Ion beam driven ion-acoustic waves in a plasma cylinder with negative ions

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

Sharma, Suresh C.; Gahlot, Ajay

2008-07-15

An ion beam propagating through a magnetized plasma cylinder containing K{sup +} positive ions, electrons, and SF{sub 6}{sup -} negative ions drives electrostatic ion-acoustic (IA) waves to instability via Cerenkov interaction. Two electrostatic IA wave modes in presence of K{sup +} and SF{sub 6}{sup -} ions are studied. The phase velocity of the sound wave in presence of positive and negative ions increase with the relative density of negative ions. The unstable wave frequencies and the growth rate of both the modes in presence of positive and negative ions increase with the relative density of negative ions. The growth ratemore » of both the unstable modes in presence of SF{sub 6}{sup -} and K{sup +} ions scales as the one-third power of the beam density. Numerical calculations of the phase velocity, growth rate, and mode frequencies have been carried out for the parameters of the experiment of Song et al. [Phys. Fluids B 3, 284 (1991)].« 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.

Statistical analysis of mirror mode waves in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ala-Lahti, Matti M.; Kilpua, Emilia K. J.; Dimmock, Andrew P.; Osmane, Adnane; Pulkkinen, Tuija; Souček, Jan

2018-05-01

We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of mirror mode waves and the properties of their plasma surroundings in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME). We have constructed a semi-automated method to identify mirror modes from the magnetic field data. We analyze 91 ICME sheath regions from January 1997 to April 2015 using data from the Wind spacecraft. The results imply that similarly to planetary magnetosheaths, mirror modes are also common structures in ICME sheaths. However, they occur almost exclusively as dip-like structures and in mirror stable plasma. We observe mirror modes throughout the sheath, from the bow shock to the ICME leading edge, but their amplitudes are largest closest to the shock. We also find that the shock strength (measured by Alfvén Mach number) is the most important parameter in controlling the occurrence of mirror modes. Our findings suggest that in ICME sheaths the dominant source of free energy for mirror mode generation is the shock compression. We also suggest that mirror modes that are found deeper in the sheath are remnants from earlier times of the sheath evolution, generated also in the vicinity of the shock.

Recent Advances in Velocity Shear Driven Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, G.

1996-11-01

Macroscopic flows are commonly encountered in a wide variety of plasmas and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the presence of shear in such flows can have a pronounced effect on the nonlinear evolution. For instance, in tokamak devices, sheared poloidal flows are thought to play a crucial role in the L--H transition. In laser-produced plasmas, strongly sheared plasma jets are believed to lead to the onset of intense lower-hybrid waves. In the natural plasma environment of the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere, observations indicate a correlation between inhomogeneous flows, plasma wave activity, and particle energization. Different physical processes in which shear-driven phenomenon may dominate span a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Cross-scale coupling between them can play a vital role in determining the ultimate state of a plasma system which, for space plasmas, is an important factor responsible for the definition of ``space weather.'' Hence, the origin of sheared flows and the plasma response to them is a topic of considerable interest. Ongoing studies indicate that the influence of velocity shear can be generally classified into two broad categories, dissipative and reactive. In the dissipative category, low levels of shear can affect wave-particle interactions through resonance detuning which can substantially modify the normal modes and dispersive properties of a homogeneous plasma. A transverse velocity shear reduces the growth rates of the modes with frequencies lower than the ion-cyclotron frequency while it enhances those modes with frequencies around the ion-cyclotron frequency or larger. Sufficiently strong shear can induce a new class of oscillations via a reactive mechanism by creating neighboring regions with wave energy density of opposite sign. In general, depending on the magnitude and scale length, velocity shear can give rise to plasma oscillations in a very broad frequency and wavelength range. These properties and their applications to space and laboratory plasmas will be discussed.

Studies of the linear and nonlinear properties of Alfvén waves in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Gekelman, Walter; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; van Compernolle, Bart; Vincena, Steve; Rossi, Giovanni; Jenko, Frank

2015-11-01

An overview will be given of recent experimental research into linear and nonlinear properties of Alfvén waves in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD). The nonlinear three-wave interaction process at the heart of the parametric decay instability is studied by launching counter-propagating Alfvén waves from antennas placed at either end of LAPD, producing a damped ion acoustic mode. The decay of a lone, large amplitude Alfvén wave has been observed, producing co-propagating daughter waves with characteristics consistent with kinetic Alfvén waves. The process has an amplitude threshold and the frequency of the daughter modes varies with the amplitude of the pump. A new plasma source based on LaB6 cathode has been added to LAPD, enabling much higher density (x50), electron temperature (x2) and ion temperature (x6). This provides the opportunity to study the physics of waves and instabilities with space and astrophysically relevant β. Topics under investigation include the physics of Alfvén waves in increased β plasmas, electromagnetic effects in drift-Alfvén wave turbulence and the excitation of ion-temperature-anisotropy driven modes such as the mirror and firehose. Supported by NSF and DOE.

Simulations of a beam-driven plasma antenna in the regime of plasma transparency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timofeev, I. V.; Berendeev, E. A.; Dudnikova, G. I.

2017-09-01

In this paper, the theoretically predicted possibility to increase the efficiency of electromagnetic radiation generated by a thin beam-plasma system in the regime of oblique emission, when a plasma column becomes transparent to radiation near the plasma frequency, is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. If a finite-size plasma column has a longitudinal density modulation, such a system is able to radiate electromagnetic waves as a dipole antenna. This radiation mechanism is based on the conversion of an electron beam-driven potential plasma wave on the periodic perturbation of plasma density. In this case, the frequency of radiated waves appears to be slightly lower than the plasma frequency. That is why their fields enable the penetration into the plasma only to the skin-depth. This case is realized when the period of density modulation coincides with the wavelength of the most unstable beam-driven mode, and the produced radiation escapes from the plasma in the purely transverse direction. In the recent theoretical paper [I. V. Timofeev et al. Phys. Plasmas 23, 083119 (2016)], however, it has been found that the magnetized plasma can be transparent to this radiation at certain emission angles. It means that the beam-to-radiation power conversion can be highly efficient even in a relatively thick plasma since not only boundary layers but also the whole plasma volume can be involved in the generation of electromagnetic waves. Simulations of steady-state beam injection into a pre-modulated plasma channel confirm the existence of this effect and show limits of validity for the simplified theoretical model.

ICRF Mode Conversion Flow Drive Experiments on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Wukitch, S. J.; Granetz, R.; Greenwald, M.; Hubbard, A. E.; Marmar, E. S.; Podpaly, Y. A.; Porkolab, M.; Tsujii, N.; Wolfe, S.

2011-12-01

We have carried out a detailed study of the dependence of ICRF mode conversion flow drive (MCFD) on plasma and RF parameters. The flow drive efficiency is found to depend strongly on the 3He concentration in D(3He) plasmas, a key parameter separating the ICRF minority heating regime and mode conversion regime. At +90 ° antenna phasing (waves in the co-Ip direction) and dipole phasing, the driven flow is in the co-Ip direction, and the change of the rotation velocity increases with both PRF and Ip, and scales unfavorably vs. plasma density and antenna frequency. When MCFD is applied to I-mode plasmas, the plasma rotation increases until the onset of MHD modes triggered by large sawtooth crashes. Very high performance I-mode plasmas with HITER98,y2˜1.4 and Te0˜8 keV have been obtained in these experiments.

Nonlinear Electrostatic Steepening of Whistler Waves: The Guiding Factors and Dynamics in Inhomogeneous Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agapitov, O.; Drake, J. F.; Vasko, I.; Mozer, F. S.; Artemyev, A.; Krasnoselskikh, V.; Angelopoulos, V.; Wygant, J.; Reeves, G. D.

2018-03-01

Whistler mode chorus waves are particularly important in outer radiation belt dynamics due to their key role in controlling the acceleration and scattering of electrons over a very wide energy range. The efficiency of wave-particle resonant interactions is defined by whistler wave properties which have been described by the approximation of plane linear waves propagating through the cold plasma of the inner magnetosphere. However, recent observations of extremely high-amplitude whistlers suggest the importance of nonlinear wave-particle interactions for the dynamics of the outer radiation belt. Oblique chorus waves observed in the inner magnetosphere often exhibit drastically nonsinusoidal (with significant power in the higher harmonics) waveforms of the parallel electric field, presumably due to the feedback from hot resonant electrons. We have considered the nature and properties of such nonlinear whistler waves observed by the Van Allen Probes and Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions define during Substorms in the inner magnetosphere, and we show that the significant enhancement of the wave electrostatic component can result from whistler wave coupling with the beam-driven electrostatic mode through the resonant interaction with hot electron beams. Being modulated by a whistler wave, the electron beam generates a driven electrostatic mode significantly enhancing the parallel electric field of the initial whistler wave. We confirm this mechanism using a self-consistent particle-in-cell simulation. The nonlinear electrostatic component manifests properties of the beam-driven electron acoustic mode and can be responsible for effective electron acceleration in the inhomogeneous magnetic field.

Extending fullwave core ICRF simulation to SOL and antenna regions using FEM solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiraiwa, S.; Wright, J. C.

2016-10-01

A full wave simulation approach to solve a driven RF waves problem including hot core, SOL plasmas and possibly antenna is presented. This approach allows for exploiting advantages of two different way of representing wave field, namely treating spatially dispersive hot conductivity in a spectral solver and handling complicated geometry in SOL/antenna region using an unstructured mesh. Here, we compute a mode set in each region with the RF electric field excitation on the connecting boundary between core and edge regions. A mode corresponding to antenna excitation is also computed. By requiring the continuity of tangential RF electric and magnetic fields, the solution is obtained as unique superposition of these modes. In this work, TORIC core spectral solver is modified to allow for mode excitation, and the edge region of diverted Alcator C-Mod plasma is modeled using COMSOL FEM package. The reconstructed RF field is similar in the core region to TORIC stand-alone simulation. However, it contains higher poloidal modes near the edge and captures a wave bounced and propagating in the poloidal direction near the vacuum-plasma boundary. These features could play an important role when the single power pass absorption is modest. This new capability will enable antenna coupling calculations with a realistic load plasma, including collisional damping in realistic SOL plasma and other loss mechanisms such as RF sheath rectification. USDoE Awards DE-FC02-99ER54512, DE-FC02-01ER54648.

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James

2016-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM), strong evidence that drift wave turbulence emerges in RFP plasmas when transport associated with MHD tearing is reduced. Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking. Using inductive control, the tearing modes are reduced and global confinement is increased to values expected for a comparable tokamak plasma. The improved confinement is associated with a large increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have frequencies >50 kHz, wavenumbers k_phi*rho_s<0.14, and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in fluctuations associated with global tearing modes. Their amplitude increases with the local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R/L_n 15, higher than in tokamak plasmas by R/a. the GENE code, modified for RFP equilibria, predicts the onset of microinstability for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. The density-gradient-driven TEM is the dominant instability in the region where the measured density fluctuations are largest, and the experimental threshold-gradient is close to the predicted critical gradient for linear stability. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Similar circumstances could occur in the edge region of tokamak plasmas when resonant magnetic perturbations are applied for the control of ELMs. Work supported by US DOE.

Link between microstability and macrostability of plasmas

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

Litwin, C.

A mechanism linking high-frequency microinstabilities and the low-frequencymacrostability is proposed. The coupling is provided by the time-averagedforce, ponderomotive force, of unstable high-frequency waves. Two specificexamples of this phenomenon are discussed. It is shown that an..cap alpha..-particle loss-cone instability stabilizes the flute mode of anignited, axisymmetric mirror plasma. In tokamaks, the ion-whistler instability,driven by an anisotropic population of energetic particles, stabilizes theinternal kink mode for JET range of parameters.

Particle simulation of electromagnetic emissions from electrostatic instability driven by an electron ring beam on the density gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horký, Miroslav; Omura, Yoshiharu; Santolík, Ondřej

2018-04-01

This paper presents the wave mode conversion between electrostatic and electromagnetic waves on the plasma density gradient. We use 2-D electromagnetic code KEMPO2 implemented with the generation of density gradient to simulate such a conversion process. In the dense region, we use ring beam instability to generate electron Bernstein waves and we study the temporal evolution of wave spectra, velocity distributions, Poynting flux, and electric and magnetic energies to observe the wave mode conversion. Such a conversion process can be a source of electromagnetic emissions which are routinely measured by spacecraft on the plasmapause density gradient.

Laboratory Studies of the Nonlinear Interactions of Kink-Unstable Flux Ropes and Shear Alfvén Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincena, S. T.; Tripathi, S.; Gekelman, W. N.; DeHaas, T.; Pribyl, P.

2017-12-01

Magnetic flux ropes and shear Alfvén waves occur simultaneously in plasmas ranging from solar prominences, to the solar wind, to planetary magnetospheres. If the flux ropes evolve to become unstable to the kink mode, interactions between the kink oscillations and the shear waves can arise, and may even lead to nonlinear phenomena. Experiments aimed at elucidating such interactions are performed in the upgraded Large Plasma Device at UCLA. Flux ropes are generated using a 20 cm x 20 cm LaB6 cathode-anode discharge (with L = 18 m and β ˜ 0.1.) The ropes are embedded in a larger, otherwise current-free, cylindrical (r = 30cm) ambient plasma produced by a second cathode. Shear Alfvén waves are launched using externally fed antennas having three separate polarizations (azimuthal mode numbers.) The counter-propagating, kink-unstable oscillations and driven shear waves are observed to nonlinearly generate sidebands about the higher, shear wave frequency (evident in power spectra) via three-wave coupling. This is demonstrated though bi-coherence calculations and k-matching. With a fixed kink-mode polarization, a total of six daughter wave patterns are presented. Energy flow is shown to proceed from larger to smaller perpendicular wavelengths. Future work will focus on increasing the plasma beta and wave amplitudes in the quest to observe an evolution to a turbulent state. Work is performed at the US Basic Plasma Science Facility, which is supported by the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

A survey of electron Bernstein wave heating and current drive potential for spherical tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Jakub; Decker, Joan; Peysson, Yves; Preinhaelter, Josef; Shevchenko, Vladimir; Taylor, Gary; Vahala, Linda; Vahala, George

2011-08-01

The electron Bernstein wave (EBW) is typically the only wave in the electron cyclotron (EC) range that can be applied in spherical tokamaks for heating and current drive (H&CD). Spherical tokamaks (STs) operate generally in high-β regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X-modes are cut off. In this case, EBWs seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves—controllable localized H&CD that can be used for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. The EBW is a quasi-electrostatic wave that can be excited by mode conversion from a suitably launched O- or X-mode; its propagation further inside the plasma is strongly influenced by the plasma parameters. These rather awkward properties make its application somewhat more difficult. In this paper we perform an extensive numerical study of EBW H&CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX). Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions, which are the fundamental EBW parameters that can be chosen and controlled. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H&CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

Damping Rates of Energetic Particle Modes and Stability With Changing Equilibrium Conditions in the MST Reversed-Field Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, S. H.; Almagri, A. F.; Anderson, J. K.; Bonofiglo, P. J.; Capecchi, W.; Kim, J.

2016-10-01

The damping of Alfvenic waves is an important process, with implications varying from anomalous ion heating in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas to the stability of fusion alpha-driven modes in a burning plasma. With a 1 MW NBI on the MST, a controllable set of energetic particle modes (EPMs) and Alfvenic eigenmodes can be excited. We investigate the damping of these modes as a function of both magnetic and flow shear. Typical EPM damping rates are -104 s-1 in standard RFP discharges. Magnetic shear in the region of large energetic ion density is -2 cm-1 and can be increased up to -2.5 cm-1 by varying the boundary field. Continuum mode damping rates can be reduced up to 50%. New experiments use a bias probe to control the rotation profile. Accelerating the edge plasma relative to the rapidly rotating NBI-driven core decreases the flow shear, while decelerating the edge plasma increases the flow shear in the region of strong energetic ion population. Mode damping rates measured as a function of the local flow shear are compared to ideal MHD predictions. Work supported by US DOE.

Study of cavity type antenna structure of large-area 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave plasma device based on three-dimensional finite difference time-domain analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Xijiang; Kunii, Kazuki; Liang, Rongqing; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2013-11-01

A large-area planar plasma source with a resonant cavity type launcher driven by a 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave was developed. Theoretical analysis with the three-dimensional finite difference time-domain simulation was carried out to determine the optimized launcher structure by analyzing the resonant transverse magnetic mode in the resonant cavity. Numerical result expects that the resonant electric field distribution inside the cavity dominantly consists of the TM410 mode. The resonant cavity type launcher having 8 holes in an octagonal geometry was designed to fit the resonant transverse magnetic mode. Adjusting 8 hole positions of the launcher to the field pattern of the resonant TM410 mode, we found that the plasma density increased about 40%˜50% from 1.0˜1.1 × 1011 cm-3 to ˜1.5 × 1011 cm-3 at the same incident power of 2.5 kW, compared with the previous results with the launcher having 6 holes in the hexagonal geometry. It is also noted that the electron density changes almost linearly with the incident wave power without any mode jumps.

Cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth in magnetic loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, Russell J.; Petrosian, Vahe

1990-01-01

Cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth which results from electrons accelerated in magnetic loops are studied. The evolution of the accelerated electron distribution is determined by solving the kinetic equation including Coulomb collisions and magnetic convergence. It is found that for modest values of the column depth of the loop the growth rates of instabilities are significantly reduced and that the reduction is much larger for the cyclotron modes than for the plasma wave modes. The large decrease in the growth rate with column depth suggests that solar coronal densities must be much lower than commonly accepted in order for the cyclotron maser to operate. The density depletion has to be similar to that which occurs during auroral kilometric radiation events in the magnetosphere. The resulting distributions are much more complicated than the idealized distributions used in many theoretical studies, but the fastest growing mode can still simply be determined by the ratio of electron plasma to gyrofrequency, U=omega(sub p)/Omega(sub e). However, the dominant modes are different than for the idealized situations with growth of the z-mode largest for U approximately less than 0.5, and second harmonic x-mode (s=2) or fundamental o-mode (s=1) the dominant modes for 0.5 approximately less than U approximately less than 1. The electron distributions typically contain more than one inverted feature which could give rise to wave growth. It is shown that this can result in simultaneous amplification of more than one mode with each mode driven by a different feature and can be observed, for example, by differences in the rise times of the right and left circularly polarized components of the associated spike bursts.

A transverse separate-spin-evolution streaming instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Z.; Andreev, Pavel A.; Murtaza, G.

2018-05-01

By using the separate spin evolution quantum hydrodynamical model, the instability of transverse mode due to electron streaming in a partially spin polarized magnetized degenerate plasma is studied. The electron spin polarization gives birth to a new spin-dependent wave (i.e., separate spin evolution streaming driven ordinary wave) in the real wave spectrum. It is shown that the spin polarization and streaming speed significantly affect the frequency of this new mode. Analyzing growth rate, it is found that the electron spin effects reduce the growth rate and shift the threshold of instability as well as its termination point towards higher values. Additionally, how the other parameters like electron streaming and Fermi pressure influence the growth rate is also investigated. Current study can help towards better understanding of the existence of new waves and streaming instability in the astrophysical plasmas.

Comparison of electric dipole and magnetic loop antennas for exciting whistler modes

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

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2016-08-15

The excitation of low frequency whistler modes from different antennas has been investigated experimentally in a large laboratory plasma. One antenna consists of a linear electric dipole oriented across the uniform ambient magnetic field B{sub 0}. The other antenna is an elongated loop with dipole moment parallel to B{sub 0}. Both antennas are driven by the same rf generator which produces a rf burst well below the electron cyclotron frequency. The antenna currents as well as the wave magnetic fields from each antenna are measured. Both the antenna currents and the wave fields of the loop antenna exceed that ofmore » the electric dipole by two orders of magnitude. The conclusion is that loop antennas are far superior to dipole antennas for exciting large amplitude whistler modes, a result important for active wave experiments in space plasmas.« less

Nonlocal theory of beam-driven electron Bernstein waves

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

Jain, V.K.; Tripathi, V.K.

A nonlocal theory of electron Bernstein waves driven unstable by an axial beam (V = V/sub b/z-italic-circumflex) of finite width has been developed. Assuming a parabolic density profile for the background plasma, an equation describing the mode structure of the wave is obtained in the slab geometry. The eigenfunctions are found to be Hermite polynomials. Expressions for the growth rates of the instabilities caused by Cerenkov and slow cyclotron interactions are derived. The results of the theory are applied to explain some of the experimental observations of Jain and Christiansen (Phys. Lett. A 82, 127 (1981)).

Excitation of a nonlinear plasma ion wake by intense energy sources with applications to the crunch-in regime

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

Sahai, Aakash A.

We show the excitation of a nonlinear ion-wake mode by plasma electron modes in the bubble regime driven by intense energy sources, using analytical theory and simulations. The ion wake is shown to be a driven nonlinear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a long-lived cylindrical ion soliton which limits the repetition rate of a plasma-based particle accelerator in the bubble regime. We present the application of this evacuated and radially outwards propagating ion-wake channel with an electron skin-depth scale radius for the “crunch-in” regime of hollow-channel plasma. It is shown that the time-asymmetric focusing force phases in the bubblemore » couple to ion motion significantly differently than in the linear electron mode. The electron compression in the back of the bubble sucks in the ions whereas the space charge within the bubble cavity expels them, driving a cylindrical ion-soliton structure at the bubble radius. Once formed, the soliton is sustained and driven radially outwards by the thermal pressure of the wake energy in electrons. Particle-in-cell simulations are used to study the ion-wake soliton structure, its driven propagation and its use for positron acceleration in the crunch-in regime.« less

Excitation of a nonlinear plasma ion wake by intense energy sources with applications to the crunch-in regime

DOE PAGES

Sahai, Aakash A.

2017-08-23

We show the excitation of a nonlinear ion-wake mode by plasma electron modes in the bubble regime driven by intense energy sources, using analytical theory and simulations. The ion wake is shown to be a driven nonlinear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a long-lived cylindrical ion soliton which limits the repetition rate of a plasma-based particle accelerator in the bubble regime. We present the application of this evacuated and radially outwards propagating ion-wake channel with an electron skin-depth scale radius for the “crunch-in” regime of hollow-channel plasma. It is shown that the time-asymmetric focusing force phases in the bubblemore » couple to ion motion significantly differently than in the linear electron mode. The electron compression in the back of the bubble sucks in the ions whereas the space charge within the bubble cavity expels them, driving a cylindrical ion-soliton structure at the bubble radius. Once formed, the soliton is sustained and driven radially outwards by the thermal pressure of the wake energy in electrons. Particle-in-cell simulations are used to study the ion-wake soliton structure, its driven propagation and its use for positron acceleration in the crunch-in regime.« less

Trapped electron mode turbulence driven intrinsic rotation in Tokamak plasmas.

PubMed

Wang, W X; Hahm, T S; Ethier, S; Zakharov, L E; Diamond, P H

2011-02-25

Progress from global gyrokinetic simulations in understanding the origin of intrinsic rotation in toroidal plasmas is reported. The turbulence-driven intrinsic torque associated with nonlinear residual stress generation due to zonal flow shear induced asymmetry in the parallel wave number spectrum is shown to scale close to linearly with plasma gradients and the inverse of the plasma current, qualitatively reproducing experimental empirical scalings of intrinsic rotation. The origin of current scaling is found to be enhanced k(∥) symmetry breaking induced by the increased radial variation of the safety factor as the current decreases. The intrinsic torque is proportional to the pressure gradient because both turbulence intensity and zonal flow shear, which are two key ingredients for driving residual stress, increase with turbulence drive, which is R/L(T(e)) and R/L(n(e)) for the trapped electron mode. © 2011 American Physical Society

Hydrodynamic Model for Density Gradients Instability in Hall Plasmas Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Sukhmander

2017-10-01

There is an increasing interest for a correct understanding of purely growing electromagnetic and electrostatic instabilities driven by a plasma gradient in a Hall thruster devices. In Hall thrusters, which are typically operated with xenon, the thrust is provided by the acceleration of ions in the plasma generated in a discharge chamber. The goal of this paper is to study the instabilities due to gradients of plasma density and conditions for the growth rate and real part of the frequency for Hall thruster plasmas. Inhomogeneous plasmas prone a wide class of eigen modes induced by inhomogeneities of plasma density and called drift waves and instabilities. The growth rate of the instability has a dependences on the magnetic field, plasma density, ion temperature and wave numbers and initial drift velocities of the plasma species.

Enhancement of wave growth for warm plasmas with a high-energy tail distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thorne, Richard M.; Summers, Danny

1991-01-01

The classical linear theory of electromagnetic wave growth in a warm plasma is considered for waves propagating parallel to a uniform ambient magnetic field. Wave-growth rates are calculated for ion-driven right-hand mode waves for Kappa and Maxwellian particle distribution functions and for various values of the spectral index, the temperature anisotropy, and the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure appropriate to the solar wind. When the anisotropy is low the wave growth is limited to frequencies below the proton gyrofrequency and the growth rate increases dramatically as the spectral index is reduced. The growth rate for any Kappa distribution greatly exceeds that for a Maxwellian with the same bulk properties. For large thermal anisotropy the growth rate from either distribution is greatly enhanced. The growth rates from a Kappa distribution are generally larger than for a Maxwellian distribution, and significant wave growth occurs over a broader range of frequencies.

High latitude electromagnetic plasma wave emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, D. A.

1983-01-01

The principal types of electromagnetic plasma wave emission produced in the high latitude auroral regions are reviewed. Three types of radiation are described: auroral kilometric radiation, auroral hiss, and Z mode radiation. Auroral kilometric radiation is a very intense radio emission generated in the free space R-X mode by electrons associated with the formation of discrete auroral arcs in the local evening. Theories suggest that this radiation is an electron cyclotron resonance instability driven by an enhanced loss cone in the auroral acceleration region at altitudes of about 1 to 2 R sub E. Auroral hiss is a somewhat weaker whistler mode emission generated by low energy (100 eV to 10 keV) auroral electrons. The auroral hiss usually has a V shaped frequency time spectrum caused by a freqency dependent beaming of the whistler mode into a conical beam directed upward or downward along the magnetic field.

Theoretical analysis on lower band cascade as a mechanism for multiband chorus in the Earth's magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xinliang; Lu, Quanming; Wang, Shaojie; Wang, Shui

2018-05-01

Whistler-mode waves play a crucial role in controlling electron dynamics in the Earth's Van Allen radiation belt, which is increasingly important for spacecraft safety. Using THEMIS waveform data, Gao et al. [X. L. Gao, Q. Lu, J. Bortnik, W. Li, L. Chen, and S. Wang, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 2343-2350, 2016] have reported two multiband chorus events, wherein upper-band chorus appears at harmonics of lower-band chorus. They proposed that upper-band harmonic waves are excited through the nonlinear coupling between the electromagnetic and electrostatic components of lower-band chorus, a second-order effect called "lower band cascade". However, the theoretical explanation of lower band cascade was not thoroughly explained in the earlier work. In this paper, based on a cold plasma assumption, we have obtained the explicit nonlinear driven force of lower band cascade through a full nonlinear theoretical analysis, which includes both the ponderomotive force and coupling between electrostatic and electromagnetic components of the pump whistler wave. Moreover, we discover the existence of an efficient energy-transfer (E-t) channel from lower-band to upper-band whistler-mode waves during lower band cascade for the first time, which is also confirmed by PIC simulations. For lower-band whistler-mode waves with a small wave normal angle (WNA), the E-t channel is detected when the driven upper-band wave nearly satisfies the linear dispersion relation of whistler mode. While, for lower-band waves with a large WNA, the E-t channel is found when the lower-band wave is close to its resonant frequency, and the driven upper-band wave becomes quasi-electrostatic. Through this efficient channel, the harmonic upper band of whistler waves is generated through energy cascade from the lower band, and the two-band spectral structure of whistler waves is then formed. Both two types of banded whistler-mode spectrum have also been successfully reproduced by PIC simulations.

Evolution of the fastest-growing relativistic mixed mode instability driven by a tenuous plasma beam in one and two dimensions

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

Dieckmann, M. E.; Frederiksen, J. T.; Bret, A.

2006-11-15

Particle-in-cell simulations confirm here that a mixed plasma mode is the fastest growing when a highly relativistic tenuous electron-proton beam interacts with an unmagnetized plasma. The mixed modes grow faster than the filamentation and two-stream modes in simulations with beam Lorentz factors {gamma} of 4, 16, and 256, and are responsible for thermalizing the electrons. The mixed modes are followed to their saturation for the case of {gamma}=4 and electron phase space holes are shown to form in the bulk plasma, while the electron beam becomes filamentary. The initial saturation is electrostatic in nature in the considered one- and two-dimensionalmore » geometries. Simulations performed with two different particle-in-cell simulation codes evidence that a finite grid instability couples energy into high-frequency electromagnetic waves, imposing simulation constraints.« less

Flux-driven algebraic damping of diocotron modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas M.

2015-06-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 and m = 2 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius Rm, where there is a matching of ωm = mωE (Rm) for the mode frequency ωm and E × B-drift rotation frequency ωE. The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from, spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This new mechanism of damping is due to transfer of canonical angular momentum from the mode to halo particles, as they are swept around the "cat's eye" orbits of the resonant wave-particle interaction. This paper provides a simple derivation of the time dependence of the mode amplitudes.

Nonthermal Radiation Processes in Interplanetary Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chian, A. C. L.

1990-11-01

RESUMEN. En la interacci6n de haces de electrones energeticos con plasmas interplanetarios, se excitan ondas intensas de Langmuir debido a inestabilidad del haz de plasma. Las ondas Langmuir a su vez interaccio nan con fluctuaciones de densidad de baja frecuencia para producir radiaciones. Si la longitud de las ondas de Langmujr exceden las condicio nes del umbral, se puede efectuar la conversi5n de modo no lineal a on- das electromagneticas a traves de inestabilidades parametricas. As se puede excitar en un plasma inestabilidades parametricas electromagneticas impulsadas por ondas intensas de Langmuir: (1) inestabilidades de decaimiento/fusi5n electromagnetica impulsadas por una bomba de Lang- muir que viaja; (2) inestabilidades dobles electromagneticas de decai- miento/fusi5n impulsadas por dos bombas de Langrnuir directamente opues- tas; y (3) inestabilidades de dos corrientes oscilatorias electromagne- ticas impulsadas por dos bombas de Langmuir de corrientes contrarias. Se concluye que las inestabilidades parametricas electromagneticas in- ducidas por las ondas de Langmuir son las fuentes posibles de radiacio- nes no termicas en plasmas interplanetarios. ABSTRACT: Nonthermal radio emissions near the local electron plasma frequency have been detected in various regions of interplanetary plasmas: solar wind, upstream of planetary bow shock, and heliopause. Energetic electron beams accelerated by solar flares, planetary bow shocks, and the terminal shock of heliosphere provide the energy source for these radio emissions. Thus, it is expected that similar nonthermal radiation processes may be responsible for the generation of these radio emissions. As energetic electron beams interact with interplanetary plasmas, intense Langmuir waves are excited due to a beam-plasma instability. The Langmuir waves then interact with low-frequency density fluctuations to produce radiations near the local electron plasma frequency. If Langmuir waves are of sufficiently large amplitude to exceed the thresfiold conditions, nonlinear mode conversion electromagnetic waves can be effected through parametric instabilities. A number of electromagnetic parametric instabilities driven by intense Langmuir waves can be excited in a plasma: (1) electromagnetic decay/fusion instabilities driven by a traveling Langmuir pump; (2) double electromagnetic decay/fusion instabilities driven by two oppositely directed Langmuir pumps; and (3) electromagnetic oscillating two-stream instabilities driven by two counterstreaming Langmuir pumps. It is concluded that the electromagnetic parametric instabilities induced by Langmuir waves are likely sources of nonthermal radiations in interplanetary plasmas. Keq ( : INTERPLANETARY MEDIUM - PLASMAS

Study of cavity type antenna structure of large-area 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave plasma device based on three-dimensional finite difference time-domain analysis

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

Chang, Xijiang; Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu 432-8561; Kunii, Kazuki

2013-11-14

A large-area planar plasma source with a resonant cavity type launcher driven by a 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave was developed. Theoretical analysis with the three-dimensional finite difference time-domain simulation was carried out to determine the optimized launcher structure by analyzing the resonant transverse magnetic mode in the resonant cavity. Numerical result expects that the resonant electric field distribution inside the cavity dominantly consists of the TM{sub 410} mode. The resonant cavity type launcher having 8 holes in an octagonal geometry was designed to fit the resonant transverse magnetic mode. Adjusting 8 hole positions of the launcher to the fieldmore » pattern of the resonant TM{sub 410} mode, we found that the plasma density increased about 40%∼50% from 1.0∼1.1 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3} to ∼1.5 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3} at the same incident power of 2.5 kW, compared with the previous results with the launcher having 6 holes in the hexagonal geometry. It is also noted that the electron density changes almost linearly with the incident wave power without any mode jumps.« less

Study of a condition for the mode conversion from purely perpendicular electrostatic waves to electromagnetic waves

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

Kalaee, Mohammad Javad, E-mail: mjkalaee@ut.ac.ir; Katoh, Yuto, E-mail: yuto@stpp.gp.tohoku.ac.jp

One of the mechanisms for generating electromagnetic plasma waves (Z-mode and LO-mode) is mode conversion from electrostatic waves into electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous plasma. Herein, we study a condition required for mode conversion of electrostatic waves propagating purely perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field, by numerically solving the full dispersion relation. An approximate model is derived describing the coupling between electrostatic waves (hot plasma Bernstein mode) and Z-mode waves at the upper hybrid frequency. The model is used to study conditions required for mode conversion from electrostatic waves (electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves, including Bernstein mode) into electromagnetic plasma wavesmore » (LO-mode). It is shown that for mode conversion to occur in inhomogeneous plasma, the angle between the boundary surface and the magnetic field vector should be within a specific range. The range of the angle depends on the norm of the k vector of waves at the site of mode conversion in the inhomogeneous region. The present study reveals that inhomogeneity alone is not a sufficient condition for mode conversion from electrostatic waves to electromagnetic plasma waves and that the angle between the magnetic field and the density gradient plays an important role in the conversion process.« less

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

DOE PAGES

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

2017-03-16

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

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

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

Trivelpiece-Gould modes in a uniform unbounded plasma

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

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) modes originally described electrostatic surface waves on an axially magnetized cylindrical plasma column. Subsequent studies of electromagnetic waves in such plasma columns revealed two modes, a predominantly magnetic helicon mode (H) and the mixed magnetic and electrostatic Trivelpiece-Gould modes (TG). The latter are similar to whistler modes near the oblique cyclotron resonance in unbounded plasmas. The wave propagation in cylindrical geometry is assumed to be paraxial while the modes exhibit radial standing waves. The present work shows that TG modes also arise in a uniform plasma without radial standing waves. It is shown experimentally that oblique cyclotron resonancemore » arises in large mode number helicons. Their azimuthal wave number far exceeds the axial wave number which creates whistlers near the oblique cyclotron resonance. Cyclotron damping absorbs the TG mode and can energize electrons in the center of a plasma column rather than the edge of conventional TG modes. The angular orbital field momentum can produce new perpendicular wave-particle interactions.« less

Upper hybrid wave excitation due to O-mode interaction with density gradient in the ionosphere

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

Antani, S.N.; Kaup, D.J.; Rao, N.N.

1995-12-31

It has been well recognized that upper hybrid (UH) waves play a key role in various wave processes occurring in the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) region of the ionosphere leading to the observed stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE) during artificial heating by ordinary mode (O-mode) electromagnetic waves. Hence it is important to investigate how the UH waves get excited from the incident O-mode. It has been generally suggested that the UH waves are excited by O-mode interaction with nonuniform ionospheric plasma. For instance, direct conversion of the O-mode into UH waves due to pre-existing short scale irregularities was reported earlier. Heremore » the authors consider the role of large-scale, smooth density gradient in exciting the UH waves from the O-mode. The model used is that of a driven harmonic oscillator in which the source term arises from the O-mode interaction with local density gradient. For a slab model with density gradient in the x-direction, and the geomagnetic field in the z-direction, they obtain an inhomogeneous fourth order ordinary differential equation governing the UH wave excitation. This equation has been analyzed in the vicinity of the UHR. The pertinent solutions will be presented and discussed for the typical parameters of heating experiments.« less

Saturation of energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes due to wave-particle nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancalani, A.; Chavdarovski, I.; Qiu, Z.; Bottino, A.; Del Sarto, D.; Ghizzo, A.; Gürcan, Ö.; Morel, P.; Novikau, I.

2017-12-01

The nonlinear dynamics of energetic-particle (EP) driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAM) is investigated here. A numerical analysis with the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code ORB5 is performed, and the results are interpreted with the analytical theory, in close comparison with the theory of the beam-plasma instability. Only axisymmetric modes are considered, with a nonlinear dynamics determined by wave-particle interaction. Quadratic scalings of the saturated electric field with respect to the linear growth rate are found for the case of interest. As a main result, the formula for the saturation level is provided. Near the saturation, we observe a transition from adiabatic to non-adiabatic dynamics, i.e. the frequency chirping rate becomes comparable to the resonant EP bounce frequency. The numerical analysis is performed here with electrostatic simulations with circular flux surfaces, and kinetic effects of the electrons are neglected.

Coherent generation of the auroral kilometric radiation by nonlinear beatings between electrostatic waves

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

Pellat, R.; Roux, A.

1979-09-01

The propagation of electrostatic plasma waves in an inhomogeneous and magnetized plasma is studied analytically. These waves, which are driven unstable by auroral beams of electrons, are shown to suffer a further geometrical amplification while they propagate toward cut-off. Simultaneously their group velocities tend to be aligned with the geomagnetic field. Then it is shown that the electrostatic energy tends to accumulate at or near ..omega../sub L/H and ..omega../sub U/H, the local lower and upper hybrid frequencies. Due to this process, large amplitude electrostatic waves with very narrow spectra should be observed near these frequencies at any place along themore » auroral field lines where intense beam driven instability takes place. These intense quasi-monochromatic electrostatic waves are then shown to give rise by a coherent nonlinear three wave process to an intense electromagnetic radiation. Provided that the ratio ..omega../sub p/e/..omega../sub c/e tends to be smaller than unity, it is shown that the most intense radiation should be observed at 2..omega../sub U/H in the extraordinary mode.« less

3D Modeling of Antenna Driven Slow Waves Excited by Antennas Near the Plasma Edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smithe, David; Jenkins, Thomas

2016-10-01

Prior work with the 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) plasma and sheath model used to model ICRF antennas in fusion plasmas has highlighted the possibility of slow wave excitation at the very low end of the SOL density range, and thus the prudent need for a slow-time evolution model to treat SOL density modifications due to the RF itself. At higher frequency, the DIII-D helicon antenna has much easier access to a parasitic slow wave excitation, and in this case the Faraday screen provides the dominant means of controlling the content of the launched mode, with antenna end-effects remaining a concern. In both cases, the danger is the same, with the slow-wave propagating into a lower-hybrid resonance layer a short distance ( cm) away from the antenna, which would parasitically absorb power, transferring energy to the SOL edge plasma, primarily through electron-neutral collisions. We will present 3D modeling of antennas at both ICRF and helicon frequencies. We've added a slow-time evolution capability for the SOL plasma density to include ponderomotive force driven rarefaction from the strong fields in the vicinity of the antenna, and show initial application to NSTX antenna geometry and plasma configurations. The model is based on a Scalar Ponderomotive Potential method, using self-consistently computed local field amplitudes from the 3D simulation.

Transport and discrete particle noise in gyrokinetic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Thomas; Lee, W. W.

2006-10-01

We present results from our recent investigations regarding the effects of discrete particle noise on the long-time behavior and transport properties of gyrokinetic particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that the amplitude of nonlinearly saturated drift waves is unaffected by discreteness-induced noise in plasmas whose behavior is dominated by a single mode in the saturated state. We further show that the scaling of this noise amplitude with particle count is correctly predicted by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, even though the drift waves have driven the plasma from thermal equilibrium. As well, we find that the long-term behavior of the saturated system is unaffected by discreteness-induced noise even when multiple modes are included. Additional work utilizing a code with both total-f and δf capabilities is also presented, as part of our efforts to better understand the long- time balance between entropy production, collisional dissipation, and particle/heat flux in gyrokinetic plasmas.

First direct observation of runaway electron-driven whistler waves in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spong, Donald A.

