sheath criterion and hence floating potential are derived by using multifluid model. Using the modified Bohm sheath criterion, the sheath characteristics such as spatial profiles of density, potential and net space charge density have been numerically investigated. It is found that increasing values of q-nonextensivity, electronegativity and collisionality lead to a decrease of the sheath thickness and an increase of the sheath potential and the net space charge density. With increasing values of the electron temperature to negative ion temperature ratio, the sheath thickness increases and the sheath potential as well as the net space charge density in the sheath region decreases.

Temperature peaking at beginning of breakdown in 2.45 GHz pulsed off-resonance electron cyclotron resonance ion source hydrogen plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortázar, O. D.; Megía-Macías, A.; Vizcaíno-de-Julián, A.

2012-10-01

An experimental study of temperature and density evolution during breakdown in off-resonance ECR hydrogen plasma is presented. Under square 2.45 GHz microwave excitation pulses with a frequency of 50 Hz and relative high microwave power, unexpected transient temperature peaks that reach 18 eV during 20 μs are reported at very beginning of plasma breakdown. Decays of such peaks reach final stable temperatures of 5 eV at flat top microwave excitation pulse. Evidence of interplay between incoming power and duty cycle giving different kind of plasma parameters evolutions engaged to microwave coupling times is observed. Under relative high power conditions where short microwave coupling times are recorded, high temperature peaks are measured. However, for lower incoming powers and longer coupling times, temperature evolves gradually to a higher final temperature without peaking. On the other hand, the early instant where temperature peaks are observed also suggest a possible connection with preglow processes during breakdown in ECRIS plasmas.

Twisted electron-acoustic waves in plasmas

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

Aman-ur-Rehman, E-mail: amansadiq@gmail.com; Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics; Ali, S.

2016-08-15

In the paraxial limit, a twisted electron-acoustic (EA) wave is studied in a collisionless unmagnetized plasma, whose constituents are the dynamical cold electrons and Boltzmannian hot electrons in the background of static positive ions. The analytical and numerical solutions of the plasma kinetic equation suggest that EA waves with finite amount of orbital angular momentum exhibit a twist in its behavior. The twisted wave particle resonance is also taken into consideration that has been appeared through the effective wave number q{sub eff} accounting for Laguerre-Gaussian mode profiles attributed to helical phase structures. Consequently, the dispersion relation and the damping ratemore » of the EA waves are significantly modified with the twisted parameter η, and for η → ∞, the results coincide with the straight propagating plane EA waves. Numerically, new features of twisted EA waves are identified by considering various regimes of wavelength and the results might be useful for transport and trapping of plasma particles in a two-electron component plasma.« less

Nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries-Burger equation for ion acoustic shock waves in a weakly relativistic electron-positron-ion plasma with thermal ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, R.; Shah, Asif

2010-03-01

The nonlinear propagation of ion acoustic waves in electron-positron-ion plasma comprising of Boltzmannian electrons, positrons, and relativistic thermal ions has been examined. The Korteweg-de Vries-Burger equation has been derived by reductive perturbation technique, and its shock like solution is determined analytically through tangent hyperbolic method. The effect of various plasma parameters on strength and structure of shock wave is investigated. The pert graphical view of the results has been presented for illustration. It is observed that strength and steepness of the shock wave enervate with an increase in the ion temperature, relativistic streaming factor, positron concentrations, electron temperature and they accrue with an increase in coefficient of kinematic viscosity. The convective, dispersive, and dissipative properties of the plasma are also discussed. It is determined that the electron temperature has remarkable influence on the propagation and structure of nonlinear wave in such relativistic plasmas. The numerical analysis has been done based on the typical numerical data from a pulsar magnetosphere.

Two-temperature transport coefficients of SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} plasma

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

Yang, Fei; Chen, Zhexin; Wu, Yi, E-mail: wuyic51@mail.xjtu.edu.cn

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF{sub 6}) is widely adopted in electric power industry, especially in high-voltage circuit breakers and gas-insulated switchgear. However, the use of SF{sub 6} is limited by its high liquidation temperature and high global warming potential. Recently, research shows SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} mixture, which shows environmental friendliness and good electrical properties, may be a feasible substitute for pure SF{sub 6}. This paper is devoted to the calculation of and transport coefficients of SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} mixture under both LTE (local thermodynamic equilibrium) and non-LTE condition. The two–temperature mass action law was used to determine the composition. The transport coefficientsmore » were calculated by classical Chapman–Enskog method simplified by Devoto. The thermophysical properties are presented for electron temperatures of 300–40 000 K, ratios of electron to heavy species temperature of 1–10 and N{sub 2} mole fraction of 0%–100% at atmospheric pressure. The ionization processes under both LTE and non-LTE have been discussed. The results show that deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium significantly affect the properties of SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} plasma, especially before the plasma is fully ionized. The different influence of N{sub 2} on properties for SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} plasma in and out of LTE has been found. The results will serve as reliable reference data for computational simulation of the behavior of SF{sub 6}–N{sub 2} plasmas.« less

Chemical kinetics and relaxation of non-equilibrium air plasma generated by energetic photon and electron beams

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

Maulois, Melissa, E-mail: melissa.maulois@laplace.univ-tlse.fr; LAPLACE, 118 Route de Narbonne, 31 062 Toulouse Cedex; CEA/DAM, 46 500 Gramat

2016-04-15

The comprehension of electromagnetic perturbations of electronic devices, due to air plasma-induced electromagnetic field, requires a thorough study on air plasma. In the aim to understand the phenomena at the origin of the formation of non-equilibrium air plasma, we simulate, using a volume average chemical kinetics model (0D model), the time evolution of a non-equilibrium air plasma generated by an energetic X-ray flash. The simulation is undertaken in synthetic air (80% N{sub 2} and 20% O{sub 2}) at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. When the X-ray flash crosses the gas, non-relativistic Compton electrons (low energy) and a relativistic Compton electronmore » beam (high energy) are simultaneously generated and interact with the gas. The considered chemical kinetics scheme involves 26 influent species (electrons, positive ions, negative ions, and neutral atoms and molecules in their ground or metastable excited states) reacting following 164 selected reactions. The kinetics model describing the plasma chemistry was coupled to the conservation equation of the electron mean energy, in order to calculate at each time step of the non-equilibrium plasma evolution, the coefficients of reactions involving electrons while the energy of the heavy species (positive and negative ions and neutral atoms and molecules) is assumed remaining close to ambient temperature. It has been shown that it is the relativistic Compton electron beam directly created by the X-ray flash which is mainly responsible for the non-equilibrium plasma formation. Indeed, the low energy electrons (i.e., the non-relativistic ones) directly ejected from molecules by Compton collisions contribute to less than 1% on the creation of electrons in the plasma. In our simulation conditions, a non-equilibrium plasma with a low electron mean energy close to 1 eV and a concentration of charged species close to 10{sup 13 }cm{sup −3} is formed a few nanoseconds after the peak of X-ray flash

[Plasma temperature calculation and coupling mechanism analysis of laser-double wire hybrid welding].

PubMed

Zheng, Kai; Li, Huan; Yang, Li-Jun; Gu, Xiao-Yan; Gao, Ying

2013-04-01

The plasma radiation of laser-double wire hybrid welding was collected by using fiber spectrometer, the coupling mechanism of arc with laser was studied through high-speed photography during welding process, and the temperature of hybrid plasma was calculated by using the method of Boltzmann plot. The results indicated that with laser hybrid, luminance was enhanced; radiation intensity became stronger; arc was attracted to the laser point; cross section contracted and arc was more stable. The laser power, welding current and arc-arc distance are important factors that have great influence on electron temperature. Increase in the laser power, amplification of welding current and reduction of arc-arc distance can all result in the rise of temperature.