2017-10-01

Whistlers are electromagnetic waves that can be driven unstable by energetic electrons and are observed in natural plasmas, such as the ionosphere and Van Allen belts. Recent DIII-D experiments at low density demonstrate the first direct observation of whistlers in tokamaks, with 100-200 MHz waves excited by runaway electrons (REs) in the multi-MeV range. Whistler activity is correlated with RE intensity and the frequencies scale with magnetic field strength and electron density consistent with a whistler dispersion relation. Fluctuations occur in discrete frequency bands, and not a continuum as would be expected from plane wave analysis, suggesting the important role of toroidicity. An MHD model including the bounded/periodic nature of the plasma identifies multiple eigenmode branches. For a toroidal mode number n = 10, the predicted frequencies and spacing are similar to observations. The instabilities are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, as expected from the anomalous Doppler resonance. The whistler amplitudes show intermittent time variations. Predator-prey cycles with electron cyclotron emission (ECE) signals are observed, which can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy REs. Such nonlinear dynamics are supported by quasi-linear simulations indicating that REs are scattered both by whistlers and high frequency magnetized plasma waves. The whistler wave predominantly scatters the high energy REs, while the magnetized plasma wave scatters the low energy REs, abruptly enhancing the ECE signal. Amplitude variations are also associated with sawtooth activity, indicating that the REs sample the q = 1 surface. These features of the RE-driven whistler have connections to ionospheric plasmas and open up new directions for the modeling and active control of tokamak REs. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-FG02-07ER54917, DE-SC00-16268, and DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Averaged variational principle for autoresonant Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal modes

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

Khain, P.; Friedland, L.

2010-10-15

Whitham's averaged variational principle is applied in studying dynamics of formation of autoresonant (continuously phase-locked) Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) modes in a plasma driven by a chirped frequency ponderomotive wave. A flat-top electron velocity distribution is used as a model allowing a variational formulation within the water bag theory. The corresponding Lagrangian, averaged over the fast phase variable yields evolution equations for the slow field variables, allows uniform description of all stages of excitation of driven-chirped BGK modes, and predicts modulational stability of these nonlinear phase-space structures. Numerical solutions of the system of slow variational equations are in good agreement with Vlasov-Poissonmore » simulations.« less

Evidence of m = 1 density mode (plasma cam) in Saturn's rotating magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, J.; Waite, J. H.; Burch, J. L.; Livi, R.

2016-03-01

Cassini field and plasma data measured in the rotating Saturn Longitude System 3 (SLS3) coordinate system show positive evidence of structure whose dominant azimuthal wave number is m = 1: a long-lived, nonaxisymmetric, cam-shaped, global plasma distribution in Saturn's magnetosphere. Previous studies have identified evidence of this plasma cam in wave-derived electron density data and in Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) W+ ion counts data. In this paper we report the first comprehensive analysis of CAPS ion moments data to identify the m = 1 density cam. We employ a multiyear, multispecies database of 685,678 CAPS density values, binned into a 1 RS by 4.8° discretized grid, spanning 4-19 RS. Fourier (harmonic) analysis shows that at most radial distances the dominant azimuthal mode is m = 1, for both W+ and H+ ion distributions. The majority (63%) of m = 1 ion peaks are clustered in an SLS3 quadrant centered at 330°. The plasma cam's existence has important implications for the global interchange-driven convection cycle and is a clue to solving the mystery of the rotational periodicities in Saturn's magnetosphere.

Plasma oscillations in a 6-kW magnetically shielded Hall thruster

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

Jorns, Benjamin A., E-mail: benjamin.a.jorns@jpl.nasa.gov; Hofer, Richard R.

2014-05-15

Plasma oscillations from 0–100 kHz in a 6-kW magnetically shielded Hall thruster are experimentally characterized with a high-speed, optical camera. Two modes are identified at 7–12 kHz and 70–90 kHz. The low frequency mode is found to be azimuthally uniform across the thruster face, while the high frequency oscillation is peaked close to the centerline-mounted cathode with an m = 1 azimuthal dependence. An analysis of these results in the context of wave-based theory suggests that the low frequency wave is the breathing mode oscillation, while the higher frequency mode is gradient-driven. The effect of these oscillations on thruster operation is examined through an analysismore » of thruster discharge current and a comparison with published observations from an unshielded variant of the thruster. Most notably, it is found that although the oscillation spectra of the two thrusters are different, they exhibit nearly identical steady-state behavior.« less

Flux-driven algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas

2015-11-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produce a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius rres, where f = mfE × B (rres) . The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This poster explains with analytic theory and simulations the new algebraic damping due to both mobility and diffusive fluxes. As electrons are swept around the ``cat's eye'' orbits of resonant wave-particle interaction, they form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution, and the electric field from this distribution produces an E × B drift of the core back to the axis, i.e. damps the m = 1 mode. Supported by National Science Foundation Grant PHY-1414570.

Alpha-driven magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and MHD-induced alpha loss in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

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

Chang, Z.; Nazikian, R.; Fu, G.Y.

1997-02-01

Alpha-driven toroidal Alfven eigenmodes (TAEs) are observed as predicted by theory in the post neutral beam phase in high central q (safety factor) deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The mode location, poloidal structure and the importance of q profile for TAE instability are discussed. So far no alpha particle loss due to these modes was detected due to the small mode amplitude. However, alpha loss induced by kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) was observed in high confinement D-T discharges. Particle orbit simulation demonstrates that the wave-particle resonant interaction can explain the observed correlation between the increasemore » in alpha loss and appearance of multiple high-n (n {ge} 6, n is the toroidal mode number) modes.« less

Distinct turbulence sources and confinement features in the spherical tokamak plasma regime

DOE PAGES

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; ...

2015-10-30

New turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in the spherical tokamak (ST) regime are identified through nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) mode characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is shown to drive significant ion thermal transport in strongly rotating national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) L-modes. The long wavelength, quasi-coherent dissipative trapped electron mode (TEM) is destabilized in NSTX H-modes despite the presence of strong E x B shear, providing a robust turbulence source dominant over collisionless TEM. Dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM)-driven transport in the NSTX parametric regime is shown to increase with electron collision frequency, offeringmore » one possible source for the confinement scaling observed in experiments. There exists a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced collisionless trapped electron mode to DTEM transition for ST plasmas. In conclusion, this predicts a natural access to a minimum transport state in the low collisionality regime that future advanced STs may cover.« less

Degenerate mixing of plasma waves on cold, magnetized single-species plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, M. W.; O'Neil, T. M.; Dubin, D. H. E.; Gould, R. W.

2011-10-01

In the cold-fluid dispersion relation ω =ωp/[1+(k⊥/kz)2]1/2 for Trivelpiece-Gould waves on an infinitely long magnetized plasma cylinder, the transverse and axial wavenumbers appear only in the combination k⊥/kz. As a result, for any frequency ω <ωp, there are infinitely many degenerate waves, all having the same value of k⊥/kz. On a cold finite-length plasma column, these degenerate waves reflect into one another at the ends; thus, each standing-wave normal mode of the bounded plasma is a mixture of many degenerate waves, not a single standing wave as is often assumed. A striking feature of the many-wave modes is that the short-wavelength waves often add constructively along resonance cones given by dz /dr=±(ωp2/ω2-1)1/2. Also, the presence of short wavelengths in the admixture for a predominantly long-wavelength mode enhances the viscous damping beyond what the single-wave approximation would predict. Here, numerical solutions are obtained for modes of a cylindrical plasma column with rounded ends. Exploiting the fact that the modes of a spheroidal plasma are known analytically (the Dubin modes), a perturbation analysis is used to investigate the mixing of low-order, nearly degenerate Dubin modes caused by small deformations of a plasma spheroid.

Electrostatic lower hybrid waves excited by electromagnetic whistler mode waves scattering from planar magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bell, T. F.; Ngo, H. D.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a theoretical model for electrostatic lower hybrid waves excited by electromagnetic whistler mode waves propagating in regions of the magnetosphere and the topside ionosphere, where small-scale magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities are thought to exist. In this model, the electrostatic waves are excited by linear mode coupling as the incident electromagnetic whistler mode waves scatter from the magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities. Results indicate that high-amplitude short-wavelength (5 to 100 m) quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves can be excited when electromagnetic whistler mode waves scatter from small-scale planar magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities in the topside ionosphere and magnetosphere.

THz electromagnetic radiation driven by intense relativistic electron beam based on ion focus regime

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

Zhou, Qing; Xu, Jin; Zhang, Wenchao

The simulation study finds that the relativistic electron beam propagating through the plasma background can produce electromagnetic (EM) radiation. With the propagation of the electron beam, the oscillations of the beam electrons in transverse and longitudinal directions have been observed simultaneously, which provides the basis for the electromagnetic radiation. The simulation results clearly show that the electromagnetic radiation frequency can reach up to terahertz (THz) wave band which may result from the filter-like property of plasma background, and the electromagnetic radiation frequency closely depends on the plasma density. To understand the above simulation results physically, the dispersion relation of themore » beam-plasma system has been derived using the field-matching method, and the dispersion curves show that the slow wave modes can couple with the electron beam effectively in THz wave band, which is an important theoretical evidence of the EM radiation.« less

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James; Sarff, John; Ding, Weixing; Brower, David; Parke, Eli; Chapman, Brett; Terry, Paul; Pueschel, M. J.; Williams, Zach

2017-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM). Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking, which are suppressed via inductive control for this work. The improved confinement is associated with an increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have f 50 kHz, kϕρs < 0.14 , and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in global tearing mode associated fluctuations, their amplitude increases with local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R /Ln 15 . The GENE code, modified for the RFP, predicts the onset of density-gradient-driven TEM for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations, comparable to experimental magnetic fluctuations, causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Work supported by US DOE.

Sheared-flow induced confinement transition in a linear magnetized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, S.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Boehmer, H.; McWilliams, R.; Carter, T. A.; Vincena, S.; Friedman, B.; Schaffner, D.

2012-01-01

A magnetized plasma cylinder (12 cm in diameter) is induced by an annular shape obstacle at the Large Plasma Device [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, J. Bamber, D. Leneman, and J. Maggs, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)]. Sheared azimuthal flow is driven at the edge of the plasma cylinder through edge biasing. Strong fluctuations of density and potential (δn /n~eδφ/kTe~0.5) are observed at the plasma edge, accompanied by a large density gradient (Ln=|∇lnn |-1~2cm) and shearing rate (γ ~300kHz). Edge turbulence and cross-field transport are modified by changing the bias voltage (Vbias) on the obstacle and the axial magnetic field (Bz) strength. In cases with low Vbias and large Bz, improved plasma confinement is observed, along with steeper edge density gradients. The radially sheared flow induced by E ×B drift dramatically changes the cross-phase between density and potential fluctuations, which causes the wave-induced particle flux to reverse its direction across the shear layer. In cases with higher bias voltage or smaller Bz, large radial transport and rapid depletion of the central plasma density are observed. Two-dimensional cross-correlation measurement shows that a mode with azimuthal mode number m =1 and large radial correlation length dominates the outward transport in these cases. Linear analysis based on a two-fluid Braginskii model suggests that the fluctuations are driven by both density gradient (drift wave like) and flow shear (Kelvin-Helmholtz like) at the plasma edge.

Plasma Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubin, D. H. E.

This chapter explores several aspects of the linear electrostatic normal modes of oscillation for a single-species non-neutral plasma in a Penning trap. Linearized fluid equations of motion are developed, assuming the plasma is cold but collisionless, which allow derivation of the cold plasma dielectric tensor and the electrostatic wave equation. Upper hybrid and magnetized plasma waves in an infinite uniform plasma are described. The effect of the plasma surface in a bounded plasma system is considered, and the properties of surface plasma waves are characterized. The normal modes of a cylindrical plasma column are discussed, and finally, modes of spheroidal plasmas, and finite temperature effects on the modes, are briefly described.

Flux-driven algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas M.

2016-07-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius r = Rw at the wall of the trap. The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from, spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This paper explains with analytic theory the new algebraic damping due to particle transport by both mobility and diffusion. As electrons are swept around the "cat's eye" orbits of the resonant wave-particle interaction, they form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution. From this distribution, the electric field component perpendicular to the core displacement produces E × B-drift of the core back to the axis, that is, damps the m = 1 mode. The parallel component produces drift in the azimuthal direction, that is, causes a shift in the mode frequency.

Helicon and Trivelpiece-Gould modes in uniform unbounded plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2016-10-01

Helicon modes are whistler modes with angular orbital momentum caused by phase rotation in addition to the axial phase propagation. Although these modes have been associated with whistler eigenmodes in bounded plasma columns, they do exist in unbounded plasmas. Experiments in a large laboratory plasma show the wave excitation with phased antenna arrays, the wave field topology and the propagation of helicons. Low frequency whistlers can have two modes with different wavelengths at a given frequency, called helicons and Trivelpiece-Gould modes. The latter are whistler modes near the oblique cyclotron resonance. The oblique propagation is due to short radial wavelengths near the boundary. In unbounded plasmas, the oblique propagation arises from short azimuthal wavelengths. This has been observed in high-mode number helicons (e.g., m = 8). It creates wave absorption in the center of the helicon mode. The strong absorption of the wave can heat electrons and create perpendicular wave-particle interactions. These results may be of interest in space plasmas for scattering of energetic electrons and in helicon plasma sources for plasma processing and thruster applications. Work supported by NSF/DOE.

Studies of waves and instabilities using increased beta, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Gekelman, Walter; Vincena, Steve; van Compernolle, Bart; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; Pribyl, Pat; Morales, George

2015-11-01

A new plasma source based on a Lanthanum Hexaboride (LAB6) emissive cathode has been developed and installed on the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The new source provides a much higher discharge current density (compared to the standard LAPD Barium Oxide source) resulting in a factor of ~ 50 increase in plasma density and a factor of ~ 2 - 3 increase in electron temperature. Due to the increased density the ion-electron energy exchange time is shorter in the new plasma, resulting in warm ions (measured spectroscopically to be ~ 5 - 6 eV, up from <~ 1 eV in the standard source plasma). This increased pressure combined with lowered magnetic field provides access to magnetized plasmas with β up to order unity. Topics under investigation include the physics of Alfvén waves in increased β plasmas (dispersion and kinetic damping on ions), electromagnetic effects and magnetic transport in drift-Alfvén wave turbulence, and the excitation of ion-temperature-anisotropy driven modes such as the mirror and firehose instabilities. The capabilities of the new source will be discussed along with initial experimental resuls on electromagnetic drift-Alfvén wave turbulence and Alfvén wave propagation with increased plasma β. Supported by NSF and DOE.

Experimental observation of ion-cyclotron turbulence in the presence of transverse-velocity shear. Ph.D. Thesis

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

Amatucci, W.E.

1994-01-01

This laboratory investigation documents the influence of transverse, localized, dc electric fields (TLE) on the excitation of ion-cyclotron waves driven by magnetic field-aligned current (FAC) in a Q-machine plasma device. A segmented disk electrode, located on axis at the end of the plasma column, is used to independently control TLE and FAC in the plasma (potassium plasma, n approximately equals 10(exp 9) cm(exp {minus}3), rho(i) approximately equals 0.2 cm, T(e) = T(i) approximately equals 0.2 eV). Ion-cyclotron waves have been characterized in both the weak-TLE and large-FAC regime and the strong-TLE and small-FAC regime. The existence of a new categorymore » of oscillation identified as the inhomogeneous energy-density driven (IEDD) instability is verified based on the properties of the waves in the latter regime. In the weak-TLE regime, current-driven electrostatic ion-cyclotron (CDEIC) waves with features in qualitative agreement with previous laboratory results have been observed at sufficiently large FAC. These waves have a frequency spectrum with a single narrow spectral feature located slightly above the ion-cyclotron frequency (omega approximately equals 1.2 Omega(i)). The waves are standing in the radial direction with peak oscillation amplitude located in the center of the FAC channel and are azimuthally symmetric (m = 0). Small magnitude TLE were found to have negligible effect on the characteristics of the waves. In the strong-TLE regime, a decrease in the threshold FAC level is observed. This transition in the instability threshold is accompanied by changes in the frequency spectra, propagation characteristics, and mode amplitude profiles. In the presence of strong-TLE, the ion-cyclotron waves propagate azimuthally in the E x B direction with k(theta) rho(i) = 0.4 and m = 1. The frequency spectrum becomes broadband and spiky, and shifts with the applied TLE strength.« less

MHD Stability of Axisymmetric Plasmas In Closed Line Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simakov, Andrei N.; Catto, Peter J.; Ramos, Jesus J.; Hastie, R. J.

2003-04-01

The stability of axisymmetric plasmas confined by closed poloidal magnetic field lines is considered. The results are relevant to plasmas in the dipolar fields of stars and planets, as well as the Levitated Dipole Experiment, multipoles, Z pinches and field reversed configurations. The ideal MHD energy principle is employed to study stability of pressure driven Alfvén modes. A point dipole is considered in detail to demonstrate that equilibria exist, which are MHD stable for arbitrary beta. Effects of sound waves and plasma resistivity are investigated next for point dipole equilibria by means of resistive MHD theory.

Comparative study of the loss cone-driven instabilities in the low solar corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharma, R. R.; Vlahos, L.

1984-01-01

A comparative study of the loss cone-driven instabilities in the low solar corona is undertaken. The instabilities considered are the electron cyclotron maser, the whistler, and the electrostatic upper hybrid. It is shown that the first-harmonic extraordinary mode of the electron cyclotron maser instability is the fastest growing mode for strong magnetized plasma (the ratio of plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency being less than 0.35). For values of the ratio between 0.35 and 1.0, the first-harmonic ordinary mode of the electron cyclotron maser instability dominates the emission. For ratio values greater than 1.0, no direct electromagnetic radiation is expected since other instabilities, which do not escape directly, saturate the electron cyclotron maser (the whistler or the electrostatic upper hybrid waves). It is also shown that the second-harmonic electron cyclotron maser emission never grows to an appreciable level. Thus, it is suggested that the electron cyclotron maser instability can be the explanation for the escape of the first harmonic from a flaring loop.

Electrostatic odd symmetric eigenmode in inhomogeneous Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, M.-H.; Dokgo, K.; Yoon, Peter H.; Lee, D.-Y.; Choi, Cheong R.

2018-04-01

A self-consistent electrostatic odd-symmetric eigenmode (OEM) is analytically found in a solitary type Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) equilibrium. The frequency of the OEM is order of the electron bounce frequency and it is spatially odd-symmetric with the scale comparable to that of the solitary BGK equilibrium structure. Such an OEM is consistent with the recent observation from particle-in-cell simulation of the solitary wave [Dokgo et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 092107 (2016)]. The mode can be driven unstable by trapped electrons within the hole structure of the solitary wave. Such a low frequency, pure electron mode, which may possibly interact resonantly with the ion acoustic mode, provides a possible damping mechanism of the BGK equilibrium.

Modeling of helicon wave propagation and the physical process of helicon plasma production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isayama, Shogo; Hada, Tohru; Shinohara, Shunjiro; Tanikawa, Takao

2014-10-01

Helicon plasma is a high-density and low-temperature plasma generated by the helicon wave, and is expected to be useful for various applications. On the other hand, there still remain a number of unsolved physical issues regarding how the plasma is generated using the helicon wave. The generation involves such physical processes as wave propagation, mode conversion, and collisionless as well as collisional wave damping that leads to ionization/recombination of neutral particles. In this study, we attempt to construct a model for the helicon plasma production using numerical simulations. In particular, we will make a quantitative argument on the roles of the mode conversion from the helicon to the electrostatic Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) wave, as first proposed by Shamrai. According to his scenario, the long wavelength helicon wave linearly mode converts to the TG wave, which then dissipates rapidly due to its large wave number. On the other hand, the efficiency of the mode conversion depends strongly on the magnitudes of dissipation parameters. Particularly when the dissipation is dominant, the TG wave is no longer excited and the input helicon wave directly dissipates. In the presentation, we will discuss the mode conversion and the plasma heating using numerical simulations.

Ion heating and short wavelength fluctuations in a helicon plasma source

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

Scime, E. E.; Carr, J. Jr.; Galante, M.

2013-03-15

For typical helicon source parameters, the driving antenna can couple to two plasma modes; the weakly damped 'helicon' wave, and the strongly damped, short wavelength, slow wave. Here, we present direct measurements, obtained with two different techniques, of few hundred kHz, short wavelength fluctuations that are parametrically driven by the primary antenna and localized to the edge of the plasma. The short wavelength fluctuations appear for plasma source parameters such that the driving frequency is approximately equal to the lower hybrid frequency. Measurements of the steady-state ion temperature and fluctuation amplitude radial profiles suggest that the anomalously high ion temperaturesmore » observed at the edge of helicon sources result from damping of the short wavelength fluctuations. Additional measurements of the time evolution of the ion temperature and fluctuation profiles in pulsed helicon source plasmas support the same conclusion.« less

Revisiting linear plasma waves for finite value of the plasma parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grismayer, Thomas; Fahlen, Jay; Decyk, Viktor; Mori, Warren

2010-11-01

We investigate through theory and PIC simulations the Landau-damping of plasma waves with finite plasma parameter. We concentrate on the linear regime, γφB, where the waves are typically small and below the thermal noise. We simulate these condition using 1,2,3D electrostatic PIC codes (BEPS), noting that modern computers now allow us to simulate cases where (nλD^3 = [1e2;1e6]). We study these waves by using a subtraction technique in which two simulations are carried out. In the first, a small wave is initialized or driven, in the second no wave is excited. The results are subtracted to provide a clean signal that can be studied. As nλD^3 is decreased, the number of resonant electrons can be small for linear waves. We show how the damping changes as a result of having few resonant particles. We also find that for small nλD^3 fluctuations can cause the electrons to undergo collisions that eventually destroy the initial wave. A quantity of interest is the the life time of a particular mode which depends on the plasma parameter and the wave number. The life time is estimated and then compared with the numerical results. A surprising result is that even for large values of nλD^3 some non-Vlasov discreteness effects appear to be important.

Survey of EBW Mode-Conversion Characteristics for Various Boundary Conditions

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

Tanaka, H.; Maekawa, T.; Igami, H.

2005-09-26

A survey of linear mode-conversion characteristics between external transverse electromagnetic (TEM) waves and electron Bernstein waves (EBW) for various plasma and wave parameters has been presented. It is shown that if the wave propagation angle and polarization are adjusted appropriately for each individual case of the plasma parameters, efficient mode conversion occur for wide range of plasma parameters where the conventional 'XB' and 'OXB' scheme cannot cover. It is confirmed that the plasma parameters just at the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) layer strongly affect the mode conversion process and the influence of the plasma profiles distant from the UHR layermore » is not so much. The results of this survey is useful enough to examine wave injection/detection condition for efficient ECH/ECCD or measurement of emissive TEM waves for each individual experimental condition of overdense plasmas.« less

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra; Khazanov, George; Mukhter, Ali

2007-01-01

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

Disruption avoidance by means of electron cyclotron waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, B.; Granucci, G.; Maraschek, M.; Nowak, S.; Lazzaro, E.; Giannone, L.; Gude, A.; Igochine, V.; McDermott, R.; Poli, E.; Reich, M.; Sommer, F.; Stober, J.; Suttrop, W.; Treutterer, W.; Zohm, H.; ASDEX Upgrade, the; FTU Teams

2011-12-01

Disruptions are very challenging to ITER operation as they may cause damage to plasma facing components due to direct plasma heating, forces on structural components due to halo and eddy currents and the production of runaway electrons. Electron cyclotron (EC) waves have been demonstrated as a tool for disruption avoidance by a large set of recent experiments performed in ASDEX Upgrade and FTU using various disruption types, plasma operating scenarios and power deposition locations. The technique is based on the stabilization of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes (mainly m/n = 2/1) through the localized injection of EC power on the resonant surface. This paper presents new results obtained in ASDEX Upgrade regarding stable operation above the Greenwald density achieved after avoidance of density limit disruptions by means of ECRH and suitable density feedback control (L-mode ohmic plasmas, Ip = 0.6 MA, Bt = 2.5 T) and NTM-driven disruptions at high-β limit delayed/avoided by means of both co-current drive (co-ECCD) and pure heating (ECRH) with power <=1.7 MW (H-mode NBI-heated plasmas, PNBI ~ 7.5 MW, Ip = 1 MA, Bt = 2.1 T, q95 ~ 3.6). The localized perpendicular injection of ECRH/ECCD onto a resonant surface leads to the delay and/or complete avoidance of disruptions. The experiments indicate the existence of a power threshold for mode stabilization to occur. An analysis of the MHD mode evolution using the generalized Rutherford equation coupled to the frequency and phase evolution equations shows that control of the modes is due to EC heating close to the resonant surface. The ECRH contribution (Δ'H term) is larger than the co-ECCD one in the initial and more important phase when the discharge is 'saved'. Future research and developments of the disruption avoidance technique are also discussed.

Propagation of symmetric and anti-symmetric surface waves in aself-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma layer with generalized (r, q) distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2018-05-01

The dispersion properties of surface dust ion-acoustic waves in a self-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma layer with the (r, q) distribution are investigated. The result shows that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode in the plasma layer decreases with an increase in the wave number. It is also shown that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode decreases with an increase in the spectral index r. However, the wave frequency of the anti-symmetric mode increases with an increase in the wave number. It is also found that the anti-symmetric mode wave frequency increases with an increase in the spectral index r. In addition, it is found that the influence of the self-gravitation on the symmetric mode wave frequency decreases with increasing scaled Jeans frequency. Moreover, it is found that the wave frequency of the symmetric mode increases with an increase in the dust charge; however, the anti-symmetric mode shows opposite behavior.

Mode-coupling and wave-particle interactions for unstable ion-acoustic waves.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, P.; Fried, B. D.

1972-01-01

A theory for the spatial development of linearly unstable, coupled waves is presented in which both quasilinear and mode-coupling effects are treated in a self-consistent manner. Steady-state excitation of two waves is assumed at the boundary x = 0, the plasma being homogeneous in the y and z directions. Coupled equations are derived for the x dependence of the amplitudes of the primary waves and the secondary waves, correct through terms of second order in the wave amplitude, but without the usual approximation of small growth rates. This general formalism is then applied to the case of coupled ion-acoustic waves driven unstable by an ion beam streaming in the direction of the x axis. If the modifications of the ion beam by the waves (quasilinear effects) are ignored, explosive instabilities (singularities in all of the amplitudes at finite x) are found even when all of the waves have positive energy. If these wave-particle interactions are included, the solutions are no longer singular, and all of the amplitudes have finite maxima.

Mode coupling and wave particle interactions for unstable ion acoustic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, P.; Fried, B. D.

1972-01-01

A theory for the spatial development of linearly unstable, coupled waves is presented in which both quasi-linear and mode coupling effects are treated in a self-consistent manner. Steady state excitation of two waves is assumed at the boundary x = 0, the plasma being homogeneous in the y and z directions. Coupled equations are derived for the x dependence of the amplitudes of the primary waves and the secondary waves, correct through second order terms in the wave amplitude, but without usual approximation of small growth rates. This general formalism is then applied to the case of coupled ion acoustic waves driven unstable by an ion beam streaming in the direction of the x axis. If the modifications of the ion beam by the waves (quasi-linear effects) are ignored, explosive instabilities (singularities in all of the amplitudes at finite x) are found, even when all of the waves have positive energy. If these wave-particle interactions are included, the solutions are no longer singular, and all of the amplitudes have finite maxima.

Surface wave and linear operating mode of a plasma antenna

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

Bogachev, N. N., E-mail: bgniknik@yandex.ru; Bogdankevich, I. L.; Gusein-zade, N. G.

The relation between the propagation conditions of a surface electromagnetic wave along a finiteradius plasma cylinder and the linear operating mode of a plasma antenna is investigated. The solution to the dispersion relation for a surface wave propagating along a finite-radius plasma cylinder is analyzed for weakly and strongly collisional plasmas. Computer simulations of an asymmetrical plasma dipole antenna are performed using the KARAT code, wherein the dielectric properties of plasma are described in terms of the Drude model. The plasma parameters corresponding to the linear operating mode of a plasma antenna are determined. It is demonstrated that the characteristicsmore » of the plasma antenna in this mode are close to those of an analogous metal antenna.« less

Modeling of the Dynamics of Radio Wave Reflection and Absorption in a Smoothly Ionomogeneous Plasma with Electromagnetically Driven Strong Langmuir Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochetov, A. V.

2018-05-01

This work was initiated by experiments on studying the self-action of radio waves incident on the ionosphere from a ground-based transmitter at the stage of electromagnetic excitation of Langmuir turbulence (Langmuir effect). The emphasis is on the impact of "self-consistent" collisionless absorption of radio waves by the Langmuir turbulence, which develops when the incident-wave field swells in the resonant region of a smoothly inhomogeneous plasma, on the dynamics of the radio wave reflection. Electrodynamic characteristics of the nonlinear-plasma layer, which has a linear unperturbed profile of the plasma density, with different features of the absorption development are obtained for a high intensity of the incident radiation. Calculations of "soft" and "hard" regimes of the absorption occurrence, as well as hysteresis modes in which the damping switch-on and off thresholds differ several times, are carried out. The algorithms we devised and the results of the study can serve as the basis for a more adequate and more detailed numerical simulation for interpretation of the experimental data obtained at the stage of the Langmuir effect in the ionosphere.

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

Ma, J. Z. G., E-mail: zma@mymail.ciis.edu; Hirose, A.

By adopting Lembége & Pellat’s 2D plasma-sheet model, we investigate the flankward flapping motion and Sunward ballooning propagation driven by an external source (e.g., magnetic reconnection) produced initially at the sheet center. Within the ideal MHD framework, we adopt the WKB approximation to obtain the Taylor–Goldstein equation of magnetic perturbations. Fourier spectral method and Runge–Kutta method are employed in numerical simulations, respectively, under the flapping and ballooning conditions. Studies expose that the magnetic shears in the sheet are responsible for the flapping waves, while the magnetic curvature and the plasma gradient are responsible for the ballooning waves. In addition, themore » flapping motion has three phases in its temporal development: fast damping phase, slow recovery phase, and quasi-stabilized phase; it is also characterized by two patterns in space: propagating wave pattern and standing wave pattern. Moreover, the ballooning modes are gradually damped toward the Earth, with a wavelength in a scale size of magnetic curvature or plasma inhomogeneity, only 1–7% of the flapping one; the envelops of the ballooning waves are similar to that of the observed bursty bulk flows moving toward the Earth.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Du, X. D.; Thome, K. E.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Collins, C.; Lvovskiy, A.; Moyer, R. A.; Austin, M. E.; Brennan, D. P.; Liu, C.; Jaeger, E. F.; Lau, C.

2018-04-01

DIII-D experiments at low density (ne˜1019 m-3 ) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

Causes of plasma column contraction in surface-wave-driven discharges in argon at atmospheric pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridenti, Marco Antonio; de Amorim, Jayr; Dal Pino, Arnaldo; Guerra, Vasco; Petrov, George

2018-01-01

In this work we compute the main features of a surface-wave-driven plasma in argon at atmospheric pressure in view of a better understanding of the contraction phenomenon. We include the detailed chemical kinetics dynamics of Ar and solve the mass conservation equations of the relevant neutral excited and charged species. The gas temperature radial profile is calculated by means of the thermal diffusion equation. The electric field radial profile is calculated directly from the numerical solution of the Maxwell equations assuming the surface wave to be propagating in the TM00 mode. The problem is considered to be radially symmetrical, the axial variations are neglected, and the equations are solved in a self-consistent fashion. We probe the model results considering three scenarios: (i) the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) is calculated by means of the Boltzmann equation; (ii) the EEDF is considered to be Maxwellian; (iii) the dissociative recombination is excluded from the chemical kinetics dynamics, but the nonequilibrium EEDF is preserved. From this analysis, the dissociative recombination is shown to be the leading mechanism in the constriction of surface-wave plasmas. The results are compared with mass spectrometry measurements of the radial density profile of the ions Ar+ and Ar2+. An explanation is proposed for the trends seen by Thomson scattering diagnostics that shows a substantial increase of electron temperature towards the plasma borders where the electron density is small.

Beam-plasma coupling physics in support of active experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakymenko, K.; Delzanno, G. L.; Roytershteyn, V.

2017-12-01

The recent development of compact relativistic accelerators might open up a new era of active experiments in space, driven by important scientific and national security applications. Examples include using electron beams to trace magnetic field lines and establish causality between physical processes occurring in the magnetosphere and those in the ionosphere. Another example is the use of electron beams to trigger waves in the near-Earth environment. Waves could induce pitch-angle scattering and precipitation of energetic electrons, acting as an effective radiation belt remediation scheme. In this work, we revisit the coupling between an electron beam and a magnetized plasma in the framework of linear cold-plasma theory. We show that coupling can occur through two different regimes. In the first, a non-relativistic beam radiates through whistler waves. This is well known, and was in fact the focus of many rockets and space-shuttle campaigns aimed at demonstrating whistler emissions in the eighties. In the second regime, the beam radiates through extraordinary (R-X) modes. Nonlinear simulations with a highly-accurate Vlasov code support the theoretical results qualitatively and demonstrate that the radiated power through R-X modes can be much larger than in the whistler regime. Test-particle simulations in the wave electromagnetic field will also be presented to assess the efficiency of these waves in inducing pitch-angle scattering via wave-particle interactions. Finally, the implications of these results for a rocket active experiment in the ionosphere and for a radiation belt remediation scheme will be discussed.

Small-scale Pressure-balanced Structures Driven by Oblique Slow Mode Waves Measured in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Shuo; He, J.-S.; Tu, C.-Y.; Wang, L.-H.; Marsch, E.

2013-09-01

Recently, small-scale pressure-balanced structures (PBSs) were identified in the solar wind, but their formation mechanism remains unclear. This work aims to reveal the dependence of the properties of small-scale PBSs on the background magnetic field (B 0) direction and thus to corroborate the in situ mechanism that forms them. We analyze the plasma and magnetic field data obtained by WIND in the quiet solar wind at 1 AU. First, we use a developed moving-average method to obtain B 0(s, t) for every temporal scale (s) at each time moment (t). By wavelet cross-coherence analysis, we obtain the correlation coefficients between the thermal pressure P th and the magnetic pressure P B, distributing against the temporal scale and the angle θxB between B 0(s, t) and Geocentric Solar Ecliptic coordinates (GSE)-x. We note that the angle coverage of a PBS decreases with shorter temporal scale, but the occurrence of the PBSs is independent of θxB. Suspecting that the isolated small PBSs are formed by compressive waves in situ, we continue this study by testing the wave modes forming a small-scale PBS with B 0(s, t) quasi-parallel to GSE-x. As a result, we identify that the cross-helicity and the compressibility attain values for a slow mode from theoretical calculations. The wave vector is derived from minimum variance analysis. Besides, the proton temperatures obey T < T ∥ derived from the velocity distribution functions, excluding a mirror mode, which is the other candidate for the formation of PBSs in situ. Thus, a small-scale PBS is shown to be driven by oblique, slow-mode waves in the solar wind.

Influence of the normal modes on the plasma uniformity in large scale CCP reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eremin, Denis; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter; Mussenbrock, Thomas; Lane, Barton; Matsukuma, Masaaki; Ventzek, Peter

2016-09-01

Large scale capacitively coupled plasmas (CCP) driven by sources with high frequency components often exhibit phenomena which are absent in relatively well understood small scale CCPs driven at low frequencies. Of particular interest are such phenomena which affect discharge parameters of direct relevance to the plasma processing applications. One of such parameters is plasma uniformity. By using a self-consistent 2d3v Particle-in-cell/Monte-Carlo (PIC/MCC) code parallelized on GPU we have been able to show that uniformity of the plasma generated is influenced predominantly by two factors, the ionization pattern caused by high-energy electrons and the average temperature of low-energy plasma electrons. The heating mechanisms for these two groups of electrons appear to be different leading to different transversal (radial) profiles of the corresponding factors, which is well captured by the kinetic PIC/MCC code. We find that the heating mechanisms are intrinsically connected with excitation of normal modes inherent to a plasma-filled CCP reactor. In this work we study the wave nature of these phenomena, such as their excitation, propagation, and interaction with electrons. Supported by SFB-TR 87 project of the German Research Foundation and by the ``Experimental and numerical analysis of very high frequency capacitively coupled plasma discharges'' mutual research project between RUB and Tokyo Electron Ltd.

Nonlinear cross-field coupling on the route to broadband turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Christian; Thakur, Saikat C.; Cui, Lang; Gosselin, Jordan J.; Negrete, Jose, Jr.; Holland, Chris; Tynan, George R.

2013-10-01

In the linear magnetized plasma device CSDX (Controlled Shear De-correlation eXperiment) drift interchange modes are studied coexisting on top of a weak turbulence driven azimuthally symmetric, radially sheared plasma flow. In helicon discharges (helicon antenna diameter 15 cm) with increasing magnetic field (B <= 0 . 24 T) the system can be driven to fully developed broadband turbulence. Fast imaging using a refractive telescope setup is applied to study the dynamics in the azimuthal-radial cross-section. The image data is supported by Langmuir probe measurements. In the present study we examine the development of nonlinear transfer as the fully developed turbulence emerges. Nonlinear cross-field coupling between eigenmodes at different radial positions is investigated using Fourier decomposition of azimuthal eigenmodes. The coupling strength between waves at different radial positions is inferred to radial profiles and cross-field transport between adjacent magnetic flux surfaces. Nonlinear effects like synchronization, phase slippages, phase pulling and periodic pulling are observed. The effects of mode coupling and the stability of modes is compared to the dynamics of a coupled chain of Kuramoto oscillators.

Fourier-domain study of drift turbulence driven sheared flow in a laboratory plasma

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

Xu, M.; Tynan, G. R.; Holland, C.

2010-03-15

Frequency-resolved nonlinear internal and kinetic energy transfer rates have been measured in the Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device using a recently developed technique [Xu et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 042312 (2009)]. The results clearly show a net kinetic energy transfer into the zonal flow frequency region, consistent with previous time-domain observations of turbulence-driven shear flows [Tynan et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 48, S51 (2006)]. The experimentally measured dispersion relation has been used to map the frequency-resolved energy transfer rates into the wave number domain, which shows that the shear flow drive comes from midrange (k{sub t}hetarho{submore » S}>0.3) drift fluctuations, and the strongest flow drive comes from k{sub t}hetarho{sub S}approx =1 fluctuations. Linear growth rates have been inferred from a linearized Hasegawa-Wakatani model [Hasegawa et al., Phys. Fluids 22, 2122 (1979)], which indicates that the m=0 mode is linearly stable and the m=1-10 modes (corresponding to k{sub t}hetarho{sub S}>0.3) are linearly unstable for the n=1 and n=2 radial eigenmodes. This is consistent with our energy transfer measurements.« less

Bifurcation of space-charge wave in a plasma waveguide including the wake potential effect

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr

The wake potential effects on the propagation of the space-charge dust ion-acoustic wave are investigated in a cylindrically bounded dusty plasma with the ion flow. The results show that the wake potential would generate the double frequency modes in a cylindrically bounded dusty plasma. It is found that the upper mode of the wave frequency with the root of higher-order is smaller than that with the root of lower-order in intermediate wave number domains. However, the lower mode of the scaled wave frequency with the root of higher-order is found to be greater than that with the root of lower-order.more » It is found that the influence in the order of the root of the Bessel function on the wave frequency of the space-charge dust-ion-acoustic wave in a cylindrically confined dusty plasma decreases with an increase in the propagation wave number. It is also found that the double frequency modes increase with increasing Mach number due to the ion flow in a cylindrical dusty plasma. In addition, it is found that the upper mode of the group velocity decreases with an increase in the scaled radius of the plasma cylinder. However, it is shown that the lower mode of the scaled group velocity of the space-charge dust ion acoustic wave increases with an increase in the radius of the plasma cylinder. The variation of the space-charge dust-ion-acoustic wave due to the wake potential and geometric effects is also discussed.« less

Alpha-Driven MHD and MHD-Induced Alpha Loss in TFTR DT Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Zuoyang

1996-11-01

Theoretical calculation and numerical simulation indicate that there can be interesting interactions between alpha particles and MHD activity which can adversely affect the performance of a tokamak reactor (e.g., ITER). These interactions include alpha-driven MHD, like the toroidicity-induced-Alfven-eigenmode (TAE) and MHD induced alpha particle losses or redistribution. Both phenomena have been observed in recent TFTR DT experiments. Weak alpha-driven TAE activity was observed in a NBI-heated DT experiment characterized by high q0 ( >= 2) and low core magnetic shear. The TAE mode appears at ~30-100 ms after the neutral beam turning off approximately as predicted by theory. The mode has an amplitude measured by magnetic coils at the edge tildeB_p ~1 mG, frequency ~150-190 kHz and toroidal mode number ~2-3. It lasts only ~ 30-70 ms and has been seen only in DT discharges with fusion power level about 1.5-2.0 MW. Numerical calculation using NOVA-K code shows that this type of plasma has a big TAE gap. The calculated TAE frequency and mode number are close to the observation. (2) KBM-induced alpha particle loss^1. In some high-β, high fusion power DT experiments, enhanced alpha particle losses were observed to be correlated to the high frequency MHD modes with f ~100-200 kHz (the TAE frequency would be two-times higher) and n ~5-10. These modes are localized around the peak plasma pressure gradient and have ballooning characteristics. Alpha loss increases by 30-100% during the modes. Particle orbit simulations show the added loss results from wave-particle resonance. Linear instability analysis indicates that the plasma is unstable to the kinetic MHD ballooning modes (KBM) driven primarily by strong local pressure gradients. ----------------- ^1Z. Chang, et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76 (1996) 1071. In collaberation with R. Nazikian, G.-Y. Fu, S. Batha, R. Budny, L. Chen, D. Darrow, E. Fredrickson, R. Majeski, D. Mansfield, K. McGuire, G. Rewoldt, G. Taylor, R. White, K.-L. Wong and S. Zweben, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. Department of Physics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92717 ^*Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy DoE Contract No. DE-AC02-76CH03073.