Oral Bacterial Deactivation Using a Low-Temperature Atmospheric Argon Plasma Brush

PubMed Central

Yang, Bo; Chen, Jierong; Yu, Qingsong; Li, Hao; Lin, Mengshi; Mustapha, Azlin; Hong, Liang; Wang, Yong

2010-01-01

Summary Objectives To study the plasma treatment effects on deactivation effectiveness of oral bacteria. Methods A low temperature atmospheric argon plasma brush were used to study the oral bacterial deactivation effects in terms of plasma conditions, plasma exposure time, and bacterial supporting media. Oral bacteria of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus with an initial bacterial population density between 1.0 × 108 and 5.0 × 108 cfu/ml were seeded on various media and their survivability with plasma exposure was examined. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphological changes of the plasma treated bacteria. Optical absorption was used to determine the leakage of intracellular proteins and DNAs of the plasma treated bacteria. Results The experimental data indicated that the argon atmospheric plasma brush was very effective in deactivating oral bacteria. The plasma exposure time for a 99.9999% cell reduction was less than 15 seconds for S. mutans and within 5 minutes for L. acidophilus. It was found that the plasma deactivation efficiency was also dependent on the bacterial supporting media. With plasma exposure, significant damages to bacterial cell structures were observed with both bacterium species. Leakage of intracellular proteins and DNAs after plasma exposure was observed through monitoring the absorbance peaks at wavelengths of 280nm and 260nm, respectively. Conclusion The experimental results from this study indicated that low temperature atmospheric plasma treatment was very effective in deactivation of oral bacteria and could be a promising technique in various dental clinical applications such as bacterial disinfection and caries early prevention, etc. PMID:20951184

Study of Inactivation Factors in Low Temperature Surface-wave Plasma Sterilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Mrityunjai Kumar; Xu, Lei; Ogino, Akihisa; Nagatsu, Masaaki

In this study we investigated the low temperature surface-wave plasma sterilization of directly and indirectly exposed Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores with a large-volume microwave plasma device. The air-simulated gas mixture was used to produce the plasma. The water vapor addition to the gas mixture improved the sterilization efficiency significantly. The effect of ultraviolet photons produced along with plasma to inactivate the spores was studied using a separate chamber, which was evacuated to less than one mTorr and was observed that spores were sterilized within 60 min. The scanning electron microscopy images revealed no significant changes in the actual size of the spores with that of untreated spores despite the survival curve shown that the spores were inactivated.

Foundations of modelling of nonequilibrium low-temperature plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, L. L.; Bogaerts, A.; Guerra, V.; Turner, M. M.

2018-02-01

This work explains the need for plasma models, introduces arguments for choosing the type of model that better fits the purpose of each study, and presents the basics of the most common nonequilibrium low-temperature plasma models and the information available from each one, along with an extensive list of references for complementary in-depth reading. The paper presents the following models, organised according to the level of multi-dimensional description of the plasma: kinetic models, based on either a statistical particle-in-cell/Monte-Carlo approach or the solution to the Boltzmann equation (in the latter case, special focus is given to the description of the electron kinetics); multi-fluid models, based on the solution to the hydrodynamic equations; global (spatially-average) models, based on the solution to the particle and energy rate-balance equations for the main plasma species, usually including a very complete reaction chemistry; mesoscopic models for plasma-surface interaction, adopting either a deterministic approach or a stochastic dynamical Monte-Carlo approach. For each plasma model, the paper puts forward the physics context, introduces the fundamental equations, presents advantages and limitations, also from a numerical perspective, and illustrates its application with some examples. Whenever pertinent, the interconnection between models is also discussed, in view of multi-scale hybrid approaches.

Heat-Flux Measurements in Laser-Produced Plasmas Using Thomson Scattering from Electron Plasma Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henchen, R. J.; Goncharov, V. N.; Cao, D.; Katz, J.; Froula, D. H.; Rozmus, W.

2017-10-01

An experiment was designed to measure heat flux in coronal plasmas using collective Thomson scattering. Adjustments to the electron distribution function resulting from heat flux affect the shape of the collective Thomson scattering features through wave-particle resonance. The amplitude of the Spitzer-Härm electron distribution function correction term (f1) was varied to match the data and determines the value of the heat flux. Independent measurements of temperature and density obtained from Thomson scattering were used to infer the classical heat flux (q = - κ∇Te) . Time-resolved Thomson-scattering data were obtained at five locations in the corona along the target normal in a blowoff plasma formed from a planar Al target with 1.5 kJ of 351-nm laser light in a 2-ns square pulse. The flux measured through the Thomson-scattering spectra is a factor of 5 less than the κ∇Te measurements. The lack of collisions of heat-carrying electrons suggests a nonlocal model is needed to accurately describe the heat flux. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Compatibility of lithium plasma-facing surfaces with high edge temperatures in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.; Kaita, R.; Kozub, T.; LeBlanc, B. P.; Lucia, M.; Maingi, R.; Merino, E.; Raitses, Y.; Schmitt, J. C.; Allain, J. P.; Bedoya, F.; Bialek, J.; Biewer, T. M.; Canik, J. M.; Buzi, L.; Koel, B. E.; Patino, M. I.; Capece, A. M.; Hansen, C.; Jarboe, T.; Kubota, S.; Peebles, W. A.; Tritz, K.

2017-05-01

High edge electron temperatures (200 eV or greater) have been measured at the wall-limited plasma boundary in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX). Flat electron temperature profiles are a long-predicted consequence of low recycling boundary conditions. Plasma density in the outer scrape-off layer is very low, 2-3 × 1017 m-3, consistent with a low recycling metallic lithium boundary. Despite the high edge temperature, the core impurity content is low. Zeff is estimated to be ˜1.2, with a very modest contribution (<0.1) from lithium. Experiments are transient. Gas puffing is used to increase the plasma density. After gas injection stops, the discharge density is allowed to drop, and the edge is pumped by the low recycling lithium wall. An upgrade to LTX-LTX-β, which includes a 35A, 20 kV neutral beam injector (on loan to LTX from Tri-Alpha Energy) to provide core fueling to maintain constant density, as well as auxiliary heating, is underway. LTX-β is briefly described.

Compatibility of lithium plasma-facing surfaces with high edge temperatures in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

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

Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.

We measured high edge electron temperatures (200 eV or greater) at the wall-limited plasma boundary in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX). Flat electron temperature profiles are a long-predicted consequence of low recycling boundary conditions. Plasma density in the outer scrape-off layer is very low, 2-3 x 10(17) m(-3), consistent with a low recycling metallic lithium boundary. In spite of the high edge temperature, the core impurity content is low. Z(eff) is estimated to be similar to 1.2, with a very modest contribution (< 0.1) from lithium. Experiments are transient. Gas puffing is used to increase the plasma density. After gasmore » injection stops, the discharge density is allowed to drop, and the edge is pumped by the low recycling lithium wall. An upgrade to LTX-LTX-beta, which includes a 35A, 20 kV neutral beam injector (on loan to LTX from Tri-Alpha Energy) to provide core fueling to maintain constant density, as well as auxiliary heating, is underway. LTX-beta is briefly described.« less

Compatibility of lithium plasma-facing surfaces with high edge temperatures in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment

DOE PAGES

Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.; ...

2017-03-20

We measured high edge electron temperatures (200 eV or greater) at the wall-limited plasma boundary in the Lithium Tokamak Experiment (LTX). Flat electron temperature profiles are a long-predicted consequence of low recycling boundary conditions. Plasma density in the outer scrape-off layer is very low, 2-3 x 10(17) m(-3), consistent with a low recycling metallic lithium boundary. In spite of the high edge temperature, the core impurity content is low. Z(eff) is estimated to be similar to 1.2, with a very modest contribution (< 0.1) from lithium. Experiments are transient. Gas puffing is used to increase the plasma density. After gasmore » injection stops, the discharge density is allowed to drop, and the edge is pumped by the low recycling lithium wall. An upgrade to LTX-LTX-beta, which includes a 35A, 20 kV neutral beam injector (on loan to LTX from Tri-Alpha Energy) to provide core fueling to maintain constant density, as well as auxiliary heating, is underway. LTX-beta is briefly described.« less

An alternative estimation of the RF-enhanced plasma temperature during SPEAR artificial heating experiments: Early results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vickers, H.; Baddeley, L.

2011-11-01

RF heating of the F region plasma at high latitudes has long been known to produce electron temperature increases that can vary from tens to hundreds of percent above the background, unperturbed level. In contrast, artificial ionospheric modification experiments conducted using the Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar (SPEAR) heating facility on Svalbard have often failed to produce obvious enhancements in the electron temperatures when measured using the European Incoherent Scatter Svalbard radar (ESR), colocated with the heater. Contamination of the ESR ion line spectra by the zero-frequency purely growing mode (PGM) feature is known to persist at varying amplitudes throughout SPEAR heating, and such spectral features can lead to significant temperature underestimations when the incoherent scatter spectra are analyzed using conventional methods. In this study, we present the first results of applying a recently developed technique to correct the PGM-contaminated spectra to SPEAR-enhanced ESR spectra and derive an alternative estimate of the SPEAR-heated electron temperature. We discuss how the effectiveness of the spectrum corrections can be affected by the data variance, estimated over the integration period. The subsequent electron temperatures, inferred from corrected spectra, range from a few tens to a few hundred Kelvin above the average background temperature. These temperatures are found to be in reasonable agreement with the theoretical “enhanced” temperature, calculated for the peak of the stationary temperature perturbation profile, when realistic absorption effects are accounted for.