Self-injection of electrons in a laser-wakefield accelerator by using longitudinal density ripple

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

Dahiya, Deepak; Sharma, A. K.; Sajal, Vivek

By introducing a longitudinal density ripple (periodic modulation in background plasma density), we demonstrate self-injection of electrons in a laser-wakefield accelerator. The wakefield driven plasma wave, in presence of density ripple excites two side band waves of same frequency but different wave numbers. One of these side bands, having smaller phase velocity compared to wakefield driven plasma wave, preaccelerates the background plasma electrons. Significant number of these preaccelerated electrons get trapped in the laser-wakefield and further accelerated to higher energies.

Oblique propagation of solitary waves in weakly relativistic magnetized plasma with kappa distributed electrons in the presence of negative ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmanpoor, H.; Sharifian, M.; Gholipour, S.; Borhani Zarandi, M.; Shokri, B.

2018-03-01

The oblique propagation of nonlinear ion acoustic solitary waves (solitons) in magnetized collisionless and weakly relativistic plasma with positive and negative ions and super thermal electrons has been examined by using reduced perturbation method to obtain the Korteweg-de Vries equation that admits an obliquely propagating soliton solution. We have investigated the effects of plasma parameters like negative ion density, electrons temperature, angle between wave vector and magnetic field, ions velocity, and k (spectral index in kappa distribution) on the amplitude and width of solitary waves. It has been found out that four modes exist in our plasma model, but the analysis of the results showed that only two types of ion acoustic modes (fast and slow) exist in the plasma and in special cases only one mode could be propagated. The parameters of plasma for these two modes (or one mode) determine which one is rarefactive and which one is compressive. The main parameter is negative ions density (β) indicating which mode is compressive or rarefactive. The effects of the other plasma parameters on amplitude and width of the ion acoustic solitary waves have been studied. The main conclusion is that the effects of the plasma parameters on amplitude and width of the solitary wave strongly depend on the value of the negative ion density.

Excitation of slow waves in front of an ICRF antenna in a basic plasma experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Kunal; van Compernolle, Bart; Crombe, Kristel; van Eester, Dirk

2017-10-01

Recent results of ICRF experiments at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) indicate parasitic coupling to the slow wave by the fast wave antenna. Plasma parameters in LAPD are similar to the scrape-off layer of current fusion devices. The machine has a 17 m long, 60 cm diameter magnetized plasma column with typical plasma parameters ne 1012 -1013 cm-3, Te 1 - 10 eV and B0 1000 G. It was found that coupling to the slow mode occurs when the plasma density in front of the antenna is low enough such that the lower hybrid resonance is present in the plasma. The radial density profile is tailored to allow for fast mode propagation in the high density core and slow mode propagation in the low density edge region. Measurements of the wave fields clearly show two distinct modes, one long wavelength m=1 fast wave mode in the core and a short wavelength backward propagating mode in the edge. Perpendicular wave numbers compare favorably to the predicted values. The experiment was done for varying frequencies, ω /Ωi = 25 , 6 and 1.5. Future experiments will investigate the dependence on antenna tilt angle with respect to the magnetic field, with and without Faraday screen. This work is performed at the Basic Plasma Science Facility, sponsored jointly by DOE and NSF.

Millimeter-Wave Generation Via Plasma Three-Wave Mixing

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

are coupled to a third space -charge wave with dispersion 2w W k -k k . (16) A plasma-loaded-waveguide mode is excited at the intersection of this...DISPERSION "FAST" W PLASMA WAVE Wc PLASMA WAVE A-lA oppositely directed EPWs with different phase velocities (wp/k., and wO/k. 2) are coupled to a third ... space -charge wave with dispersion 2w I- k k .(16) e 2 A plaama-loaded-waveguide mode is excited at the intersection of this coupled space-charge wave

A Two Species Bump-On-Tail Model With Relaxation for Energetic Particle Driven Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslanyan, V.; Porkolab, M.; Sharapov, S. E.; Spong, D. A.

2017-10-01

Energetic particle driven Alfvén Eigenmodes (AEs) observed in present day experiments exhibit various nonlinear behaviours varying from steady state amplitude at a fixed frequency to bursting amplitudes and sweeping frequency. Using the appropriate action-angle variables, the problem of resonant wave-particle interaction becomes effectively one-dimensional. Previously, a simple one-dimensional Bump-On-Tail (BOT) model has proven to be one of the most effective in describing characteristic nonlinear near-threshold wave evolution scenarios. In particular, dynamical friction causes bursting mode evolution, while diffusive relaxation may give steady-state, periodic or chaotic mode evolution. BOT has now been extended to include two populations of fast particles, with one dominated by dynamical friction at the resonance and the other by diffusion; the relative size of the populations determines the temporal evolution of the resulting wave. This suggests an explanation for recent observations on the TJ-II stellarator, where a transition between steady state and bursting occured as the magnetic configuration varied. The two species model is then applied to burning plasma with drag-dominated alpha particles and diffusion-dominated ICRH accelerated minority ions. This work was supported by the US DoE and the RCUK Energy Programme [Grant Number EP/P012450/1].

Evidence of a New Instability in Gyrokinetic Simulations of LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, P. W.; Pueschel, M. J.; Rossi, G.; Jenko, F.; Told, D.; Carter, T. A.

2015-11-01

Recent experiments at the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) have focused on structure formation driven by density and temperature gradients. A central difference relative to typical, tokamak-like plasmas stems from the linear geometry and absence of background magnetic shear. At sufficiently high β, strong excitation of parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations was observed. Here, linear and nonlinear simulations with the Gene code are used to demonstrate that these findings can be explained through the linear excitation of a Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode (GDC). This recently-discovered instability, unlike other drift waves, relies on the grad-B drift due to parallel magnetic fluctuations in lieu of a parallel electron response, and can be driven by density or temperature gradients. The linear properties of the GDC for LAPD parameters are studied in detail, and the corresponding turbulence is investigated. It is found that, despite the very large collisionality in the experiment, many properties are recovered fairly well in the simulations. In addition to confirming the existence of the GDC, this opens up interesting questions regarding GDC activity in astrophysical and space plasmas. Supported by USDOE.

Low-Frequency Waves in Cold Three-Component Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Qiang; Tang, Ying; Zhao, Jinsong; Lu, Jianyong

2016-09-01

The dispersion relation and electromagnetic polarization of the plasma waves are comprehensively studied in cold electron, proton, and heavy charged particle plasmas. Three modes are classified as the fast, intermediate, and slow mode waves according to different phase velocities. When plasmas contain positively-charged particles, the fast and intermediate modes can interact at the small propagating angles, whereas the two modes are separate at the large propagating angles. The near-parallel intermediate and slow waves experience the linear polarization, circular polarization, and linear polarization again, with the increasing wave number. The wave number regime corresponding to the above circular polarization shrinks as the propagating angle increases. Moreover, the fast and intermediate modes cause the reverse change of the electromagnetic polarization at the special wave number. While the heavy particles carry the negative charges, the dispersion relations of the fast and intermediate modes are always separate, being independent of the propagating angles. Furthermore, this study gives new expressions of the three resonance frequencies corresponding to the highly-oblique propagation waves in the general three-component plasmas, and shows the dependence of the resonance frequencies on the propagating angle, the concentration of the heavy particle, and the mass ratio among different kinds of particles. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11303099, 41531071 and 41574158), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS

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.

Observations of whistler mode waves in the Jovian system and their consequences for the onboard processing within the RPWI instrument for JUICE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santolik, O.; Soucek, J.; Kolmasova, I.; Grison, B.; Wahlund, J.-E.; Bergmann, J.

2013-09-01

Evidence for a magnetosphere at Ganymede has been found in 1996 using measurements of plasma waves onboard the Galileo spacecraft (fig. 1). This discovery demonstrates the importance of measurements of waves in plasmas around Jovian moons [1]. Galileo also observed whistler-mode waves in the magnetosphere of Ganymede similar to important classes of waves in the Earth magnetosphere: chorus and hiss [2]. Data from the Galileo spacecraft have therefore shown the importance of measurements of waves in plasmas around Jovian moons, especially in the light of recent advances in analysis of whistler-mode waves in the Earth magnetosphere and their importance for acceleration of radiation belt electrons to relativistic energies. Multicomponent measurements of the fluctuating magnetic and electric fields are needed for localization and characterization of source regions of these waves. Radio & Plasma Waves Investigation (RPWI) experiment will be implemented on the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer) spacecraft. RPWI is a highly integrated instrument package that provides a comprehensive set of plasma and fields measurements. Proposed measurement modes for the low frequency receiver subsystem of RPWI include onboard processing which will be suitable for analysis of whistler-mode waves: (1) Polarization and propagation analysis based on phase relations to identify wave modes and propagation directions (2) Poynting vector to determine source regions (3) Detailed frequency-time structure, polarization, wave vector directions to identify linear or nonlinear source mechanisms

Characteristics of the surface plasma wave in a self-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma slab

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Applied Physics and Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyunggi-Do 15588

2015-11-15

The dispersion properties of surface dust ion-acoustic waves in a self-gravitating magnetized dusty plasma slab are investigated. The dispersion relation is derived by using the low-frequency magnetized dusty dielectric function and the surface wave dispersion integral for the slab geometry. We find that the self-gravitating effect suppresses the frequency of surface dust ion-acoustic wave for the symmetric mode in the long wavelength regime, whereas it hardly changes the frequency for the anti-symmetric mode. As the slab thickness and the wave number increase, the surface wave frequency slowly decreases for the symmetric mode but increases significantly for the anti-symmetric mode. Themore » influence of external magnetic field is also investigated in the case of symmetric mode. We find that the strength of the magnetic field enhances the frequency of the symmetric-mode of the surface plasma wave. The increase of magnetic field reduces the self-gravitational effect and thus the self-gravitating collapse may be suppressed and the stability of dusty objects in space is enhanced.« less

Spectral properties of Langmuir and beam-mode waves observed inside terrestrial foreshock by Cluster spacecraf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisa, D.; Soucek, J.; Santolik, O.

2016-12-01

Electrostatic plasma waves are commonly observed in the upstream regions of planetary shocks. Solar wind electrons accelerated at the shock front are reflected back into the solar wind and form electron beams. The electron distribution becomes unstable and electrostatic waves are generated inside the foreshock region. The processes of generation and evolution of electrostatic waves significantly depend on the solar wind plasma conditions and generally exhibit complex behavior. Langmuir waves can be identified as intense narrowband emission at the local plasma frequency and weaker broadband beam-mode waves below and above the plasma frequency deeper in the downstream region. We present a long-term survey of Langmuir and beam-mode waves in the vicinity of the plasma frequency observed upstream of the terrestrial bow shock by the Cluster spacecraft. Using solar wind data and bow shock positions from OMNI, as well as in-situ measurements of interplanetary magnetic field, we have mapped all available spacecraft positions into foreshock coordinates. For a study of plasma waves, we have used spectra and local plasma frequencies obtained from a passive and active mode of the WHISPER instrument. We show a spatial distribution of wave frequencies and spectral widths as a function of foreshock positions and solar wind conditions.

A simulation study on the mode conversion process from slow Z-mode to LO mode by the tunneling effect and variations of beaming angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalaee, Mohammad Javad; Katoh, Yuto

2014-12-01

For a particular angle of incidence wave, it is possible for a slow Z-mode wave incident on an inhomogeneous plasma slab to be converted into an LO mode wave. But for another wave normal angle of the incident wave, it has been considered impossible, since an evanescence region exists between two mode branches. In this case we expect that the mode conversion takes place through the tunneling effect. We investigate the effect of the spatial scale of the density gradient on the mode conversion efficiency in an inhomogeneous plasma where the mode conversion can occur only by the tunneling effect. We use the computer simulation solving Maxwell's equations and the motion of a cold electron fluid. By considering the steepness of the density gradient, the simulation results show the efficient mode conversion could be expected even in the case that the mismatch of the refractive indexes prevents the close coupling of plasma waves. Also, we show for these cases the beaming angle does not correspond to Jones' formula. This effect leads to the angles larger and smaller than the angle estimated by the formula. This type of mode conversion process becomes important in a case where the different plasmas form a discontinuity at their contact boundary.

PRIMORDIAL GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AND RESCATTERED ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND

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

Kim, Dong-Hoon; Trippe, Sascha, E-mail: ki13130@gmail.com, E-mail: trippe@astro.snu.ac.kr

Understanding the interaction of primordial gravitational waves (GWs) with the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) plasma is important for observational cosmology. In this article, we provide an analysis of an apparently as-yet-overlooked effect. We consider a single free electric charge and suppose that it can be agitated by primordial GWs propagating through the CMB plasma, resulting in periodic, regular motion along particular directions. Light reflected by the charge will be partially polarized, and this will imprint a characteristic pattern on the CMB. We study this effect by considering a simple model in which anisotropic incident electromagnetic (EM) radiation is rescattered bymore » a charge sitting in spacetime perturbed by GWs, and becomes polarized. As the charge is driven to move along particular directions, we calculate its dipole moment to determine the leading-order rescattered EM radiation. The Stokes parameters of the rescattered radiation exhibit a net linear polarization. We investigate how this polarization effect can be schematically represented out of the Stokes parameters. We work out the representations of gradient modes (E-modes) and curl modes (B-modes) to produce polarization maps. Although the polarization effect results from GWs, we find that its representations, the E- and B-modes, do not practically reflect the GW properties such as strain amplitude, frequency, and polarization states.« less

Is the bulk mode conversion important in high density helicon plasma?

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

Isayama, Shogo; Hada, Tohru; Shinohara, Shunjiro

2016-06-15

In a high-density helicon plasma production process, a contribution of Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) wave for surface power deposition is widely accepted. The TG wave can be excited either due to an abrupt density gradient near the plasma edge (surface conversion) or due to linear mode conversion from the helicon wave in a density gradient in the bulk region (bulk mode conversion). By numerically solving the boundary value problem of linear coupling between the helicon and the TG waves in a background with density gradient, we show that the efficiency of the bulk mode conversion strongly depends on the dissipation included inmore » the plasma, and the bulk mode conversion is important when the dissipation is small. Also, by performing FDTD simulation, we show the time evolution of energy flux associated with the helicon and the TG waves.« less

A New Type of Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Driven By Magnetowaves

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

Chen, Pisin; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Taiwan, Natl. Taiwan U.; Chang, Feng-Yin

2011-09-12

We present a new concept for a plasma wakefield accelerator driven by magnetowaves (MPWA). This concept was originally proposed as a viable mechanism for the 'cosmic accelerator' that would accelerate cosmic particles to ultra-high energies in the astrophysical setting. Unlike the more familiar plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) and the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) where the drivers, the charged-particle beam and the laser, are independently existing entities, MPWA invokes the high-frequency and high-speed whistler mode as the driver, which is a medium wave that cannot exist outside of the plasma. Aside from the difference in drivers, the underlying mechanism that excitesmore » the plasma wakefield via the ponderomotive potential is common. Our computer simulations show that under appropriate conditions, the plasma wakefield maintains very high coherence and can sustain high-gradient acceleration over many plasma wavelengths. We suggest that in addition to its celestial application, the MPWA concept can also be of terrestrial utility. A proof-of-principle experiment on MPWA would benefit both terrestrial and celestial accelerator concepts.« less

Drift Wave Simulation in Toroidal Geometry.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebrun, Maurice Joseph, III

1988-12-01

The drift wave, a general category of plasma behavior arising from a plasma inhomogeneity, is studied using the particle simulation method. In slab geometry, the drift wave (or universal mode) is stabilized by any finite amount of magnetic shear. In toroidal geometry, however, the coupling of the poloidal harmonics gives rise to a new branch of drift wave eigenmodes called the toroidicity -induced mode, which is predicted to be unstable in some regimes. The drift wave in a toroidal system is intrinsically three-dimensional, and is sensitive to the handling of the parallel electron dynamics, the (nearly) perpendicular wave dynamics, and the radial variation of magnetic field vector (shear). A simulation study must therefore be kinetic in nature, motivating the extension of particle simulation techniques to complex geometries. From this effort a three dimensional particle code in a toroidal coordinate system has been developed and applied to the toroidal drift wave problem. The code uses an (r,theta,phi) -type coordinate system, and a nonuniform radial grid that increases resolution near the mode-rational surfaces. Full ion dynamics and electron guiding center dynamics are employed. Further, the algorithm incorporates a straightforward limiting process to cylindrical geometry and slab geometry, enabling comparison to the theoretical results in these regimes. Simulations of the density-driven modes in toroidal geometry retain a single toroidal mode number (n = 9). In this regime, the poloidal harmonics are expected to be strongly coupled, giving rise to the marginally unstable toroidicity-induced drift mode. Analysis of the simulation data reveals a strong, low-frequency response that peaks near each mode rational surface. Further, the characteristic oscillation frequencies persist from one mode rational surface to the next, which identifies them as multiple harmonics of the toroidicity-induced mode. The lowest harmonic occurs at a frequency of omega/ omega^{*} ~ 0.26, which is reasonably close to the prediction of linear theory. Interferogram analysis of these modes indicates a "ballooning" structure toward the outside of the torus. The amplitude of the potential is observed to grow exponentially for the m = 8 through m = 10 poloidal mode numbers, with a growth rate of approximately gamma/omega ^{*} ~ 0.075. Saturation occurs at time t ~ 1000 Omega_sp{i}{-1}, and may be caused by quasilinear flattening of the density profile.

Mode conversion in cold low-density plasma with a sheared magnetic field

DOE PAGES

Dodin, I. Y.; Ruiz, D. E.; Kubo, S.

2017-12-19

Here, a theory is proposed that describes mutual conversion of two electromagnetic modes in cold low-density plasma, specifically, in the high-frequency limit where the ion response is negligible. In contrast to the classic (Landau–Zener-type) theory of mode conversion, the region of resonant coupling in low-density plasma is not necessarily narrow, so the coupling matrix cannot be approximated with its first-order Taylor expansion; also, the initial conditions are set up differently. For the case of strong magnetic shear, a simple method is identified for preparing a two-mode wave such that it transforms into a single-mode wave upon entering high-density plasma. Themore » theory can be used for reduced modeling of wave-power input in fusion plasmas. In particular, applications are envisioned in stellarator research, where the mutual conversion of two electromagnetic modes near the plasma edge is a known issue.« less

Mode conversion in cold low-density plasma with a sheared magnetic field

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

Dodin, I. Y.; Ruiz, D. E.; Kubo, S.

Here, a theory is proposed that describes mutual conversion of two electromagnetic modes in cold low-density plasma, specifically, in the high-frequency limit where the ion response is negligible. In contrast to the classic (Landau–Zener-type) theory of mode conversion, the region of resonant coupling in low-density plasma is not necessarily narrow, so the coupling matrix cannot be approximated with its first-order Taylor expansion; also, the initial conditions are set up differently. For the case of strong magnetic shear, a simple method is identified for preparing a two-mode wave such that it transforms into a single-mode wave upon entering high-density plasma. Themore » theory can be used for reduced modeling of wave-power input in fusion plasmas. In particular, applications are envisioned in stellarator research, where the mutual conversion of two electromagnetic modes near the plasma edge is a known issue.« less

Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection

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

Porkolab, Miklos; Egedal-Pedersen, Jan; Fox, William

CMPD Final Report Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection Miklos Porkolab, PI, Jan Egedal, co-PI, William Fox, graduate student. This is the final report for Grant DE-FC02-04ER54786, MIT Participation in the Center for Multiscale Plasma Dynamics, which was active from 8/1/2004 to 7/31/2010. This Grant supported the thesis work of one MIT graduate student, William Fox, The thesis research consisted of an experimental study of the fluctuations arising during magnetic reconnection in plasmas on the Versatile Toroidal Facility (VTF) at MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). The thesis was submitted and accepted by the MIT physics Department,.more » Fox, Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection, Ph.D. Thesis, MIT (2009). In the VTF experiment reconnection and current-sheet formation is driven by quickly changing currents in a specially arranged set of internal conductors. Previous work on this device [Egedal, et al, PRL 98, 015003, (2007)] identified a spontaneous reconnection regime. In this work fluctuations were studied using impedance-matched, high-bandwidth Langmuir probes. Strong, broadband fluctuations, with frequencies extending from near the lower-hybrid frequency [fLH = (fcefci)1/2] to the electron cyclotron frequency fce were found to arise during the reconnection events. Based on frequency and wavelength measurements, lower-hybrid waves and Trivelpiece-Gould waves were identified. The lower-hybrid waves are easiest to drive with strong perpendicular drifts or gradients which arise due to the reconnection events; an appealing possibility is strong temperature gradients. The Trivelpiece-Gould modes can result from kinetic, bump-on-tail instability of a runaway electron population energized by the reconnection events. We also observed that the turbulence is often spiky, consisting of discrete positive-potential spikes, which were identified as electron phase-space holes, a class of nonlinear solitary wave known to evolve from a strong beam-on-tail instability. We established that fast electrons were produced by magnetic reconnection. Overall, these instabilities were found to be a consequence of reconnection, specifically the strong energization of electrons, leading to steep gradients in both coordinate- and velocity-space. Estimates (using quasi-linear theory) of the anomalous resistivity due to these modes did not appear large enough to substantially impact the reconnection process. Relevant publications: W. Fox, M. Porkolab, et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 255003 (2008). W. Fox, M. Porkolab, et al, Phys. Plasmas 17, 072303, (2010).« less

Alfvén wave dissipation in the solar chromosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, Samuel D. T.; Jess, David B.; Zaqarashvili, Teimuraz V.; Beck, Christian; Socas-Navarro, Hector; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Keys, Peter H.; Christian, Damian J.; Houston, Scott J.; Hewitt, Rebecca L.

2018-05-01

Magnetohydrodynamic Alfvén waves1 have been a focus of laboratory plasma physics2 and astrophysics3 for over half a century. Their unique nature makes them ideal energy transporters, and while the solar atmosphere provides preferential conditions for their existence4, direct detection has proved difficult as a result of their evolving and dynamic observational signatures. The viability of Alfvén waves as a heating mechanism relies upon the efficient dissipation and thermalization of the wave energy, with direct evidence remaining elusive until now. Here we provide the first observational evidence of Alfvén waves heating chromospheric plasma in a sunspot umbra through the formation of shock fronts. The magnetic field configuration of the shock environment, alongside the tangential velocity signatures, distinguish them from conventional umbral flashes5. Observed local temperature enhancements of 5% are consistent with the dissipation of mode-converted Alfvén waves driven by upwardly propagating magneto-acoustic oscillations, providing an unprecedented insight into the behaviour of Alfvén waves in the solar atmosphere and beyond.

Current driven instabilities of an electromagnetically accelerated plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chouetri, E. Y.; Kelly, A. J.; Jahn, R. G.

1988-01-01

A plasma instability that strongly influences the efficiency and lifetime of electromagnetic plasma accelerators was quantitatively measured. Experimental measurements of dispersion relations (wave phase velocities), spatial growth rates, and stability boundaries are reported. The measured critical wave parameters are in excellent agreement with theoretical instability boundary predictions. The instability is current driven and affects a wide spectrum of longitudinal (electrostatic) oscillations. Current driven instabilities, which are intrinsic to the high-current-carrying magnetized plasma of the magnetoplasmadynmic (MPD) accelerator, were investigated with a kinetic theoretical model based on first principles. Analytical limits of the appropriate dispersion relation yield unstable ion acoustic waves for T(i)/T(e) much less than 1 and electron acoustic waves for T(i)/T(e) much greater than 1. The resulting set of nonlinear equations for the case of T(i)/T(e) = 1, of most interest to the MPD thruster Plasma Wave Experiment, was numerically solved to yield a multiparameter set of stability boundaries. Under certain conditions, marginally stable waves traveling almost perpendicular to the magnetic field would travel at a velocity equal to that of the electron current. Such waves were termed current waves. Unstable current waves near the upper stability boundary were observed experimentally and are in accordance with theoretical predictions. This provides unambiguous proof of the existence of such instabilites in electromagnetic plasma accelerators.

Nonlinear mixing of electromagnetic waves in plasmas.

PubMed

Stefan, V; Cohen, B I; Joshi, C

1989-01-27

Recently, a strong research effort has been focused on applications of beat waves in plasma interactions. This research has important implications for various aspects of plasma physics and plasma technology. This article reviews the present status of the field and comments on plasma probing, heating of magnetically confined and laser plasmas, ionospheric plasma modification, beat-wave particle acceleration, beat-wave current drive in toroidal devices, beat wave-driven free-electron lasers, and phase conjugation with beat waves.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

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

Non-modal theory of the kinetic ion temperature gradient driven instability of plasma shear flows across the magnetic field

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

Mikhailenko, V. V., E-mail: vladimir@pusan.ac.kr; Mikhailenko, V. S.; Lee, Hae June, E-mail: haejune@pusan.ac.kr

2016-06-15

The temporal evolution of the kinetic ion temperature gradient driven instability and of the related anomalous transport of the ion thermal energy of plasma shear flow across the magnetic field is investigated analytically. This instability develops in a steady plasma due to the inverse ion Landau damping and has the growth rate of the order of the frequency when the ion temperature is equal to or above the electron temperature. The investigation is performed employing the non-modal methodology of the shearing modes which are the waves that have a static spatial structure in the frame of the background flow. Themore » solution of the governing linear integral equation for the perturbed potential displays that the instability experiences the non-modal temporal evolution in the shearing flow during which the unstable perturbation becomes very different from a canonical modal form. It transforms into the non-modal structure with vanishing frequency and growth rate with time. The obtained solution of the nonlinear integral equation, which accounts for the random scattering of the angle of the ion gyro-motion due to the interaction of ions with ensemble of shearing waves, reveals similar but accelerated process of the transformations of the perturbations into the zero frequency structures. It was obtained that in the shear flow the anomalous ion thermal conductivity decays with time. It is a strictly non-modal effect, which originates from the temporal evolution of the shearing modes turbulence.« less

The first radial-mode Lorentzian Landau damping of dust acoustic space-charge waves

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Applied Physics and Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyunggi-Do 15588

2016-05-15

The dispersion properties and the first radial-mode Lorentzian Landau damping of a dust acoustic space-charge wave propagating in a cylindrical waveguide dusty plasma which contains nonthermal electrons and ions are investigated by employing the normal mode analysis and the method of separation of variables. It is found that the frequency of dust acoustic space-charge wave increases as the wave number increases as well as the radius of cylindrical plasma does. However, the nonthermal property of the Lorentzian plasma is found to suppress the wave frequency of the dust acoustic space-charge wave. The Landau damping rate of the dust acoustic space-chargemore » wave is derived in a cylindrical waveguide dusty plasma. The damping of the space-charge wave is found to be enhanced as the radius of cylindrical plasma and the nonthermal property increase. The maximum Lorentzian Landau damping rate is also found in a cylindrical waveguide dusty plasma. The variation of the wave frequency and the Landau damping rate due to the nonthermal character and geometric effects are also discussed.« less

Phenomenology of beam driven modes in the field reversed configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magee, Richard; Bolte, Nathan; Clary, Ryan; Necas, Ales; Korepanov, Sergey; Smirnov, Artem; Thompson, Matthew; Tajima, Toshiki; THE TAE Team

2016-10-01

The C-2U experiment offers a unique plasma environment combining a high beta field reversed configuration (FRC) embedded in a low beta magnetic mirror with high power neutral beam injection. The beams are injected tangentially into a modest magnetic field so that the orbits of the resulting fast ions encircle the entire plasma. These large orbit particles sustain and stabilize the plasma and suppress turbulence. Measurements of magnetic fluctuations at the edge of the plasma reveal the presence of three coherent beam driven modes: a low frequency, chirping mode, a mode near the ion cyclotron frequency, and a high frequency compressional Alfven mode. Remarkably, none of these modes are observed to have a deleterious effect on global plasma confinement. In fact, the cyclotron mode has the beneficial effect of dramatically enhancing the DD fusion reaction rate by drawing a trail from the plasma ion energy distribution on a sub-collisional timescale. In this presentation, we experimentally characterize the beam driven modes in the C-2U FRC with data from multiple diagnostics including magnetics, spectroscopy, neutral particle analyzers and fusion product diagnostics. Results are compared to a particle-in-cell simulation in a simplified geometry.

Helicon modes in uniform plasmas. I. Low m modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R. L.

2015-09-01

Helicons are whistler modes with azimuthal wave numbers. They arise in bounded gaseous and solid state plasmas, but the present work shows that very similar modes also exist in unbounded uniform plasmas. The antenna properties determine the mode structure. A simple antenna is a magnetic loop with dipole moment aligned either along or across the ambient background magnetic field B0. For such configurations, the wave magnetic field has been measured in space and time in a large and uniform laboratory plasma. The observed wave topology for a dipole along B0 is similar to that of an m = 0 helicon mode. It consists of a sequence of alternating whistler vortices. For a dipole across B0, an m = 1 mode is excited which can be considered as a transverse vortex which rotates around B0. In m = 0 modes, the field lines are confined to each half-wavelength vortex while for m = 1 modes they pass through the entire wave train. A subset of m = 1 field lines forms two nested helices which rotate in space and time like corkscrews. Depending on the type of the antenna, both m = + 1 and m = -1 modes can be excited. Helicons in unbounded plasmas also propagate transverse to B0. The transverse and parallel wave numbers are about equal and form oblique phase fronts as in whistler Gendrin modes. By superimposing small amplitude fields of several loop antennas, various antenna combinations have been created. These include rotating field antennas, helical antennas, and directional antennas. The radiation efficiency is quantified by the radiation resistance. Since helicons exist in unbounded laboratory plasmas, they can also arise in space plasmas.

Particle-in-cell simulations of the lower-hybrid instability driven by an ion-ring distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanekamp, Stephen; Richardson, Steve; Mithaiwala, Manish; Crabtree, Chris

2013-10-01

Fully electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations of the excitation of the lower-hybrid mode in a plasma driven by an ion-ring distribution using the Lsp code are presented. At early times the simulations agree with linear theory. The resulting wave evolution and non-linear plasma and ring-ion heating are compared with theoretical models [Mithaiwala et al. 2010; Crabtree et al., this meeting] and previous simulation results [Winske and Daughton, 2012]. 2D simulations show that when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the wave vector, k, the electrostatic potential fluctuations work in conjunction with the applied magnetic field causing a circular electron E ×B drift around a positively charged center. Similar phenomena are observed in 2D simulations of magnetic-field penetration into a spatially inhomogeneous unmagnetized plasma [Richardson et al., this meeting] where circular paramagnetic vortices are formed. These vortices are altered by the addition of a small, in-plane, component of magnetic field which allows electrons to stream along field lines effectively shorting out one component of the electric field. In this case, the vortex structures are no longer circular but elongated along the direction of the in-plane magnetic field component.

Nonthermal and geometric effects on the symmetric and anti-symmetric surface waves in a Lorentzian dusty plasma slab

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Applied Physics and Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Kyunggi-Do 426-791

2015-02-15

The nonthermal and geometric effects on the propagation of the surface dust acoustic waves are investigated in a Lorentzian dusty plasma slab. The symmetric and anti-symmetric dispersion modes of the dust acoustic waves are obtained by the plasma dielectric function with the spectral reflection conditions the slab geometry. The variation of the nonthermal and geometric effects on the symmetric and the anti-symmetric modes of the surface plasma waves is also discussed.

Overview of recent HL-2A experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, X. R.; Liu, Yi; Xu, M.; Yan, L. W.; Xu, Y.; Song, X. M.; Dong, J. Q.; Ding, X. T.; Chen, L. Y.; Lu, B.; Liu, D. Q.; Rao, J.; Xuan, W. M.; Yang, Q. W.; Zheng, G. Y.; Zou, X. L.; Liu, Y. Q.; Zhong, W. L.; Zhao, K. J.; Ji, X. Q.; Mao, W. C.; Wang, Q. M.; Li, Q.; Cao, J. Y.; Cao, Z.; Lei, G. J.; Zhang, J. H.; Li, X. D.; Bai, X. Y.; Cheng, J.; Chen, W.; Cui, Z. Y.; Delpech, L.; Diamond, P. H.; Dong, Y. B.; Ekedahl, A.; Hoang, T.; Huang, Y.; Ida, K.; Itoh, K.; Itoh, S.-I.; Isobe, M.; Inagaki, S.; Mazon, D.; Morita, S.; Peysson, Y.; Shi, Z. B.; Wang, X. G.; Xiao, G. L.; Yu, D. L.; Yu, L. M.; Zhang, Y. P.; Zhou, Y.; Cui, C. H.; Feng, B. B.; Huang, M.; Li, Y. G.; Li, B.; Li, G. S.; Li, H. J.; Li, Qing; Peng, J. F.; Wang, Y. Q.; Yuan, B. S.; Liu, Yong; HL-2A Team

2017-10-01

Since the last Fusion Energy Conference, significant progress has been made in the following areas. The first high coupling efficiency low-hybrid current drive (LHCD) with a passive-active multi-junction (PAM) antenna was successfully demonstrated in the H-mode on the HL-2A tokamak. Double critical impurity gradients of electromagnetic turbulence were observed in H-mode plasmas. Various ELM mitigation techniques have been investigated, including supersonic molecular beam injection (SMBI), impurity seeding, resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) and low-hybrid wave (LHW). The ion internal transport barrier was observed in neutral beam injection (NBI) heated plasmas. Neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs) driven by the transient perturbation of local electron temperature during non-local thermal transport events have been observed, and a new type of non-local transport triggered by the ion fishbone was found. A long-lasting runaway electron plateau was achieved after argon injection and the runaway current was successfully suppressed by SMBI. It was found that low-n Alfvénic ion temperature gradient (AITG) modes can be destabilized in ohmic plasmas, even with weak magnetic shear and low-pressure gradients. For the first time, the synchronization of geodesic acoustic mode (GAM) and magnetic fluctuations was observed in edge plasmas, revealing frequency entrainment and phase lock. The spatiotemporal features of zonal flows were also studied using multi-channel correlation Doppler reflectometers.

Off-axis fishbone-like instability and excitation of resistive wall modes in JT-60U and DIII-D

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

Okabayashi, M.; Solomon, W. M.; Budny, R. V.

2011-05-15

An energetic-particle (EP)-driven ''off-axis-fishbone-like mode (OFM)'' often triggers a resistive wall mode (RWM) in JT-60U and DIII-D devices, preventing long-duration high-{beta}{sub N} discharges. In these experiments, the EPs are energetic ions (70-85 keV) injected by neutral beams to produce high-pressure plasmas. EP-driven bursting events reduce the EP density and the plasma rotation simultaneously. These changes are significant in high-{beta}{sub N} low-rotation plasmas, where the RWM stability is predicted to be strongly influenced by the EP precession drift resonance and by the plasma rotation near the q=2 surface (kinetic effects). Analysis of these effects on stability with a self-consistent perturbation tomore » the mode structure using the MARS-K code showed that the impact of EP losses and rotation drop is sufficient to destabilize the RWM in low-rotation plasmas, when the plasma rotation normalized by Alfven frequency is only a few tenths of a percent near the q=2 surface. The OFM characteristics are very similar in JT-60U and DIII-D, including nonlinear mode evolution. The modes grow initially like a classical fishbone, and then the mode structure becomes strongly distorted. The dynamic response of the OFM to an applied n=1 external field indicates that the mode retains its external kink character. These comparative studies suggest that an energetic particle-driven 'off-axis-fishbone-like mode' is a new EP-driven branch of the external kink mode in wall-stabilized plasmas, analogous to the relationship of the classical fishbone branch to the internal kink mode.« less

Nonlinear evolution of energetic-particles-driven waves in collisionless plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuhan; Liu, Jinyuan; Wang, Feng; Shen, Wei; Li, Dong

2018-06-01

A one-dimensional electrostatic collisionless particle-in-cell code has been developed to study the nonlinear interaction between electrostatic waves and energetic particles (EPs). For a single wave, the results are clear and agree well with the existing theories. For coexisting two waves, although the mode nonlinear coupling between two wave fields is ignored, the second-order phase space islands can still exist between first-order islands generated by the two waves. However, the second-order phase islands are not formed by the superposed wave fields and the perturbed motions of EPs induced by the combined effect of two main resonances make these structures in phase space. Owing to these second-order islands, energy can be transferred between waves, even if the overlap of two main resonances never occurs. Depending on the distance between the main resonance islands in velocity space, the second-order island can affect the nonlinear dynamics and saturations of waves.

Twisted waves and instabilities in a permeating dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukhari, S.; Ali, S.; Khan, S. A.; Mendonca, J. T.

2018-04-01

New features of the twisted dusty plasma modes and associated instabilities are investigated in permeating plasmas. Using the Vlasov-Poisson model equations, a generalized dispersion relation is obtained for a Maxwellian distributed plasma to analyse the dust-acoustic and dust-ion-acoustic waves with finite orbital angular momentum (OAM) states. Existence conditions for damping/growth rates are discussed and showed significant modifications in twisted dusty modes as compared to straight propagating dusty modes. Numerically, the instability growth rate, which depends on particle streaming and twist effects in the wave potential, is significantly modified due to the Laguerre-Gaussian profiles. Relevance of the study to wave excitations due to penetration of solar wind into cometary clouds or interstellar dusty plasmas is discussed.

Suppression of AGN-Driven Turbulence by Magnetic Fields in a Magnetohydrodynamic Model of the Intracluster Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bambic, Christopher J.; Morsony, Brian; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2018-01-01

We investigate the role of AGN feedback in turbulent heating of galaxy clusters. Specifically, we analyze the production of turbulence by g-modes generated by the supersonic expansion and buoyant rise of AGN-driven bubbles. Previous work which neglects magnetic fields has shown that this process is inefficient, with less than 1% of the injected energy ending up in turbulence. This inefficiency is primarily due to the fact that the bubbles are shredded apart by hydrodynamic instabilities before they can excite sufficiently strong g-modes. Using a plane-parallel model of the ICM and 3D ideal MHD simulations, we examine the role of a large-scale magnetic field which is able to drape around these rising bubbles, preserving them from hydrodynamic instabilities. We find that, while magnetic draping appears better able to preserve AGN-driven bubbles, the driving of g-modes and the resulting production of turbulence is still inefficient. The magnetic tension force prevents g-modes from transitioning into the nonlinear regime, suppressing turbulence in our model ICM below levels measured in hydrodynamic simulations. Our work highlights the ways in which ideal MHD is an insufficient description for the cluster feedback process, and we discuss future work such as the inclusion of anisotropic viscosity as a means of simulating high β plasma kinetic effects. These results suggest the hypothesis that other mechanisms of heating the ICM plasma such as sound waves or cosmic rays may be responsible for observed feedback in galaxy clusters.

Suppression of AGN-driven Turbulence by Magnetic Fields in a Magnetohydrodynamic Model of the Intracluster Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bambic, Christopher J.; Morsony, Brian J.; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2018-04-01

We investigate the role of active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback in turbulent heating of galaxy clusters. Specifically, we analyze the production of turbulence by g-modes generated by the supersonic expansion and buoyant rise of AGN-driven bubbles. Previous work that neglects magnetic fields has shown that this process is inefficient, with less than 1% of the injected energy ending up in turbulence. This inefficiency primarily arises because the bubbles are shredded apart by hydrodynamic instabilities before they can excite sufficiently strong g-modes. Using a plane-parallel model of the intracluster medium (ICM) and 3D ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations, we examine the role of a large-scale magnetic field that is able to drape around these rising bubbles, preserving them from hydrodynamic instabilities. We find that while magnetic draping appears better able to preserve AGN-driven bubbles, the driving of g-modes and the resulting production of turbulence is still inefficient. The magnetic tension force prevents g-modes from transitioning into the nonlinear regime, suppressing turbulence in our model ICM. Our work highlights the ways in which ideal MHD is an insufficient description for the cluster feedback process, and we discuss future work such as the inclusion of anisotropic viscosity as a means of simulating high β plasma kinetic effects. These results suggest the hypothesis that other mechanisms of heating the ICM plasma such as sound waves or cosmic rays may be responsible for the observed feedback in galaxy clusters.

Electrostatic wave modulation in collisional pair-ion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sikdar, Arnab; Adak, Ashish; Ghosh, Samiran; Khan, Manoranjan

2018-05-01

The effects of ion-neutral collision on the electrostatic wave packets in the absence of the magnetic field in a pair-ion plasma have been investigated. Considering a two-fluid plasma model with the help of the standard perturbation technique, two distinct electrostatic modes have been observed, namely, a low-frequency ion acoustic mode and a high-frequency ion plasma mode. The dynamics of the modulated wave is governed by a damped nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Damping of the soliton occurs due to the ion-neutral collision. The analytical and numerical investigation reveals that the ion acoustic mode is both stable and unstable, which propagates in the form of dark solitons and bright solitons, respectively, whereas the ion plasma mode is unstable, propagating in the form of a bright soliton. Results are discussed in the context of the fullerene pair-ion plasma experiments.

Studies on the transmission of sub-THz waves in magnetized inhomogeneous plasma sheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Kai; Shen, Linfang; Yao, Ming; Deng, Xiaohua; Chen, Zhou; Hong, Lujun

2018-01-01

There have been many studies on the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) wave transmission in reentry plasma sheaths. However, only some of them have paid attention to the transmission of sub-THz waves in magnetized plasma sheaths. In this paper, the transmission of sub-THz waves in both unmagnetized and magnetized reentry plasma sheaths was investigated. The impacts of temporal evolution of the plasma sheath on the wave transmission were studied. The transmission of "atmospheric window" frequencies in a magnetized plasma sheath was discussed in detail. According to the study, the power transmission rates (Tp) for the left hand circular (LHC) and the right hand circular modes in the magnetized plasma sheath are obviously higher and lower than those in the unmagnetized plasma sheath, respectively. The Tp of LHC mode increases with both wave frequency and external magnetic field strength. Also, the Tp of LHC mode in both magnetized and unmagnetized plasma sheaths varies with time due to the temporal evolution of the plasma sheath. Moreover, the performance of sub-THz waves in magnetized plasma sheath hints at a new approach to the "blackout" problem. The new approach, which is in the capability of modern technology, is to utilize the communication system operating at 140 GHz with an onboard magnet installed near the antenna.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; ...

2018-04-11

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks.

PubMed

Spong, D A; Heidbrink, W W; Paz-Soldan, C; Du, X D; Thome, K E; Van Zeeland, M A; Collins, C; Lvovskiy, A; Moyer, R A; Austin, M E; Brennan, D P; Liu, C; Jaeger, E F; Lau, C

2018-04-13

DIII-D experiments at low density (n_{e}∼10^{19}  m^{-3}) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

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

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less

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.

Dual-mode resonant instabilities of the surface dust-acoustic wave in a Lorentzian plasma slab

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590

2015-08-15

The dual-mode resonant instabilities of the dust-acoustic surface wave propagating at the plasma-vacuum interfaces of the generalized Lorentzian dusty plasma slab are kinetically investigated. The dispersion relation is derived for the two propagation modes: symmetric and anti-symmetric waves. We have found that the temporal growth rate of the resonant instability increases with an increase of the slab thickness for both modes. Especially, the nonthermality of plasmas enhances the growth rate of the anti-symmetric resonant wave, and the nonthermal effect is enhanced as the slab thickness is increased. It is also found that the growth rate increases with increasing angular frequencymore » of the rotating dust grain due to the enhanced resonant energy exchange.« less

Measurement of the electron beam mode in earth's foreshock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Onsager, T. G.; Holzworth, R. H.

1990-01-01

High frequency electric field measurements from the AMPTE IRM plasma wave receiver are used to identify three simultaneously excited electrostatic wave modes in the earth's foreshock region: the electron beam mode, the Langmuir mode, and the ion acoustic mode. A technique is developed which allows the rest frame frequecy and wave number of the electron beam waves to be determined. It is shown that the experimentally determined rest frame frequency and wave number agree well with the most unstable frequency and wave number predicted by linear homogeneous Vlasov theory for a plasma with Maxwellian background electrons and a Lorentzian electron beam. From a comparison of the experimentally determined and theoretical values, approximate limits are put on the electron foreshock beam temperatures. A possible generation mechanism for ion acoustic waves involving mode coupling between the electron beam and Langmuir modes is also discussed.

ISEE 1 observations of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in association with ion beams on auroral field lines from about 2.5 to 4.5 R(E)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Catell, C. A.; Mozer, F. S.; Roth, I.; Anderson, R. R.; Elphic, R. C.

1991-01-01

Quasi-monochromatic waves at about the hydrogen cyclotron frequency were observed as the ISEE 1 satellite traversed auroral field lines at radial distances of about 2.5-4.5 R(E) near midnight on June 19, 1981. Waves and both lower and higher frequencies were observed at higher altitudes, and possible electrostatic helium cyclotron and oxygen cyclotron waves occurred at lower altitudes. Upflowing hydrogen and oxygen beams and field-aligned currents occurred simultaneously. The features of the waves are most consistent with the current-driven mode. In addition, numerical studies of the linear dispersion relation, using parameters based on the observations, show that both the parallel and oblique two-stream modes and the ion-beam-driven modes were stable while oblique current-driven modes were unstable. The O(+) and H(+) distributions provide evidence for interactions with local electrostatic ion cyclotron waves and for the H(+)-O(+) two-stream instability at altitudes below the satellite.

Evidence of L-mode electromagnetic wave pumping of ionospheric plasma near geomagnetic zenith

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leyser, Thomas B.; James, H. Gordon; Gustavsson, Björn; Rietveld, Michael T.

2018-02-01

The response of ionospheric plasma to pumping by powerful HF (high frequency) electromagnetic waves transmitted from the ground into the ionosphere is the strongest in the direction of geomagnetic zenith. We present experimental results from transmitting a left-handed circularly polarized HF beam from the EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter association) Heating facility in magnetic zenith. The CASSIOPE (CAScade, Smallsat and IOnospheric Polar Explorer) spacecraft in the topside ionosphere above the F-region density peak detected transionospheric pump radiation, although the pump frequency was below the maximum ionospheric plasma frequency. The pump wave is deduced to arrive at CASSIOPE through L-mode propagation and associated double (O to Z, Z to O) conversion in pump-induced radio windows. L-mode propagation allows the pump wave to reach higher plasma densities and higher ionospheric altitudes than O-mode propagation so that a pump wave in the L-mode can facilitate excitation of upper hybrid phenomena localized in density depletions in a larger altitude range. L-mode propagation is therefore suggested to be important in explaining the magnetic zenith effect.

Excitation of higher radial modes of azimuthal surface waves in the electron cyclotron frequency range by rotating relativistic flow of electrons in cylindrical waveguides partially filled by plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girka, Igor O.; Pavlenko, Ivan V.; Thumm, Manfred

2018-05-01

Azimuthal surface waves are electromagnetic eigenwaves of cylindrical plasma-dielectric waveguides which propagate azimuthally nearby the plasma-dielectric interface across an axial external stationary magnetic field. Their eigenfrequency in particular can belong to the electron cyclotron frequency range. Excitation of azimuthal surface waves by rotating relativistic electron flows was studied in detail recently in the case of the zeroth radial mode for which the waves' radial phase change within the layer where the electrons gyrate is small. In this case, just the plasma parameters cause the main influence on the waves' dispersion properties. In the case of the first and higher radial modes, the wave eigenfrequency is higher and the wavelength is shorter than in the case of the zeroth radial mode. This gain being of interest for practical applications can be achieved without any change in the device design. The possibility of effective excitation of the higher order radial modes of azimuthal surface waves is demonstrated here. Getting shorter wavelengths of the excited waves in the case of higher radial modes is shown to be accompanied by decreasing growth rates of the waves. The results obtained here are of interest for developing new sources of electromagnetic radiation, in nano-physics and in medical physics.

Simultaneous use of camera and probe diagnostics to unambiguously identify and study the dynamics of multiple underlying instabilities during the route to plasma turbulence.

PubMed

Thakur, S C; Brandt, C; Light, A; Cui, L; Gosselin, J J; Tynan, G R

2014-11-01

We use multiple-tip Langmuir probes and fast imaging to unambiguously identify and study the dynamics of underlying instabilities during the controlled route to fully-developed plasma turbulence in a linear magnetized helicon plasma device. Langmuir probes measure radial profiles of electron temperature, plasma density and potential; from which we compute linear growth rates of instabilities, cross-phase between density and potential fluctuations, Reynold's stress, particle flux, vorticity, time-delay estimated velocity, etc. Fast imaging complements the 1D probe measurements by providing temporally and spatially resolved 2D details of plasma structures associated with the instabilities. We find that three radially separated plasma instabilities exist simultaneously. Density gradient driven resistive drift waves propagating in the electron diamagnetic drift direction separate the plasma into an edge region dominated by strong, velocity shear driven Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and a central core region which shows coherent Rayleigh-Taylor modes propagating in the ion diamagnetic drift direction. The simultaneous, complementary use of both probes and camera was crucial to identify the instabilities and understand the details of the very rich plasma dynamics.

Wave-Kinetic Simulations of the Nonlinear Generation of Electromagnetic VLF Waves through Velocity Ring Instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, G.; Crabtree, C. E.; Rudakov, L.; Mithaiwala, M.

2014-12-01

Velocity ring instabilities are a common naturally occuring magnetospheric phenomenon that can also be generated by man made ionospheric experiments. These instabilities are known to generate lower-hybrid waves, which generally cannot propagte out of the source region. However, nonlinear wave physics can convert these linearly driven electrostatic lower-hybrid waves into electromagnetic waves that can escape the source region. These nonlinearly generated waves can be an important source of VLF turbulence that controls the trapped electron lifetime in the radiation belts. We develop numerical solutions to the wave-kinetic equation in a periodic box including the effects of nonlinear (NL) scattering (nonlinear Landau damping) of Lower-hybrid waves giving the evolution of the wave-spectra in wavenumber space. Simultaneously we solve the particle diffusion equation of both the background plasma particles and the ring ions, due to both linear and nonlinear Landau resonances. At initial times for cold ring ions, an electrostatic beam mode is excited, while the kinetic mode is stable. As the instability progresses the ring ions heat, the beam mode is stabilized, and the kinetic mode destabilizes. When the amplitude of the waves becomes sufficient the lower-hybrid waves are scattered (by either nearly unmagnetized ions or magnetized electrons) into electromagnetic magnetosonic waves [Ganguli et al 2010]. The effect of NL scattering is to limit the amplitude of the waves, slowing down the quasilinear relaxation time and ultimately allowing more energy from the ring to be liberated into waves [Mithaiwala et al. 2011]. The effects of convection out of the instability region are modeled, additionally limiting the amplitude of the waves, allowing further energy to be liberated from the ring [Scales et al., 2012]. Results are compared to recent 3D PIC simulations [Winske and Duaghton 2012].

Particle energy distributions and metastable atoms in transient low pressure interpulse microwave plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Shail; Nath Patel, Dudh; Ram Baitha, Anuj; Bhattacharjee, Sudeep

2015-12-01

The electron energies and its distribution function are measured in non-equilibrium transient pulsed microwave plasmas in the interpulse regime using a retarding field electron energy analyzer. The plasmas are driven to different initial conditions by varying the electromagnetic (EM) wave pulse duration, peak power, or the wave frequency. Two cases of wave excitation are investigated: (i) short-pulse (pulse duration, t w ~ 1 μs), high-power (~60 kW) waves of 9.45 GHz and (ii) medium-pulse (t w ~ 20 μs), and moderate power waves of ~3 kW at 2.45 GHz. It is found that high-power, short-duration pulses lead to a significantly different electron energy probability function (EEPF) in the interpulse phase—a Maxwellian with a bump on the tail, although the average energy per pulse (~60 mJ) is maintained the same in the two modes of wave excitation. Electrons with energies  >250 eV are found to exist in the discharge in the both cases. Another subset of experiments is performed to delineate the effect of the wave frequency and the peak power on EEPF. A traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifier based microwave source for generating pulsed plasma (t w  =  230 μs) in a wide frequency range (6-18 GHz) is employed for this purpose. Further experiments on measurements of metastable density using optical emission spectroscopy and ion energy analyzer have been carried out. By tailoring the EEPF of the transient plasma and metastable densities, new applications in plasma processing, chemistry and biology can be realized in the interpulse phase of the discharge.

Polar Plasma Wave Investigation Data Analysis in the Extended Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, Donald A.; Menietti, J. D.

2003-01-01

The low latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is a region where solar wind momentum and energy is transferred to the magnetosphere. Enhanced "broadband" electric plasma waves from less than 5 Hz to l0(exp 5) Hz and magnetic waves from less than 5 Hz to the electron cyclotron frequency are characteristic of the LLBL. Analyses of Polar plasma waves show that these "broadband" waves are actually discrete electrostatic and electromagnetic modes as well as solitary bipolar pulses (electron holes). It is noted that all wave modes can be generated by approx. 100 eV to approx. 10 keV auroral electrons and protons. We will review wave-particle interactions, with focus on cross- diffusion rates and the contributions of such interactions toward the formation of the boundary layer. In summary, we will present a scenario where the global solar wind-magnetosphere interaction is responsible for the auroral zone particle beams, and hence for the generation of plasma waves and the formation of the boundary layer. It is speculated that all planetary magnetospheres will have boundary layers and they will be characterized by similar currents and plasma wave modes.

Polar Plasma Wave Investigation Data Analysis in the Extended Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, Donald A.

2004-01-01

The low latitude boundary layer (LLBL) is a region where solar wind momentum and energy is transferred to the magnetosphere. Enhanced "broadband" electric plasma waves from less than 5 Hz to 10(exp 5) Hz and magnetic waves from less than 5 Hz to the electron cyclotron frequency are characteristic of the LLBL. Analyses of Polar plasma waves show that these "broadband" waves are actually discrete electrostatic and electromagnetic modes as well as solitary bipolar pulses (electron holes). It is noted that all wave modes can be generated by approx. 100 eV to approx. 10 keV auroral electrons and protons. We will review wave-particle interactions, with focus on cross-diffusion rates and the contributions of such interactions toward the formation of the boundary layer. In summary, we will present a scenario where the global solar wind-magnetosphere interaction is responsible for the auroral zone particle beams, and hence for the generation of plasma waves and the formation of the boundary layer. It is speculated that all planetary magnetospheres will have boundary layers and they will be characterized by similar currents and plasma wave modes.

Laser mode conversion into a surface plasma wave in a metal coated optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. S.; Kumar, Gagan; Tripathi, V. K.

2006-07-01

An optical fiber, coated with thin metal film, supports two distinct kinds of waves, viz., body waves that propagate through the fiber as transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric modes, and surface plasma waves that propagate on metal free space interface. When the metal has a ripple of suitable wave number q, a body wave of frequency ω and propagation constant kz induces a current at ω ,kz+q in the ripple region that resonantly derives a surface plasma wave. When the metal surface has metallic particles attached to it and molecules are adsorbed on them, the surface plasma wave undergoes surface enhanced Raman scattering with them. The scattered signals propagate backward as a TM body wave and can be detected.

Z mode radiation in Jupiter's magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennel, C. F.; Chen, R. F.; Moses, S. L.; Coroniti, F.; Kurth, W. S.

1987-01-01

Results of a survey of the Voyager plasma wave instrument wide-band frames that exhibit a narrow-band emission below the low-frequency cutoff of the continuum band are discussed. The analysis of these waves made it possible to identify them as the slow branch of the X mode, the so-called Z mode. As the Voyager 1 spacecraft approached the plasma sheet on March 8, 1979, the Z mode intensified and then disappeared on plasma sheet entry. This observation is interpreted as evidence of local Z mode generation.

Magnetic antenna excitation of whistler modes. III. Group and phase velocities of wave packets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R. L.

2015-07-01

The properties of whistler modes excited by single and multiple magnetic loop antennas have been investigated in a large laboratory plasma. A single loop excites a wavepacket, but an array of loops across the ambient magnetic field B0 excites approximate plane whistler modes. The single loop data are measured. The array patterns are obtained by linear superposition of experimental data shifted in space and time, which is valid in a uniform plasma and magnetic field for small amplitude waves. Phasing the array changes the angle of wave propagation. The antennas are excited by an rf tone burst whose propagating envelope and oscillations yield group and phase velocities. A single loop antenna with dipole moment across B0 excites wave packets whose topology resembles m = 1 helicon modes, but without radial boundaries. The phase surfaces are conical with propagation characteristics of Gendrin modes. The cones form near the antenna with comparable parallel and perpendicular phase velocities. A physical model for the wave excitation is given. When a wave burst is applied to a phased antenna array, the wave front propagates both along the array and into the plasma forming a "whistler wing" at the front. These laboratory observations may be relevant for excitation and detection of whistler modes in space plasmas.

Helicon waves in uniform plasmas. II. High m numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2015-09-01

Helicons are whistler modes with azimuthal wave numbers. They have been studied in solids and plasmas where boundaries play a role. The present work shows that very similar modes exist in unbounded gaseous plasmas. Instead of boundaries, the antenna properties determine the topology of the wave packets. The simplest antenna is a magnetic loop which excites m = 0 or m = 1 helicons depending on whether the dipole moment is aligned parallel or perpendicular to the ambient background magnetic field B0. While these low order helicons have been described by J. M. Urrutia and R. L. Stenzel ["Helicon modes in uniform plasmas. I. Low m modes," Phys. Plasmas 22, 092111 (2015)], the present work focuses on high order modes up to m = 8. These are excited by antenna arrays forming magnetic multipoles. Their wave magnetic field has been measured in space and time in a large and uniform laboratory plasma free of boundary effects. The observed wave topology exhibits m pairs of unique field line spirals which may have inspired the name "helicon" to this mode. All field lines converge into these nested spirals which propagate like corkscrews along B0. The field lines near the axis of helicons are perpendicular to B0 and circularly polarized as in parallel whistlers. Helical antennas couple to these transverse fields but not to the spiral fields of helicons. Using a circular antenna array of phased m = 0 loops, right or left rotating or non-rotating multipole antenna fields are generated. They excite m < 0 and m > 0 modes, showing that the plasma supports both modes equally well. The poor excitation of m < 0 modes is a characteristic of loops with dipole moment across B0. The radiation efficiency of multipole antennas has been found to decrease with m.

Broken degeneracy of low frequency surface waves in semi-bounded quantum plasmas including the quantum recoil effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae

2018-02-01

We present a derivation of the dispersion relation for electrostatic waves propagating at the interface of semi-bounded quantum plasma in which degenerate electrons are governed by the Wigner-Poisson system, while non-degenerate ions follow the classical fluid equations. We consider parameters for metallic plasmas in terms of the ratio of plasmon energy to Fermi energy. The dispersion relation is solved numerically and analyzed for various plasmon energies. The result shows that two-mode of waves can be possible: high- and low-mode. We have found that the degeneracy for high-mode wave would be broken when the plasmon energy is larger than the Fermi energy. We also discuss the characteristics of group velocities for high- and low-mode waves.

Regimes of enhanced electromagnetic emission in beam-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timofeev, I. V.; Annenkov, V. V.; Arzhannikov, A. V.

2015-11-01

The ways to improve the efficiency of electromagnetic waves generation in laboratory experiments with high-current relativistic electron beams injected into a magnetized plasma are discussed. It is known that such a beam can lose, in a plasma, a significant part of its energy by exciting a high level of turbulence and heating plasma electrons. Beam-excited plasma oscillations may simultaneously participate in nonlinear processes resulting in a fundamental and second harmonic emissions. It is obvious, however, that in the developed plasma turbulence the role of these emissions in the total energy balance is always negligible. In this paper, we investigate whether electromagnetic radiation generated in the beam-plasma system can be sufficiently enhanced by the direct linear conversion of resonant beam-driven modes into electromagnetic ones on preformed regular inhomogeneities of plasma density. Due to the high power of relativistic electron beams, the mechanism discussed may become the basis for the generator of powerful sub-terahertz radiation.

Confluence or independence of microwave plasma bullets in atmospheric argon plasma jet plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ping; Chen, Zhaoquan; Mu, Haibao; Xu, Guimin; Yao, Congwei; Sun, Anbang; Zhou, Yuming; Zhang, Guanjun

2018-03-01

Plasma bullet is the formation and propagation of a guided ionization wave (streamer), normally generated in atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). In most cases, only an ionization front produces in a dielectric tube. The present study shows that two or three ionization fronts can be generated in a single quartz tube by using a microwave coaxial resonator. The argon APPJ plumes with a maximum length of 170 mm can be driven by continuous microwaves or microwave pulses. When the input power is higher than 90 W, two or three ionization fronts propagate independently at first; thereafter, they confluence to form a central plasma jet plume. On the other hand, the plasma bullets move independently as the lower input power is applied. For pulsed microwave discharges, the discharge images captured by a fast camera show the ionization process in detail. Another interesting finding is that the strongest lightening plasma jet plumes always appear at the shrinking phase. Both the discharge images and electromagnetic simulations suggest that the confluence or independent propagation of plasma bullets is resonantly excited by the local enhanced electric fields, in terms of wave modes of traveling surface plasmon polaritons.

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

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

Misra, A. P.; Banerjee, S.

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

Robustness of waves with a high phase velocity

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

Tajima, T., E-mail: ttajima@uci.edu; Tri Alpha Energy, Inc., P.O. Box 7010, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688; Necas, A., E-mail: anecas@trialphaenergy.com

Norman Rostoker pioneered research of (1) plasma-driven accelerators and (2) beam-driven fusion reactors. The collective acceleration, coined by Veksler, advocates to drive above-ionization plasma waves by an electron beam to accelerate ions. The research on this, among others, by the Rostoker group incubated the idea that eventually led to the birth of the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA), by which a large and robust accelerating collective fields may be generated in plasma in which plasma remains robust and undisrupted. Besides the emergence of LWFA, the Rostoker research spawned our lessons learned on the importance of adiabatic acceleration of ions in collectivemore » accelerators, including the recent rebirth in laser-driven ion acceleration efforts in a smooth adiabatic fashion by a variety of ingenious methods. Following Rostoker’s research in (2), the beam-driven Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) has accomplished breakthroughs in recent years. The beam-driven kinetic plasma instabilities have been found to drive the reactivity of deuteron-deuteron fusion beyond the thermonuclear yield in C-2U plasma that Rostoker started. This remarkable result in FRCs as well as the above mentioned LWFA may be understood with the aid of the newly introduced idea of the “robustness hypothesis of waves with a high phase velocity”. It posits that when the wave driven by a particle beam (or laser pulse) has a high phase velocity, its amplitude is high without disrupting the supporting bulk plasma. This hypothesis may guide us into more robust and efficient fusion reactors and more compact accelerators.« less

Hybrid simulations of radial transport driven by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delamere, P. A.; Stauffer, B. H.; Ma, X.

2017-12-01

Plasma transport in the rapidly rotating giant magnetospheres is thought to involve a centrifugally-driven flux tube interchange instability, similar to the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. In three dimensions, the convective flow patterns associated with the RT instability can produce strong guide field reconnection, allowing plasma mass to move radially outward while conserving magnetic flux (Ma et al., 2016). We present a set of hybrid (kinetic ion / fluid electron) plasma simulations of the RT instability using high plasma beta conditions appropriate for Jupiter's inner and middle magnetosphere. A density gradient, combined with a centrifugal force, provide appropriate RT onset conditions. Pressure balance is achieved by initializing two ion populations: one with fixed temperature, but varying density, and the other with fixed density, but a temperature gradient that offsets the density gradient from the first population and the centrifugal force (effective gravity). We first analyze two-dimensional results for the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field by comparing growth rates as a function of wave vector following Huba et al. (1998). Prescribed perpendicular wave modes are seeded with an initial velocity perturbation. We then extend the model to three dimensions, introducing a stabilizing parallel wave vector. Boundary conditions in the parallel direction prohibit motion of the magnetic field line footprints to model the eigenmodes of the magnetodisc's resonant cavity. We again compare growth rates based on perpendicular wave number, but also on the parallel extent of the resonant cavity, which fixes the size of the largest parallel wavelength. Finally, we search for evidence of strong guide field magnetic reconnection within the domain by identifying areas with large parallel electric fields or changes in magnetic field topology.

The formation and evolution of reconnection-driven, slow-mode shocks in a partially ionised plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillier, A.; Takasao, S.; Nakamura, N.

2016-06-01

The role of slow-mode magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks in magnetic reconnection is of great importance for energy conversion and transport, but in many astrophysical plasmas the plasma is not fully ionised. In this paper, we use numerical simulations to investigate the role of collisional coupling between a proton-electron, charge-neutral fluid and a neutral hydrogen fluid for the one-dimensional (1D) Riemann problem initiated in a constant pressure and density background state by a discontinuity in the magnetic field. This system, in the MHD limit, is characterised by two waves. The first is a fast-mode rarefaction wave that drives a flow towards a slow-mode MHD shock wave. The system evolves through four stages: initiation, weak coupling, intermediate coupling, and a quasi-steady state. The initial stages are characterised by an over-pressured neutral region that expands with characteristics of a blast wave. In the later stages, the system tends towards a self-similar solution where the main drift velocity is concentrated in the thin region of the shock front. Because of the nature of the system, the neutral fluid is overpressured by the shock when compared to a purely hydrodynamic shock, which results in the neutral fluid expanding to form the shock precursor. Once it has formed, the thickness of the shock front is proportional to ξ I-1.2 , which is a smaller exponent than would be naively expected from simple scaling arguments. One interesting result is that the shock front is a continuous transition of the physical variables of subsonic velocity upstream of the shock front (a c-shock) to a sharp jump in the physical variables followed by a relaxation to the downstream values for supersonic upstream velocity (a j-shock). The frictional heating that results from the velocity drift across the shock front can amount to ~2 per cent of the reference magnetic energy.

Open Boundary Particle-in-Cell Simulation of Dipolarization Front Propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimas, Alex; Hwang, Kyoung-Joo; Vinas, Adolfo F.; Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2014-01-01

First results are presented from an ongoing open boundary 2-1/2D particle-in-cell simulation study of dipolarization front (DF) propagation in Earth's magnetotail. At this stage, this study is focused on the compression, or pileup, region preceding the DF current sheet. We find that the earthward acceleration of the plasma in this region is in general agreement with a recent DF force balance model. A gyrophase bunched reflected ion population at the leading edge of the pileup region is reflected by a normal electric field in the pileup region itself, rather than through an interaction with the current sheet. We discuss plasma wave activity at the leading edge of the pileup region that may be driven by gradients, or by reflected ions, or both; the mode has not been identified. The waves oscillate near but above the ion cyclotron frequency with wavelength several ion inertial lengths. We show that the waves oscillate primarily in the perpendicular magnetic field components, do not propagate along the background magnetic field, are right handed elliptically (close to circularly) polarized, exist in a region of high electron and ion beta, and are stationary in the plasma frame moving earthward. We discuss the possibility that the waves are present in plasma sheet data, but have not, thus far, been discovered.

Two-dimensional numerical simulation of O-mode to Z-mode conversion in the ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannon, P. D.; Honary, F.; Borisov, N.

2016-03-01

Experiments in the illumination of the F region of the ionosphere via radio frequency waves polarized in the ordinary mode (O-mode) have revealed that the magnitude of artificial heating-induced effects depends strongly on the inclination angle of the pump beam, with a greater modification to the plasma observed when the heating beam is directed close to or along the magnetic zenith direction. Numerical simulations performed using a recently developed finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) code are used to investigate the contribution of the O-mode to Z-mode conversion process to this effect. The aspect angle dependence and angular size of the radio window for which conversion of an O-mode pump wave to the Z-mode occurs is simulated for a variety of plasma density profiles including 2-D linear gradients representative of large-scale plasma depletions, density-depleted plasma ducts, and periodic field-aligned irregularities. The angular shape of the conversion window is found to be strongly influenced by the background plasma profile. If the Z-mode wave is reflected, it can propagate back toward the O-mode reflection region leading to resonant enhancement of the electric field in this region. Simulation results presented in this paper demonstrate that this process can make a significant contribution to the magnitude of electron density depletion and temperature enhancement around the resonance height and contributes to a strong dependence of the magnitude of plasma perturbation with the direction of the pump wave.

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.

Self-consistent discharge growing model of helicon plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isayama, Shogo; Hada, Tohru; Shinohara, Shunjiro; Tanikawa, Takao

2015-11-01

Helicon plasma is a high-density and low-temperature plasma generated by the electromagnetic (Helicon) wave excited in the plasma. It is thought to be useful for various applications including electric thrusters. Physics of helicon plasma production involves such fundamental processes as the wave propagation (dispersion relation), collisional and non-collisional wave damping, plasma heating, ionization/recombination of neutral particles, and modification of the dispersion relation by newly ionized plasma. There remain a number of unsolved physical issues such as, how the Helicon and the TG modes influence the plasma density, electron temperature and their spatial profiles. While the Helicon mode is absorbed in the bulk plasma, the TG mode is mostly absorbed near the edge of the plasma. The local power deposition in the helicon plasma is mostly balanced by collisional loss. This local power balance can give rise to the inhomogeneous electron temperature profile that leads to time evolution of density profile and dispersion relation. In our study, we construct a self-consistent model of the discharge evolution that includes the wave excitation, electron heat transfer, and diffusion of charged particles.

Collisional relaxation of an isotopic, strongly magnetized pure ion plasma and topics in resonant wave-particle interaction of plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung

First in Chapter 2, we discuss the collisional relaxation of a strongly magnetized pure ion plasma that is composed of two species with slightly different masses, but both with singly-ionized atoms. In a limit of high cyclotron frequencies O j, the total cyclotron action Ij for the two species are adiabatic invariants. In a few collisions, maximizing entropy yields a modified Gibbs distribution of the form exp[-H/T ∥-alpha1 I 1-alpha2I2]. Here, H is the total Hamiltonian and alphaj's are related to parallel and perpendicular temperatures through T ⊥j=(1/T∥ +alphaj/Oj) -1. On a longer timescale, the two species share action so that alpha 1 and alpha2 relax to a common value alpha. On an even longer timescale, the total action ceases to be a constant of the motion and alpha relaxes to zero. Next, weak transport produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the pure electron plasma core, and the m = 1 mode begins to damp algebraically when the halo reaches the wall. The damping rate is proportional to the particle flux through the resonant layer at the wall. Chapter 3 explains analytically the new algebraic damping due to both mobility and diffusion transport. Electrons swept around the resonant "cat's eye" orbits form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution, setting up a field that produces ExB-drift of the core back to the axis, that is, damps the mode. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a simple mechanistic interpretation of the resonant wave-particle interaction of Landau. For the simple case of a Vlasov plasma oscillation, the non-resonant electrons are driven resonantly by the bare electric field from the resonant electrons, and this complex driver field is of a phase to reduce the oscillation amplitude. The wave-particle resonant interaction also occurs in 2D ExB-drift waves, such as a diocotron wave. In this case, the bare electric field from the resonant electrons causes ExB-drift motion back in the core plasma, thus damping the wave.

Effect of Transport Coefficients on Excitation of Flare-induced Standing Slow-mode Waves in Coronal Loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tongjiang; Ofman, Leon; Sun, Xudong; Solanki, Sami K.; Davila, Joseph M.

2018-06-01

Standing slow-mode waves have been recently observed in flaring loops by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. By means of the coronal seismology technique, transport coefficients in hot (∼10 MK) plasma were determined by Wang et al., revealing that thermal conductivity is nearly suppressed and compressive viscosity is enhanced by more than an order of magnitude. In this study, we use 1D nonlinear MHD simulations to validate the predicted results from the linear theory and investigate the standing slow-mode wave excitation mechanism. We first explore the wave trigger based on the magnetic field extrapolation and flare emission features. Using a flow pulse driven at one footpoint, we simulate the wave excitation in two types of loop models: Model 1 with the classical transport coefficients and Model 2 with the seismology-determined transport coefficients. We find that Model 2 can form the standing wave pattern (within about one period) from initial propagating disturbances much faster than Model 1, in better agreement with the observations. Simulations of the harmonic waves and the Fourier decomposition analysis show that the scaling law between damping time (τ) and wave period (P) follows τ ∝ P 2 in Model 2, while τ ∝ P in Model 1. This indicates that the largely enhanced viscosity efficiently increases the dissipation of higher harmonic components, favoring the quick formation of the fundamental standing mode. Our study suggests that observational constraints on the transport coefficients are important in understanding both the wave excitation and damping mechanisms.

Whistlers, helicons, and lower hybrid waves: The physics of radio frequency wave propagation and absorption for current drive via Landau damping

DOE PAGES

Pinsker, Robert I.

2015-09-24

This introductory-level tutorial article describes the application of plasma waves in the lower hybrid range of frequencies for current drive in tokamaks. Wave damping mechanisms in a nearly collisionless hot magnetized plasma are briefly described, and the connections between the properties of the damping mechanisms and the optimal choices of wave properties (mode, frequency, wavelength) are explored. The two wave modes available for current drive in the lower hybrid range of frequencies (LHRF) are described and compared. The terms applied to these waves in different applications of plasma physics are elucidated. Here, the character of the ray paths of thesemore » waves in the LHRF is illustrated in slab and toroidal geometries. An upcoming experiment on one of these two wave modes, the “helicon” or “whistler”, to be carried out on the DIII-D tokamak, is described.« less

Exciting Alfven Waves using Modulated Electron Heating by High Power Microwaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2014-10-01

Experiments exploring the physics of ionospheric modification with intense perpendicular propagating waves (k-> ⊥B->0) on the Large Plasma Device (LaPD) at UCLA have been upgraded with the addition of a high power rapidly pulsed microwave source. The plasma is irradiated with ten pulses (250 kW X-band) near the upper-hybrid frequency. The pulses are modulated at a frequency of a fraction (0.1-1.0) of fci (ion cyclotron frequency). Based on a previous single-pulse experiment, the modulated electron heating may drive a large amplitude shear Alfvén wave (f

Study of Complex Plasmas with Magnetic Dipoles

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-10

variety of collective behavior manifested in a plasma, especially oscillations or waves characterized by high frequency accompanied by the motion of...behavior manifested in a plasma, especially oscillations or waves characterized by high frequency accompanied by the motion of electrons and/or ions...particles characterized by extremely low frequency modes and the collection of plasma particles characterized by high frequency modes. The interaction of

Whistler mode waves in the Jovian magnetosheath

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Naiguo; Kellogg, P. J.; Thiessen, J. P.; Lengyel-Frey, D.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Phillips, J. L.

1994-01-01

During the Ulysses flyby of Jupiter in February 1992, the spacecraft traversed the Jovian magnetosheath for a few hours during the inbound pass and for aa few days during the outbound pass. Burstlike electomagnetic waves at frequencies of approximately 0.1-0.4 of the local electron cyclotron frequency have been observed by the Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) experiement. The waves were more often observed in the regions which were probably the outer or the middle magnetosheath, especially near the bow shock, and rarely seen in the magnetosphere/magnetosheath boundary layer. The propagation angles of the waves are estimated by comparing the measurements of the wave electric and magnetic fields in the spacecraft spin plane with the corresponding values calculated using the cold plasma dispersion relation under local field and plasma conditions. It is found that the waves propagate obliquely with wave angles between approximately 30 deg and 50 deg. These waves are likely to be the whistler mode waves which are excited by suprathermal electrons with a few hundred eV and a slight anisotropy (T(sub perp)/T(sub parallel) approximately 1.1-1.5). They are probably similar in nature to the lion roars observed in the Earth's magnetosheath. Signature of coupling between the mirror and the whistler mode have also been observed. The plasma conditions which favor the excitation of the whistler mode instability during the wave events exists as observed by the plasma experiement of Ulysses.

Electrostatic trapping as a key to the dynamics of plasmas, fluids and other collective systems [review article

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luque, A.; Schamel, H.

2005-08-01

This review article focusses on the phenomenon of collective particle trapping in dilute plasmas and related fluid-like systems. A coherent electrostatic wave or fluctuation, being excited by some mechanism in a plasma, is able to trap collectively charged particles in its potential trough(s) with the ultimate feedback of stabilizing and manipulating the original cause of growth. This phenomenon is well-known from particle simulations of a current-driven two-stream instability and its subsequent quenching by particle trapping. But also the nonlinear Landau damping process resulting in a BGK-like (Bernstein, Green, Kruskal) trapped particle mode sets an example. However, as shown in this report, already a slightly driven plasma has many possibilities of generating trapped particle modes-the mentioned cases representing only two examples-through which it generally becomes nonlinearly unstable. A direct consequence of this feedback of particle trapping is that the macroscopic (dielectric) properties of such a structured plasma may have changed fundamentally such that the relationship to what is known from linear wave theory is lost. We, hence, have to deal with a nonlinear kinetic description which, in case of a collisionless, electrostatic plasma, is the Vlasov-Poisson description. The present report is devoted to a large extent to a 1D Vlasov-Poisson system but also consequences for other physical systems will be derived and mentioned. These and other findings will be developed in some detail culminating in a new paradigm for plasma stability which says: a current-carrying plasma is nonlinearly unstable in a much wider region of parameter space than predicted by linear wave theory with the consequence that the associated turbulence and anomalous transport are triggered much easier than suggested by standard linear wave analysis. Responsible for this new scenario are localized trapped particle modes-more specifically electron and ion holes of zero or negative energy-which are found to be excited well below the threshold of linear instability. In other words, a current-driven plasma shows a much larger sensibility to fluctuations than thought before and described in textbooks. The analysis presented reveals that a plasma, becoming structured by the generation of such modes, resides in a lower free energy state than the one without structures, being therefore in a preferred state that acts as an attractor in the system. Holes having this property will be briefly called negative energy holes (NEHs). For example, zero or negative energy ion holes are found to exist for any drift velocity between electrons and ions and for any temperature ratio. Two independent codes, a Vlasov-code and a PIC-(particle in cell)code, are used to approve this new scenario of instability. Moreover, by adding a Fokker-Planck collision term to the Vlasov-code, holes are shown to resist weak collisions, turn out to be robust and not only found in purely collisionless plasmas and cause an increase of resistivity. A natural outcome of this scenario, therefore, is that whenever free (kinetic) energy is available, holes (and double layers) are necessarily excited, penetrating intermittently the plasma. Satellite measurements, yielding holes and double layers as the most omnipresent structures found in space, provide a typical example. Having investigated classical plasmas this way, we show that many of these innovations can be transferred to other systems, as well. First, we perform a quantum-correction to electron holes by using the Wigner-Moyal description of quantum mechanics in phase-space. As a result we get a weakening of the hole for which tunneling of particles across the separatrix of the unperturbed, deterministic classical hole equilibrium is responsible. The formalism is then used to find a link between hole structures in classical plasmas and envelope solitons in nonlinear optical media. This gives rise to a new approximation method for wave envelope solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which utilizes quasi-particle trapping and may be valuable in cases of nonlinearties for which a direct solution is missing. Another important application are particle beams in circular accelerators and storage rings. We prove analytically the existence of localized and periodic structures in coasting beams, as have been found experimentally for instance at Fermilab and at CERN, which are quite analogous to holes in classical plasmas. We also present an improved criterion for focusing. For bunched beams we describe and apply an iterative numerical procedure to find solitary hump and hole structures superimposed on the particle bunch, the former of which having been found recently in the Relativistic Hadron-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven. Finally, we stress the mathematical equivalence between the 1D Vlasov-Poisson system and the equations describing a 2D incompressible, ideal fluid or the perpendicular dynamics of a strongly magnetized plasma in fluid or MHD approximation and other more complex fluids, such as rotating fluids, inhomogeneous plasmas, etc. This implies that tiny fluid elements trapped in coherent patches of shear flow motion, such as in secondary (tertiary) states that govern the transition to turbulence in ordinary hydrodynamics, do play a similar role than trapped particles in electrostatic waves, violating any linear wave ansatz. Or, said in different words, whenever a continues spectrum arises in a linearized fluid-like system associated with singular perturbations and a resonance between (quasi-)particles and the field, one has to consider this as a hint that the neglect of nonlinearity is not justified and that nonlinear wave solutions have to be taken into account in describing the evolution of the system correctly. This statement holds true already at an infinitesimal energy level of the coherent perturbations. Nonlinearity, and with it trapping structures, turns out to be a necessary requisite in all stages of the dynamical evolution not only at finite wave amplitudes, as commonly believed. In conclusion, in this report we emphasize the importance of collective trapping in (nearly) ideal plasmas and related systems bringing in at any level of wave activity a fundamental nonlinearity which is missed in standard linear wave theories as described in textbooks. The associated trapped particle modes challenge standard flow theories playing a key role in the interpretation of turbulence and anomalous transport.

Slow Magnetosonic Waves and Fast Flows in Active Region Loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, L.; Wang, T. J.; Davila, J. M.

2012-01-01

Recent extreme ultraviolet spectroscopic observations indicate that slow magnetosonic waves are present in active region (AR) loops. Some of the spectral data were also interpreted as evidence of fast (approx 100-300 km/s) quasiperiodic flows. We have performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (3D MHD) modeling of a bipolar AR that contains impulsively generated waves and flows in coronal loops. The model AR is initiated with a dipole magnetic field and gravitationally stratified density, with an upflow-driven steadily or periodically in localized regions at the footpoints of magnetic loops. The resulting flows along the magnetic field lines of the AR produce higher density loops compared to the surrounding plasma by injection of material into the flux tubes and the establishment of siphon flow.We find that the impulsive onset of flows with subsonic speeds result in the excitation of damped slow magnetosonic waves that propagate along the loops and coupled nonlinearly driven fast-mode waves. The phase speed of the slow magnetosonic waves is close to the coronal sound speed. When the amplitude of the driving pulses is increased we find that slow shock-like wave trains are produced. When the upflows are driven periodically, undamped oscillations are produced with periods determined by the periodicity of the upflows. Based on the results of the 3D MHD model we suggest that the observed slow magnetosonic waves and persistent upflows may be produced by the same impulsive events at the bases of ARs.

Resonance in fast-wave amplitude in the periphery of cylindrical plasmas and application to edge losses of wave heating power in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Perkins, R. J.; Hosea, J. C.; Bertelli, N.; ...