Generation of Low-Energy High-Current Electron Beams in Plasma-Anode Electron Guns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozur, G. E.; Proskurovsky, D. I.

2018-01-01

This paper is a review of studies on the generation of low-energy high-current electron beams in electron guns with a plasma anode and an explosive-emission cathode. The problems related to the initiation of explosive electron emission under plasma and the formation and transport of high-current electron beams in plasma-filled systems are discussed consecutively. Considerable attention is given to the nonstationary effects that occur in the space charge layers of plasma. Emphasis is also placed on the problem of providing a uniform energy density distribution over the beam cross section, which is of critical importance in using electron beams of this type for surface treatment of materials. Examples of facilities based on low-energy high-current electron beam sources are presented and their applications in materials science and practice are discussed.

Numerical simulation of inducing characteristics of high energy electron beam plasma for aerodynamics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yongfeng; Jiang, Jian; Han, Xianwei; Tan, Chang; Wei, Jianguo

2017-04-01

The problem of flow active control by low temperature plasma is considered to be one of the most flourishing fields of aerodynamics due to its practical advantages. Compared with other means, the electron beam plasma is a potential flow control method for large scale flow. In this paper, a computational fluid dynamics model coupled with a multi-fluid plasma model is established to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics induced by electron beam plasma. The results demonstrate that the electron beam strongly influences the flow properties, not only in the boundary layers, but also in the main flow. A weak shockwave is induced at the electron beam injection position and develops to the other side of the wind tunnel behind the beam. It brings additional energy into air, and the inducing characteristics are closely related to the beam power and increase nonlinearly with it. The injection angles also influence the flow properties to some extent. Based on this research, we demonstrate that the high energy electron beam air plasma has three attractive advantages in aerodynamic applications, i.e. the high energy density, wide action range and excellent action effect. Due to the rapid development of near space hypersonic vehicles and atmospheric fighters, by optimizing the parameters, the electron beam can be used as an alternative means in aerodynamic steering in these applications.

Plasma jet printing of electronic materials on flexible and nonconformal objects.

PubMed

Gandhiraman, Ram P; Jayan, Vivek; Han, Jin-Woo; Chen, Bin; Koehne, Jessica E; Meyyappan, M

2014-12-10

We present a novel approach for the room-temperature fabrication of conductive traces and their subsequent site-selective dielectric encapsulation for use in flexible electronics. We have developed an aerosol-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma-based deposition process for efficiently depositing materials on flexible substrates. Silver nanowire conductive traces and silicon dioxide dielectric coatings for encapsulation were deposited using this approach as a demonstration. The paper substrate with silver nanowires exhibited a very low change in resistance upon 50 cycles of systematic deformation, exhibiting high mechanical flexibility. The applicability of this process to print conductive traces on nonconformal 3D objects was also demonstrated through deposition on a 3D-printed thermoplastic object, indicating the potential to combine plasma printing with 3D printing technology. The role of plasma here includes activation of the material present in the aerosol for deposition, increasing the deposition rate, and plasma polymerization in the case of inorganic coatings. The demonstration here establishes a low-cost, high-throughput, and facile process for printing electronic components on nonconventional platforms.

Study of plasma natural convection induced by electron beam in atmosphere [

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

Deng, Yongfeng, E-mail: yfdeng@mail.dlut.edu.cn; Han, Xianwei; Tan, Yonghua

2014-06-15

Using high-energy electron beams to ionize air is an effective way to produce a large-size plasma in the atmosphere. In particular, with a steady-state high power generator, some unique phenomena can be achieved, including natural convection of the plasma. The characteristics of this convection are studied both experimentally and numerically. The results show that an asymmetrical temperature field develops with magnitudes that vary from 295 K to 389 K at a pressure of 100 Torr. Natural convection is greatly enhanced under 760 Torr. Nevertheless, plasma transport is negligible in this convection flow field and only the plasma core tends to move upward. Parameter analysismore » is performed to discern influencing factors on this phenomenon. The beam current, reflecting the Rayleigh number Ra effect, correlates with convection intensity, which indicates that energy deposition is the underlying key factor in determining such convections. Finally, natural convection is concluded to be an intrinsic property of the electron beam when focused into dense air, and can be achieved by carefully adjusting equipment operations parameters.« less

Detection of an electron beam in a high density plasma via an electrostatic probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeski, Stephen; Yoo, Jongsoo; Zweben, Stewart; Yamada, Masaaki; Ji, Hantao

2017-10-01

The perturbation in floating potential by an electron beam is detected by a 1D floating potential probe array to evaluate the use of an electron beam for magnetic field line mapping in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) plasma. The MRX plasma is relatively high density (1013 cm-3) and low temperature (5 eV). Beam electrons are emitted from a tungsten filament and are accelerated by a 200 V potential across the sheath. They stream along the magnetic field lines towards the probe array. The spatial electron beam density profile is assumed to be a Gaussian along the radial axis of MRX and the effective beam width is determined from the radial profile of the floating potential. The magnitude of the perturbation is in agreement with theoretical predictions and the location of the perturbation is also in agreement with field line mapping. In addition, no significant broadening of the electron beam is observed after propagation for tens of centimeters through the high density plasma. These results demonstrate that this method of field line mapping is, in principle, feasible in high density plasmas. This work is supported by the DOE Contract No. DE-AC0209CH11466.

Helium temperature measurements in a hot filament magnetic mirror plasma using high resolution Doppler spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knott, S.; McCarthy, P. J.; Ruth, A. A.

2016-09-01

Langmuir probe and spectroscopic diagnostics are used to routinely measure electron temperature and density over a wide operating range in a reconfigured Double Plasma device at University College Cork, Ireland. The helium plasma, generated through thermionic emission from a negatively biased tungsten filament, is confined by an axisymmetric magnetic mirror configuration using two stacks of NdFeB permanent magnets, each of length 20 cm and diameter 3 cm placed just outside the 15 mm water cooling jacket enclosing a cylindrical vacuum vessel of internal diameter 25 cm. Plasma light is analysed using a Fourier Transform-type Bruker spectrometer with a highest achievable resolution of 0.08 cm-1 . In the present work, the conventional assumption of room temperature ions in the analysis of Langmuir probe data from low temperature plasmas is examined critically using Doppler spectroscopy of the 468.6 nm He II line. Results for ion temperatures obtained from spectroscopic data for a variety of engineering parameters (discharge voltage, gas pressure and plasma current) will be presented.

Simultaneous in situ electron temperature comparisons using Alouette 2 probe and plasma resonance data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, R. F.

1973-01-01

The electron temperatures deduced from Alouette 2 diffuse resonance observations are compared with the temperature obtained from the Alouette 2 cylindrical electrostatic probe experiment using data from 5 mid-to-high latitude telemetry stations. The probe temperature is consistently higher than the diffuse resonance temperature. The average difference ranged from approximately 10% to 40% with the lower values occurring at the lowest altitudes sampled (near 500 km) and at high latitudes (dip latitude greater than 55 deg), and the larger values occurring at high altitudes and lower latitudes. The discrepancy appears to be of geophysical origin since it is dependent on the location of the data sample. The present observations support the view that the often observed radar backscatter - probe electron temperature discrepancy is also of geophysical origin.

Validation of ISS Floating Potential Measurement Unit Electron Densities and Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coffey, Victoria N.; Minow, Joseph I.; Parker, Linda N.; Bui, Them; Wright, Kenneth, Jr.; Koontz, Steven L.; Schneider, T.; Vaughn, J.; Craven, P.

2007-01-01

Validation of the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) electron density and temperature measurements is an important step in the process of evaluating International Space Station spacecraft charging issues .including vehicle arcing and hazards to crew during extravehicular activities. The highest potentials observed on Space Station are due to the combined VxB effects on a large spacecraft and the collection of ionospheric electron and ion currents by the 160 V US solar array modules. Ionospheric electron environments are needed for input to the ISS spacecraft charging models used to predict the severity and frequency of occurrence of ISS charging hazards. Validation of these charging models requires comparing their predictions with measured FPMU values. Of course, the FPMU measurements themselves must also be validated independently for use in manned flight safety work. This presentation compares electron density and temperatures derived from the FPMU Langmuir probes and Plasma Impedance Probe against the independent density and temperature measurements from ultraviolet imagers, ground based incoherent scatter radar, and ionosonde sites.