2016-07-01

Heating magnetically confined plasmas using waves in the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies typically requires coupling these waves over a steep density gradient. Furthermore, this process has produced an unexpected and deleterious phenomenon on the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX): a prompt loss of wave power along magnetic field lines in front of the antenna to the divertor. Understanding this loss may be key to achieving effective heating and expanding the operational space of NSTX-Upgrade. Here, we propose that a new type of mode, which conducts a significant fraction of the total wave power in the low-density peripheral plasma, is drivingmore » these losses. We demonstrate the existence of such modes, which are distinct from surface modes and coaxial modes, in a cylindrical cold-plasma model when a half wavelength structure fits into the region outside the core plasma. The latter condition generalizes the previous hypothesis regarding the occurence of the edge losses and may explain why full-wave simulations predict these losses in some cases but not others. If valid, this condition implies that outer gap control is a potential strategy for mitigating the losses in NSTX-Upgrade in addition to raising the magnetic field or influencing the edge density.« less

Energy loss of solar p modes due to the excitation of magnetic sausage tube waves: Importance of coupling the upper atmosphere

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

Gascoyne, A.; Jain, R.; Hindman, B. W., E-mail: a.d.gascoyne@sheffield.ac.uk, E-mail: r.jain@sheffield.ac.uk

2014-07-10

We consider damping and absorption of solar p modes due to their energy loss to magnetic tube waves that can freely carry energy out of the acoustic cavity. The coupling of p modes and sausage tube waves is studied in a model atmosphere composed of a polytropic interior above which lies an isothermal upper atmosphere. The sausage tube waves, excited by p modes, propagate along a magnetic fibril which is assumed to be a vertically aligned, stratified, thin magnetic flux tube. The deficit of p-mode energy is quantified through the damping rate, Γ, and absorption coefficient, α. The variation ofmore » Γ and α as a function of frequency and the tube's plasma properties is studied in detail. Previous similar studies have considered only a subphotospheric layer, modeled as a polytrope that has been truncated at the photosphere. Such studies have found that the resulting energy loss by the p modes is very sensitive to the upper boundary condition, which, due to the lack of an upper atmosphere, have been imposed in a somewhat ad hoc manner. The model presented here avoids such problems by using an isothermal layer to model the overlying atmosphere (chromosphere, and, consequently, allows us to analyze the propagation of p-mode-driven sausage waves above the photosphere. In this paper, we restrict our attention to frequencies below the acoustic cut off frequency. We demonstrate the importance of coupling all waves (acoustic, magnetic) in the subsurface solar atmosphere with the overlying atmosphere in order to accurately model the interaction of solar f and p modes with sausage tube waves. In calculating the absorption and damping of p modes, we find that for low frequencies, below ≈3.5 mHz, the isothermal atmosphere, for the two-region model, behaves like a stress-free boundary condition applied at the interface (z = –z{sub 0}).« less

Energy Loss of Solar p Modes due to the Excitation of Magnetic Sausage Tube Waves: Importance of Coupling the Upper Atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gascoyne, A.; Jain, R.; Hindman, B. W.

2014-07-01

We consider damping and absorption of solar p modes due to their energy loss to magnetic tube waves that can freely carry energy out of the acoustic cavity. The coupling of p modes and sausage tube waves is studied in a model atmosphere composed of a polytropic interior above which lies an isothermal upper atmosphere. The sausage tube waves, excited by p modes, propagate along a magnetic fibril which is assumed to be a vertically aligned, stratified, thin magnetic flux tube. The deficit of p-mode energy is quantified through the damping rate, Γ, and absorption coefficient, α. The variation of Γ and α as a function of frequency and the tube's plasma properties is studied in detail. Previous similar studies have considered only a subphotospheric layer, modeled as a polytrope that has been truncated at the photosphere. Such studies have found that the resulting energy loss by the p modes is very sensitive to the upper boundary condition, which, due to the lack of an upper atmosphere, have been imposed in a somewhat ad hoc manner. The model presented here avoids such problems by using an isothermal layer to model the overlying atmosphere (chromosphere, and, consequently, allows us to analyze the propagation of p-mode-driven sausage waves above the photosphere. In this paper, we restrict our attention to frequencies below the acoustic cut off frequency. We demonstrate the importance of coupling all waves (acoustic, magnetic) in the subsurface solar atmosphere with the overlying atmosphere in order to accurately model the interaction of solar f and p modes with sausage tube waves. In calculating the absorption and damping of p modes, we find that for low frequencies, below ≈3.5 mHz, the isothermal atmosphere, for the two-region model, behaves like a stress-free boundary condition applied at the interface (z = -z 0).

Direct ion heating in overdense plasmas through the Brillouin instability driven by relativistic whistler waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Takayoshi; Hata, Masayasu; Iwata, Natsumi; Mima, Kunioki; Sentoku, Yasuhiko

2017-10-01

Strong magnetic fields over kilo-Tesla have been available in the laboratory by the use of ultra-intense lasers. It would be interesting to apply those strong fields to other laser experiments such as the inertial confinement fusion and laboratory astrophysics. The characteristics of laser-plasma interactions could be modified significantly by the presence of such strong magnetic fields. We investigate electromagnetic wave propagation in overdense plasmas along the magnetic field for a right-hand circularly polarized wave by PIC simulations. Since the whistler mode has no cutoff density, it can penetrate into overdense plasmas and interact directly with charged particles there. When the external field strength is near a critical value defined by that the cyclotron frequency is equal to the laser one, it is reported that electrons are accelerated efficiently by the cyclotron resonance. However, if the field strength is far beyond the critical value, the cyclotron resonance is inefficient, while the ions gain a large amount of energy directly from the laser light owning to the Brillouin scattering. As the result, only ions are heated up selectively. We will discuss about the application of this ion heating in dense plasmas. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K21767.

3D effects on transport and plasma control in the TJ-II stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castejón, F.; Alegre, D.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, J.; Ascasíbar, E.; Baciero, A.; de Bustos, A.; Baiao, D.; Barcala, J. M.; Blanco, E.; Borchardt, M.; Botija, J.; Cabrera, S.; de la Cal, E.; Calvo, I.; Cappa, A.; Carrasco, R.; Castro, R.; De Castro, A.; Catalán, G.; Chmyga, A. A.; Chamorro, M.; Dinklage, A.; Eliseev, L.; Estrada, T.; Fernández-Marina, F.; Fontdecaba, J. M.; García, L.; García-Cortés, I.; García-Gómez, R.; García-Regaña, J. M.; Guasp, J.; Hatzky, R.; Hernanz, J.; Hernández, J.; Herranz, J.; Hidalgo, C.; Hollmann, E.; Jiménez-Denche, A.; Kirpitchev, I.; Kleiber, R.; Komarov, A. D.; Kozachoek, A. S.; Krupnik, L.; Lapayese, F.; Liniers, M.; Liu, B.; López-Bruna, D.; López-Fraguas, A.; López-Miranda, B.; López-Razola, J.; Losada, U.; de la Luna, E.; Martín de Aguilera, A.; Martín-Díaz, F.; Martínez, M.; Martín-Gómez, G.; Martín-Hernández, F.; Martín-Rojo, A. B.; Martínez-Fernández, J.; McCarthy, K. J.; Medina, F.; Medrano, M.; Melón, L.; Melnikov, A. V.; Méndez, P.; Merino, R.; Miguel, F. J.; van Milligen, B.; Molinero, A.; Momo, B.; Monreal, P.; Moreno, R.; Navarro, M.; Narushima, Y.; Nedzelskiy, I. S.; Ochando, M. A.; Olivares, J.; Oyarzábal, E.; de Pablos, J. L.; Pacios, L.; Panadero, N.; Pastor, I.; Pedrosa, M. A.; de la Peña, A.; Pereira, A.; Petrov, A.; Petrov, S.; Portas, A. B.; Poveda, E.; Rattá, G. A.; Rincón, E.; Ríos, L.; Rodríguez, C.; Rojo, B.; Ros, A.; Sánchez, J.; Sánchez, M.; Sánchez, E.; Sánchez-Sarabia, E.; Sarksian, K.; Satake, S.; Sebastián, J. A.; Silva, C.; Solano, E. R.; Soleto, A.; Sun, B. J.; Tabarés, F. L.; Tafalla, D.; Tallents, S.; Tolkachev, A.; Vega, J.; Velasco, G.; Velasco, J. L.; Wolfers, G.; Yokoyama, M.; Zurro, B.

2017-10-01

The effects of 3D geometry are explored in TJ-II from two relevant points of view: neoclassical transport and modification of stability and dispersion relation of waves. Particle fuelling and impurity transport are studied considering the 3D transport properties, paying attention to both neoclassical transport and other possible mechanisms. The effects of the 3D magnetic topology on stability, confinement and Alfvén Eigenmodes properties are also explored, showing the possibility of controlling Alfvén modes by modifying the configuration; the onset of modes similar to geodesic acoustic modes are driven by fast electrons or fast ions; and the weak effect of magnetic well on confinement. Finally, we show innovative power exhaust scenarios using liquid metals.

Degenerate pressure driven modified nucleus-acoustic waves in degenerate plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, A. A.

2018-02-01

The existence of degenerate pressure driven modified nucleus-acoustic (DPDMNA) waves propagating in a cold degenerate quantum plasma (DQP) system [containing cold inertialess degenerate electron species (DES), cold inertial non-degenerate light nucleus species (LNS), and stationary heavy nucleus species (HNS)] is predicted for the first time. The DPDMNA waves (in which the mass density of the cold LNS provides the inertia and the cold inertialess DES gives rise to the restoring force) are new since they completely disappear if the degenerate pressure of the cold DES is neglected. It is found that the phase speed (Vp) of the DPDMNA waves decreases with the rise of the charge number density of the stationary HNS for both non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic DES, and that the ultra-relativistic DES does not have any effect on Vp when β = 1, where β = Λc/Λe with Λ e = ne 0 - 1 / 3 being the average inter-electron distance in the DQP system and Λc being the constant (˜10-10 cm) for the DES. However, the ultra-relativistic DES does have quite a significant effect on Vp for β ≫ 1 and β ≪ 1, and the ultra-relativistic effect significantly enhances (reduces) Vp for β ≫ 1 (β ≪ 1). The DPDMNA waves and their dispersion properties are expected to be useful in understanding the basic features of the electrostatic perturbation mode in space and laboratory DQP systems.

New aspects of whistler waves driven by an electron beam studied by a 3-D electromagnetic code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, Ken-Ichi; Buneman, Oscar; Neubert, Torsten

1994-01-01

We have restudied electron beam driven whistler waves with a 3-D electromagnetic particle code. The simulation results show electromagnetic whistler wave emissions and electrostatic beam modes like those observed in the Spacelab 2 electron beam experiment. It has been suggested in the past that the spatial bunching of beam electrons associated with the beam mode may directly generate whistler waves. However, the simulation results indicate several inconsistencies with this picture: (1) whistler waves continue to be generated even after the beam mode space charge modulation looses its coherence, (2) the parallel (to the background magnetic field) wavelength of the whistler wave is longer than that of the beam instability, and (3) the parallel phase velocity of the whistler wave is smaller than that of the beam mode. The complex structure of the whistler waves in the vicinity of the beam suggest that the transverse motion (gyration) of the beam and background electrons is also involved in the generation of whistler waves.

Nonlinear Evolution of Short-wavelength Torsional Alfvén Waves

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

Shestov, S. V.; Nakariakov, V. M.; Ulyanov, A. S.

2017-05-10

We analyze nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low- β plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform a numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, which constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube wave, andmore » also transverse flows in the radial direction, associated with sausage fast magnetoacoustic modes. In addition, the nonlinear torsional wave steepens and its propagation speed increases. The latter effect leads to the progressive distortion of the torsional wave front, i.e., nonlinear phase mixing. Because of the intrinsic non-uniformity of the torsional wave amplitude across the tube radius, the nonlinear effects are more pronounced in regions with higher wave amplitudes. They are always absent at the axes of the flux tube. In the case of a linear radial profile of the wave amplitude, the nonlinear effects are localized in an annulus region near the tube boundary. Thus, the parallel compressive flows driven by torsional Alfvén waves in the solar and stellar coronae, are essentially non-uniform in the perpendicular direction. The presence of additional sinks for the wave energy reduces the efficiency of the nonlinear parallel cascade in torsional Alfvén waves.« less

Nonlinear Evolution of Short-wavelength Torsional Alfvén Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestov, S. V.; Nakariakov, V. M.; Ulyanov, A. S.; Reva, A. A.; Kuzin, S. V.

2017-05-01

We analyze nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low-β plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform a numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, which constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube wave, and also transverse flows in the radial direction, associated with sausage fast magnetoacoustic modes. In addition, the nonlinear torsional wave steepens and its propagation speed increases. The latter effect leads to the progressive distortion of the torsional wave front, I.e., nonlinear phase mixing. Because of the intrinsic non-uniformity of the torsional wave amplitude across the tube radius, the nonlinear effects are more pronounced in regions with higher wave amplitudes. They are always absent at the axes of the flux tube. In the case of a linear radial profile of the wave amplitude, the nonlinear effects are localized in an annulus region near the tube boundary. Thus, the parallel compressive flows driven by torsional Alfvén waves in the solar and stellar coronae, are essentially non-uniform in the perpendicular direction. The presence of additional sinks for the wave energy reduces the efficiency of the nonlinear parallel cascade in torsional Alfvén waves.

Axial plasma detachment in helicon plasmas during a global transition due to spontaneous self organization: instabilities, bifurcation and the helicon core formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty Thakur, Saikat; Hong, Rongjie; Tynan, George

2017-10-01

We observe axial plasma detachment in a helicon plasma device that occurs simultaneously along with a spontaneous, self-organized global transition in the plasma dynamics via a transport bifurcation with strong hysteresis, at a certain B_crit. For B B_crit, the plasma exhibits steepened density and ion temperature gradients, strong shearing in the azimuthal and parallel velocities, and multiple, simultaneously present, radially separated plasma instabilities. The axial detachment also follows the same hysteresis curves associated with the transport bifurcation that led to the transition. The value of B_crit depends on the source parameters (pressure, gas flow rate, rf power etc.). This study allows access to new regimes to study plasma turbulence and transport as well as plasma detachment and helicon core formation. We find that the plasma can exist in more than one type of helicon modes.

Stability of plasma cylinder with current in a helical plasma flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonovich, Anatoly S.; Kozlov, Daniil A.; Zong, Qiugang

2018-04-01

Stability of a plasma cylinder with a current wrapped by a helical plasma flow is studied. Unstable surface modes of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations develop at the boundary of the cylinder enwrapped by the plasma flow. Unstable eigenmodes can also develop for which the plasma cylinder is a waveguide. The growth rate of the surface modes is much higher than that for the eigenmodes. It is shown that the asymmetric MHD modes in the plasma cylinder are stable if the velocity of the plasma flow is below a certain threshold. Such a plasma flow velocity threshold is absent for the symmetric modes. They are unstable in any arbitrarily slow plasma flows. For all surface modes there is an upper threshold for the flow velocity above which they are stable. The helicity index of the flow around the plasma cylinder significantly affects both the Mach number dependence of the surface wave growth rate and the velocity threshold values. The higher the index, the lower the upper threshold of the velocity jump above which the surface waves become stable. Calculations have been carried out for the growth rates of unstable oscillations in an equilibrium plasma cylinder with current serving as a model of the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) of the Earth's magnetic tail. A tangential discontinuity model is used to simulate the geomagnetic tail boundary. It is shown that the magnetopause in the geotail LLBL is unstable to a surface wave (having the highest growth rate) in low- and medium-speed solar wind flows, but becomes stable to this wave in high-speed flows. However, it can remain weakly unstable to the radiative modes of MHD oscillations.

Small amplitude waves and linear firehose and mirror instabilities in rotating polytropic quantum plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhakta, S.; Prajapati, R. P.; Dolai, B.

2017-08-01

The small amplitude quantum magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) waves and linear firehose and mirror instabilities in uniformly rotating dense quantum plasma have been investigated using generalized polytropic pressure laws. The QMHD model and Chew-Goldberger-Low (CGL) set of equations are used to formulate the basic equations of the problem. The general dispersion relation is derived using normal mode analysis which is discussed in parallel, transverse, and oblique wave propagations. The fast, slow, and intermediate QMHD wave modes and linear firehose and mirror instabilities are analyzed for isotropic MHD and CGL quantum fluid plasmas. The firehose instability remains unaffected while the mirror instability is modified by polytropic exponents and quantum diffraction parameter. The graphical illustrations show that quantum corrections have a stabilizing influence on the mirror instability. The presence of uniform rotation stabilizes while quantum corrections destabilize the growth rate of the system. It is also observed that the growth rate stabilizes much faster in parallel wave propagation in comparison to the transverse mode of propagation. The quantum corrections and polytropic exponents also modify the pseudo-MHD and reverse-MHD modes in dense quantum plasma. The phase speed (Friedrichs) diagrams of slow, fast, and intermediate wave modes are illustrated for isotropic MHD and double adiabatic MHD or CGL quantum plasmas, where the significant role of magnetic field and quantum diffraction parameters on the phase speed is observed.

The LTX- β Research Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeski, R.; Bell, R. E.; Boyle, D. P.; Hughes, P. E.; Kaita, R.; Kozub, T.; Merino, E.; Zhang, X.; Biewer, T. M.; Canik, J. M.; Elliott, D. B.; Reinke, M. L.; Bialek, J.; Hansen, C.; Jarboe, T.; Kubota, S.; Rhodes, T.; Dorf, M. A.; Rognlien, T.; Scotti, F.; Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Koel, B. E.; Donovan, D.; Maan, A.

2017-10-01

LTX- β, the upgrade to the Lithium Tokamak Experiment, approximately doubles the toroidal field (to 3.4 kG) and plasma current (to 150 - 175 kA) of LTX. Neutral beam injection at 20 kV, 30 A will be added in February 2018, with systems provided by Tri-Alpha Energy. A 9.3 GHz, 100 kW, short-pulse (5-10 msec) source will be available in summer 2018 for electron Bernstein wave heating. New lithium evaporation sources will allow between-shots recoating of the walls. Upgrades to the diagnostic set are intended to strengthen the research program in the critical areas of equilibrium, core transport, scrape-off layer physics, and plasma-material interactions. The LTX- β research program will combine the capability for gradient-free temperature profiles, to stabilize ion and electron temperature gradient-driven modes, with approaches to stabilization of ∇n-driven modes, such as the trapped electron mode (TEM). Candidate stabilization mechanisms for the TEM include sheared flow stabilization, which can be tested on LTX- β. The goal will be to minimize anomalous transport in a low aspect ratio tokamak, which would lead to a very compact, tokamak-based fusion core. This work supported by US DOE contracts DE-AC02-09CH11466 and DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Sheaths: A Comparison of Magnetospheric, ICME, and Heliospheric Sheaths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibeck, D. G.; Richardson, J. D.; Liu, W.

2007-01-01

When a supersonic flow encounters an obstacles, shocks form to divert the flow around the obstacle. The region between the shock and the obstacle is the sheath, where the supersonic flow is compressed, heated, decelerated, and deflected. Supersonic flows, obstacles, and thus sheaths are observed on many scales throughout the Universe. We compare three examples seen in the heliosphere, illustrating the interaction of the solar wind with obstacles of three very different scales lengths. Magnetosheaths form behind planetary bow shocks on scales ranging from tens to 100 planetary radii. ICME sheath form behind shocks driven by solar disturbances on scale lengths of a few to tens of AU. The heliosheath forms behind the termination shock due to the obstacle presented by the interstellar medium on scale lengths of tens to a hundred AU. Despite this range in scales some common features have been observed. Magnetic holes, possibly due to mirror mode waves, have been observed in all three of these sheaths. Plasma depletion layers are observed in planetary and ICME sheaths. Other features observed in some sheaths are wave activity (ion cyclotron, plasma), energetic particles, transmission of Alfven waves/shocks, tangential discontinuities turbulence behind quasi-parallel shocks, standing slow mode waves, and reconnection on the obstacle boundary. We compare these sheath regions, discussing similarities and differences and how these may relate to the scale lengths of these regions.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

1990-04-01

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

Surface Josephson plasma waves in layered superconductors above the plasma frequency: evidence for a negative index of refraction.

PubMed

Golick, V A; Kadygrob, D V; Yampol'skii, V A; Rakhmanov, A L; Ivanov, B A; Nori, Franco

2010-05-07

We predict a new branch of surface Josephson plasma waves (SJPWs) in layered superconductors for frequencies higher than the Josephson plasma frequency. In this frequency range, the permittivity tensor components along and transverse to the layers have different signs, which is usually associated with negative refraction. However, for these frequencies, the bulk Josephson plasma waves cannot be matched with the incident and reflected waves in the vacuum, and, instead of the negative-refractive properties, abnormal surface modes appear within the frequency band expected for bulk modes. We also discuss the excitation of high-frequency SJPWs by means of the attenuated-total-reflection method.

Van Allen Probe Observations of Chorus Wave Activity, Source and Seed electrons, and the Radiation Belt Response During ICME and CIR Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, S.; Mouikis, C.; Kistler, L. M.; Farrugia, C. J.; Paulson, K. W.; Huang, C. L.; Boyd, A. J.; Spence, H. E.; Kletzing, C.

2017-12-01

Whistler mode chorus waves are electromagnetic waves that have been shown to be a major contributor to enhancements in the outer radiation belt during geomagnetic storms. The temperature anisotropy of source electrons (10s of keV) provides the free energy for chorus waves, which can accelerate sub-relativistic seed electrons (100s of keV) to relativistic energies. This study uses Van Allen Probe observations to examine the excitation and plasma conditions associated with chorus wave observations, the development of the seed population, and the outer radiation belt response in the inner magnetosphere, for 25 ICME and 35 CIR storms. Plasma data from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) instrument and magnetic field measurements from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) are used to identify chorus wave activity and to model a linear theory based proxy for chorus wave growth. A superposed epoch analysis shows a peak of chorus wave power on the dawnside during the storm main phase that spreads towards noon during the storm recovery phase. According to the linear theory results, this wave activity is driven by the enhanced convection driving plasma sheet electrons across the dayside. Both ICME and CIR storms show comparable levels of wave growth. Plasma data from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) and the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) are used to observe the seed and relativistic electrons. A superposed epoch analysis of seed and relativistic electrons vs. L shows radiation belt enhancements with much greater frequency in the ICME storms, coinciding with a much stronger and earlier seed electron enhancement in the ICME storms.

Excitation of helicons by current antennas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gospodchikov, E. D.; Timofeev, A. V.

2017-06-01

Depending on the angle θ between the wave vector and the magnetic field, helicons are conventionally divided into two branches: proper helicons (H mode), propagating at small θ, and Trivelpiece-Gould waves (TG mode), propagating at large θ. The latter are close to potential waves and have a significant electric component along the external magnetic field. It is believed that it is these waves that provide electron heating in helicon discharges. There is also commonly believed that current antennas, widely used to ignite helicon discharges, excite essentially nonpotential H modes, which then transform into TG modes due to plasma inhomogeneity. In this work, it is demonstrated that electromagnetic energy can also be efficiently introduced in plasma by means of TG modes.

Helicon waves in uniform plasmas. II. High m numbers

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

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2015-09-15

Helicons are whistler modes with azimuthal wave numbers. They have been studied in solids and plasmas where boundaries play a role. The present work shows that very similar modes exist in unbounded gaseous plasmas. Instead of boundaries, the antenna properties determine the topology of the wave packets. The simplest antenna is a magnetic loop which excites m = 0 or m = 1 helicons depending on whether the dipole moment is aligned parallel or perpendicular to the ambient background magnetic field B{sub 0}. While these low order helicons have been described by J. M. Urrutia and R. L. Stenzel [“Helicon modes in uniform plasmas.more » I. Low m modes,” Phys. Plasmas 22, 092111 (2015)], the present work focuses on high order modes up to m = 8. These are excited by antenna arrays forming magnetic multipoles. Their wave magnetic field has been measured in space and time in a large and uniform laboratory plasma free of boundary effects. The observed wave topology exhibits m pairs of unique field line spirals which may have inspired the name “helicon” to this mode. All field lines converge into these nested spirals which propagate like corkscrews along B{sub 0}. The field lines near the axis of helicons are perpendicular to B{sub 0} and circularly polarized as in parallel whistlers. Helical antennas couple to these transverse fields but not to the spiral fields of helicons. Using a circular antenna array of phased m = 0 loops, right or left rotating or non-rotating multipole antenna fields are generated. They excite m < 0 and m > 0 modes, showing that the plasma supports both modes equally well. The poor excitation of m < 0 modes is a characteristic of loops with dipole moment across B{sub 0}. The radiation efficiency of multipole antennas has been found to decrease with m.« less

Helicon waves in uniform plasmas. IV. Bessel beams, Gendrin beams, and helicons

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

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R. L.

Electromagnetic waves in the low frequency whistler mode regime are investigated experimentally and by digital data superposition. The radiation from a novel circular antenna array is shown to produce highly collimated helicon beams in a uniform unbounded plasma. The differences to Bessel beams in free space are remarked upon. Low divergence beams arise from the parallel group velocity of whistlers with phase velocity either along the guide field or at the Gendrin angle. Waves with angular momentum are produced by phasing the array in the circular direction. The differences in the field topologies for positive and negative modes numbers aremore » shown. It is also shown that in uniform plasmas, the radial amplitude profile of the waves depends on the antenna field topology. Thus, there are no helicon “eigenmodes” with radial Bessel function profiles in uniform plasmas. It is pointed out that phase measurements in helicon devices indicate radial wave propagation which is inconsistent with helicon eigenmode theory based on paraxial wave propagation. Trivelpiece-Gould modes also exist in uniform unbounded plasmas.« less

Influence of helical external driven current on nonlinear resistive tearing mode evolution and saturation in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W.; Wang, S.; Ma, Z. W.

2017-06-01

The influences of helical driven currents on nonlinear resistive tearing mode evolution and saturation are studied by using a three-dimensional toroidal resistive magnetohydrodynamic code (CLT). We carried out three types of helical driven currents: stationary, time-dependent amplitude, and thickness. It is found that the helical driven current is much more efficient than the Gaussian driven current used in our previous study [S. Wang et al., Phys. Plasmas 23(5), 052503 (2016)]. The stationary helical driven current cannot persistently control tearing mode instabilities. For the time-dependent helical driven current with f c d = 0.01 and δ c d < 0.04 , the island size can be reduced to its saturated level that is about one third of the initial island size. However, if the total driven current increases to about 7% of the total plasma current, tearing mode instabilities will rebound again due to the excitation of the triple tearing mode. For the helical driven current with time dependent strength and thickness, the reduction speed of the radial perturbation component of the magnetic field increases with an increase in the driven current and then saturates at a quite low level. The tearing mode is always controlled even for a large driven current.

Observation, Identification, and Impact of Multi-Modal Plasma Responses to Applied Magnetic Perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logan, Nikolas

2015-11-01

Experiments on DIII-D have demonstrated that multiple kink modes with comparable amplitudes can be driven by applied nonaxisymmetric fields with toroidal mode number n=2, in good agreement with ideal MHD models. In contrast to a single-mode model, the structure of the response measured using poloidally distributed magnetic sensors changes when varying the applied poloidal spectrum. This is most readily evident in that different spectra of applied fields can independently excite inboard and outboard magnetic responses, which are identified as distinct plasma modes by IPEC modeling. The outboard magnetic response is correlated with the plasma pressure and consistent with the long wavelength perturbations of the least stable, pressure driven kinks calculated by DCON and used in IPEC. The models show the structure of the pressure driven modes extends throughout the bad curvature region and into the plasma core. The inboard plasma response is correlated with the edge current profile and requires the inclusion of multiple kink modes with greater stability, including opposite helicity modes, to replicate the experimental observations in the models. IPEC reveals the resulting mode structure to be highly localized in the plasma edge. Scans of the applied spectrum show this response induces the transport that influences the density pump-out, as well as the toroidal rotation drag observed in experiment and modeled using PENT. The classification of these two mode types establishes a new multi-modal paradigm for n=2 plasma response and guides the understanding needed to optimize 3D fields for independent control of stability and transport. Supported by US DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Current-driven plasmonic boom instability in three-dimensional gated periodic ballistic nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizin, G. R.; Mikalopas, J.; Shur, M.

2016-05-01

An alternative approach of using a distributed transmission line analogy for solving transport equations for ballistic nanostructures is applied for solving the three-dimensional problem of electron transport in gated ballistic nanostructures with periodically changing width. The structures with varying width allow for modulation of the electron drift velocity while keeping the plasma velocity constant. We predict that in such structures biased by a constant current, a periodic modulation of the electron drift velocity due to the varying width results in the instability of the plasma waves if the electron drift velocity to plasma wave velocity ratio changes from below to above unity. The physics of such instability is similar to that of the sonic boom, but, in the periodically modulated structures, this analog of the sonic boom is repeated many times leading to a larger increment of the instability. The constant plasma velocity in the sections of different width leads to resonant excitation of the unstable plasma modes with varying bias current. This effect (that we refer to as the superplasmonic boom condition) results in a strong enhancement of the instability. The predicted instability involves the oscillating dipole charge carried by the plasma waves. The plasmons can be efficiently coupled to the terahertz electromagnetic radiation due to the periodic geometry of the gated structure. Our estimates show that the analyzed instability should enable powerful tunable terahertz electronic sources.

Coherent Structures in Magnetic Confinement Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, W.

2006-04-01

Coherent structures are long-lived, nonlinear localized solutions of the selfconsistient plasma-electromagnetic field equations. They contain appreciable energy density and control various transport and magnetic reconnection processes in plasmas. These structures are self-binding from the nonlinearity balancing, or overcoming, the wave dispersion of energy in smaller amplitude structures. The structures evolve out of the nonlinear interactions in various instabilities or external driving fields. The theoretical basis for these structures are reviewed giving examples from various plasma instabilities and their reduced descriptions from the appropriate partial differential equations. A classic example from drift waves is the formation of monopole, dipole and tripolar vortex structures which have been created in both laboratory and simulation experiments. For vortices, the long life-time and nonlinear interactions of the structures can be understood with conservation laws of angular momentum given by the vorticity field associated with dynamics. Other morphologies include mushrooms, Kelvin-Helmholtz vorticity roll-up, streamers and blobs. We show simulation movies of various examples drawn from ETG modes in NSTX, H-mode like shear flow layers in LAPD and the vortices measured with soft x-ray tomography in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror. Coherent current-sheet structures form in driven magnetic reconnection layers and control the rate of transformation of magnetic energy to flow and thermal energy.

Ion wake field effects on the dust-ion-acoustic surface mode in a semi-bounded Lorentzian dusty plasma

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590

The dispersion relation for the dust ion-acoustic surface waves propagating at the interface of semi-bounded Lorentzian dusty plasma with supersonic ion flow has been kinetically derived to investigate the nonthermal property and the ion wake field effect. We found that the supersonic ion flow creates the upper and the lower modes. The increase in the nonthermal particles decreases the wave frequency for the upper mode whereas it increases the frequency for the lower mode. The increase in the supersonic ion flow velocity is found to enhance the wave frequency for both modes. We also found that the increase in nonthermalmore » plasmas is found to enhance the group velocity of the upper mode. However, the nonthermal particles suppress the lower mode group velocity. The nonthermal effects on the group velocity will be reduced in the limit of small or large wavelength limit.« less

Z mode radiation in Jupiter's magnetosphere - The source of Jovian continuum radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbosa, D. D.; Kurth, W. S.; Moses, S. L.; Scarf, F. L.

1990-01-01

Observations of Z-mode waves in Jupiter's magnetosphere are analyzed. The assumption that the frequency of the intensity minimum, which isolates the signal, corresponds to the electron plasma frequency provides a consistent interpretation of all spectral features in terms of plasma resonances and cutoffs. It is shown that the continuum radiation is composed of both left-hand and right-hand polarized waves with distinct cutoffs observed at the plasma frequency and right-hand cutoff frequency, respectively. It is found that the Z-mode peak frequency lies close to the left-hand cutoff frequency, suggesting that the observed characteristics of the emission are the result of wave reflection at the cutoff layer. Another distinct emission occurring near the upper hybrid resonance frequency is detected simultaneously with the Z mode. The entire set of observations gives strong support to the linear mode theory of the conversion of upper hybrid waves to continuum radiation mediated by the Z mode via the Budden radio window mechanism.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kouznetsov, Igor; Lotko, William

1995-01-01

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

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

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

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

1994-10-01

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

Electron Bernstein Wave Studies in MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seltzman, Andrew; Anderson, Jay; Forest, Cary; Nonn, Paul; Thomas, Mark; Reusch, Joshua; Hendries, Eric

2013-10-01

The overdense condition in a RFP prevents electromagnetic waves from propagating past the extreme edge. However use of the electron Bernstein wave (EBW) has the potential to heat and drive current in the plasma. MHD simulations have demonstrated that resistive tearing mode stability is very sensitive to the gradient in the edge current density profile, allowing EBW current drive to influence and potentially stabilize tearing mode activity. Coupling between the X-mode and Bernstein waves is strongly dependent on the edge density gradient. The effects on coupling of plasma density, magnetic field strength, antenna radial position and launch polarization have been examined. Coupling as high as 90% has been observed. Construction of a 450 kw RF source is complete and initial experimental results will be reported. The power and energy of this auxiliary system should be sufficient for several scientific purposes, including verifying mode conversion, EBW propagation and absorption in high beta plasmas. Target plasmas in the 300-400 kA range will be heated near the reversal surface, potentially allowing mode control, while target plasmas in the 250 kA range will allow heating near the core, allowing better observation of heating effects. Heating and heat pulse propagation experiments are planned, as well as probing the stability of parametric decay during mode conversion, at moderate injected power. Work supported by USDOE.

A Finite-Difference Time-Domain Model of Artificial Ionospheric Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannon, Patrick; Honary, Farideh; Borisov, Nikolay

Experiments in the artificial modification of the ionosphere via a radio frequency pump wave have observed a wide range of non-linear phenomena near the reflection height of an O-mode wave. These effects exhibit a strong aspect-angle dependence thought to be associated with the process by which, for a narrow range of off-vertical launch angles, the O-mode pump wave can propagate beyond the standard reflection height at X=1 as a Z-mode wave and excite additional plasma activity. A numerical model based on Finite-Difference Time-Domain method has been developed to simulate the interaction of the pump wave with an ionospheric plasma and investigate different non-linear processes involved in modification experiments. The effects on wave propagation due to plasma inhomogeneity and anisotropy are introduced through coupling of the Lorentz equation of motion for electrons and ions to Maxwell’s wave equations in the FDTD formulation, leading to a model that is capable of exciting a variety of plasma waves including Langmuir and upper-hybrid waves. Additionally, discretized equations describing the time-dependent evolution of the plasma fluid temperature and density are included in the FDTD update scheme. This model is used to calculate the aspect angle dependence and angular size of the radio window for which Z-mode excitation occurs, and the results compared favourably with both theoretical predictions and experimental observations. The simulation results are found to reproduce the angular dependence on electron density and temperature enhancement observed experimentally. The model is used to investigate the effect of different initial plasma density conditions on the evolution of non-linear effects, and demonstrates that the inclusion of features such as small field-aligned density perturbations can have a significant influence on wave propagation and the magnitude of temperature and density enhancements.

EBW H&CD Potential for Spherical Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, J.; Decker, J.; Peysson, Y.; Preinhaelter, J.; Shevchenko, V.; Taylor, G.; Vahala, L.; Vahala, G.

2011-12-01

Spherical tokamaks (STs), which feature relatively high neutron flux and good economy, operate generally in high-ß regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X- modes are cut-off. In this case, electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves—controllable localized heating and current drive (H&) that can be utilized for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. We first derive an analytical expression for Gaussian beam OXB conversion efficiency. Then, an extensive numerical study of EBW H&CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX) is performed. Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H&CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

Planetary plasma waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, Donald A.

1993-01-01

The primary types of plasma waves observed in the vicinity of the planets Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are described. The observations are organized according to the various types of plasma waves observed, ordered according to decreasing distance from the planet, starting from the sunward side of the planet, and ending in the region near the closest approach. The plasma waves observed include: electron plasma oscillations and ion acoustic waves; trapped continuum radiation; electron cyclotron and upper hybrid waves; whistler-mode emissions; electrostatic ion cyclotron waves; and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves.

MHD and resonant instabilities in JT-60SA during current ramp-up with off-axis N-NB injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierwage, A.; Toma, M.; Shinohara, K.

2017-12-01

The excitation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and resonant instabilities and their effect on the plasma profiles during the current ramp-up phase of a beam-driven JT-60SA tokamak plasma is studied using the MHD-PIC hybrid code MEGA. In the simple scenario considered, the plasma is only driven by one negative-ion-based neutral beam, depositing 500 keV deuterons at 5 MW power off-axis at about mid-radius. The beam injection starts half-way in the ramp-up phase. Within 1 s, the beam-driven plasma current and fast ion pressure produce a configuration that is strongly unstable to rapidly growing MHD and resonant modes. Using MEGA, modes with low toroidal mode numbers in the range n = 1-4 are examined in detail and shown to cause substantial changes in the plasma profiles. The necessity to develop reduced models and incorporate the effects of such instabilities in integrated codes used to simulate the evolution of entire plasma discharges is discussed.

M = +1, ± 1 and ± 2 mode helicon wave excitation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, J.-H.; Yun, S.-M.; Chang, H.-Y.

1996-11-01

The characteristics of M=+1, ± 1 and ± 2 modes helicon wave excited using a solenoid antenna, Nagoya type III and quadrupole antenna respectively are first investigated. The solenoid antenna is constructed by winding a copper cable on a quartz discharge tube. Two dimensional cross-field measurements of ArII optical emission induced by hot electrons are made to investigate RF power deposition: Components of the wave magnetic field measured with a single-turn, coaxial magnetic probe were compared with the field patterns computed for M=+1, ± 1 and ± 2 modes. The M=+1 mode plasma produced by the solenoid antenna has a cylindrical high intensity plasma column, which center is empty. This cylindrical high intensity column results from the rotation of the cross-sectional electric field pattern (right hand circularly polarization). The radial plasma density profile has a peak at r=2.5cm with axisymmetry. It has been found that the radial profile of the plasma density is in good agreement with the computed power deposition profile. The radial profiles of the wave magnetic field are in good agreement with computations. The plasma excited by Nagoya type III antenna has two high intensity columns which results from the linear combination of M=+1 and -1 modes (i.e. plane polarization). The radial plasma density profile is in good agreement with emission intensity profile of ArII line (488nm). The plasma excited by quadrupole antenna has four high intensity columns which results from the linear combination of M=+2 and -2 modes (i.e. plane polarization). In the M=± 2 modes, the radial plasma density profile is also in good agreement with emission intensity profile of ArII line.

Landau damping of the dust-acoustic surface waves in a Lorentzian dusty plasma slab

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180-3590

2016-01-15

Landau damping of a dust-acoustic surface wave propagating at the interfaces of generalized Lorentzian dusty plasma slab bounded by a vacuum is kinetically derived as the surface wave displays the symmetric and the anti-symmetric mode in a plasma slab. In the limiting case of small scaled wave number, we have found that Landau damping is enhanced as the slab thickness is increased. In particular, the damping of anti-symmetric mode is much stronger for a Lorentzian plasma than for a Maxwellian plasma. We have also found that the damping is more affected by superthermal particles in a Lorentzian plasma than bymore » a Maxwellian plasma for both of the symmetric and the anti-symmetric cases. The variations of Landau damping with various parameters are also discussed.« less

A current-driven resistive instability and its nonlinear effects in simulations of coaxial helicity injection in a tokamak

DOE PAGES

Hooper, E. B.; Sovinec, C. R.

2016-10-06

An instability observed in whole-device, resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the driven phase of coaxial helicity injection in the National Spherical Torus eXperiment is identified as a current-driven resistive mode in an unusual geometry that transiently generates a current sheet. The mode consists of plasma flow velocity and magnetic field eddies in a tube aligned with the magnetic field at the surface of the injected magnetic flux. At low plasma temperatures (~10–20 eV), the mode is benign, but at high temperatures (~100 eV) its amplitude undergoes relaxation oscillations, broadening the layer of injected current and flow at the surface of themore » injected toroidal flux and background plasma. The poloidal-field structure is affected and the magnetic surface closure is generally prevented while the mode undergoes relaxation oscillations during injection. Furthermore, this study describes the mode and uses linearized numerical computations and an analytic slab model to identify the unstable mode.« less

Onboard software of Plasma Wave Experiment aboard Arase: instrument management and signal processing of Waveform Capture/Onboard Frequency Analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuda, Shoya; Kasahara, Yoshiya; Kojima, Hirotsugu; Kasaba, Yasumasa; Yagitani, Satoshi; Ozaki, Mitsunori; Imachi, Tomohiko; Ishisaka, Keigo; Kumamoto, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Fuminori; Ota, Mamoru; Kurita, Satoshi; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Hikishima, Mitsuru; Matsuoka, Ayako; Shinohara, Iku

2018-05-01

We developed the onboard processing software for the Plasma Wave Experiment (PWE) onboard the Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace, Arase satellite. The PWE instrument has three receivers: Electric Field Detector, Waveform Capture/Onboard Frequency Analyzer (WFC/OFA), and the High-Frequency Analyzer. We designed a pseudo-parallel processing scheme with a time-sharing system and achieved simultaneous signal processing for each receiver. Since electric and magnetic field signals are processed by the different CPUs, we developed a synchronized observation system by using shared packets on the mission network. The OFA continuously measures the power spectra, spectral matrices, and complex spectra. The OFA obtains not only the entire ELF/VLF plasma waves' activity but also the detailed properties (e.g., propagation direction and polarization) of the observed plasma waves. We performed simultaneous observation of electric and magnetic field data and successfully obtained clear wave properties of whistler-mode chorus waves using these data. In order to measure raw waveforms, we developed two modes for the WFC, `chorus burst mode' (65,536 samples/s) and `EMIC burst mode' (1024 samples/s), for the purpose of the measurement of the whistler-mode chorus waves (typically in a frequency range from several hundred Hz to several kHz) and the EMIC waves (typically in a frequency range from a few Hz to several hundred Hz), respectively. We successfully obtained the waveforms of electric and magnetic fields of whistler-mode chorus waves and ion cyclotron mode waves along the Arase's orbit. We also designed the software-type wave-particle interaction analyzer mode. In this mode, we measure electric and magnetic field waveforms continuously and transfer them to the mission data recorder onboard the Arase satellite. We also installed an onboard signal calibration function (onboard SoftWare CALibration; SWCAL). We performed onboard electric circuit diagnostics and antenna impedance measurement of the wire-probe antennas along the orbit. We utilize the results obtained using the SWCAL function when we calibrate the spectra and waveforms obtained by the PWE.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Study of Linear and Nonlinear Waves in Plasma Crystals Using the Box_Tree Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, K.; Hyde, T.; Barge, L.

Dusty plasma systems play an important role in both astrophysical and planetary environments (protostellar clouds, planetary ring systems and magnetospheres, cometary environments) and laboratory settings (plasma processing or nanofabrication). Recent research has focussed on defining (both theoretically and experimentally) the different types of wave mode propagations, which are possible within plasma crystals. This is an important topic since several of the fundamental quantities for characterizing such crystals can be obtained directly from an analysis of the wave propagation/dispersion. This paper will discuss a num rical model fore 2D-monolayer plasma crystals, which was established using a modified box tree code. Different wave modes were examined by adding a time dependent potential to the code designed to simulate a laser radiation perturbation as has been applied in many experiments. Both linear waves (for example, longitudinal and transverse dust lattice waves) and nonlinear waves (solitary waves) are examined. The output data will also be compared with the results of corresponding experiments and discussed.

Large-amplitude hydromagnetic waves in collisionless relativistic plasma - Exact solution for the fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, A.

1983-01-01

An exact nonlinear solution is found to the relativistic kinetic and electrodynamic equations (in their hydromagnetic limit) that describes the large-amplitude fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave propagating normal to the magnetic field in a collisionless, previously uniform plasma. It is pointed out that a wave of this kind will be generated by transverse compression of any collisionless plasma. The solution is in essence independent of the detailed form of the particle momentum distribution functions. The solution is obtained, in part, through the method of characteristics; the wave exhibits the familiar properties of steepening and shock formation. A detailed analysis is given of the ultrarelativistic limit of this wave.

High-frequency plasma-heating apparatus

DOEpatents

Brambilla, Marco; Lallia, Pascal

1978-01-01

An array of adjacent wave guides feed high-frequency energy into a vacuum chamber in which a toroidal plasma is confined by a magnetic field, the wave guide array being located between two toroidal current windings. Waves are excited in the wave guide at a frequency substantially equal to the lower frequency hybrid wave of the plasma and a substantially equal phase shift is provided from one guide to the next between the waves therein. For plasmas of low peripheral density gradient, the guides are excited in the TE.sub.01 mode and the output electric field is parallel to the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. For exciting waves in plasmas of high peripheral density gradient, the guides are excited in the TM.sub.01 mode and the magnetic field at the wave guide outlets is parallel to the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. The wave excited at the outlet of the wave guide array is a progressive wave propagating in the direction opposite to that of the toroidal current and is, therefore, not absorbed by so-called "runaway" electrons.

Performance of an ion-cyclotron-wave plasma apparatus operated in the radiofrequency sustained mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swett, C. C.; Woollett, R. R.

1973-01-01

An experimental study has been made of an ion-cyclotron-wave apparatus operated in the RF-sustained mode, that is, a mode in which the Stix RF coil both propagates the waves and maintains the plasma. Problems associated with this method of operation are presented. Some factors that are important to the coupling of RF power are noted. In general, the wave propagation and wave damping data agree with theory. Some irregularities in wave fields are observed. Maximum ion temperature is 870 eV at a density of five times 10 to the 12th power cu cm and RF power of 90 kW. Coupling efficiency is 70 percent.

Operating features of an ion-cyclotron-wave plasma apparatus running in the RF-sustained mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swett, C. C.

1972-01-01

An experimental study has been made of an ion-cyclotron-wave apparatus operated in the RF-sustained mode. This is a mode in which the Stix RF coil both propagates the waves and maintains the plasma. Problems associated with this method of operation are presented. Some factors that are important to the coupling of RF power are noted. In general, the wave-propagation and wave-damping data agree with theory. Some irregularities in wave fields are observed. Maximum ion temperature is 870 eV at a density of 5 times 10 to the 12th power per cubic centimeter and RF power of 90 kW. Coupling efficiency is 70 percent.

Regimes of enhanced electromagnetic emission in beam-plasma interactions

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

Timofeev, I. V.; Annenkov, V. V.; Arzhannikov, A. V.

2015-11-15

The ways to improve the efficiency of electromagnetic waves generation in laboratory experiments with high-current relativistic electron beams injected into a magnetized plasma are discussed. It is known that such a beam can lose, in a plasma, a significant part of its energy by exciting a high level of turbulence and heating plasma electrons. Beam-excited plasma oscillations may simultaneously participate in nonlinear processes resulting in a fundamental and second harmonic emissions. It is obvious, however, that in the developed plasma turbulence the role of these emissions in the total energy balance is always negligible. In this paper, we investigate whethermore » electromagnetic radiation generated in the beam-plasma system can be sufficiently enhanced by the direct linear conversion of resonant beam-driven modes into electromagnetic ones on preformed regular inhomogeneities of plasma density. Due to the high power of relativistic electron beams, the mechanism discussed may become the basis for the generator of powerful sub-terahertz radiation.« less

Ion acceleration by laser hole-boring into plasmas

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

Pogorelsky, I. V.; Dover, N. P.; Babzien, M.

By experiment and simulations, we study the interaction of an intense CO{sub 2} laser pulse with slightly overcritical plasmas of fully ionized helium gas. Transverse optical probing is used to show a recession of the front plasma surface with an initial velocity >10{sup 6} m/s driven by hole-boring by the laser pulse and the resulting radiation pressure driven electrostatic shocks. The collisionless shock propagates through the plasma, dissipates into an ion-acoustic solitary wave, and eventually becomes collisional as it slows further. These observations are supported by PIC simulations which prove the conclusion that monoenergetic protons observed in our earlier reportedmore » experiment with a hydrogen jet result from ion trapping and reflection from a shock wave driven through the plasma.« less

Reflection of Fast Magnetosonic Waves near a Magnetic Reconnection Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provornikova, E.; Laming, J. M.; Lukin, V. S.

2018-06-01

Magnetic reconnection in the solar corona is thought to be unstable with the formation of multiple interacting plasmoids, and previous studies have shown that plasmoid dynamics can trigger MHD waves of different modes propagating outward from the reconnection site. However, variations in plasma parameters and magnetic field strength in the vicinity of a coronal reconnection site may lead to wave reflection and mode conversion. In this paper we investigate the reflection and refraction of fast magnetoacoustic waves near a reconnection site. Under a justified assumption of an analytically specified Alfvén speed profile, we derive and solve analytically the full wave equation governing the propagation of fast-mode waves in a non-uniform background plasma without recourse to the small wavelength approximation. We show that the waves undergo reflection near the reconnection current sheet due to the Alfvén speed gradient and that the reflection efficiency depends on the plasma-β parameter, as well as on the wave frequency. In particular, we find that waves are reflected more efficiently near reconnection sites in a low-β plasma, which is typical under solar coronal conditions. Also, the reflection is larger for lower-frequency waves while high-frequency waves propagate outward from the reconnection region almost without the reflection. We discuss the implications of efficient wave reflection near magnetic reconnection sites in strongly magnetized coronal plasma for particle acceleration, and also the effect this might have on first ionization potential (FIP) fractionation by the ponderomotive force of these waves in the chromosphere.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the plasma depletion layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Denton, Richard E.; Hudson, Mary K.; Fuselier, Stephen A.; Anderson, Brian J.

1993-01-01

Results of a study of the theoretical properties of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves which occur in the plasma depletion layer are presented. The analysis assumes a homogeneous plasma with the characteristics which were measured by the AMPTE/CCE satellite at 1450-1501 UT on October 5, 1984. Waves were observed in the Pc 1 frequency range below the hydrogen gyrofrequency, and these waves are identified as EMIC waves. The higher-frequency instability is driven by the temperature anisotropy of the H(+) ions, while the lower-frequency instability is driven by the temperature anisotropy of the He(2+) ions. It is argued that the higher-frequency waves will have k roughly parallel to B(0) and will be left-hand polarized, while the lower frequency wave band will have k oblique to B(0) and will be linearly polarized, in agreement with observations.

The relationship between the macroscopic state of electrons and the properties of chorus waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Chao; An, Xin; Bortnik, Jacob; Ma, Qianli; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard M.; Reeves, Geoffrey D.; Gkioulidou, Matina; Mitchell, Donald G.; Kletzing, Craig A.

2016-08-01

Plasma kinetic theory predicts that a sufficiently anisotropic electron distribution will excite whistler mode waves, which in turn relax the electron distribution in such a way as to create an upper bound on the relaxed electron anisotropy. Here using whistler mode chorus wave and plasma measurements by Van Allen Probes, we confirm that the electron distributions are well constrained by this instability to a marginally stable state in the whistler mode chorus waves generation region. Lower band chorus waves are organized by the electron β∥e into two distinct groups: (i) relatively large-amplitude, quasi-parallel waves with β∥e≳0.025 and (ii) relatively small-amplitude, oblique waves with β∥e≲0.025. The upper band chorus waves also have enhanced amplitudes close to the instability threshold, with large-amplitude waves being quasi-parallel whereas small-amplitude waves being oblique. These results provide important insight for studying the excitation of whistler mode chorus waves.

A morphological study of waves in the thermosphere using DE-2 observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gross, S. H.; Kuo, S. P.; Shmoys, J.

1986-01-01

Theoretical model and data analysis of DE-2 observations for determining the correlation between the neutral wave activity and plasma irregularities have been presented. The relationships between the observed structure of the sources, precipitation and joule heating, and the fluctuations in neutral and plasma parameters are obtained by analyzing two measurements of neutral atmospheric wave activity and plasma irregularities by DE-2 during perigee passes at an altitude on the order of 300 to 350 km over the polar cap. A theoretical model based on thermal nonlinearity (joule heating) to give mode-mode coupling is developed to explore the role of neutral disturbance (winds and gravity waves) on the generation of plasma irregularities.

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

Ryan, Philip Michael; Ahn, Joonwook; Bell, R. E.

High-harmonic fast wave (HHFW) heating and current drive is being developed in NSTX to provide bulk electron heating and q(0) control during non-inductively sustained Hmode plasmas fuelled by deuterium neutral-beam injection (NBI). In addition, it is used to assist the plasma current ramp-up. A major modification to increase the RF power limit was made in 2009; the original end-grounded, single end-powered current straps of the 12- element array were replaced with center-grounded, double end-powered straps. Greater than 3 MW have been coupled into NBI-driven, ELMy H-mode plasmas with this upgraded antenna. Improved core HHFW heating, particularly at longer wavelengths andmore » during low-density start-up and plasma current ramp-up, has been obtained by lowering the edge density with lithium wall conditioning, thereby moving the critical density for fast-wave propagation away from the vessel wall [1]. Significant core electron heating of NBI-fuelled H-modes has been observed for the first time over a range of launched wavelengths and H-modes can be accessed by HHFW alone. Visible and IR camera images of the antenna and divertor indicate that fast wave interactions can deposit considerable RF energy on the outboard divertor plate, especially at longer wavelengths that begin to propagate closer to the vessel walls. Edge power loss can also arise from HHFWgenerated parametric decay instabilities; edge ion heating is observed that is wavelength dependent. During plasmas where HHFW is combined with NBI, there is a significant enhancement in neutron rate, and fast-ion D-alpha (FIDA) emission measurements clearly show broadening of the fast-ion profile in the plasma core. Large edge localized modes (ELMs) have been observed immediately following the termination of RF power, whether the power turn off is programmed or due to antenna arcing. Causality has not been established but new experiments are planned and will be reported. Fast digitization of the reflected power signal indicates a much faster rise time for arcs than for ELMs. Based on this observation, an ELM/arc discrimination system is being implemented to maintain RF power during ELMs even when the reflection coefficient becomes large. This work is supported by US DOE contracts DE-AC-05-00OR22725 and DE-AC02- 09CH11466. References [1] C. K. Phillips, et al, Nuclear Fusion 10, 075015 (2009)« less

Beam-plasma instabilities and the beam-plasma discharge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellogg, P. J.; Boswell, R. W.

1986-01-01

Using a new waves on magnetized beams and turbulence (WOMBAT) 0-450 eV electron gun, measurements bearing on the generation of beam-plasma discharge (BPD) are made. The new gun has a narrower divergence angle than the old, and the BPD ignition current is found to be proportional to the cross-sectional area of the plasma. The high-frequency instabilities are identified with the two Trivelpiece-Gould modes, (1959). The upper frequency is identified as a Cerenkov resonance with the upper Trivelpiece-Gould mode, and the lower frequency with a cyclotron resonance with the lower mode, in agreement with theoretical expectations. Convective growth rates are found to be small. A mechanism involving the conversion of a convective instability to an absolute one by trapping of the unstable waves in the density perturbations of the low-frequency waves, is suggested for the low-frequency wave control of the onset of the high frequency precursors to the BPD.

Simulation studies of plasma waves in the electron foreshock - The generation of downshifted oscillations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dum, C. T.

1990-01-01

The generation of waves with frequencies downshifted from the plasma frequency, as observed in the electron foreshock, is analyzed by particle simulation. Wave excitation differs fundamentally from the familiar excitation of the plasma eigenmodes by a gentle bump-on-tail electron distribution. Beam modes are destabilized by resonant interaction with bulk electrons, provided the beam velocity spread is very small. These modes are stabilized, starting with the higher frequencies, as the beam is broadened and slowed down by the interaction with the wave spectrum. Initially a very cold beam is also capable of exciting frequencies considerably above the plasma frequency, but such oscillations are quickly stabilized. Low-frequency modes persist for a long time, until the bump in the electron distribution is completely 'ironed' out. This diffusion process also is quite different from the familiar case of well-separated beam and bulk electrons. A quantitative analysis of these processes is carried out.

Self-consistent Formulation of EBW Excitation by Mode Conversion

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

Bers, Abraham; Decker, Joan

2005-09-26

Based upon a FLR-hydrodynamic formulation for high frequency waves in a collisionless plasma, we formulate the self-consistent, coupled set of ordinary differential equations whose solution gives the mode conversion of O- and/or X-waves at an angle to B0 to electron Bernstein waves (EBW) at the upper-hybrid resonance UHR layer occurring at the edge of an ST plasma.

White-light parametric instabilities in plasmas.

PubMed

Santos, J E; Silva, L O; Bingham, R

2007-06-08

Parametric instabilities driven by partially coherent radiation in plasmas are described by a generalized statistical Wigner-Moyal set of equations, formally equivalent to the full wave equation, coupled to the plasma fluid equations. A generalized dispersion relation for stimulated Raman scattering driven by a partially coherent pump field is derived, revealing a growth rate dependence, with the coherence width sigma of the radiation field, scaling with 1/sigma for backscattering (three-wave process), and with 1/sigma1/2 for direct forward scattering (four-wave process). Our results demonstrate the possibility to control the growth rates of these instabilities by properly using broadband pump radiation fields.

Rogue waves in space dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-11-01

The modulational instability of dust-acoustic (DA) waves (DAWs) and corresponding DA rogue waves (DARWs) in a realistic space dusty plasma system (containing inertial warm positively and negatively charged dust, isothermal ions, and super-thermal kappa distributed electrons) has been theoretically investigated. The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived by using a reductive perturbation method for this investigation. It is observed that the dusty plasma system under consideration supports two branches of modes, namely, fast and slow DA modes, and that both of these two modes can be stable or unstable depending on the sign of ratio of the dispersive and nonlinear coefficients. The numerical analysis has shown that the basic features (viz., stability/instability, growth rate, amplitude, and width of the rogue structures, etc.) of the DAWs associated with the fast DA modes are significantly modified by super-thermal parameter (κ) and other various plasma parameters. The results of our present investigation should be useful for understanding DARWs in space plasma systems, viz., mesosphere and ionosphere.

Method for generating a plasma wave to accelerate electrons

DOEpatents

Umstadter, D.; Esarey, E.; Kim, J.K.

1997-06-10

The invention provides a method and apparatus for generating large amplitude nonlinear plasma waves, driven by an optimized train of independently adjustable, intense laser pulses. In the method, optimal pulse widths, interpulse spacing, and intensity profiles of each pulse are determined for each pulse in a series of pulses. A resonant region of the plasma wave phase space is found where the plasma wave is driven most efficiently by the laser pulses. The accelerator system of the invention comprises several parts: the laser system, with its pulse-shaping subsystem; the electron gun system, also called beam source, which preferably comprises photo cathode electron source and RF-LINAC accelerator; electron photo-cathode triggering system; the electron diagnostics; and the feedback system between the electron diagnostics and the laser system. The system also includes plasma source including vacuum chamber, magnetic lens, and magnetic field means. The laser system produces a train of pulses that has been optimized to maximize the axial electric field amplitude of the plasma wave, and thus the electron acceleration, using the method of the invention. 21 figs.

Method for generating a plasma wave to accelerate electrons

DOEpatents

Umstadter, Donald; Esarey, Eric; Kim, Joon K.

1997-01-01

The invention provides a method and apparatus for generating large amplitude nonlinear plasma waves, driven by an optimized train of independently adjustable, intense laser pulses. In the method, optimal pulse widths, interpulse spacing, and intensity profiles of each pulse are determined for each pulse in a series of pulses. A resonant region of the plasma wave phase space is found where the plasma wave is driven most efficiently by the laser pulses. The accelerator system of the invention comprises several parts: the laser system, with its pulse-shaping subsystem; the electron gun system, also called beam source, which preferably comprises photo cathode electron source and RF-LINAC accelerator; electron photo-cathode triggering system; the electron diagnostics; and the feedback system between the electron diagnostics and the laser system. The system also includes plasma source including vacuum chamber, magnetic lens, and magnetic field means. The laser system produces a train of pulses that has been optimized to maximize the axial electric field amplitude of the plasma wave, and thus the electron acceleration, using the method of the invention.

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

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

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

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

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2000-10-01

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

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

Whistler and Alfvén Mode Cyclotron Masers in Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trakhtengerts, V. Y.; Rycroft, M. J.

2012-10-01

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Basic theory of cyclotron masers (CMs); 3. Linear theory of the cyclotron instability (CI); 4. Backward wave oscillator (BWO) regime in CMs; 5. Nonlinear cyclotron wave-particle interactions for a quasi-monochromatic wave; 6. Nonlinear interaction of quasi-monochromatic whistler mode waves with gyroresonant electrons in an in homogeneous plasma; 7. Wavelet amplification in an inhomogeneous plasma; 8. Quasi-linear theory of cyclotron masers; 9. Nonstationary generation regimes, and modulation effects; 10. ELF/VLF noise-like emissions and electrons in the Earth's radiation belts; 11. Generation of discrete ELF/VLF whistler mode emissions; 12. Cyclotron instability of the proton radiation belts; 13. Cyclotron masers elsewhere in the solar system and in laboratory plasma devices; Epilogue; Glossary of terms; List of acronyms; References; Index.

Investigation of electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies in L-4 and ACT-1

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

Ono, Masayuki

Electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) were studied in the Princeton L-4 and ACT-1 devices for approximately ten years, from 1975 to 1985. The investigation began in the L-4 linear device, looking for the parametric excitation of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in multi-ion-species plasmas. In addition, this investigation verified multi-ion-species effects on the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave dispersion religion including the ion-ion hybrid resonance. Finite-Larmor-radius modification of the wave dispersion relation was also observed, even for ion temperatures of T{sub i} {approx} 1/40 eV. Taking advantage of the relatively high field and long device length ofmore » L-4, the existence of the cold electrostatic ion cyclotron wave (CES ICW) was verified. With the arrival of the ACT-1 toroidal device, finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) waves were studied in a relatively collisionless warm-ion hydrogen plasma. Detailed investigations of ion Bernstein waves (IBW) included the verification of mode-transformation in their launching, their wave propagation characteristics, their absorption, and the resulting ion heating. This basic physics activity played a crucial role in developing a new reactor heating concept termed ion Bernstein wave heating. Experimental research in the lower hybrid frequency range confirmed the existence of FLR effects near the lower hybrid resonance, predicted by Stix in 1965. In a neon plasma with a carefully placed phased wave exciter, the neutralized ion Bernstein wave was observed for the first time. Using a fastwave ICRF antenna, two parasitic excitation processes for IBW -- parametric instability and density-gradient-driven excitation -- were also discovered. In the concluding section of this paper, a possible application of externally launched electrostatic waves is suggested for helium ash removal from fusion reactor plasmas.« less

Investigation of electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies in L-4 and ACT-1

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

Ono, Masayuki.

Electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) were studied in the Princeton L-4 and ACT-1 devices for approximately ten years, from 1975 to 1985. The investigation began in the L-4 linear device, looking for the parametric excitation of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in multi-ion-species plasmas. In addition, this investigation verified multi-ion-species effects on the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave dispersion religion including the ion-ion hybrid resonance. Finite-Larmor-radius modification of the wave dispersion relation was also observed, even for ion temperatures of T[sub i] [approx] 1/40 eV. Taking advantage of the relatively high field and long device length ofmore » L-4, the existence of the cold electrostatic ion cyclotron wave (CES ICW) was verified. With the arrival of the ACT-1 toroidal device, finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) waves were studied in a relatively collisionless warm-ion hydrogen plasma. Detailed investigations of ion Bernstein waves (IBW) included the verification of mode-transformation in their launching, their wave propagation characteristics, their absorption, and the resulting ion heating. This basic physics activity played a crucial role in developing a new reactor heating concept termed ion Bernstein wave heating. Experimental research in the lower hybrid frequency range confirmed the existence of FLR effects near the lower hybrid resonance, predicted by Stix in 1965. In a neon plasma with a carefully placed phased wave exciter, the neutralized ion Bernstein wave was observed for the first time. Using a fastwave ICRF antenna, two parasitic excitation processes for IBW -- parametric instability and density-gradient-driven excitation -- were also discovered. In the concluding section of this paper, a possible application of externally launched electrostatic waves is suggested for helium ash removal from fusion reactor plasmas.« less

Whistler mode refraction in highly nonuniform magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urrutia, J. M.; Stenzel, R.

2016-12-01

In a large laboratory plasma the propagation of whistler modes is measured in highly nonuniform magnetic fields created by a current-carrying wires. Ray tracing is not applicable since the wavelength and gradient scale length are comparable. The waves are excited with a loop antenna near the wire. The antenna launches an m=1 helicon mode in a uniform plasma. The total magnetic field consists of a weak uniform background field and a nearly circular field of a straight wire across the background field. A circular loop produces 3D null points and a 2D null line. The whistler wave propagation will be shown. It is relevant to whistler mode propagation in space plasmas near magnetic null-points, small flux ropes, lunar crustal magnetic fields and active wave injection experiments.

Observation of helicon wave with m = 0 antenna in a weakly magnetized inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellingboe, Bert; Sirse, Nishant; Moloney, Rachel; McCarthy, John

2015-09-01

Bounded whistler wave, called ``helicon wave,'' is known to produce high-density plasmas and has been exploited as a high density plasma source for many applications, including electric propulsion for spacecraft. In a helicon plasma source, an antenna wrapped around the magnetized plasma column launches a low frequency wave, ωce/2 >ωhelicon >ωce/100, in the plasma which is responsible for maintaining high density plasma. Several antenna designs have been proposed in order to match efficiently the wave modes. In our experiment, helicon wave mode is observed using an m = 0 antenna. A floating B dot probe, compensated to the capacitively coupled E field, is employed to measure axial-wave-field-profiles (z, r, and θ components) in the plasma at multiple radial positions as a function of rf power and pressure. The Bθ component of the rf-field is observed to be unaffected as the wave propagates in the axial direction. Power coupling between the antenna and the plasma column is identified and agrees with the E, H, and wave coupling regimes previously seen in M =1 antenna systems. That is, the Bz component of the rf-field is observed at low plasma density as the Bz component from the antenna penetrates the plasma. The Bz component becomes very small at medium density due to shielding at the centre of the plasma column; however, with increasing density, a sudden ``jump'' occurs in the Bz component above which a standing wave under the antenna with a propagating wave away from the antenna are observed.

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

Hong, Woo-Pyo; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr; Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180–3590

The influence of electron spin-interaction on the propagation of the electrostatic space-charge quantum wave is investigated in a cylindrically bounded quantum plasma. The dispersion relation of the space-charge quantum electrostatic wave is derived including the influence of the electron spin-current in a cylindrical waveguide. It is found that the influence of electron spin-interaction enhances the wave frequency for large wave number regions. It is shown that the wave frequencies with higher-solution modes are always smaller than those with lower-solution modes in small wave number domains. In addition, it is found that the wave frequency increases with an increase of themore » radius of the plasma cylinder as well as the Fermi wave number. We discuss the effects due to the quantum and geometric on the variation of the dispersion properties of the space-charge plasma wave.« less

Non-linear Frequency Shifts, Mode Couplings, and Decay Instability of Plasma Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Affolter, Mathew; Anderegg, F.; Driscoll, C. F.; Valentini, F.

2015-11-01

We present experiments and theory for non-linear plasma wave decay to longer wavelengths, in both the oscillatory coupling and exponential decay regimes. The experiments are conducted on non-neutral plasmas in cylindrical Penning-Malmberg traps, θ-symmetric standing plasma waves have near acoustic dispersion ω (kz) ~kz - αkz2 , discretized by kz =mz (π /Lp) . Large amplitude waves exhibit non-linear frequency shifts δf / f ~A2 and Fourier harmonic content, both of which are increased as the plasma dispersion is reduced. Non-linear coupling rates are measured between large amplitude mz = 2 waves and small amplitude mz = 1 waves, which have a small detuning Δω = 2ω1 -ω2 . At small excitation amplitudes, this detuning causes the mz = 1 mode amplitude to ``bounce'' at rate Δω , with amplitude excursions ΔA1 ~ δn2 /n0 consistent with cold fluid theory and Vlasov simulations. At larger excitation amplitudes, where the non-linear coupling exceeds the dispersion, phase-locked exponential growth of the mz = 1 mode is observed, in qualitative agreement with simple 3-wave instability theory. However, significant variations are observed experimentally, and N-wave theory gives stunningly divergent predictions that depend sensitively on the dispersion-moderated harmonic content. Measurements on higher temperature Langmuir waves and the unusual ``EAW'' (KEEN) waves are being conducted to investigate the effects of wave-particle kinetics on the non-linear coupling rates. Department of Energy Grants DE-SC0002451and DE-SC0008693.

Helicon modes in uniform plasmas. III. Angular momentum

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

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

Helicons are electromagnetic waves with helical phase fronts propagating in the whistler mode in magnetized plasmas and solids. They have similar properties to electromagnetic waves with angular momentum in free space. Helicons are circularly polarized waves carrying spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum due to their propagation around the ambient magnetic field B{sub 0}. These properties have not been considered in the community of researchers working on helicon plasma sources, but are the topic of the present work. The present work focuses on the field topology of helicons in unbounded plasmas, not on helicon source physics. Helicons are excitedmore » in a large uniform laboratory plasma with a magnetic loop antenna whose dipole axis is aligned along or across B{sub 0}. The wave fields are measured in orthogonal planes and extended to three dimensions (3D) by interpolation. Since density and B{sub 0} are uniform, small amplitude waves from loops at different locations can be superimposed to generate complex antenna patterns. With a circular array of phase shifted loops, whistler modes with angular and axial wave propagation, i.e., helicons, are generated. Without boundaries radial propagation also arises. The azimuthal mode number m can be positive or negative while the field polarization remains right-hand circular. The conservation of energy and momentum implies that these field quantities are transferred to matter which causes damping or reflection. Wave-particle interactions with fast electrons are possible by Doppler shifted resonances. The transverse Doppler shift is demonstrated. Wave-wave interactions are also shown by showing collisions between different helicons. Whistler turbulence does not always have to be created by nonlinear wave-interactions but can also be a linear superposition of waves from random sources. In helicon collisions, the linear and/or orbital angular momenta can be canceled, which results in a great variety of field topologies. The work will be contrasted to the research on helicon plasma sources.« less

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

DOE PAGES

Gary, S. Peter; Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.; ...

2016-01-16

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. However, it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterizedmore » by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. In conclusion, observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥/T || > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.« less

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

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

Gary, S. Peter; Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. However, it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterizedmore » by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. In conclusion, observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥/T || > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.« less

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005.

PubMed

Gary, S Peter; Jian, Lan K; Broiles, Thomas W; Stevens, Michael L; Podesta, John J; Kasper, Justin C

2016-01-01

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. But it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o . The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterized by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. Observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o  = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥ /T ||  > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o ), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.

Ion‐driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

PubMed Central

Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.; Stevens, Michael L.; Podesta, John J.; Kasper, Justin C.

2016-01-01

Abstract Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. But it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft‐frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterized by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. Observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén‐cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T⊥/T|| > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right‐hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind. PMID:27818854

Measurement of the thermal effects in the dispersion relation of the dust acoustic wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoyng, Joshua; Williams, Jeremiah

2017-10-01

A complex (dusty) plasma is a four-component plasma system composed of ions, electrons, neutral particles and charged microparticles. The charged microparticles interact with, and self- consistently modify, the surrounding plasma medium; resulting in a new and unique state of matter that can support a wide range of physical phenomena. Among these is a new wave mode known as the dust acoustic, or dust density, wave (DAW). The DAW is a low- frequency, longitudinal mode that propagates through the microparticle component of the dusty plasma system and is self-excited by the energy from the ions streaming through this component. Over the past twenty years, the dust acoustic wave has been a subject of intense study and recent studies have shown that thermal effects can, in some cases, have a significant role in the measured dispersion relation. A recent theoretical model suggest that the thermal effects are, in part, due to the finite size of the dusty plasma systems that support this wave mode. In this poster, we report the results of an experimental study examining this effect over a range of experimental conditions in a weakly-coupled dusty plasma system in an rf discharge plasma. This work is supported by US National Science Foundation through Grant No. PHY-1615420.

Parametric Excitation of Electrostatic Dust-Modes by Ion-Cyclotron Waves in a Dusty Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Islam, M. K.; Salahuddin, M.; Ferdous, T.; Salimullah, M.

A large amplitude electrostatic ion-cyclotron wave propagating through a magnetized and collisional dusty plasma undergoes strong parametric instability off the low-frequency dust-modes. The presence of the dust-component has effect on the nonlinear coupling via the dust-modes. The ion-neutral collisions are seen to have significant effect on the damping and consequent overall growth of the parametric excitation process.

Simulations of kinetic electrostatic electron nonlinear (KEEN) waves with variable velocity resolution grids and high-order time-splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afeyan, Bedros; Casas, Fernando; Crouseilles, Nicolas; Dodhy, Adila; Faou, Erwan; Mehrenberger, Michel; Sonnendrücker, Eric

2014-10-01

KEEN waves are non-stationary, nonlinear, self-organized asymptotic states in Vlasov plasmas. They lie outside the precepts of linear theory or perturbative analysis, unlike electron plasma waves or ion acoustic waves. Steady state, nonlinear constructs such as BGK modes also do not apply. The range in velocity that is strongly perturbed by KEEN waves depends on the amplitude and duration of the ponderomotive force generated by two crossing laser beams, for instance, used to drive them. Smaller amplitude drives manage to devolve into multiple highly-localized vorticlets, after the drive is turned off, and may eventually succeed to coalesce into KEEN waves. Fragmentation once the drive stops, and potential eventual remerger, is a hallmark of the weakly driven cases. A fully formed (more strongly driven) KEEN wave has one dominant vortical core. But it also involves fine scale complex dynamics due to shedding and merging of smaller vortical structures with the main one. Shedding and merging of vorticlets are involved in either case, but at different rates and with different relative importance. The narrow velocity range in which one must maintain sufficient resolution in the weakly driven cases, challenges fixed velocity grid numerical schemes. What is needed is the capability of resolving locally in velocity while maintaining a coarse grid outside the highly perturbed region of phase space. We here report on a new Semi-Lagrangian Vlasov-Poisson solver based on conservative non-uniform cubic splines in velocity that tackles this problem head on. An additional feature of our approach is the use of a new high-order time-splitting scheme which allows much longer simulations per computational effort. This is needed for low amplitude runs. There, global coherent structures take a long time to set up, such as KEEN waves, if they do so at all. The new code's performance is compared to uniform grid simulations and the advantages are quantified. The birth pains associated with weakly driven KEEN waves are captured in these simulations. Canonical KEEN waves with ample drive are also treated using these advanced techniques. They will allow the efficient simulation of KEEN waves in multiple dimensions, which will be tackled next, as well as generalizations to Vlasov-Maxwell codes. These are essential for pursuing the impact of KEEN waves in high energy density plasmas and in inertial confinement fusion applications. More generally, one needs a fully-adaptive grid-in-phase-space method which could handle all small vorticlet dynamics whether pealing off or remerging. Such fully adaptive grids would have to be computed sparsely in order to be viable. This two-velocity grid method is a concrete and fruitful step in that direction. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Theory and Applications of the Vlasov Equation", edited by Francesco Pegoraro, Francesco Califano, Giovanni Manfredi and Philip J. Morrison.

Prospects for Off-axis Current Drive via High Field Side Lower Hybrid Current Drive in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wukitch, S. J.; Shiraiwa, S.; Wallace, G. M.; Bonoli, P. T.; Holcomb, C.; Park, J. M.; Pinsker, R. I.

2017-10-01

An outstanding challenge for an economical, steady state tokamak is efficient off-axis current drive scalable to reactors. Previous studies have focused on high field side (HFS) launch of lower hybrid waves for current drive (LHCD) in double null configurations in reactor grade plasmas. The goal of this work is to find a HFS LHCD scenario for DIII-D that balances coupling, power penetration and damping. The higher magnetic field on the HFS improves wave accessibility, which allows for lower n||waves to be launched. These waves penetrate farther into the plasma core before damping at higher Te yielding a higher current drive efficiency. Utilizing advanced ray tracing and Fokker Planck simulation tools (GENRAY+CQL3D), wave penetration, absorption and drive current profiles in high performance DIII-D H-Mode plasmas were investigated. We found LH scenarios with single pass absorption, excellent wave penetration to r/a 0.6-0.8, FWHM r/a=0.2 and driven current up to 0.37 MA/MW coupled. These simulations indicate that HFS LHCD has potential to achieve efficient off-axis current drive in DIII-D and the latest results will be presented. Work supported by U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, using User Facility DIII-D, under Award No. DE-FC02-04ER54698 and Contract No. DE-FC02-01ER54648 under Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing Initiative.

Parametric decay of current-driven Langmuir oscillations and wave packet formation in plateau plasmas: Relevance to type III bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, K.; Malaspina, D.; Pulupa, M.

2016-12-01

Instead of starting with an unstable electron beam, our focus is directed on the nonlinear response of Langmuir oscillations which are driven after beam stabilization by the still persisting current of the (stable) two-electron plasma. The velocity distribution function of the second population forms a plateau with weak damping over a more or less extended wave number range k. As shown by PIC simulations, this so-called plateau plasma drives primarily Langmuir oscillations at the plasma frequency ωe with k=0 over long times without remarkable change of the distribution function. The Langmuir oscillations, however, act as pump wave for parametric decay by which an electron-acoustic wave slightly below ωe and a counter-streaming ion-acoustic wave are generated. Both high-frequency waves have nearly the same amplitude which is simply given by the product of plateau density and velocity. Beating of these two wave types leads to pronounced Langmuir amplitude modulation, in good agreement with solar wind and foreshock WIND observations where waveforms and electron distribution functions have simultaneously been analyzed.

Linear signatures in nonlinear gyrokinetics: interpreting turbulence with pseudospectra

DOE PAGES

Hatch, D. R.; Jenko, F.; Navarro, A. Banon; ...

2016-07-26

A notable feature of plasma turbulence is its propensity to retain features of the underlying linear eigenmodes in a strongly turbulent state—a property that can be exploited to predict various aspects of the turbulence using only linear information. In this context, this work examines gradient-driven gyrokinetic plasma turbulence through three lenses—linear eigenvalue spectra, pseudospectra, and singular value decomposition (SVD). We study a reduced gyrokinetic model whose linear eigenvalue spectra include ion temperature gradient driven modes, stable drift waves, and kinetic modes representing Landau damping. The goal is to characterize in which ways, if any, these familiar ingredients are manifest inmore » the nonlinear turbulent state. This pursuit is aided by the use of pseudospectra, which provide a more nuanced view of the linear operator by characterizing its response to perturbations. We introduce a new technique whereby the nonlinearly evolved phase space structures extracted with SVD are linked to the linear operator using concepts motivated by pseudospectra. Using this technique, we identify nonlinear structures that have connections to not only the most unstable eigenmode but also subdominant modes that are nonlinearly excited. The general picture that emerges is a system in which signatures of the linear physics persist in the turbulence, albeit in ways that cannot be fully explained by the linear eigenvalue approach; a non-modal treatment is necessary to understand key features of the turbulence.« less

Kinetic instability of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in inter-penetrating plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashir, M. F.; Ilie, R.; Murtaza, G.

2018-05-01

The Electrostatic Ion Cyclotron (EIC) instability that includes the effect of wave-particle interaction is studied owing to the free energy source through the flowing velocity of the inter-penetrating plasmas. It is shown that the origin of this current-less instability is different from the classical current driven EIC instability. The threshold conditions applicable to a wide range of plasma parameters and the estimate of the growth rate are determined as a function of the normalized flowing velocity ( u0/vt f e ), the temperature ( Tf/Ts ) and the density ratios ( nf 0/ns 0 ) of flowing component to static one. The EIC instability is driven by either flowing electrons or flowing ions, depending upon the different Doppler shifted frequency domains. It is found that the growth rate for electron-driven instability is higher than the ion-driven one. However, in both cases, the denser (hotter) is the flowing plasma, the lesser (greater) is the growth rate. The possible applications related to the terrestrial solar plasma environment are also discussed.

Fundamental mode of ultra-low frequency electrostatic dust-cyclotron surface waves in a magnetized complex plasma with drifting ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seungjun; Lee, Myoung-Jae

2012-10-01

The electrostatic dust-cyclotron (EDC) waves in a magnetized dusty plasma was reported that they could be excited by gravity in a collisional plasma [1]. Rosenberg suggested that EDC waves could be excited by ions drifting along the magnetic field in a collisional plasma containing dust grains with large thermal speeds [2]. The existing investigations, however, focus on EDC volume waves in which the boundary effects are not considered. In this work, we attempt to obtain some physical results concerning the fundamental mode of EDC surface wave and the stability of wave by utilizing a kinetic method. The EDC surface wave is assumed to propagate along an external magnetic field at the interface between the plasma and the vacuum. The plasma is comprised of drifting ions flowing along an external magnetic field. To derive the growth rate of surface waves, we employ the specular reflection boundary conditions. The EDC surface wave is found to be unstable when the ion drift velocity is larger than the phase velocity of the wave. In addition, the wave becomes to be more unstable if dust particles carry more negative charges.[4pt] [1] N. D'Angelo, Phys. Lett. A 323, 445 (2004).[0pt] [2] M. Rosenberg, Phys. Scr. 82, 035505 (2010).

Numerical study on wave-induced beam ion prompt losses in DIII-D tokamak

DOE PAGES

Feng, Zhichen; Zhu, Jia; Fu, Guo -Yong; ...

2017-08-30

A numerical study is performed on the coherent beam ion prompt losses driven by Alfven eigenmodes (AEs) in DIII-D plasmas using realistic parameters and beam ion deposition profiles. The synthetic signal of a fast-ion loss detector (FILD) is calculated for a single AE mode. The first harmonic of the calculated FILD signal is linearly proportional to the AE amplitude with the same AE frequency in agreement with the experimental measurement. The calculated second harmonic is proportional to the square of the first harmonic for typical AE amplitudes. The coefficient of quadratic scaling is found to be sensitive to the AEmore » mode width. The second part of this work considers the AE drive due to coherent prompt loss. As a result, it is shown that the loss-induced mode drive is much smaller than the previous estimate and can be ignored for mode stability.« less

The Role of Higher-Order Modes on the Electromagnetic Whistler-Cyclotron Wave Fluctuations of Thermal and Non-Thermal Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vinas, Adolfo F.; Moya, Pablo S.; Navarro, Roberto; Araneda, Jamie A.