Measurement of Electron Density Using the Multipole Resonance Probe, Langmuir Probe and Optical Emission Spectroscopy in Low Pressure Plasmas with Different Electron Energy Distribution Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oberberg, Moritz; Bibinov, Nikita; Ries, Stefan; Awakowicz, Peter; Institute of Electrical Engineering; Plasma Technology Team

2016-09-01

In recently publication, the young diagnostic tool Multipole Resonance Probe (MRP) for electron density measurements was introduced. It is based on active plasma resonance spectroscopy (APRS). The probe was simulated und evaluated for different devices. The geometrical and electrical symmetry simplifies the APRS model, so that the electron density can be easily calculated from the measured resonance. In this work, low pressure nitrogen mixture plasmas with different electron energy distribution functions (EEDF) are investigated. The results of the MRP measurement are compared with measurements of a Langmuir Probe (LP) and Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). Probes and OES measure in different regimes of kinetic electron energy. Both probes measure electrons with low kinetic energy (<10 eV), whereas the OES is influenced by electrons with high kinetic energy which are needed for transitions of molecule bands. By the determination of the absolute intensity of N2(C-B) and N2+(B-X)electron temperature and density can be calculated. In a non-maxwellian plasma, all plasma diagnostics need to be combined.

Effect of anomalous electron cross-field transport on electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF magnetized plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raitses, Yevgeny; Donnelly, Vincent M.; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Godyak, Valery

2013-10-01

The application of the magnetic field in a low pressure plasma can cause a spatial separation of cold and hot electron groups. This so-called magnetic filter effect is not well understood and is the subject of our studies. In this work, we investigate electron energy distribution function in a DC-RF plasma discharge with crossed electric and magnetic field operating at sub-mtorr pressure range of xenon gas. Experimental studies showed that the increase of the magnetic field leads to a more uniform profile of the electron temperature across the magnetic field. This surprising result indicates the importance of anomalous electron transport that causes mixing of hot and cold electrons. High-speed imaging and probe measurements revealed a coherent structure rotating in E cross B direction with frequency of a few kHz. Similar to spoke oscillations reported for Hall thrusters, this rotating structure conducts the largest fraction of the cross-field current. This work was supported by DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Plasma characteristics of direct current enhanced cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, HUA; Jian, SONG; Zeyu, HAO; Chunsheng, REN

2018-06-01

Experimental results of a direct current enhanced inductively coupled plasma (DCE-ICP) source which consists of a typical cylindrical ICP source and a plate-to-grid DC electrode are reported. With the use of this new source, the plasma characteristic parameters, namely, electron density, electron temperature and plasma uniformity, are measured by Langmuir floating double probe. It is found that DC discharge enhances the electron density and decreases the electron temperature, dramatically. Moreover, the plasma uniformity is obviously improved with the operation of DC and radio frequency (RF) hybrid discharge. Furthermore, the nonlinear enhancement effect of electron density with DC + RF hybrid discharge is confirmed. The presented observation indicates that the DCE-ICP source provides an effective method to obtain high-density uniform plasma, which is desirable for practical industrial applications.

The Effect of Background Plasma Temperature on Growth and Damping of Whistler Mode Wave Power in the Earth's Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxworth, A. S.; Golkowski, M.; Malaspina, D.; Jaynes, A. N.

2017-12-01

Whistler mode waves play a dominant role in the energy dynamics of the Earth's magnetosphere. Trajectory of whistler mode waves can be predicted by raytracing. Raytracing is a numerical method which solves the Haselgrove's equations at each time step taking the background plasma parameters in to account. The majority of previous raytracing work was conducted assuming a cold (0 K) background magnetospheric plasma. Here we perform raytracing in a finite temperature plasma with background electron and ion temperatures of a few eV. When encountered with a high energy (>10 keV) electron distribution, whistler mode waves can undergo a power attenuation and/or growth, depending on resonance conditions which are a function of wave frequency, wave normal angle and particle energy. In this work we present the wave power attenuation and growth analysis of whistler mode waves, during the interaction with a high energy electron distribution. We have numerically modelled the high energy electron distribution as an isotropic velocity distribution, as well as an anisotropic bi-Maxwellian distribution. Both cases were analyzed with and without the temperature effects for the background magnetospheric plasma. Finally we compare our results with the whistler mode energy distribution obtained by the EMFISIS instrument hosted at the Van Allen Probe spacecraft.

Electron emission and plasma generation in a modulator electron gun using ferroelectric cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shutao; Zheng, Shuxin; Zhu, Ziqiu; Dong, Xianlin; Tang, Chuanxiang

2006-10-01

Strong electron emission and dense plasma generation have been observed in a modulator electron gun with a Ba 0.67Sr 0.33TiO 3 ferroelectric cathode. Parameter of the modulator electron gun and lifetime of the ferroelectric cathode were investigated. It was shown that electron emission from Ba 0.67Sr 0.33TiO 3 cathode with a positive triggering pulse is a sort of plasma emission. Electrons were emitted by the co-effect of surface plasma and non-compensated negative polarization charges at the surface of the ferroelectric. The element analyses of the graphite collector after emission process was performed to show the ingredient of the plasma consist of Ba, Ti and Cu heavy cations of the ceramic compound and electrode. It was demonstrated the validity of the Child-Langmuir law by introducing the decrease of vacuum gap and increase of emission area caused by the expansion of the surface plasma.

Acceleration of plasma electrons by intense nonrelativistic ion and electron beams propagating in background plasma due to two-stream instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaganovich, Igor D.

2015-11-01

In this paper we study the effects of the two-stream instability on the propagation of intense nonrelativistic ion and electron beams in background plasma. Development of the two-stream instability between the beam ions and plasma electrons leads to beam breakup, a slowing down of the beam particles, acceleration of the plasma particles, and transfer of the beam energy to the plasma particles and wave excitations. Making use of the particle-in-cell codes EDIPIC and LSP, and analytic theory we have simulated the effects of the two-stream instability on beam propagation over a wide range of beam and plasma parameters. Because of the two-stream instability the plasma electrons can be accelerated to velocities as high as twice the beam velocity. The resulting return current of the accelerated electrons may completely change the structure of the beam self - magnetic field, thereby changing its effect on the beam from focusing to defocusing. Therefore, previous theories of beam self-electromagnetic fields that did not take into account the effects of the two-stream instability must be significantly modified. This effect can be observed on the National Drift Compression Experiment-II (NDCX-II) facility by measuring the spot size of the extracted beamlet propagating through several meters of plasma. Particle-in-cell, fluid simulations, and analytical theory also reveal the rich complexity of beam- plasma interaction phenomena: intermittency and multiple regimes of the two-stream instability in dc discharges; band structure of the growth rate of the two-stream instability of an electron beam propagating in a bounded plasma and repeated acceleration of electrons in a finite system. In collaboration with E. Tokluoglu, D. Sydorenko, E. A. Startsev, J. Carlsson, and R. C. Davidson. Research supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Decay instability of an electron plasma wave in a dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amin, M. R.; Ferdous, T.; Salimullah, M.

1996-03-01

The parametric decay instability of an electron plasma wave in a homogeneous, unmagnetized, hot and collisionless dusty plasma has been investigated analytically. The Vlasov equation has been solved perturbatively to find the nonlinear response of the plasma particles. The presence of the charged dust grains introduces a background inhomogeneous electric field that significantly influences the dispersive properties of the plasma and the decay process. The growth rate of the decay instability through the usual ion-acoustic mode is modified, and depends upon the dust perturbation parameter μi, dust correlation length q0, and the related ion motion. However, the decay process of the electron plasma wave through the ultralow frequency dust mode, excited due to the presence of the dust particles, is more efficient than the decay through the usual ion-acoustic mode in the dusty plasma.

Effects of low temperature plasmas and plasma activated waters on Arabidopsis thaliana germination and growth

PubMed Central

Martinez, Yves; Merbahi, Nofel; Eichwald, Olivier; Dunand, Christophe

2018-01-01

Two plasma devices at atmospheric pressure (air dielectric barrier discharge and helium plasma jet) have been used to study the early germination of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds during the first days. Then, plasma activated waters are used during the later stage of plant development and growth until 42 days. The effects on both testa and endospserm ruptures during the germination stage are significant in the case of air plasma due to its higher energy and efficiency of producing reactive oxygen species than the case of helium plasma. The latter has shown distinct effects only for testa rupture. Analysis of germination stimulations are based on specific stainings for reactive oxygen species production, peroxidase activity and also membrane permeability tests. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has shown a smoother seed surface for air plasma treated seeds that can explain the plasma induced-germination. During the growth stage, plants were watered using 4 kinds of water (tap and deionized waters activated or not by the low temperature plasma jet). With regards to other water kinds, the characterization of the tap water has shown a larger conductivity, acidity and concentration of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species. Only the tap water activated by the plasma jet has shown a significant effect on the plant growth. This effect could be correlated to reactive nitrogen species such as nitrite/nitrate species present in plasma activated tap water. PMID:29630641

Estimation of electron temperature and radiation emission of a low energy (2.2 kJ) plasma focus device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. Z.; Yap, S. L.; Wong, C. S.

2014-01-01

Radiation emission in a 2.2 kJ Mather-type plasma focus device is investigated using a five channel BPX65 PIN diode spectrometer. At optimum condition, radiation emission from the system is found to be strongly influenced in hollow anode and filling gas pressure. Maximum X-ray yield in 4π sr has been obtained in case of hollow anode in argon gas medium due to interaction of electron beam. Results indicate that an appropriate design of anode can enhance radiation emission by more intense interaction of expected electron beam with hollow anode. The outcome is helpful to design a plasma focus with enhanced X-ray generation with improved shot-to-shot reproducibility in plasma focus device.

Nonlinear interactions between electromagnetic waves and electron plasma oscillations in quantum plasmas.

PubMed

Shukla, P K; Eliasson, B

2007-08-31

We consider nonlinear interactions between intense circularly polarized electromagnetic (CPEM) waves and electron plasma oscillations (EPOs) in a dense quantum plasma, taking into account the electron density response in the presence of the relativistic ponderomotive force and mass increase in the CPEM wave fields. The dynamics of the CPEM waves and EPOs is governed by the two coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations and Poisson's equation. The nonlinear equations admit the modulational instability of an intense CPEM pump wave against EPOs, leading to the formation and trapping of localized CPEM wave pipes in the electron density hole that is associated with a positive potential distribution in our dense plasma. The relevance of our investigation to the next generation intense laser-solid density plasma interaction experiments is discussed.

Collision-Driven Negative-Energy Waves and the Weibel Instability of a Relativistic Electron Beam in a Quasineutral Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, Anupam; Kumar, Naveen; Shvets, Gennady; Polomarov, Oleg; Pukhov, Alexander

2008-12-01

A new model describing the Weibel instability of a relativistic electron beam propagating through a resistive plasma is developed. For finite-temperature beams, a new class of negative-energy magnetosound waves is identified, whose growth due to collisional dissipation destabilizes the beam-plasma system even for high beam temperatures. We perform 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations and show that in 3D geometry the Weibel instability persists even for collisionless background plasma. The anomalous plasma resistivity in 3D is caused by the two-stream instability.

Electron Beam Transport in Advanced Plasma Wave Accelerators

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

Williams, Ronald L

2013-01-31

The primary goal of this grant was to develop a diagnostic for relativistic plasma wave accelerators based on injecting a low energy electron beam (5-50keV) perpendicular to the plasma wave and observing the distortion of the electron beam's cross section due to the plasma wave's electrostatic fields. The amount of distortion would be proportional to the plasma wave amplitude, and is the basis for the diagnostic. The beat-wave scheme for producing plasma waves, using two CO2 laser beam, was modeled using a leap-frog integration scheme to solve the equations of motion. Single electron trajectories and corresponding phase space diagrams weremore » generated in order to study and understand the details of the interaction dynamics. The electron beam was simulated by combining thousands of single electrons, whose initial positions and momenta were selected by random number generators. The model was extended by including the interactions of the electrons with the CO2 laser fields of the beat wave, superimposed with the plasma wave fields. The results of the model were used to guide the design and construction of a small laboratory experiment that may be used to test the diagnostic idea.« less

Suprathermal plasma analyzer for the measurement of low-energy electron distribution in the ionosphere.

PubMed

Shimoyama, M; Oyama, K-I; Abe, T; Yau, A W

2011-07-01

It is commonly believed that an energy transfer from thermal to suprathermal electrons (electron energy spectrum in this energy range is quite limited because of technical difficulties of measurement. We have developed an instrument to measure electron energy distribution from thermal to suprathermal energy continuously with high-energy resolution of about 0.15 eV. The measurement principle is based on the combination of a retarding potential analyzer with a channel electron multiplier (CEM) and the Druyvesteyn method, which derives energy distribution from the current-voltage characteristics. The capability of detecting plasma space potential enables absolute calibration of electron energy. The instrument with a small vacuum pump, which is required for the CEM to work in low-vacuum region, was first successfully tested by a sounding rocket S-310-37 in the ionospheric E region. The instrument is expected to provide new opportunities to measure energy distribution of thermal and non-thermal electrons in low-density plasma, where a Langmuir probe cannot measure electron temperature because of low plasma density.

Foundations of low-temperature plasma enhanced materials synthesis and etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oehrlein, Gottlieb S.; Hamaguchi, Satoshi

2018-02-01

Low temperature plasma (LTP)-based synthesis of advanced materials has played a transformational role in multiple industries, including the semiconductor industry, liquid crystal displays, coatings and renewable energy. Similarly, the plasma-based transfer of lithographically defined resist patterns into other materials, e.g. silicon, SiO2, Si3N4 and other electronic materials, has led to the production of nanometer scale devices that are the basis of the information technology, microsystems, and many other technologies based on patterned films or substrates. In this article we review the scientific foundations of both LTP-based materials synthesis at low substrate temperature and LTP-based isotropic and directional etching used to transfer lithographically produced resist patterns into underlying materials. We cover the fundamental principles that are the basis of successful application of the LTP techniques to technological uses and provide an understanding of technological factors that may control or limit material synthesis or surface processing with the use of LTP. We precede these sections with a general discussion of plasma surface interactions, the LTP-generated particle fluxes including electrons, ions, radicals, excited neutrals and photons that simultaneously contact and modify surfaces. The surfaces can be in the line of sight of the discharge or hidden from direct interaction for structured substrates. All parts of the article are extensively referenced, which is intended to help the reader study the topics discussed here in more detail.

Nonlinear electron-acoustic rogue waves in electron-beam plasma system with non-thermal hot electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elwakil, S. A.; El-hanbaly, A. M.; Elgarayh, A.; El-Shewy, E. K.; Kassem, A. I.

2014-11-01

The properties of nonlinear electron-acoustic rogue waves have been investigated in an unmagnetized collisionless four-component plasma system consisting of a cold electron fluid, non-thermal hot electrons obeying a non-thermal distribution, an electron beam and stationary ions. It is found that the basic set of fluid equations is reduced to a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The dependence of rogue wave profiles on the electron beam and energetic population parameter are discussed. The results of the present investigation may be applicable in auroral zone plasma.

DEPARTURE OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE IRON LINES FROM THE EQUILIBRIUM STATE IN FLARING SOLAR PLASMAS

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

Kawate, T.; Keenan, F. P.; Jess, D. B., E-mail: t.kawate@qub.ac.uk

2016-07-20

The aim of this study is to clarify if the assumption of ionization equilibrium and a Maxwellian electron energy distribution is valid in flaring solar plasmas. We analyze the 2014 December 20 X1.8 flare, in which the Fe xxi 187 Å, Fe xxii 253 Å, Fe xxiii 263 Å, and Fe xxiv 255 Å emission lines were simultaneously observed by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on board the Hinode satellite. Intensity ratios among these high-temperature Fe lines are compared and departures from isothermal conditions and ionization equilibrium examined. Temperatures derived from intensity ratios involving these four lines show significant discrepancies atmore » the flare footpoints in the impulsive phase, and at the looptop in the gradual phase. Among these, the temperature derived from the Fe xxii/Fe xxiv intensity ratio is the lowest, which cannot be explained if we assume a Maxwellian electron distribution and ionization equilibrium, even in the case of a multithermal structure. This result suggests that the assumption of ionization equilibrium and/or a Maxwellian electron energy distribution can be violated in evaporating solar plasma around 10 MK.« less

Non-ambipolar radio-frequency plasma electron source and systems and methods for generating electron beams

DOEpatents

Hershkowitz, Noah [Madison, WI; Longmier, Benjamin [Madison, WI; Baalrud, Scott [Madison, WI

2009-03-03

An electron generating device extracts electrons, through an electron sheath, from plasma produced using RF fields. The electron sheath is located near a grounded ring at one end of a negatively biased conducting surface, which is normally a cylinder. Extracted electrons pass through the grounded ring in the presence of a steady state axial magnetic field. Sufficiently large magnetic fields and/or RF power into the plasma allow for helicon plasma generation. The ion loss area is sufficiently large compared to the electron loss area to allow for total non-ambipolar extraction of all electrons leaving the plasma. Voids in the negatively-biased conducting surface allow the time-varying magnetic fields provided by the antenna to inductively couple to the plasma within the conducting surface. The conducting surface acts as a Faraday shield, which reduces any time-varying electric fields from entering the conductive surface, i.e. blocks capacitive coupling between the antenna and the plasma.