2014-01-01

Two fundamental challenging problems of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas are the understanding of the relaxation of a collisionless plasmas with nearly isotropic velocity distribution functions and the resultant state of nearly equipartition energy density with electromagnetic plasma turbulence. Here, we present the results of a study which shows the role that higher-order-modes play in limiting the electromagnetic whistler-like fluctuations in a thermal and non-thermal plasma. Our main results show that for a thermal plasma the magnetic fluctuations are confined by regions that are bounded by the least-damped higher order modes. We further show that the zone where the whistler-cyclotron normal modes merges the electromagnetic fluctuations shifts to longer wavelengths as the beta(sub e) increases. This merging zone has been interpreted as the beginning of the region where the whistler-cyclotron waves losses their identity and become heavily damped while merging with the fluctuations. Our results further indicate that in the case of nonthermal plasmas, the higher-order modes do not confine the fluctuations due to the effective higher-temperature effects and the excess of suprathermal plasma particles. The analysis presented here considers the second-order theory of fluctuations and the dispersion relation of weakly transverse fluctuations, with wave vectors parallel to the uniform background magnetic field, in a finite temperature isotropic bi-Maxwellian and Tsallis-kappa-like magnetized electron-proton plasma. Our results indicate that the spontaneously emitted electromagnetic fluctuations are in fact enhanced over these quasi modes suggesting that such modes play an important role in the emission and absorption of electromagnetic fluctuations in thermal or quasi-thermal plasmas.

Self-consistent Langmuir waves in resonantly driven thermal plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindberg, R. R.; Charman, A. E.; Wurtele, J. S.

2007-12-01

The longitudinal dynamics of a resonantly driven Langmuir wave are analyzed in the limit that the growth of the electrostatic wave is slow compared to the bounce frequency. Using simple physical arguments, the nonlinear distribution function is shown to be nearly invariant in the canonical particle action, provided both a spatially uniform term and higher-order spatial harmonics are included along with the fundamental in the longitudinal electric field. Requirements of self-consistency with the electrostatic potential yield the basic properties of the nonlinear distribution function, including a frequency shift that agrees closely with driven, electrostatic particle simulations over a range of temperatures. This extends earlier work on nonlinear Langmuir waves by Morales and O'Neil [G. J. Morales and T. M. O'Neil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 28, 417 (1972)] and Dewar [R. L. Dewar, Phys. Plasmas 15, 712 (1972)], and could form the basis of a reduced kinetic treatment of plasma dynamics for accelerator applications or Raman backscatter.

On the propagation of hydromagnetic waves in a plasma of thermal and suprathermal components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Nagendra; Sikka, Himanshu

2007-12-01

The propagation of MHD waves is studied when two ideal fluids, thermal and suprathermal gases, coupled by magnetic field are moving with the steady flow velocity. The fluids move independently in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic field but gets coupled along the field. Due to the presence of flow in suprathermal and thermal fluids there appears forward and backward waves. All the forward and backward modes propagate in such a way that their rate of change of phase speed with the thermal Mach number is same. It is also found that besides the usual hydromagnetic modes there appears a suprathermal mode which propagates with faster speed. Surface waves are also examined on an interface formed with composite plasma (suprathermal and thermal gases) on one side and the other is a non-magnetized plasma. In this case, the modes obtained are two or three depending on whether the sound velocity in thermal gas is equal to or greater than the sound velocity in suprathermal gas. The results lead to the conclusion that the interaction of thermal and suprathermal components may lead to the occurrence of an additional mode called suprathermal mode whose phase velocity is higher than all the other modes.

Driven waves in a two-fluid plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberge, W. G.; Ciolek, Glenn E.

2007-12-01

We study the physics of wave propagation in a weakly ionized plasma, as it applies to the formation of multifluid, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) shock waves. We model the plasma as separate charged and neutral fluids which are coupled by ion-neutral friction. At times much less than the ion-neutral drag time, the fluids are decoupled and so evolve independently. At later times, the evolution is determined by the large inertial mismatch between the charged and neutral particles. The neutral flow continues to evolve independently; the charged flow is driven by and slaved to the neutral flow by friction. We calculate this driven flow analytically by considering the special but realistic case where the charged fluid obeys linearized equations of motion. We carry out an extensive analysis of linear, driven, MHD waves. The physics of driven MHD waves is embodied in certain Green functions which describe wave propagation on short time-scales, ambipolar diffusion on long time-scales and transitional behaviour at intermediate times. By way of illustration, we give an approximate solution for the formation of a multifluid shock during the collision of two identical interstellar clouds. The collision produces forward and reverse J shocks in the neutral fluid and a transient in the charged fluid. The latter rapidly evolves into a pair of magnetic precursors on the J shocks, wherein the ions undergo force-free motion and the magnetic field grows monotonically with time. The flow appears to be self-similar at the time when linear analysis ceases to be valid.

Measurements of Impurity Particle Transport Associated with Drift-Wave Turbulence in MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, Takashi; Nornberg, Mark; Boguski, John; Craig, Darren; den Hartog, Daniel; Pueschel, M. J.; Sarff, John; Terry, Paul; Williams, Zach; Xing, Zichuan

2017-10-01

Understanding and controlling impurity transport in a toroidal magnetized plasma is one of the critical issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve controlled fusion. Gyrokinetic modeling shows turbulence can drive impurity transport, but direct measurements of the turbulent flux have not been made. Particle balance is typically used to infer the presence of turbulent impurity transport. We report, for the first time in a toroidal plasma, direct measurements of turbulence-driven impurity transport. Trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence appears in MST plasmas when MHD tearing fluctuations are suppressed. Impurity ion-Doppler spectroscopy is used to correlate impurity density and radial velocity fluctuations associated with TEM. Small Doppler shifts associated with the radial velocity fluctuations (rms 1km/s) are resolved with the use of a new linearized spectrum correlation analysis method, which improves the rejection of Poisson noise. The method employs frequency-domain correlation analysis to expose the fluctuation and transport spectrum. The C+ 2 impurity transport velocity driven by turbulence is found to be 48m/s (inward), which is sufficiently large to impact an impurity flux balance in MST improved-confinement plasmas. This work is supported by the US DOE.

On Kinetic Slow Modes, Fluid Slow Modes, and Pressure-balanced Structures in the Solar Wind

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

Verscharen, Daniel; Chen, Christopher H. K.; Wicks, Robert T., E-mail: daniel.verscharen@unh.edu, E-mail: christopher.chen@imperial.ac.uk, E-mail: r.wicks@ucl.ac.uk

Observations in the solar wind suggest that the compressive component of inertial-range solar-wind turbulence is dominated by slow modes. The low collisionality of the solar wind allows for nonthermal features to survive, which suggests the requirement of a kinetic plasma description. The least-damped kinetic slow mode is associated with the ion-acoustic (IA) wave and a nonpropagating (NP) mode. We derive analytical expressions for the IA-wave dispersion relation in an anisotropic plasma in the framework of gyrokinetics and then compare them to fully kinetic numerical calculations, results from two-fluid theory, and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). This comparison shows major discrepancies in the predictedmore » wave phase speeds from MHD and kinetic theory at moderate to high β . MHD and kinetic theory also dictate that all plasma normal modes exhibit a unique signature in terms of their polarization. We quantify the relative amplitude of fluctuations in the three lowest particle velocity moments associated with IA and NP modes in the gyrokinetic limit and compare these predictions with MHD results and in situ observations of the solar-wind turbulence. The agreement between the observations of the wave polarization and our MHD predictions is better than the kinetic predictions, which suggests that the plasma behaves more like a fluid in the solar wind than expected.« less

Particle simulations of mode conversion between slow mode and fast mode in lower hybrid range of frequencies

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

Jia, Guozhang; Xiang, Nong; Huang, Yueheng

2016-01-15

The propagation and mode conversion of lower hybrid waves in an inhomogeneous plasma are investigated by using the nonlinear δf algorithm in a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation code based on the gyrokinetic electron and fully kinetic ion (GeFi) scheme [Lin et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 47, 657 (2005)]. The characteristics of the simulated waves, such as wavelength, frequency, phase, and group velocities, agree well with the linear theoretical analysis. It is shown that a significant reflection component emerges in the conversion process between the slow mode and the fast mode when the scale length of the density variation is comparablemore » to the local wavelength. The dependences of the reflection coefficient on the scale length of the density variation are compared with the results based on the linear full wave model for cold plasmas. It is indicated that the mode conversion for the waves with a frequency of 2.45 GHz (ω ∼ 3ω{sub LH}, where ω{sub LH} represents the lower hybrid resonance) and within Tokamak relevant amplitudes can be well described in the linear scheme. As the frequency decreases, the modification due to the nonlinear term becomes important. For the low-frequency waves (ω ∼ 1.3ω{sub LH}), the generations of the high harmonic modes and sidebands through nonlinear mode-mode coupling provide new power channels and thus could reduce the reflection significantly.« less

The relationship between the macroscopic state of electrons and the properties of chorus waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

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

Yue, Chao; An, Xin; Bortnik, Jacob

Plasma kinetic theory predicts that a sufficiently anisotropic electron distribution will excite whistler mode waves, which in turn relax the electron distribution in such a way as to create an upper bound on the relaxed electron anisotropy. Here using whistler mode chorus wave and plasma measurements by Van Allen Probes, we confirm that the electron distributions are well constrained by this instability to a marginally stable state in the whistler mode chorus waves generation region. Lower band chorus waves are organized by the electron β ∥e into two distinct groups: (i) relatively large-amplitude, quasi-parallel waves with β ∥e ≳0:025 andmore » (ii) relatively small-amplitude, oblique waves with β ∥e ≲0:025. The upper band chorus waves also have enhanced amplitudes close to the instability threshold, with large-amplitude waves being quasi-parallel whereas small-amplitude waves being oblique. These results provide important insight for studying the excitation of whistler mode chorus waves.« less

The relationship between the macroscopic state of electrons and the properties of chorus waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

DOE PAGES

Yue, Chao; An, Xin; Bortnik, Jacob; ...

2016-08-04

Plasma kinetic theory predicts that a sufficiently anisotropic electron distribution will excite whistler mode waves, which in turn relax the electron distribution in such a way as to create an upper bound on the relaxed electron anisotropy. Here using whistler mode chorus wave and plasma measurements by Van Allen Probes, we confirm that the electron distributions are well constrained by this instability to a marginally stable state in the whistler mode chorus waves generation region. Lower band chorus waves are organized by the electron β ∥e into two distinct groups: (i) relatively large-amplitude, quasi-parallel waves with β ∥e ≳0:025 andmore » (ii) relatively small-amplitude, oblique waves with β ∥e ≲0:025. The upper band chorus waves also have enhanced amplitudes close to the instability threshold, with large-amplitude waves being quasi-parallel whereas small-amplitude waves being oblique. These results provide important insight for studying the excitation of whistler mode chorus waves.« less

Alfven wave dispersion behavior in single- and multicomponent plasmas

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

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

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

Comparative study of the expansion dynamics of laser-driven plasma and shock wave in in-air and underwater ablation regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thao T. P.; Tanabe, Rie; Ito, Yoshiro

2018-03-01

We compared the expansion characteristics of the plasma plumes and shock waves generated in laser-induced shock process between the two ablation regimes: in air and under water. The observation was made from the initial moment when the laser pulse hit the target until 1.5 μs. The shock processes were driven by focusing a single laser pulse (1064 nm, FWHM = 13 ns) onto the surface of epoxy-resin blocks using a 40-mm focal length lens. The estimated laser intensity at the target plane is approximate to 9 ×109Wcm-2 . We used the fast-imaging technique to observe the expansion of the plasma plume and a custom-designed time-resolved photoelasticity imaging technique to observe the propagation of shock waves with the time resolution of nanoseconds. We found that at the same intensity of the laser beam, the plasma expansion during the laser pulse follows different mechanisms: the plasma plume that grows in air follows a radiation-wave model while a detonation-wave model can explain the expansion of the plasma plume induced in water. The ideal blast wave theory can be used to predict the decay of the shock wave in air but is not appropriate to describe the decay of the shock wave induced under water.

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

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

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

1995-12-31

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

Impact of energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes on turbulence.

PubMed

Zarzoso, D; Sarazin, Y; Garbet, X; Dumont, R; Strugarek, A; Abiteboul, J; Cartier-Michaud, T; Dif-Pradalier, G; Ghendrih, Ph; Grandgirard, V; Latu, G; Passeron, C; Thomine, O

2013-03-22

The impact on turbulent transport of geodesic acoustic modes excited by energetic particles is evidenced for the first time in flux-driven 5D gyrokinetic simulations using the Gysela code. Energetic geodesic acoustic modes (EGAMs) are excited in a regime with a transport barrier in the outer radial region. The interaction between EGAMs and turbulence is such that turbulent transport can be enhanced in the presence of EGAMs, with the subsequent destruction of the transport barrier. This scenario could be particularly critical in those plasmas, such as burning plasmas, exhibiting a rich population of suprathermal particles capable of exciting energetic modes.

Wave propagation and noncollisional heating in neutral loop and helicon discharges

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

Celik, Y.; Crintea, D. L.; Luggenhoelscher, D.

2011-02-15

Heating mechanisms in two types of magnetized low pressure rf (13.56 MHz) discharges are investigated: a helicon discharge and a neutral loop discharge. Radial B-dot probe measurements demonstrate that the neutral loop discharge is sustained by helicon waves as well. Axial B-dot probe measurements reveal standing wave and beat patterns depending on the dc magnetic field strength and plasma density. In modes showing a strong wave damping, the plasma refractive index attains values around 100, leading to electron-wave interactions. In strongly damped modes, the radial plasma density profiles are mainly determined by power absorption of the propagating helicon wave, whereasmore » in weakly damped modes, inductive coupling dominates. Furthermore, an azimuthal diamagnetic drift is identified. Measurements of the helicon wave phase demonstrate that initial plane wave fronts are bent during their axial propagation due to the inhomogeneous density profile. A developed analytical standing wave model including Landau damping reproduces very well the damping of the axial helicon wave field. This comparison underlines the theory whereupon Landau damping of electrons traveling along the field lines at speeds close to the helicon phase velocity is the main damping mechanism in both discharges.« less

Spatial distribution of the wave field of the surface modes sustaining filamentary discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lishev, St.; Shivarova, A.; Tarnev, Kh.

2008-01-01

The study presents the electrodynamical description of surface-wave-sustained discharges contracted in filamentary structures. The results are for the spatial distribution of the wave field and for the wave propagation characteristics obtained from a two-dimensional model developed for describing surface-wave behavior in plasmas with an arbitrary distribution of the plasma density. In accordance with the experimental observations of filamentary discharges, the plasma density distribution considered is completed by cylindrically shaped gas-discharge channels extended along the discharge length and positioned in the out-of-center region of the discharge, equidistantly in an azimuthal direction. Due to the two-dimensional inhomogeneity of the plasma density of the filamentary structure, the eigen surface mode of the structure is a hybrid wave, with all—six—field components. For identification of its behavior, the surface wave properties in the limiting cases of a plasma ring and a single filament—both radially inhomogeneous—are involved in the discussions. The presentation of the results is for filamentary structures with a decreasing number of filaments (from 10 to 2) starting with the plasma ring, the latter supporting propagation of an azimuthally symmetric wave. Due to the resonance absorption of the surface waves, always present because of the smooth variation of the plasma density, the contours of the critical density are those guiding the surface wave propagation. Decreasing number of filaments in the structure leads to localization of the amplitudes of the wave-field components around the filaments. By analogy with the spatial distribution of the wave field in the plasma ring, the strong resonance enhancement of the wave-field components is along that part of the contour of the critical density which is far off the center of the filamentary structure. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the field components of the filamentary structure shows that the hybrid wave is an eigenmode of the whole structure, i.e., the wave field does not appear as a superposition of fields of eigenmodes of the separated filaments completing it. It is stressed that the spatial distribution of the field components of the eigen hybrid mode of the filamentary structure has an azimuthally symmetric background field.

Is dust acoustic wave a new plasma acoustic mode?

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

Dwivedi, C.B.

1997-09-01

In this Brief Communication, the claim of the novelty of the dust acoustic wave in a dusty plasma within the constant dust charge model is questioned. Conceptual lacunas behind the claim have been highlighted and appropriate physical arguments have been forwarded against the claim. It is demonstrated that the so-called dust acoustic wave could better be termed as a general acoustic fluctuation response with a dominant characteristic feature of the acoustic-like mode (ALM) fluctuation response reported by Dwivedi {ital et al.} [J. Plasma Phys. {bold 41}, 219 (1989)]. It is suggested that both correct and more usable nomenclature of themore » ALM should be the so-called acoustic mode. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Modified stimulated Raman scattering of a laser induced by trapped electrons in a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baliyan, Sweta; Rafat, Mohd.; Ahmad, Nafis; Sajal, Vivek

2017-10-01

The plasma wave, generated in stimulated Raman scattering process by an intense laser in the plasmas, traps a significant number of electrons in its potential energy minima. These electrons travel with the phase velocity of plasma wave and oscillate with bounce frequency. When the bounce frequency of electrons becomes equal to the growth rate of Raman process, resonance takes place. Now, Raman scattering gets modified by parametrically exciting a trapped electron mode and an electromagnetic sideband. The ponderomotive force due to the pump and sideband drives the plasma wave, whereas the density perturbation due to the trapped electron mode couples with the oscillating velocity of electrons due to the laser to produce a nonlinear current, driving the sideband.

Waveguiding and bending modes in a plasma photonic crystal bandgap device

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

Wang, B., E-mail: bwang17@stanford.edu; Cappelli, M. A.

2016-06-15

Waveguiding and bending modes are investigated in a fully tunable plasma photonic crystal. The plasma device actively controls the propagation of free space electromagnetic waves in the S to X band of the microwave spectrum. An array of discharge plasma tubes form a square crystal lattice exhibiting a well-defined bandgap, with individual active switching of the plasma elements to allow for waveguiding and bending modes to be generated dynamically. We show, through simulations and experiments, the existence of transverse electric (TE) mode waveguiding and bending modes.

Whistlers in space plasma, their role for particle populations in the inner magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shklyar, David

Of many wave modes, which propagate in the plasmaspheric region of the magnetosphere, whistler waves play the most important role in the dynamics of energetic particles (chiefly elec-trons, but not excepting protons), as their resonant interactions are very efficient. There are three main sources of whistler mode waves in the magnetosphere, namely, lightning strokes, VLF transmitter signals, and far and away various kinds of kinetic instabilities leading to generation of whistler mode waves. Resonant interactions of energetic electrons with whistlers may lead to electron acceleration, scattering into loss-cone, and consequent precipitation into the iono-sphere and atmosphere. While electron resonant interaction with lightning-induced whistlers and VLF transmitter signals may, to a certain approximation, be considered as particle dy-namics in given electromagnetic fields, resonant wave-particle interaction in the case of plasma instability is intrinsically a self-consistent process. An important aspect of whistler-electron interactions (particularly in the case of plasma instability) is the possibility of energy exchange between different energetic electron populations. Thus, in many cases, whistler wave growth rate is determined by "competition" between the first cyclotron and Cerenkov resonances, one (depending on energetic electron distribution) leading to wave growth and the other one to wave damping. Since particles which give rise to wave growth loose their energy, while parti-cles which lead to wave damping gain energy at the expense of the wave, and since the first cyclotron and Cerenkov resonances correspond to different particle energies, wave generation as the result of plasma instability may lead, at the same time, to energy exchange between two populations of energetic particles. While the role of whistlers in dynamics of energetic electrons in the magnetosphere is gener-ally recognized, their role for protons seems to be underestimated. At the same time, quasi-electrostatic lower-hybrid resonance (LHR) waves (to which non-ducted whistler mode waves originating from lightning strokes naturally evolve while propagating in the magnetosphere) may efficiently interact with energetic protons at higher order cyclotron resonances. Thus, whistler mode waves may mediate energy transfer not only between different populations of energetic electrons, but also between various plasma species. Theoretical discussion of various aspects of resonant wave-particle interactions in the magne-tosphere, those mentioned above and others, will be the subject of the report.

Influence of mode-beating pulse on laser-induced plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishihara, M.; Freund, J. B.; Glumac, N. G.; Elliott, G. S.

2018-04-01

This paper addresses the influence of mode-beating pulse on laser-induced plasma. The second harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser, operated either with the single mode or multimode, was used for non-resonant optical breakdown, and subsequent plasma development was visualized using a streak imaging system. The single mode lasing leads to a stable breakdown location and smooth envelopment of the plasma boundary, while the multimode lasing, with the dominant mode-beating frequency of 500-800 MHz, leads to fluctuations in the breakdown location, a globally modulated plasma surface, and growth of local microstructures at the plasma boundary. The distribution of the local inhomogeneity was measured from the elastic scattering signals on the streak image. The distance between the local structures agreed with the expected wavelength of hydrodynamic instability development due to the interference between the surface excited wave and transmitted wave. A numerical simulation, however, indicates that the local microstructure could also be directly generated at the peaks of the higher harmonic components if the multimode pulse contains up to the eighth harmonic of the fundamental cavity mode.

One-dimensional energetic particle quasilinear diffusion for realistic TAE instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Vinicius; Ghantous, Katy; Berk, Herbert; Gorelenkov, Nikolai

2014-10-01

Owing to the proximity of the characteristic phase (Alfvén) velocity and typical energetic particle (EP) superthermal velocities, toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) can be resonantly destabilized endangering the plasma performance. Thus, it is of ultimate importance to understand the deleterious effects on the confinement resulting from fast ion driven instabilities expected in fusion-grade plasmas. We propose to study the interaction of EPs and TAEs using a line broadened quasilinear model, which captures the interaction in both regimes of isolated and overlapping modes. The resonance particles diffuse in the phase space where the problem essentially reduces to one dimension with constant kinetic energy and the diffusion mainly along the canonical toroidal angular momentum. Mode structure and wave particle resonances are computed by the NOVA code and are used in a quasilinear diffusion code that is being written to study the evolution of the distribution function, under the assumption that they can be considered virtually unalterable during the diffusion. A new scheme for the resonant particle diffusion is being proposed that builds on the 1-D nature of the diffusion from a single mode, which leads to a momentum conserving difference scheme even when there is mode overlap.

Dispersion of electron Bernstein waves including weakly relativistic and electromagnetic effects. Part 2. Extraordinary modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, P. A.

1987-06-01

Extraordinary solutions of the weakly relativistic, electromagnetic dispersion relation are investigated for waves propagating perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field in a Maxwellian plasma. As in a companion paper, which treated ordinary modes, weakly relativistic effects are found to modify dramatically the dispersion predicted by strictly non-relativistic ‘classical’ theory in the neighbourhood of harmonics of the cyclotron frequency Ωe. The infinite families of classical Gross-Bernstein and Dnestrovskii-Kostomarov modes are truncated to include only harmonics s satisfying s (ω2p mc2/4kB TΩ2e)⅓ and s (ωp/Ωe)⅔/8 respectively where ωp is the plasma frequency and T the temperature. All classical cut-offs and resonances are removed apart from the x- and z- mode cut-offs. The only coupling between large- and small-wave-vector modes is between the z mode and a Gross-Bernstein mode near the upper-hybrid frequency and between the x mode and the second Gross-Bernstein mode near 2Ωe. Dispersion of the weakly relativistic counterpart of the x mode departs only slightly from that predicted by cold plasma theory except near Ωe and 2Ωe.

Two Contemporary Problems in Magnetized Plasmas: The ion-ion hybrid resonator and MHD stability in a snowflake divertor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farmer, William Anthony

The first part of the dissertation investigates the effects of multiple-ions on the propagation of shear Alfven waves. It is shown that the presence of a second ion-species allows for the formation of an ion-ion hybrid resonator in the presence of a magnetic well. A full-wave description is shown to explain the measured eigenfrequencies and spatial form of the resonator modes identified in experiments in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. However, it is determined that neither electron collisions or radial convection of the mode due to coupling to either the compressional or ion-Bernstein wave can explain the observed dissipation. Ray tracing studies for shear Alfven waves are performed in various magnetic geometries of contemporary interest. In a tokamak, it is found that the hybrid resonator can exist in the cold-plasma regime, but that ion-temperature effects combined with curvature effects cause the wave reflection point to shift towards the cyclotron frequency of the heavier ion. A one-dimensional WKB model is applied to a tokamak geometry for conditions corresponding to a burning fusion plasma to characterize the resonator. Instability due to fusion-born alpha particles is assessed. An approximate form of the global eigenmode is considered. It is identified that magnetic field shear combined with large ion temperature can cause coupling to an ion-Bernstein wave, which can limit the instability. Finally, the radiation pattern of shear Alfven waves generated by a burst of charged particles in the presence of two-ion species is considered. The spectral content and spatial patterns of the radiated waves are determined. The second part of the dissertation considers the MHD stability of the plasma near a divertor in a tokamak. Two types of modes are considered: a ballooning mode and an axisymmetric, quasi-flute mode. Instability thresholds are derived for both modes and numerically evaluated for parameters relevant to recent experiments. This is done to determine whether these modes could be responsible for convection of the plasma in the vicinity of the poloidal null point. It is determined that MHD instability about a standard equilibrium is unlikely to explain the experimental results observed on the tokamak, TCV [Reimerdes et al., Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 55, 124027 (2013)]. From these results, it is concluded that the most likely explanation for the discrepancy is that the underlying equilibrium assumed in the calculation does not contain all the complexities present in the experiments.

Drift wave turbulence simulations in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popovich, P.; Umansky, M.; Carter, T. A.; Auerbach, D. W.; Friedman, B.; Schaffner, D.; Vincena, S.

2009-11-01

We present numerical simulations of turbulence in LAPD plasmas using the 3D electromagnetic code BOUT (BOUndary Turbulence). BOUT solves a system of fluid moment equations in a general toroidal equlibrium geometry near the plasma boundary. The underlying assumptions for the validity of the fluid model are well satisfied for drift waves in LAPD plasmas (typical plasma parameters ne˜1x10^12cm-3, Te˜10eV, and B ˜1kG), which makes BOUT a perfect tool for simulating LAPD. We have adapted BOUT for the cylindrical geometry of LAPD and have extended the model to include the background flows required for simulations of recent bias-driven rotation experiments. We have successfully verified the code for several linear instabilities, including resistive drift waves, Kelvin-Helmholtz and rotation-driven interchange. We will discuss first non-linear simulations and quasi-stationary solutions with self-consistent plasma flows and saturated density profiles.

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.

Initial report of the High Frequency Analyzer (HFA) onboard the ARASE (ERG) Satellite: Observations of the plasmasphere evolution and auroral kilometric radiation from the both hemisphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumamoto, A.; Tsuchiya, F.; Kasahara, Y.; Kasaba, Y.; Kojima, H.; Yagitani, S.; Ishisaka, K.; Imachi, T.; Ozaki, M.; Matsuda, S.; Shoji, M.; Matsuoka, A.; Katoh, Y.; Miyoshi, Y.; Shinohara, I.; Obara, T.

2017-12-01

High Frequency Analyzer (HFA) is a subsystem of the Plasma Wave Experiment (PWE) onboard the ARASE (ERG, Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace) spacecraft for observation of radio and plasma waves in a frequency range from 0.01 to 10 MHz. In ARASE mission, HFA is expected to perform the following observations: (1) Upper hybrid resonance (UHR) waves in order to determine the electron number density around the spacecraft. (2) Magnetic field component of the chorus waves in a frequency range from 20 kHz to 100 kHz. (3) Radio and plasma waves excited via wave particle interactions and mode conversion processes in storm-time magnetosphere.HFA is operated in the following three observation modes: EE-mode, EB-mode, and PP-mode. In far-Earth region, HFA is operated in EE-mode. Spectrogram of two orthogonal or right and left-handed components of electric field in perpendicular directions to the spin axis of the spacecraft are obtained. In the near-Earth region, HFA is operated in EB-mode. Spectrogram of one components of electric field in perpendicular direction to the spin plane, and one component of the magnetic field in parallel direction to the spin axis are obtained. In EE and EB-modes, the frequency range from 0.01 to 10 MHz are covered with 480 frequency steps. The time resolution is 8 sec. We also prepared PP mode to measure the locations and structures of the plasmapause at higher resolution. In PP-mode, spectrogram of one electric field component in a frequency range from 0.01-0.4 MHz (PP1) or 0.1-1 MHz (PP2) can be obtained at time resolution of 1 sec.After the successful deployment of the wire antenna and search coils mast and initial checks, we could start routine observations and detect various radio and plasma wave phenomena such as upper hybrid resonance (UHR) waves, electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ESCH) waves, auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), kilometric continuum (KC) and Type-III solar radio bursts. In the presentation, we will report the initial results based on the datasets obtained since January 2017 focusing on the analyses of plasmasphere evolution by semi-automatic identification of UHR frequency, and AKR from the both hemisphere based on polarization measurement.

Bernstein wave aided laser third harmonic generation in a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyagi, Yachna; Tripathi, Deepak; Kumar, Ashok

2016-09-01

The process of Bernstein wave aided resonant third harmonic generation of laser in a magnetized plasma is investigated. The extra-ordinary mode (X-mode) laser of frequency ω 0 and wave number k → 0 , travelling across the magnetic field in a plasma, exerts a second harmonic ponderomotive force on the electrons imparting them an oscillatory velocity v → 2 ω0 , 2 k → 0 . This velocity beats with the density perturbation due to the Bernstein wave to produce a density perturbation at cyclotron frequency shifted second harmonic. The density perturbation couples with the oscillatory velocity v → ω0 , k → 0 of X-mode of the laser to produce the cyclotron frequency shifted third harmonic current density leading to harmonic radiation. The phase matching condition for the up shifted frequency is satisfied when the Bernstein wave is nearly counter-propagating to the laser. As the transverse wave number of the Bernstein wave is large, it is effective in the phase matched third harmonic generation, when the laser frequency is not too far from the upper hybrid frequency.

Edge simulations in ELMy H-mode discharges of EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, T. Y.; Huang, Y. Q.; Xu, X. Q.; Wu, Y. B.; Wang, L.; Zheng, Z.; Liu, J. B.; Zang, Q.; Li, Y. Y.; Zhao, D.

2017-10-01

Simulations of ELM crash followed by a coherent mode, leading to transient divertor heat flux on EAST are achieved by the six-field two-fluid model in BOUT + + . Three EAST ELMy H-mode discharges with different pedestal structure, geometry and plasma current Ip are studied. The ELM-driven crash of the profiles in pedestal is reproduced, and the footprints of ELM filaments on targets are comparable with the measurements from divertor probes. A coherent mode is also found in the edge region in all the simulations after the ELM crash. The frequency and poloidal wave number are in the range of the edge coherent mode (ECM) on EAST. The magnetic fluctuations of the mode are smaller than the electric field fluctuations. The detailed comparisons between simulated mode structures with measurements will be reported. Statistical analysis on the simulated turbulent fluctuations shows that both the turbulent and blobby electron anomalous transport can pump the pedestal energy out into SOL, and then flow to divertors. The similar trend of the heat flux width with Ip is obtained in the simulations. The effects of the SOL current driven by LHW on ELMs will be discussed in this paper. This work was performed under the auspices of the US DOE by LLNL under contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. It was supported by the China NSF 11405215 and 11675217.

Shear-flow driven dissipative instability and investigation of nonlinear drift-vortex modes in dusty plasmas with non-thermal ion population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gul-e-Ali, Masood, W.; Mirza, Arshad M.

2017-12-01

The shear flow in dust dynamics driven waves in combination with the dust-neutral drag is studied in a plasma comprising of ions, electrons, and dust. Non-thermal population of ions is considered, which has been observed by many satellite missions. It is found that the dissipative instability produced by dust sheared flow and dust-neutral drag gets modified by the presence of nonthermal ions. It is found that the dissipative instability enhances for the Cairns distribution, whereas the kappa distribution arrests the growth of this instability. In the nonlinear regime, the formation of vortices in the system is studied. It is found that the nonthermal population of ions significantly alters these structures in comparison with their Maxwellian counterpart. The results obtained in this paper may have relevance in the planetary magnetospheres where the dust particles are present and non-Maxwellian distribution of particles have been observed by Freja and Viking satellites.

Electromagnetic radiation and nonlinear energy flow in an electron beam-plasma system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whelan, D. A.; Stenzel, R. L.

1985-01-01

It is shown that the unstable electron-plasma waves of a beam-plasma system can generate electromagnetic radiation in a uniform plasma. The generation mechanism is a scattering of the unstable electron plasma waves off ion-acoustic waves, producing electromagnetic waves whose frequency is near the local plasma frequency. The wave vector and frequency matching conditions of the three-wave mode coupling are experimentally verified. The electromagnetic radiation is observed to be polarized with the electric field parallel to the beam direction, and its source region is shown to be localized to the unstable plasma wave region. The frequency spectrum shows negligible intensity near the second harmonic of the plasma frequency. These results suggest that the observed electromagnetic radiation of type III solar bursts may be generated near the local plasma frequency and observed downstream where the wave frequency is near the harmonic of the plasma frequency.

Electro-opto-mechanical radio-frequency oscillator driven by guided acoustic waves in standard single-mode fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

London, Yosef; Diamandi, Hilel Hagai; Zadok, Avi

2017-04-01

An opto-electronic radio-frequency oscillator that is based on forward scattering by the guided acoustic modes of a standard single-mode optical fiber is proposed and demonstrated. An optical pump wave is used to stimulate narrowband, resonant guided acoustic modes, which introduce phase modulation to a co-propagating optical probe wave. The phase modulation is converted to an intensity signal at the output of a Sagnac interferometer loop. The intensity waveform is detected, amplified, and driven back to modulate the optical pump. Oscillations are achieved at a frequency of 319 MHz, which matches the resonance of the acoustic mode that provides the largest phase modulation of the probe wave. Oscillations at the frequencies of competing acoustic modes are suppressed by at least 40 dB. The linewidth of the acoustic resonance is sufficiently narrow to provide oscillations at a single longitudinal mode of the hybrid cavity. Competing longitudinal modes are suppressed by at least 38 dB as well. Unlike other opto-electronic oscillators, no radio-frequency filtering is required within the hybrid cavity. The frequency of oscillations is entirely determined by the fiber opto-mechanics.

Interplanetary shocks, Plasma waves and turbulence, Kinetic waves and instabilities, STEREO spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (∼ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with Wilson, et al. Other modes are also observed. Statistical results will be presented and compared with previous studies and theoretical predictions.

A Multi-Mode Shock Tube for Investigation of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Reneer, Dexter V.; Hisel, Richard D.; Hoffman, Joshua M.; Kryscio, Richard J.; Lusk, Braden T.

2011-01-01

Abstract Blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has become increasingly common in recent military conflicts. The mechanisms by which non-impact blast exposure results in bTBI are incompletely understood. Current small animal bTBI models predominantly utilize compressed air-driven membrane rupture as their blast wave source, while large animal models use chemical explosives. The pressure-time signature of each blast mode is unique, making it difficult to evaluate the contributions of the different components of the blast wave to bTBI when using a single blast source. We utilized a multi-mode shock tube, the McMillan blast device, capable of utilizing compressed air- and compressed helium-driven membrane rupture, and the explosives oxyhydrogen and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX, the primary component of C-4 plastic explosives) as the driving source. At similar maximal blast overpressures, the positive pressure phase of compressed air-driven blasts was longer, and the positive impulse was greater, than those observed for shockwaves produced by other driving sources. Helium-driven shockwaves more closely resembled RDX blasts, but by displacing air created a hypoxic environment within the shock tube. Pressure-time traces from oxyhydrogen-driven shockwaves were very similar those produced by RDX, although they resulted in elevated carbon monoxide levels due to combustion of the polyethylene bag used to contain the gases within the shock tube prior to detonation. Rats exposed to compressed air-driven blasts had more pronounced vascular damage than those exposed to oxyhydrogen-driven blasts of the same peak overpressure, indicating that differences in blast wave characteristics other than peak overpressure may influence the extent of bTBI. Use of this multi-mode shock tube in small animal models will enable comparison of the extent of brain injury with the pressure-time signature produced using each blast mode, facilitating evaluation of the blast wave components contributing to bTBI. PMID:21083431

A multi-mode shock tube for investigation of blast-induced traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Reneer, Dexter V; Hisel, Richard D; Hoffman, Joshua M; Kryscio, Richard J; Lusk, Braden T; Geddes, James W

2011-01-01

Blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has become increasingly common in recent military conflicts. The mechanisms by which non-impact blast exposure results in bTBI are incompletely understood. Current small animal bTBI models predominantly utilize compressed air-driven membrane rupture as their blast wave source, while large animal models use chemical explosives. The pressure-time signature of each blast mode is unique, making it difficult to evaluate the contributions of the different components of the blast wave to bTBI when using a single blast source. We utilized a multi-mode shock tube, the McMillan blast device, capable of utilizing compressed air- and compressed helium-driven membrane rupture, and the explosives oxyhydrogen and cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX, the primary component of C-4 plastic explosives) as the driving source. At similar maximal blast overpressures, the positive pressure phase of compressed air-driven blasts was longer, and the positive impulse was greater, than those observed for shockwaves produced by other driving sources. Helium-driven shockwaves more closely resembled RDX blasts, but by displacing air created a hypoxic environment within the shock tube. Pressure-time traces from oxyhydrogen-driven shockwaves were very similar those produced by RDX, although they resulted in elevated carbon monoxide levels due to combustion of the polyethylene bag used to contain the gases within the shock tube prior to detonation. Rats exposed to compressed air-driven blasts had more pronounced vascular damage than those exposed to oxyhydrogen-driven blasts of the same peak overpressure, indicating that differences in blast wave characteristics other than peak overpressure may influence the extent of bTBI. Use of this multi-mode shock tube in small animal models will enable comparison of the extent of brain injury with the pressure-time signature produced using each blast mode, facilitating evaluation of the blast wave components contributing to bTBI.

Landau damping of Langmuir twisted waves with kappa distributed electrons

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

Arshad, Kashif, E-mail: kashif.arshad.butt@gmail.com; Aman-ur-Rehman; Mahmood, Shahzad

2015-11-15

The kinetic theory of Landau damping of Langmuir twisted modes is investigated in the presence of orbital angular momentum of the helical (twisted) electric field in plasmas with kappa distributed electrons. The perturbed distribution function and helical electric field are considered to be decomposed by Laguerre-Gaussian mode function defined in cylindrical geometry. The Vlasov-Poisson equation is obtained and solved analytically to obtain the weak damping rates of the Langmuir twisted waves in a nonthermal plasma. The strong damping effects of the Langmuir twisted waves at wavelengths approaching Debye length are also obtained by using an exact numerical method and aremore » illustrated graphically. The damping rates of the planar Langmuir waves are found to be larger than the twisted Langmuir waves in plasmas which shows opposite behavior as depicted in Fig. 3 by J. T. Mendoça [Phys. Plasmas 19, 112113 (2012)].« less

Modification of ordinary-mode reflectometry system to detect lower-hybrid waves in Alcator C-Mod

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

Baek, S. G.; Shiraiwa, S.; Parker, R. R.

2012-10-15

Backscattering experiments to detect lower-hybrid (LH) waves have been performed in Alcator C-Mod, using the two modified channels (60 GHz and 75 GHz) of an ordinary-mode reflectometry system with newly developed spectral recorders that can continuously monitor spectral power at a target frequency. The change in the baseline of the spectral recorder during the LH wave injection is highly correlated to the strength of the X-mode non-thermal electron cyclotron emission. In high density plasmas where an anomalous drop in the lower hybrid current drive efficiency is observed, the observed backscattered signals are expected to be generated near the last closedmore » flux surface, demonstrating the presence of LH waves within the plasma. This experimental technique can be useful in identifying spatially localized LH electric fields in the periphery of high-density plasmas.« less

ULF waves and plasma stability in different regions of the magnetosheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soucek, Jan; Escoubet, C. Philippe; Grison, Benjamin

2016-04-01

We present a statistical study of the occurrence and properties of ultra low frequency waves in the magnetosheath and interpret the results in terms of the competition of mirror and Alfvén-ion-cyclotron (AIC) instabilities. Both mirror and AIC waves are generated in high beta plasma of the magnetosheath when ion temperature anisotropy exceeds the threshold of the respective instabilities. These waves are frequently observed in the terrestrial and planetary magnetosheaths, but their distribution within the magnetosheath is inhomogeneous and their character varies as a function of location, local and upstream plasma parameters. We studied the spatial distribution of the two wave modes in the magnetosheath together with the local plasma parameters important for the stability of ULF waves. This analysis was performed on a dataset of all magnetosheath crossings observed by Cluster spacecraft over two years. For each observation we used bow shock, magnetopause and magnetosheath flow models to identify the relative position of the spacecraft with respect to magnetosheath boundaries and local properties of the upstream shock crossing. A strong dependence of parameters characterizing plasma stability and mirror/AIC wave occurrence on upstream ΘBn and MA is identified. The occurrence of mirror and AIC modes was compared against the respective instability thresholds and it was observed that AIC waves occurred nearly exclusively under mirror stable conditions. This is interpreted in terms of the different character of non-linear saturation of the two modes.