Non-ambipolar radio-frequency plasma electron source and systems and methods for generating electron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hershkowitz, Noah (Inventor); Longmier, Benjamin (Inventor); Baalrud, Scott (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An electron generating device extracts electrons, through an electron sheath, from plasma produced using RF fields. The electron sheath is located near a grounded ring at one end of a negatively biased conducting surface, which is normally a cylinder. Extracted electrons pass through the grounded ring in the presence of a steady state axial magnetic field. Sufficiently large magnetic fields and/or RF power into the plasma allow for helicon plasma generation. The ion loss area is sufficiently large compared to the electron loss area to allow for total non-ambipolar extraction of all electrons leaving the plasma. Voids in the negatively-biased conducting surface allow the time-varying magnetic fields provided by the antenna to inductively couple to the plasma within the conducting surface. The conducting surface acts as a Faraday shield, which reduces any time-varying electric fields from entering the conductive surface, i.e. blocks capacitive coupling between the antenna and the plasma.

Non-ambipolar radio-frequency plasma electron source and systems and methods for generating electron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hershkowitz, Noah (Inventor); Longmier, Benjamin (Inventor); Baalrud, Scott (Inventor)

2009-01-01

An electron generating device extracts electrons, through an electron sheath, from plasma produced using RF fields. The electron sheath is located near a grounded ring at one end of a negatively biased conducting surface, which is normally a cylinder. Extracted electrons pass through the grounded ring in the presence of a steady state axial magnetic field. Sufficiently large magnetic fields and/or RF power into the plasma allow for helicon plasma generation. The ion loss area is sufficiently large compared to the electron loss area to allow for total non-ambipolar extraction of all electrons leaving the plasma. Voids in the negatively-biased conducting surface allow the time-varying magnetic fields provided by the antenna to inductively couple to the plasma within the conducting surface. The conducting surface acts as a Faraday shield, which reduces any time-varying electric fields from entering the conductive surface, i.e. blocks capacitive coupling between the antenna and the plasma.

Return current instability driven by a temperature gradient in ICF plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozmus, W.; Brantov, A. V.; Sherlock, M.; Bychenkov, V. Yu

2018-01-01

Hot plasmas with strong temperature gradients in inertial confinement fusion experiments are examined for ion acoustic instabilities produced by electron heat flow. The return current instability (RCI) due to a neutralizing current of cold electrons arising in response to a large electron heat flux has been considered. First, the linear threshold and growth rates are derived in the non-local regime of thermal transport. They are compared with the results of Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) simulations in one spatial dimension. Very good agreement has been found between kinetic VFP simulations and the linear theory of the RCI. A quasi-stationary state of ion acoustic turbulence (IAT) produced by the RCI is achieved in the VFP simulations. Saturation of the RCI involves heating of ions in the tail of the ion distribution function and convection of the enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations from the unstable region of the plasma. Further evolution of the IAT and its effects on absorption and transport are also discussed.

Plasma characterization using ultraviolet Thomson scattering from ion-acoustic and electron plasma waves (invited).

PubMed

Follett, R K; Delettrez, J A; Edgell, D H; Henchen, R J; Katz, J; Myatt, J F; Froula, D H

2016-11-01

Collective Thomson scattering is a technique for measuring the plasma conditions in laser-plasma experiments. Simultaneous measurements of ion-acoustic and electron plasma-wave spectra were obtained using a 263.25-nm Thomson-scattering probe beam. A fully reflective collection system was used to record light scattered from electron plasma waves at electron densities greater than 10 21 cm -3 , which produced scattering peaks near 200 nm. An accurate analysis of the experimental Thomson-scattering spectra required accounting for plasma gradients, instrument sensitivity, optical effects, and background radiation. Practical techniques for including these effects when fitting Thomson-scattering spectra are presented and applied to the measured spectra to show the improvements in plasma characterization.

Detection of an electron beam in a high density plasma via an electrostatic probe

DOE PAGES

Majeski, Stephen; Yoo, Jongsoo; Zweben, Stewart; ...

2018-05-08

Here, an electron beam is detected by a 1D floating potential probe array in a relatively high density (10 12–10 13 cm -3) and low temperature (~5 eV) plasma of the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment. Clear perturbations in the floating potential profile by the electron beam are observed. Based on the floating potential profile and a current balance equation to the probe array tips, the effective width of the electron beam is determined, from which we determine the radial and toroidal beam current density profiles. After the profile of the electron beam is specified from the measured beam current, we demonstratemore » the consistency of the current balance equation and the location of the perturbation is also in agreement with field line mapping. No significant broadening of the electron beam is observed after the beam propagates for tens of centimeters through the high density plasma. These results prove that the field line mapping is, in principle, possible in high density plasmas.« less

Detection of an electron beam in a high density plasma via an electrostatic probe

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

Majeski, Stephen; Yoo, Jongsoo; Zweben, Stewart

Here, an electron beam is detected by a 1D floating potential probe array in a relatively high density (10 12–10 13 cm -3) and low temperature (~5 eV) plasma of the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment. Clear perturbations in the floating potential profile by the electron beam are observed. Based on the floating potential profile and a current balance equation to the probe array tips, the effective width of the electron beam is determined, from which we determine the radial and toroidal beam current density profiles. After the profile of the electron beam is specified from the measured beam current, we demonstratemore » the consistency of the current balance equation and the location of the perturbation is also in agreement with field line mapping. No significant broadening of the electron beam is observed after the beam propagates for tens of centimeters through the high density plasma. These results prove that the field line mapping is, in principle, possible in high density plasmas.« less

Arbitrary electron acoustic waves in degenerate dense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Ata-ur; Mushtaq, A.; Qamar, A.; Neelam, S.

2017-05-01

A theoretical investigation is carried out of the nonlinear dynamics of electron-acoustic waves in a collisionless and unmagnetized plasma whose constituents are non-degenerate cold electrons, ultra-relativistic degenerate electrons, and stationary ions. A dispersion relation is derived for linear EAWs. An energy integral equation involving the Sagdeev potential is derived, and basic properties of the large amplitude solitary structures are investigated in such a degenerate dense plasma. It is shown that only negative large amplitude EA solitary waves can exist in such a plasma system. The present analysis may be important to understand the collective interactions in degenerate dense plasmas, occurring in dense astrophysical environments as well as in laser-solid density plasma interaction experiments.

Electron heating and energy inventory during asymmetric reconnection in a laboratory plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, J.; Na, B.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Yamada, M.; Ji, H.; Roytershteyn, V.; Argall, M. R.; Fox, W.; Chen, L. J.

2017-12-01

Electron heating and the energy inventory during asymmetric reconnection are studied in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) [1]. In this plasma, the density ratio is about 8 across the current sheet. Typical features of asymmetric reconnection such as the large density gradients near the low-density-side separatrices, asymmetric in-plane electric field, and bipolar out-of-plane magnetic field are observed. Unlike the symmetric case [2], electrons are also heated near the low-density-side separatrices. The measured parallel electric field may explain the observed electron heating. Although large fluctuations driven by lower-hybrid drift instabilities are also observed near the low-density-side separatrices, laboratory measurements and numerical simulations reported here suggest that they do not play a major role in electron energization. The average electron temperature increase in the exhaust region is proportional to the incoming magnetic energy per an electron/ion pair but exceeds the scaling of the previous space observations [3]. This discrepancy is explained by differences in the boundary condition and system size. The profile of electron energy gain from the electric field shows that there is additional electron energy gain associated with the electron diamagnetic current besides a large energy gain near the X-line. This additional energy gain increases electron enthalpy, not the electron temperature. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the energy inventory during asymmetric reconnection is conducted. Unlike the symmetric case where the ion energy gain is about twice more than the electron energy gain [4], electrons and ions obtain a similar amount of energy during asymmetric reconnection. [1] J. Yoo et al., accepted for a publication in J. Geophys. Res. [2] J. Yoo et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 055706 (2014). [3] T. Phan et al., Geophys. Res. Lett. 40, 4475 (2013). [4] M. Yamada et al., Nat. Comms. 5, 4474 (2014).

The plasma properties and electron emission characteristics of near-zero differential resistance of hollow cathode-based plasma contactors with a discharge chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Kan; Farnell, Casey C.; Williams, John D.

2014-08-01

The formation of electron emission-bias voltage (I-V) characteristics of near-zero differential resistance in the cathodic plasma contactor for bare electrodynamic tether applications, based on a hollow cathode embedded in a ring-cusp ionization stage, is studied. The existence of such an I-V regime is important to achieve low impedance performance without being affected by the space plasma properties for a cathodic plasma contactor. Experimental data on the plasma structure and properties downstream from the ionization stage are presented as functions of the xenon flow rate and the electron emission current. The electrons were emitted from the cathode to the cylindrical vacuum chamber wall (r = 0.9 m) under ≈10-5 Torr of vacuum pressure. The ring-cusp configuration selected for the plasma contactor created a 125-Gauss axial field near the cathode orifice, along with a large-volume 50-Gauss magnitude pocket in the stage. A baseline ion energy cost of ≈300 eV/ion was measured in the ionization stage when no electrons were emitted to the vacuum chamber wall. In addition, the anode fall growth limited the maximum propellant unitization to below ≈75% in the discharge loss curves for this ion stage. Detailed measurements on the plasma properties were carried out for the no-electron emission and 3 A emission conditions. The experimental data are compared with 1-D models, and the effectiveness of the model is discussed. The four key issues that played important roles in the process of building the near-zero different resistance I-V regime are: a significant amount of ionization by the emission electrons, a decrease in the number of reflected electrons in the plume, the electron-temperature increment, and low initial ion energy at the source outlet.

Effect of electron Monte Carlo collisions on a hybrid simulation of a low-pressure capacitively coupled plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Seok Won; Lee, Ho-Jun; Lee, Hae June

2014-12-01

Fluid models have been widely used and conducted successfully in high pressure plasma simulations where the drift-diffusion and the local-field approximation are valid. However, fluid models are not able to demonstrate non-local effects related to large electron energy relaxation mean free path in low pressure plasmas. To overcome this weakness, a hybrid model coupling electron Monte Carlo collision (EMCC) method with the fluid model is introduced to obtain precise electron energy distribution functions using pseudo-particles. Steady state simulation results by a one-dimensional hybrid model which includes EMCC method for the collisional reactions but uses drift-diffusion approximation for electron transport in a fluid model are compared with those of a conventional particle-in-cell (PIC) and a fluid model for low pressure capacitively coupled plasmas. At a wide range of pressure, the hybrid model agrees well with the PIC simulation with a reduced calculation time while the fluid model shows discrepancy in the results of the plasma density and the electron temperature.

High current plasma electron emitter

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

Fiksel, G.; Almagri, A.F.; Craig, D.

1995-07-01

A high current plasma electron emitter based on a miniature plasma source has been developed. The emitting plasma is created by a pulsed high current gas discharge. The electron emission current is 1 kA at 300 V at the pulse duration of 10 ms. The prototype injector described in this paper will be used for a 20 kA electrostatic current injection experiment in the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) reversed-field pinch. The source will be replicated in order to attain this total current requirement. The source has a simple design and has proven very reliable in operation. A high emission current,more » small size (3.7 cm in diameter), and low impurity generation make the source suitable for a variety of fusion and technological applications.« less

The TELEC - A plasma type of direct energy converter. [Thermo-Electronic Laser Energy Converter for electric power generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britt, E. J.

1978-01-01

The Thermo-Electronic Laser Energy Converter (TELEC) is a high-power density plasma device designed to convert a 10.6-micron CO2 laser beam into electric power. Electromagnetic radiation is absorbed in plasma electrons, creating a high-electron temperature. Energetic electrons diffuse from the plasma and strike two electrodes having different areas. The larger electrode collects more electrons and there is a net transport of current. An electromagnetic field is generated in the external circuit. A computer program has been designed to analyze TELEC performance allowing parametric variation for optimization. Values are presented for TELEC performance as a function of cesium pressure and for current density and efficiency as a function of output voltage. Efficiency is shown to increase with pressure, reaching a maximum over 45%.

Observations of reduced electron Gyroscale fluctuations in national spherical torus experiment H-mode plasmas with large ExB flow shear.

PubMed

Smith, D R; Kaye, S M; Lee, W; Mazzucato, E; Park, H K; Bell, R E; Domier, C W; Leblanc, B P; Levinton, F M; Luhmann, N C; Menard, J E; Yuh, H

2009-06-05

Electron gyroscale fluctuation measurements in National Spherical Torus Experiment H-mode plasmas with large toroidal rotation reveal fluctuations consistent with electron temperature gradient (ETG) turbulence. Large toroidal rotation in National Spherical Torus Experiment plasmas with neutral beam injection generates ExB flow shear rates comparable to ETG linear growth rates. Enhanced fluctuations occur when the electron temperature gradient is marginally stable with respect to the ETG linear critical gradient. Fluctuation amplitudes decrease when the ExB flow shear rate exceeds ETG linear growth rates. The observations indicate that ExB flow shear can be an effective suppression mechanism for ETG turbulence.

The 2017 Plasma Roadmap: Low temperature plasma science and technology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics published the first Plasma Roadmap in 2012 consisting of the individual perspectives of 16 leading experts in the various sub-fields of low temperature plasma science and technology. The 2017 Plasma Roadmap is the first update of a planned series of periodic upd...

Arbitrary amplitude fast electron-acoustic solitons in three-electron component space plasmas

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

Mbuli, L. N.; Maharaj, S. K.; Department of Physics, University of the Western Cape

We examine the characteristics of fast electron-acoustic solitons in a four-component unmagnetised plasma model consisting of cool, warm, and hot electrons, and cool ions. We retain the inertia and pressure for all the plasma species by assuming adiabatic fluid behaviour for all the species. By using the Sagdeev pseudo-potential technique, the allowable Mach number ranges for fast electron-acoustic solitary waves are explored and discussed. It is found that the cool and warm electron number densities determine the polarity switch of the fast electron-acoustic solitons which are limited by either the occurrence of fast electron-acoustic double layers or warm and hotmore » electron number density becoming unreal. For the first time in the study of solitons, we report on the coexistence of fast electron-acoustic solitons, in addition to the regular fast electron-acoustic solitons and double layers in our multi-species plasma model. Our results are applied to the generation of broadband electrostatic noise in the dayside auroral region.« less

Energy spectra of plasma sheet ions and electrons from about 50 eV/e to about 1 MeV during plamsa temperature transitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christon, S. P.; Mitchell, D. G.; Williams, D. J.; Frank, L. A.; Huang, C. Y.; Eastman, T. E.

1988-01-01

ISEE-1 charged-particle measurements obtained during eight plasma temperature transitions (PTTs) in 1978-1979 are compiled in tables and graphs and analyzed in detail, comparing the ion and electron differential energy spectra with the predictions of theoretical models. PTTs are defined as approximately 1-h periods of low bulk plasma velocity and steadily increasing or decreasing thermal energy. A Maxwellian distribution is found to be inadequate in describing the PTT energy spectra, but velocity-exponential and kappa distributions are both successful, the latter especially at higher energies. The power-law index kappa varies from PTT to PTT, but the high-energy spectral index and overall shape of the distribution remain constant during a PTT; both spatial and temporal effects are observed.

Cylindrical ion-acoustic solitary waves in electronegative plasmas with superthermal electrons

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

Eslami, Parvin; Mottaghizadeh, Marzieh

2012-06-15

By using the standard reductive perturbation technique, a three-dimensional cylindrical Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation (CKPE), which governs the dynamics of ion acoustic solitary waves (IASWs), is derived for small but finite amplitude ion-acoustic waves in cylindrical geometry in a collisionless unmagnetized plasma with kappa distributed electrons, thermal positrons, and cold ions. The generalized expansion method is used to solve analytically the CKPE. The existence regions of localized pulses are investigated. It is found that the solution of the CKPE supports only compressive solitary waves. Furthermore, the effects of superthermal electrons, the ratio of the electron temperature to positron temperature, the ratio ofmore » the positron density to electron density and direction cosine of the wave propagation on the profiles of the amplitudes, and widths of the solitary structures are examined numerically. It is shown these parameters play a vital role in the formation of ion acoustic solitary waves.« less

Numerical Solution of the Electron Heat Transport Equation and Physics-Constrained Modeling of the Thermal Conductivity via Sequential Quadratic Programming Optimization in Nuclear Fusion Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paloma, Cynthia S.

The plasma electron temperature (Te) plays a critical role in a tokamak nu- clear fusion reactor since temperatures on the order of 108K are required to achieve fusion conditions. Many plasma properties in a tokamak nuclear fusion reactor are modeled by partial differential equations (PDE's) because they depend not only on time but also on space. In particular, the dynamics of the electron temperature is governed by a PDE referred to as the Electron Heat Transport Equation (EHTE). In this work, a numerical method is developed to solve the EHTE based on a custom finite-difference technique. The solution of the EHTE is compared to temperature profiles obtained by using TRANSP, a sophisticated plasma transport code, for specific discharges from the DIII-D tokamak, located at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego, CA. The thermal conductivity (also called thermal diffusivity) of the electrons (Xe) is a plasma parameter that plays a critical role in the EHTE since it indicates how the electron temperature diffusion varies across the minor effective radius of the tokamak. TRANSP approximates Xe through a curve-fitting technique to match experimentally measured electron temperature profiles. While complex physics-based model have been proposed for Xe, there is a lack of a simple mathematical model for the thermal diffusivity that could be used for control design. In this work, a model for Xe is proposed based on a scaling law involving key plasma variables such as the electron temperature (Te), the electron density (ne), and the safety factor (q). An optimization algorithm is developed based on the Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) technique to optimize the scaling factors appearing in the proposed model so that the predicted electron temperature and magnetic flux profiles match predefined target profiles in the best possible way. A simulation study summarizing the outcomes of the optimization procedure is presented to illustrate the potential of the

Plasma characterization using ultraviolet Thomson scattering from ion-acoustic and electron plasma waves (invited)

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

Follett, R. K., E-mail: rfollett@lle.rochester.edu; Delettrez, J. A.; Edgell, D. H.

2016-11-15

Collective Thomson scattering is a technique for measuring the plasma conditions in laser-plasma experiments. Simultaneous measurements of ion-acoustic and electron plasma-wave spectra were obtained using a 263.25-nm Thomson-scattering probe beam. A fully reflective collection system was used to record light scattered from electron plasma waves at electron densities greater than 10{sup 21} cm{sup −3}, which produced scattering peaks near 200 nm. An accurate analysis of the experimental Thomson-scattering spectra required accounting for plasma gradients, instrument sensitivity, optical effects, and background radiation. Practical techniques for including these effects when fitting Thomson-scattering spectra are presented and applied to the measured spectra tomore » show the improvements in plasma characterization.« less

Mirror symmetry of ions and electron temperature variations within the dusty dynamo layer of the auroral ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timofeev, Evgeny; Kangas, Jorma; Vallinkoski, Matti

Quasi-periodic (consisting of a dozen electro-thermal structures, ETS) variations of ionospheric parameters during April, 10 and March, 23 1988 substorms were investigated using the data of EISCAT radars in Tromso. These variations were measured at the lower edge of dynamo-layer 106 km and include the ion and electron temperature, electron density and ionospheric electric field; all data were smoothed out using moving average with optimal lag window. It was shown that: 1) ETS clusters are observed when value of the electric field is < 10 mV/m and average electron density is about (5-10)*10 (4) /sm (3) , 2) For each ETS the envelop demonstrate the so called mirror symmetry, that is antiphased variations of the ion and electron temperature (when Ti increases and Te decreases), 3) The symmetry breaks when the electric field is larger than FB instability threshold (15-20 mVm), 4) The periods of these variations is in the range of 3-10 min, 5) The self-similarity of the scales is observed: smaller scales are included into the larger scales, 6) Temperature variations were accompanied by the electric field variations with amplitude of 4-7 mV/m, 7) Large scale structures (and sometimes dyads formed by two subsequent structures) were accompanied by the electric field rotation up to the whole circle. Specific ETS and plasma parameters variations can be interpreted as a result of Ekman-type instability in the dusty plasma of the dynamo layer. The mirror symmetry of plasma temperature variations is an evidence of a partial blocking of energy transfer between the ions and electrons at low values of the external electric field (below FB instability threshold) because the main energy in such a kind of plasma is attributed to dusty macro-particles (Fortov et al., 2010). Under these conditions the time scale of the dust particle energy variations are considerably larger than the corresponding scales of the temperature variations. According to our previous results (Timofeev et al

Noise temperature improvement for magnetic fusion plasma millimeter wave imaging systems.

PubMed

Lai, J; Domier, C W; Luhmann, N C

2014-03-01

Significant progress has been made in the imaging and visualization of magnetohydrodynamic and microturbulence phenomena in magnetic fusion plasmas [B. Tobias et al., Plasma Fusion Res. 6, 2106042 (2011)]. Of particular importance have been microwave electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry systems for imaging T(e) and n(e) fluctuations. These instruments have employed heterodyne receiver arrays with Schottky diode mixer elements directly connected to individual antennas. Consequently, the noise temperature has been strongly determined by the conversion loss with typical noise temperatures of ~60,000 K. However, this can be significantly improved by making use of recent advances in Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit chip low noise amplifiers to insert a pre-amplifier in front of the Schottky diode mixer element. In a proof-of-principle design at V-Band (50-75 GHz), significant improvement of noise temperature from the current 60,000 K to measured 4000 K has been obtained.

Noise temperature improvement for magnetic fusion plasma millimeter wave imaging systems

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

Lai, J.; Domier, C. W.; Luhmann, N. C.

2014-03-15

Significant progress has been made in the imaging and visualization of magnetohydrodynamic and microturbulence phenomena in magnetic fusion plasmas [B. Tobias et al., Plasma Fusion Res. 6, 2106042 (2011)]. Of particular importance have been microwave electron cyclotron emission imaging and microwave imaging reflectometry systems for imaging T{sub e} and n{sub e} fluctuations. These instruments have employed heterodyne receiver arrays with Schottky diode mixer elements directly connected to individual antennas. Consequently, the noise temperature has been strongly determined by the conversion loss with typical noise temperatures of ∼60 000 K. However, this can be significantly improved by making use of recent advancesmore » in Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit chip low noise amplifiers to insert a pre-amplifier in front of the Schottky diode mixer element. In a proof-of-principle design at V-Band (50–75 GHz), significant improvement of noise temperature from the current 60 000 K to measured 4000 K has been obtained.« less

Relativistic electromagnetic waves in an electron-ion plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chian, Abraham C.-L.; Kennel, Charles F.

1987-01-01

High power laser beams can drive plasma particles to relativistic energies. An accurate description of strong waves requires the inclusion of ion dynamics in the analysis. The equations governing the propagation of relativistic electromagnetic waves in a cold electron-ion plasma can be reduced to two equations expressing conservation of energy-momentum of the system. The two conservation constants are functions of the plasma stream velocity, the wave velocity, the wave amplitude, and the electron-ion mass ratio. The dynamic parameter, expressing electron-ion momentum conversation in the laboratory frame, can be regarded as an adjustable quantity, a suitable choice of which will yield self-consistent solutions when other plasma parameters were specified. Circularly polarized electromagnetic waves and electrostatic plasma waves are used as illustrations.

High electronegativity multi-dipolar electron cyclotron resonance plasma source for etching by negative ions

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

Stamate, E.; Draghici, M.

2012-04-15

A large area plasma source based on 12 multi-dipolar ECR plasma cells arranged in a 3 x 4 matrix configuration was built and optimized for silicon etching by negative ions. The density ratio of negative ions to electrons has exceeded 300 in Ar/SF{sub 6} gas mixture when a magnetic filter was used to reduce the electron temperature to about 1.2 eV. Mass spectrometry and electrostatic probe were used for plasma diagnostics. The new source is free of density jumps and instabilities and shows a very good stability for plasma potential, and the dominant negative ion species is F{sup -}. Themore » magnetic field in plasma volume is negligible and there is no contamination by filaments. The etching rate by negative ions measured in Ar/SF{sub 6}/O{sub 2} mixtures was almost similar with that by positive ions reaching 700 nm/min.« less