Blobs and drift wave dynamics

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Yanzeng; Krasheninnikov, S. I.

2017-09-29

The modified Hasegawa-Mima equation retaining all nonlinearities is investigated from the point of view of the formation of blobs. The linear analysis shows that the amplitude of the drift wave packet propagating in the direction of decreasing background plasma density increases and eventually saturates due to nonlinear effects. Nonlinear modification of the time averaged plasma density profile results in the formation of large amplitude modes locked in the radial direction, but still propagating in the poloidal direction, which resembles the experimentally observed chain of blobs propagating in the poloidal direction. Such specific density profiles, causing the locking of drift waves,more » could form naturally at the edge of tokamak due to a neutral ionization source. Thus, locked modes can grow in situ due to plasma instabilities, e.g., caused by finite resistivity. Furthermore, the modulation instability (in the poloidal direction) of these locked modes can result in a blob-like burst of plasma density.« less

Electromagnetic drift waves dispersion for arbitrarily collisional plasmas

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

Lee, Wonjae, E-mail: wol023@ucsd.edu; Krasheninnikov, Sergei I., E-mail: skrash@mae.ucsd.edu; Angus, J. R.

2015-07-15

The impacts of the electromagnetic effects on resistive and collisionless drift waves are studied. A local linear analysis on an electromagnetic drift-kinetic equation with Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook-like collision operator demonstrates that the model is valid for describing linear growth rates of drift wave instabilities in a wide range of plasma parameters showing convergence to reference models for limiting cases. The wave-particle interactions drive collisionless drift-Alfvén wave instability in low collisionality and high beta plasma regime. The Landau resonance effects not only excite collisionless drift wave modes but also suppress high frequency electron inertia modes observed from an electromagnetic fluid model in collisionlessmore » and low beta regime. Considering ion temperature effects, it is found that the impact of finite Larmor radius effects significantly reduces the growth rate of the drift-Alfvén wave instability with synergistic effects of high beta stabilization and Landau resonance.« less

Observation of beat oscillation generation by coupled waves associated with parametric decay during radio frequency wave heating of a spherical tokamak plasma.

PubMed

Nagashima, Yoshihiko; Oosako, Takuya; Takase, Yuichi; Ejiri, Akira; Watanabe, Osamu; Kobayashi, Hiroaki; Adachi, Yuuki; Tojo, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Takashi; Kurashina, Hiroki; Yamada, Kotaro; An, Byung Il; Kasahara, Hiroshi; Shimpo, Fujio; Kumazawa, Ryuhei; Hayashi, Hiroyuki; Matsuzawa, Haduki; Hiratsuka, Junichi; Hanashima, Kentaro; Kakuda, Hidetoshi; Sakamoto, Takuya; Wakatsuki, Takuma

2010-06-18

We present an observation of beat oscillation generation by coupled modes associated with parametric decay instability (PDI) during radio frequency (rf) wave heating experiments on the Tokyo Spherical Tokamak-2. Nearly identical PDI spectra, which are characterized by the coexistence of the rf pump wave, the lower-sideband wave, and the low-frequency oscillation in the ion-cyclotron range of frequency, are observed at various locations in the edge plasma. A bispectral power analysis was used to experimentally discriminate beat oscillation from the resonant mode for the first time. The pump and lower-sideband waves have resonant mode components, while the low-frequency oscillation is exclusively excited by nonlinear coupling of the pump and lower-sideband waves. Newly discovered nonlocal transport channels in spectral space and in real space via PDI are described.

Commissioning of two RF operation modes for RF negative ion source experimental setup at HUST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, D.; Chen, D.; Liu, K.; Zhao, P.; Zuo, C.; Wang, X.; Wang, H.; Zhang, L.

2017-08-01

An RF-driven negative ion source experimental setup, without a cesium oven and an extraction system, has been built at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). The working gas is hydrogen, and the typical operational gas pressure is 0.3 Pa. The RF generator is capable of delivering up to 20 kW at 0.9 - 1.1 MHz, and has two operation modes, the fixed-frequency mode and auto-tuning mode. In the fixed-frequency mode, it outputs a steady RF forward power (Pf) at a fixed frequency. In the auto-tuning mode, it adjusts the operating frequency to seek and track the minimum standing wave ratio (SWR) during plasma discharge. To achieve fast frequency tuning, the RF signal source adopts a direct digital synthesizer (DDS). To withstand high SWR during the discharge, a tetrode amplifier is chosen as the final stage amplifier. The trend of maximum power reflection coefficient |ρ|2 at plasma ignition is presented at the fixed frequency of 1.02 MHz with the Pf increasing from 5 kW to 20 kW, which shows the maximum |ρ|2 tends to be "steady" under high RF power. The experiments in auto-tuning mode fail due to over-current protection of screen grid. The possible reason is the relatively large equivalent anode impedance caused by the frequency tuning. The corresponding analysis and possible solution are presented.

Jupiter plasma wave observations: an initial voyager 1 overview.

PubMed

Scarf, F L; Gurnett, D A; Kurth, W S

1979-06-01

The Voyager I plasma wave instrument detected low-frequency radio emissions, ion acoustic waves, and electron plasma oscillations for a period of months before encountering Jupiter's bow shock. In the outer magnetosphere, measurements of trapped radio waves were used to derive an electron density profile. Near and within the Io plasma torus the instrument detected high-frequency electrostatic waves, strong whistler mode turbulence, and discrete whistlers, apparently associated with lightning. Some strong emissions in the tail region and some impulsive signals have not yet been positively identified.

Modeling of fast neutral-beam-generated ions and rotation effects on RWM stability in DIII-D plasmas

DOE PAGES

Turco, Francesca; Turnbull, Alan D.; Hanson, Jeremy M.; ...

2015-10-15

Here, validation results for the MARS-K code for DIII-D equilibria, predict that the absence of fast Neutral Beam (NB) generated ions leads to a plasma response ~40–60% higher than in NB-sustained H-mode plasmas when the no-wall β N limit is reached. In a β N scan, the MARS-K model with thermal and fast-ions, reproduces the experimental measurements above the no-wall limit, except at the highest β N where the phase of the plasma response is overestimated. The dependencies extrapolate unfavorably to machines such as ITER with smaller fast ion fractions since elevated responses in the absence of fast ions indicatemore » the potential onset of a resistive wall mode (RWM). The model was also tested for the effects of rotation at high β N, and recovers the measured response even when fast-ions are neglected, reversing the effect found in lower β N cases, but consistent with the higher β N results above the no-wall limit. The agreement in the response amplitude and phase for the rotation scan is not as good, and additional work will be needed to reproduce the experimental trends. In the case of current-driven instabilities, the magnetohydrodynamic spectroscopy system used to measure the plasma response reacts differently from that for pressure driven instabilities: the response amplitude remains low up to ~93% of the current limit, showing an abrupt increase only in the last ~5% of the current ramp. This makes it much less effective as a diagnostic for the approach to an ideal limit. However, the mode structure of the current driven RWM extends radially inwards, consistent with that in the pressure driven case for plasmas with q edge~2. This suggests that previously developed RWM feedback techniques together with the additional optimizations that enabled q edge~2 operation, can be applied to control of both current-driven and pressure-driven modes at high β N.« less

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; Dorfman, S. E.; Rossi, G.; Guice, D.

2014-12-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B=100G, β~1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Rossi, Giovanni; Guice, Daniel; Gekelman, Walter; Klein, Kris; Howes, Greg

2014-10-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3 ×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12 eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6 eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B = 100 G , β ~ 1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Time-resolved measurement of global synchronization in the dust acoustic wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, J. D.

2014-10-01

A spatially and temporally resolved measurement of the synchronization of the naturally occurring dust acoustic wave to an external drive and the relaxation from the driven wave mode back to the naturally occuring wave mode is presented. This measurement provides a time-resolved measurement of the synchronization of the self-excited dust acoustic wave with an external drive and the return to the self-excited mode. It is observed that the wave synchronizes to the external drive in a distinct time-dependent fashion, while there is an immediate loss of synchronization when the external modulation is discontinued.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-10-01

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

Counterstreaming beams and flat-top electron distributions observed with Langmuir, Whistler, and compressional Alfvén waves in earth's magnetic tail.

PubMed

Teste, Alexandra; Parks, George K

2009-02-20

Relevant new clues to wave-particle interactions have been obtained in Earth's plasma sheet (PS). The plasma measurements made on Cluster spacecraft show that broadband (approximately 2-6 kHz) electrostatic emissions, in the PS boundary layer, are associated with cold counterstreaming electrons flowing at 5-12x10(3) km s(-1) through hot Maxwellian plasma. In the current sheet (CS), electromagnetic whistler mode waves (approximately 10-80 Hz) and compressional Alfvén waves (<2 Hz) are detected with flat-topped electron distributions whose cutoff speeds are approximately 15-17x10(3) km s(-1). These waves are damped in the central CS where |B|

Magnetospheric Whistler Mode Raytracing with the Inclusion of Finite Electron and ion Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxworth, Ashanthi S.

Whistler mode waves are a type of a low frequency (100 Hz - 30 kHz) wave, which exists only in a magnetized plasma. These waves play a major role in Earth's magnetosphere. Due to the impact of whistler mode waves in many fields such as space weather, satellite communications and lifetime of space electronics, it is important to accurately predict the propagation path of these waves. The method used to determine the propagation path of whistler waves is called numerical raytracing. Numerical raytracing determines the power flow path of the whistler mode waves by solving a set of equations known as the Haselgrove's equations. In the majority of the previous work, raytracing was implemented assuming a cold background plasma (0 K), but the actual magnetosphere is at a temperature of about 1 eV (11600 K). In this work we have modified the numerical raytracing algorithm to work at finite electron and ion temperatures. The finite temperature effects have also been introduced into the formulations for linear cyclotron resonance wave growth and Landau damping, which are the primary mechanisms for whistler mode growth and attenuation in the magnetosphere. Including temperature increases the complexity of numerical raytracing, but the overall effects are mostly limited to increasing the group velocity of the waves at highly oblique wave normal angles.

Generation of quasi-monoenergetic heavy ion beams via staged shock wave acceleration driven by intense laser pulses in near-critical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W. L.; Qiao, B.; Shen, X. F.; You, W. Y.; Huang, T. W.; Yan, X. Q.; Wu, S. Z.; Zhou, C. T.; He, X. T.

2016-09-01

Laser-driven ion acceleration potentially offers a compact, cost-effective alternative to conventional accelerators for scientific, technological, and health-care applications. A novel scheme for heavy ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas via staged shock waves driven by intense laser pulses is proposed, where, in front of the heavy ion target, a light ion layer is used for launching a high-speed electrostatic shock wave. This shock is enhanced at the interface before it is transmitted into the heavy ion plasmas. Monoenergetic heavy ion beam with much higher energy can be generated by the transmitted shock, comparing to the shock wave acceleration in pure heavy ion target. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic {{{C}}}6+ ion beams with peak energy 168 MeV and considerable particle number 2.1 × {10}11 are obtained by laser pulses at intensity of 1.66 × {10}20 {{W}} {{cm}}-2 in such staged shock wave acceleration scheme. Similarly a high-quality {{Al}}10+ ion beam with a well-defined peak with energy 250 MeV and spread δ E/{E}0=30 % can also be obtained in this scheme.

Stimulation of plasma waves by electron guns on the ISEE-1 satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebreton, J.-P.; Torbert, R.; Anderson, R.; Harvey, C.

1982-01-01

The results of the ISEE-1 satellite experiment relating to observations of the waves stimulated during electron injections, when the spacecraft is passing through the magnetosphere, the magnetosheath, and the solar wind, are discussed. It is shown that the injection of an electron beam current of the order of 10 to 60 microamperes with energies ranging from 0 to 40 eV produces enhancements in the electric wave spectrum. An attempt has been made to identify the low-frequency electrostatic wave observed below the ion plasma frequency as an ion acoustic mode, although the excitation mechanism is not clear. A coupling mechanism between the electron plasma mode and streaming electrons with energies higher than the thermal speed of the cold electron population has been proposed to explain the observations above the electron plasma frequency.

Effect of squeeze on electrostatic TG wave damping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashourvan, A.; Dubin, D. H. E.

2013-03-01

We present a 1D theory, neglecting radial dependency, for the damping of cylindrically symmetric plasma modes due to a cylindrically symmetric squeeze potential Vsq(z), applied to the axial midpoint of a non-neutral plasma column. Inside the plasma, particles experience a much smaller, Debye shielded squeeze potential φ0(z) of magnitude φs. The squeeze divides the plasma into passing and trapped particles; the latter cannot pass over the squeeze. Both analytical and computer simulation methods were used to study a 1D squeezed plasma mode. For our analytical study, in the regime where qφs/T ≪ 1, we assume the trapped particle population to be negligibly small and we treat qφ0(z) as a pertubation in the equilibrium hamiltonian. Our computer simulations consist of solving the 1D Vlasov-Poisson system and obtaining the damping rate for a self-consistent plasma mode. Damping of the mode in collisionless theory is caused by Landau resonances at energies En for which the bounce frequency ωb(En) and the wave frequency ω satisfy ω = nωb(En). Particles experience a non-sinusoidal wave potential along their bounce orbits due to the squeeze potential. As a result, the squeeze induces bounce harmonics with n ≫ 1 in the perturbed distribution. The harmonics allow resonances at energies En ≤ T and cause a substantial damping, even at wave phase velocities much larger than the thermal velocity, which is not expected for an unsqueezed plasma. In the regime ω/k≫√T/m (k is the wave number) and T ≫ qφs, the resonance damping rate has a |Vsq|2 dependence. This behavior is consistent with the observed experimental results.

Time-Dependent Simulations of Fast-Wave Heated High-Non-Inductive-Fraction H-Mode Plasmas in the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Gary; Bertelli, Nicola; Gerhardt, Stefan P.; Hosea, Joel C.; Mueller, Dennis; Perkins, Rory J.; Poli, Francesca M.; Wilson, James R.; Raman, Roger

2017-10-01

30 MHz fast-wave heating may be an effective tool for non-inductively ramping low-current plasmas to a level suitable for initiating up to 12 MW of neutral beam injection on the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). Previously on NSTX 30 MHz fast wave heating was shown to efficiently and rapidly heat electrons; at the NSTX maximum axial toroidal magnetic field (BT(0)) of 0.55 T, 1.4 MW of 30 MHz heating increased the central electron temperature from 0.2 to 2 keV in 30 ms and generated an H-mode plasma with a non-inductive fraction (fNI) ˜ 0.7 at a plasma current (Ip) of 300 kA. NSTX-U will operate at BT(0) up to 1 T, with up to 4 MW of 30 MHz power (Prf). Predictive TRANSP free boundary transport simulations, using the TORIC full wave spectral code to calculate the fast-wave heating and current drive, have been run for NSTX-U Ip = 300 kA H-mode plasmas. Favorable scaling of fNI with 30 MHz heating power is predicted, with fNI ≥ 1 for Prf ≥ 2 MW.

Excitation of lower hybrid waves by a spiraling ion beam in a magnetized dusty plasma cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Suresh C.; Walia, Ritu

2008-09-01

A spiraling ion beam propagating through a magnetized dusty plasma cylinder drives electrostatic lower hybrid waves to instability via cyclotron interaction. Numerical calculations of the growth rate and unstable mode frequencies have been carried out for the Princeton Q-1 device using the experimental dusty plasma parameters [e.g., Barkan et al., Planet. Space Sci. 43, 905 (1995)]. It is found that as the density ratio δ(=nio/neo, where ni0 is the ion plasma density and ne0 is the electron density) of negatively charged dust grains to electrons increases, the unstable mode frequency of the lower hybrid waves increases. In addition, the growth rate of the instability also increases with the density ratio δ. In other words, the presence of negatively charged dust grains can further destabilize the lower hybrid wave instability. The growth rate has the largest value for the modes where Jl(pnro) is maximum [here pn=xn/r0, where pn is the perpendicular wave number in cm-1, r0 is the plasma radius, and xn are the zeros of the Bessel function J1(x )] i.e., whose eigenfunctions peak at the location of the beam. The growth rate scales as one third power of the beam current.

Nonlinear response and bistability of driven ion acoustic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbari-Moghanjoughi, M.

2017-08-01

The hydrodynamic model is used to obtain a generalized pseudoforce equation through which the nonlinear response of periodically driven ion acoustic waves is studied in an electron-ion plasma with isothermal and adiabatic ion fluids. The pseudotime series, corresponding to different driving frequencies, indicates that nonlinearity effects appear more strongly for smaller frequency values. The existence of extra harmonic resonances in the nonlinear amplitude spectrum is a clear indication of the interaction of an external force with harmonic components of the nonlinear ion acoustic waves. It is shown that many plasma parameters significantly and differently affect the nonlinear resonance spectrum of ion acoustic excitations. A heuristic but accurate model for the foldover effect is used which quite satisfactorily predicts the bistability of driven plasma oscillations. It is remarked that the characteristic resonance peak of isothermal ion plasma oscillations appears at lower frequencies but is stronger compared to that of adiabatic ions. Comparison of the exact numerical results for fully nonlinear and approximate (weakly nonlinear) models indicates that a weakly nonlinear model exaggerates the hysteresis and jump phenomenon for higher values of the external force amplitude.

Linear and nonlinear interactions of an electron beam with oblique whistler and electrostatic waves in the magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. L.; Matsumoto, H.; Omura, Y.

1993-12-01

Both linear and nonlinear interactions between oblique whistler, electrostatic, quasi-upper hybrid mode waves and an electron beam are studied by linear analyses and electromagnetic particle simulations. In addition to a background cold plasma, we assumed a hot electron beam drifting along a static magnetic field. Growth rates of the oblique whistler, oblique electrostatic, and quasi-upper hybrid instabilities were first calculated. We found that there are four kinds of unstable mode waves for parallel and oblique propagations. They are the electromagnetic whistler mode wave (WW1), the electrostatic whistler mode wave (WW2), the electrostatic mode wave (ESW), and the quasi-upper hybrid mode wave (UHW). A possible mechanism is proposed to explain the satellite observations of whistler mode chorus and accompanied electrostatic waves, whose amplitudes are sometimes modulated at the chorus frequency.

Light trapping and circularly polarization at a Dirac point in 2D plasma photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qian; Hu, Lei; Mao, Qiuping; Jiang, Haiming; Hu, Zhijia; Xie, Kang; Wei, Zhang

2018-03-01

Light trapping at the Dirac point in 2D plasma photonic crystal has been obtained. The new localized mode, Dirac mode, is attributable to neither photonic bandgap nor total internal reflection. It exhibits a unique algebraic profile and possesses a high-Q factor resonator of about 105. The Dirac point could be modulated by tuning the filling factor, plasma frequency and plasma cyclotron frequency, respectively. When a magnetic field parallel to the wave vector is applied, Dirac modes for right circularly polarized and left circularly polarized waves could be obtained at different frequencies, and the Q factor could be tuned. This property will add more controllability and flexibility to the design and modulation of novel photonic devices. It is also valuable for the possibilities of Dirac modes in photonic crystal containing other kinds of metamaterials.

Lower hybrid to whistler mode conversion on a density striation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camporeale, E.; Delzanno, G. L.; Colestock, P.

2012-10-01

When a wave packet composed of short wavelength lower hybrid modes traveling in an homogeneous plasma region encounters an inhomogeneity, it can resonantly excite long wavelength whistler waves via a linear mechanism known as mode conversion. An enhancement of lower hybrid/whistler activity has been often observed by sounding rockets and satellites in the presence of density depletions (striations) in the upper ionosphere. We address here the process of linear mode conversion of lower hybrid to whistler waves, mediated by a density striation, using a scalar-field formalism (in the limit of cold plasma linear theory) which we solve numerically. We show that the mode conversion can effectively transfer a large amount of energy from the short to the long wavelength modes. We also study how the efficiency scales by changing the properties (width and amplitude) of the density striation. We present a general criterion for the width of the striation that, if fulfilled, maximizes the conversion efficiency. Such a criterion could provide an interpretation of recent laboratory experiments carried out on the Large Plasma Device at UCLA.

Comment on "Propagation of a TE surface mode in a relativistic electron beam-quantum plasma system" [Phys. Lett. A 376 (2012) 169

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, Afshin

2016-07-01

In a recent paper Abdel Aziz [Phys. Lett. A 376 (2012) 169] obtained the dispersion properties of TE surface modes propagating at the interface between a magnetized quantum plasma and vacuum in the Faraday configuration, where these TE surface waves are excited during the interaction of relativistic electron beam with magnetized quantum plasma. The present Comment points out that in the Faraday configuration the surface waves acquire both TM and TE components due to the cyclotron motion of electrons. Therefore, the TE surface waves cannot propagate on surface of the present system and the general dispersion relations for surface waves, derived by Abdel Aziz are incorrect.

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

Vaezi, P.; Holland, C.; Thakur, S. C.

The Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device provides a unique platform for investigating the underlying physics of self-regulating drift-wave turbulence/zonal flow dynamics. A minimal model of 3D drift-reduced nonlocal cold ion fluid equations which evolves density, vorticity, and electron temperature fluctuations, with proper sheath boundary conditions, is used to simulate dynamics of the turbulence in CSDX and its response to changes in parallel boundary conditions. These simulations are then carried out using the BOUndary Turbulence (BOUT++) framework and use equilibrium electron density and temperature profiles taken from experimental measurements. The results show that density gradient-driven drift-waves are themore » dominant instability in CSDX. However, the choice of insulating or conducting endplate boundary conditions affects the linear growth rates and energy balance of the system due to the absence or addition of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes generated by the sheath-driven equilibrium E × B shear and sheath-driven temperature gradient instability. Moreover, nonlinear simulation results show that the boundary conditions impact the turbulence structure and zonal flow formation, resulting in less broadband (more quasi-coherent) turbulence and weaker zonal flow in conducting boundary condition case. These results are qualitatively consistent with earlier experimental observations.« less

FIRE HOSE INSTABILITY DRIVEN BY ALPHA PARTICLE TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY

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

Matteini, L.; Schwartz, S. J.; Hellinger, P.

We investigate properties of a solar wind-like plasma, including a secondary alpha particle population exhibiting a parallel temperature anisotropy with respect to the background magnetic field, using linear and quasi-linear predictions and by means of one-dimensional hybrid simulations. We show that anisotropic alpha particles can drive a parallel fire hose instability analogous to that generated by protons, but that, remarkably, can also be triggered when the parallel plasma beta of alpha particles is below unity. The wave activity generated by the alpha anisotropy affects the evolution of the more abundant protons, leading to their anisotropic heating. When both ion speciesmore » have sufficient parallel anisotropies, both of them can drive the instability, and we observe the generation of two distinct peaks in the spectra of the fluctuations, with longer wavelengths associated to alphas and shorter ones to protons. If a non-zero relative drift is present, the unstable modes propagate preferentially in the direction of the drift associated with the unstable species. The generated waves scatter particles and reduce their temperature anisotropy to a marginally stable state, and, moreover, they significantly reduce the relative drift between the two ion populations. The coexistence of modes excited by both species leads to saturation of the plasma in distinct regions of the beta/anisotropy parameter space for protons and alpha particles, in good agreement with in situ solar wind observations. Our results confirm that fire hose instabilities are likely at work in the solar wind and limit the anisotropy of different ion species in the plasma.« less

Helicon Modes Driven by Ionosheric 0+ Ions in the Plasma Sheet Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lakhina, Gurbax S.; Tsurutani, Bruce T.

1996-01-01

It is shown that the precence of ionospheric-origin oxygen ion beams with anisotropic pressure can excite helicon modes in the near-Earth plasma shet region provided their Alfvenic Mach numbers lie in a certain range.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2015-11-01

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

Energy mode distribution: An analysis of the ratio of anti-Stokes to Stokes amplitudes generated by a pair of counterpropagating Langmuir waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simões Júnior, F. J. R.; Alves, M. V.; Rizzato, F. B.

2005-12-01

Results from plasma wave experiments in spacecrafts give support to nonlinear interactions involving Langmuir, electromagnetic, and ion-acoustic waves in association with type III solar radio bursts. Starting from a general form of Zakharov equation (Zakharov, V.E., 1985. Collapse and self-focusing of Langmuir waves. Hand-book of Plasma Physics Cap.2, 81 121) the equations for electric fields and density fluctuations (density gratings) induced by a pair of counterpropagating Langmuir waves are obtained. We consider the coupling of four triplets. Each two triplets have in common the Langmuir pump wave (forward or backward wave) and a pair of independent density gratings. We numerically solve the dispersion relation for the system, extending the work of (Alves, M.V., Chian, A.C.L., Moraes, M.A.E., Abalde, J.R., Rizzato, F.B., 2002. A theory of the fundamental plasma emission of type- III solar radio bursts. Astronomy and Astrophysics 390, 351 357). The ratio of anti-Stokes (AS) (ω0+ω) to Stokes (S) (ω0-ω) electromagnetic mode amplitudes is obtained as a function of the pump wave frequency, wave number, and energy. We notice that the simultaneous excitation of AS and S distinguishable modes, i.e., with Re{ω}=ω≠0, only occurs when the ratio between the pump wave amplitudes, r is ≠1 and the pump wave vector k0 is <(13)W01/2, W0 being the forward pump wave energy. We also observe that the S mode always receives more energy.

Controllable robust laser driven ion acceleration from near-critical density relativistic self-transparent plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bin; Meyer-Ter-Vehn, Juergen; Ruhl, Hartmut

2017-10-01

We introduce an alternative approach for laser driven self-injected high quality ion acceleration. We call it ion wave breaking acceleration. It operates in relativistic self-transparent plasma for ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses. Laser propagating in a transparent plasma excites an electron wave as well as an ion wave. When the ion wave breaks, a fraction of ions is self-injected into the positive part of the laser driven wake. This leads to a superior ion pulse with peaked energy spectra; in particular in realistic three-dimensional geometry, the injection occurs localized close to the laser axis producing highly directed bunches. A theory is developed to investigate the ion wave breaking dynamics. Three dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations with pure-gaussian laser pulses and pre-expanded near-critical density plasma targets have been done to verify the theoretical results. It is shown that hundreds of MeV, easily controllable and manipulable, micron-scale size, highly collimated and quasi-mono-energetic ion beams can be produced by using ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses with total laser energies less than 10 Joules. Such ion beams may find important applications in tumour therapy. B. Liu acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. B. Liu and H. Ruhl acknowledge supports from the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), and the Cluster-of-Excellence Munich Centre for Advanced Photonics (MAP).

Ion Acceleration by Flux Transfer Events in the Terrestrial Magnetosheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarvinen, R.; Vainio, R.; Palmroth, M.; Juusola, L.; Hoilijoki, S.; Pfau-Kempf, Y.; Ganse, U.; Turc, L.; von Alfthan, S.

2018-02-01

We report ion acceleration by flux transfer events in the terrestrial magnetosheath in a global two-dimensional hybrid-Vlasov polar plane simulation of Earth's solar wind interaction. In the model we find that propagating flux transfer events created in magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause drive fast-mode bow waves in the magnetosheath, which accelerate ions in the shocked solar wind flow. The acceleration at the bow waves is caused by a shock drift-like acceleration process under stationary solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field upstream conditions. Thus, the energization is not externally driven but results from plasma dynamics within the magnetosheath. Energetic proton populations reach the energy of 30 keV, and their velocity distributions resemble time-energy dispersive ion injections observed by the Cluster spacecraft in the magnetosheath.

The effect of beam-driven return current instability on solar hard X-ray bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cromwell, D.; Mcquillan, P.; Brown, J. C.

1986-01-01

The problem of electrostatic wave generation by a return current driven by a small area electron beam during solar hard X-ray bursts is discussed. The marginal stability method is used to solve numerically the electron and ion heating equations for a prescribed beam current evolution. When ion-acoustic waves are considered, the method appears satisfactory and, following an initial phase of Coulomb resistivity in which T sub e/T sub i rise, predicts a rapid heating of substantial plasma volumes by anomalous ohmic dissipation. This hot plasma emits so much thermal bremsstrahlung that, contrary to previous expectations, the unstable beam-plasma system actually emits more hard X-rays than does the beam in the purely collisional thick target regime relevant to larger injection areas. Inclusion of ion-cyclotron waves results in ion-acoustic wave onset at lower T sub e/T sub i and a marginal stability treatment yields unphysical results.

Spatial distribution of the wave field of the surface modes sustaining filamentary discharges

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

Lishev, St.; Shivarova, A.; Tarnev, Kh.

2008-01-01

The study presents the electrodynamical description of surface-wave-sustained discharges contracted in filamentary structures. The results are for the spatial distribution of the wave field and for the wave propagation characteristics obtained from a two-dimensional model developed for describing surface-wave behavior in plasmas with an arbitrary distribution of the plasma density. In accordance with the experimental observations of filamentary discharges, the plasma density distribution considered is completed by cylindrically shaped gas-discharge channels extended along the discharge length and positioned in the out-of-center region of the discharge, equidistantly in an azimuthal direction. Due to the two-dimensional inhomogeneity of the plasma density ofmore » the filamentary structure, the eigen surface mode of the structure is a hybrid wave, with all--six--field components. For identification of its behavior, the surface wave properties in the limiting cases of a plasma ring and a single filament--both radially inhomogeneous--are involved in the discussions. The presentation of the results is for filamentary structures with a decreasing number of filaments (from 10 to 2) starting with the plasma ring, the latter supporting propagation of an azimuthally symmetric wave. Due to the resonance absorption of the surface waves, always present because of the smooth variation of the plasma density, the contours of the critical density are those guiding the surface wave propagation. Decreasing number of filaments in the structure leads to localization of the amplitudes of the wave-field components around the filaments. By analogy with the spatial distribution of the wave field in the plasma ring, the strong resonance enhancement of the wave-field components is along that part of the contour of the critical density which is far off the center of the filamentary structure. The analysis of the spatial distribution of the field components of the filamentary structure shows that the hybrid wave is an eigenmode of the whole structure, i.e., the wave field does not appear as a superposition of fields of eigenmodes of the separated filaments completing it. It is stressed that the spatial distribution of the field components of the eigen hybrid mode of the filamentary structure has an azimuthally symmetric background field.« less

Energetic ion excited long-lasting ``sword'' modes in tokamak plasmas with low magnetic shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaogang; Zhang, Ruibin; Deng, Wei; Liu, Yi

2013-10-01

An m/ n = 1 mode driven by trapped fast ions with a sword-shape envelope of long-lasting (for hundreds of milliseconds) magnetic perturbation signals, other than conventional fishbones, is studied in this paper. The mode is usually observed in low shear plasmas. Frequency and growth rate of the mode and its harmonics are calculated and in good agreements with observations. The radial mode structure is also obtained and compared with that of fishbones. It is found that due to fast ion driven the mode differs from magnetohydrodynamic long lived modes (LLMs) observed in MAST and NSTX. On the other hand, due to the feature of weak magnetic shear, the mode is also significantly different from fishbones. The nonlinear evolution of the mode and its comparison with fishbones are further investigated to analyze the effect of the mode on energetic particle transport and confinement.

Space plasma simulations; Proceedings of the Second International School for Space Simulations, Kapaa, HI, February 4-15, 1985. Parts 1 & 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashour-Abdalla, M. (Editor); Dutton, D. A. (Editor)

1985-01-01

Space plasma simulations, observations, and theories are discussed. Papers are presented on the capabilities of various types of simulation codes and simulation models. Consideration is given to plasma waves in the earth's magnetotail, outer planet magnetosphere, geospace, and the auroral and polar cap regions. Topics discussed include space plasma turbulent dissipation, the kinetics of plasma waves, wave-particle interactions, whistler mode propagation, global energy regulation, and auroral arc formation.

VLF Transmitter Signal Power Loss to Quasi-Electrostatic Whistler Mode Waves in Regions Containing Plasma Density Irregularities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, T. F.; Foust, F.; Inan, U. S.; Lehtinen, N. G.

2010-12-01

The energetic particles comprising the Earth’s radiation belts are an important component of Space Weather. The commonly accepted model of the quasi-steady radiation belts developed by Abel and Thorne [1998] proposes that VLF signals from powerful ground based transmitters determine the lifetimes of energetic radiation belt electrons (100 keV-1.5 MeV) on L shells in the range 1.3-2.8. The primary mechanism of interaction is pitch angle scattering during gyro-resonance. Recent observations [Starks et al., 2008] from multiple spacecraft suggest that the actual night time intensity of VLF transmitter signals in the radiation belts is approximately 20 dB below the level assumed in the Abel and Thorne model and approximately 10 dB below model values during the day. In this work we discuss one mechanism which might be responsible for a large portion of this intensity discrepancy. The mechanism is linear mode coupling between electromagnetic whistler mode waves and quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves. As VLF electromagnetic whistler mode waves propagate through regions containing small scale (2-100 m) magnetic-field-aligned plasma density irregularities, they excite quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves, and this excitation represents a power loss for the input waves. We construct plausible models of the irregularities in order to use numerical simulations to determine the characteristics of the mode coupling mechanism and the conditions under which the input VLF waves can lose significant power to the excited quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves.

Instantaneous polarization statistic property of EM waves incident on time-varying reentry plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Bowen; Liu, Yanming; Li, Xiaoping; Yao, Bo; Shi, Lei

2018-06-01

An analytical method is proposed in this paper to study the effect of time-varying reentry plasma sheath on the instantaneous polarization statistic property of electromagnetic (EM) waves. Based on the disturbance property of the hypersonic fluid, the spatial-temporal model of the time-varying reentry plasma sheath is established. An analytical technique referred to as transmission line analogy is developed to calculate the instantaneous transmission coefficient of EM wave propagation in time-varying plasma. Then, the instantaneous polarization statistic theory of EM wave propagation in the time-varying plasma sheath is developed. Taking the S-band telemetry right hand circularly polarized wave as an example, effects of incident angle and plasma parameters, including the electron density and the collision frequency on the EM wave's polarization statistic property are studied systematically. Statistical results indicate that the lower the collision frequency and the larger the electron density and incident angle is, the worse the deterioration of the polarization property is. Meanwhile, in conditions of critical parameters of certain electron density, collision frequency, and incident angle, the transmitted waves have both the right and left hand polarization mode, and the polarization mode will reverse. The calculation results could provide useful information for adaptive polarization receiving of the spacecraft's reentry communication.

Whistler wave propagation in the antenna near and far fields in the Naval Research Laboratory Space Physics Simulation Chamber

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

Blackwell, David D.; Walker, David N.; Amatucci, William E.

2010-01-15

In previous papers, early whistler propagation measurements were presented [W. E. Amatucci et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 33, 637 (2005)] as well as antenna impedance measurements [D. D. Blackwell et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 092106 (2007)] performed in the Naval Research Laboratory Space Physics Simulation Chamber (SPSC). Since that time there have been major upgrades in the experimental capabilities of the laboratory in the form of improvement of both the plasma source and antennas. This has allowed access to plasma parameter space that was previously unattainable, and has resulted in measurements that provide a significantly clearer picture of whistlermore » propagation in the laboratory environment. This paper presents some of the first whistler experimental results from the upgraded SPSC. Whereas previously measurements were limited to measuring the cyclotron resonance cutoff and elliptical polarization indicative of the whistler mode, now it is possible to experimentally plot the dispersion relation itself. The waves are driven and detected using balanced dipole and loop antennas connected to a network analyzer, which measures the amplitude and phase of the wave in two dimensions (r and z). In addition the frequency of the signals is also swept over a range of several hundreds of megahertz, providing a comprehensive picture of the near and far field antenna radiation patterns over a variety of plasma conditions. The magnetic field is varied from a few gauss to 200 G, with the density variable over at least 3 decades from 10{sup 7} to 10{sup 10} cm{sup -3}. The waves are shown to lie on the dispersion surface for whistler waves, with observation of resonance cones in agreement with theoretical predictions. The waves are also observed to propagate without loss of amplitude at higher power, a result in agreement with previous experiments and the notion of ducted whistlers.« less

Advanced density profile reflectometry; the state-of-the-art and measurement prospects for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, E. J.

2006-10-01

Dramatic progress in millimeter-wave technology has allowed the realization of a key goal for ITER diagnostics, the routine measurement of the plasma density profile from millimeter-wave radar (reflectometry) measurements. In reflectometry, the measured round-trip group delay of a probe beam reflected from a plasma cutoff is used to infer the density distribution in the plasma. Reflectometer systems implemented by UCLA on a number of devices employ frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FM-CW), ultrawide-bandwidth, high-resolution radar systems. One such system on DIII-D has routinely demonstrated measurements of the density profile over a range of electron density of 0-6.4x10^19,m-3, with ˜25 μs time and ˜4 mm radial resolution, meeting key ITER requirements. This progress in performance was made possible by multiple advances in the areas of millimeter-wave technology, novel measurement techniques, and improved understanding, including: (i) fast sweep, solid-state, wide bandwidth sources and power amplifiers, (ii) dual polarization measurements to expand the density range, (iii) adaptive radar-based data analysis with parallel processing on a Unix cluster, (iv) high memory depth data acquisition, and (v) advances in full wave code modeling. The benefits of advanced system performance will be illustrated using measurements from a wide range of phenomena, including ELM and fast-ion driven mode dynamics, L-H transition studies and plasma-wall interaction. The measurement capabilities demonstrated by these systems provide a design basis for the development of the main ITER profile reflectometer system. This talk will explore the extent to which these reflectometer system designs, results and experience can be translated to ITER, and will identify what new studies and experimental tests are essential.

Diffusion in plasma: The Hall effect, compositional waves, and chemical spots

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

Urpin, V., E-mail: Vadim.urpin@uv.es

2017-03-15

Diffusion caused by a combined influence of the electric current and Hall effect is considered, and it is argued that such diffusion can form inhomogeneities of a chemical composition in plasma. The considered mechanism can be responsible for the formation of element spots in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. This current-driven diffusion can be accompanied by propagation of a particular type of waves in which the impurity number density oscillates alone. These compositional waves exist if the magnetic pressure in plasma is much greater than the gas pressure.

Microscopic Lagrangian description of warm plasmas. I - Linear wave propagation. II - Nonlinear wave interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, H.; Crawford, F. W.

1977-01-01

It is pointed out that the conventional iterative analysis of nonlinear plasma wave phenomena, which involves a direct use of Maxwell's equations and the equations describing the particle dynamics, leads to formidable theoretical and algebraic complexities, especially for warm plasmas. As an effective alternative, the Lagrangian method may be applied. It is shown how this method may be used in the microscopic description of small-signal wave propagation and in the study of nonlinear wave interactions. The linear theory is developed for an infinite, homogeneous, collisionless, warm magnetoplasma. A summary is presented of a perturbation expansion scheme described by Galloway and Kim (1971), and Lagrangians to third order in perturbation are considered. Attention is given to the averaged-Lagrangian density, the action-transfer and coupled-mode equations, and the general solution of the coupled-mode equations.

Very Oblique Whistler Mode Propagation in the Radiation Belts: Effects of Hot Plasma and Landau Damping

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

Ma, Q.; Artemyev, A. V.; Mourenas, D.

We present that satellite observations of a significant population of very oblique chorus waves in the outer radiation belt have fueled considerable interest in the effects of these waves on energetic electron scattering and acceleration. However, corresponding diffusion rates are extremely sensitive to the refractive index N, controlled by hot plasma effects including Landau damping and wave dispersion modifications by suprathermal (15–100 eV) electrons. A combined investigation of wave and electron distribution characteristics obtained from the Van Allen Probes shows that peculiarities of the measured electron distribution significantly reduce Landau damping, allowing wave propagation with high N ~ 100–200. Furthermore » comparing measured refractive indexes with theoretical estimates incorporating hot plasma corrections to the wave dispersion, we provide the first experimental demonstration that suprathermal electrons indeed control the upper limit of the refractive index of highly oblique whistler mode waves. In conclusion, such results further support the importance of incorporating very oblique waves into radiation belt models.« less

Very Oblique Whistler Mode Propagation in the Radiation Belts: Effects of Hot Plasma and Landau Damping

DOE PAGES

Ma, Q.; Artemyev, A. V.; Mourenas, D.; ...

2017-11-30

We present that satellite observations of a significant population of very oblique chorus waves in the outer radiation belt have fueled considerable interest in the effects of these waves on energetic electron scattering and acceleration. However, corresponding diffusion rates are extremely sensitive to the refractive index N, controlled by hot plasma effects including Landau damping and wave dispersion modifications by suprathermal (15–100 eV) electrons. A combined investigation of wave and electron distribution characteristics obtained from the Van Allen Probes shows that peculiarities of the measured electron distribution significantly reduce Landau damping, allowing wave propagation with high N ~ 100–200. Furthermore » comparing measured refractive indexes with theoretical estimates incorporating hot plasma corrections to the wave dispersion, we provide the first experimental demonstration that suprathermal electrons indeed control the upper limit of the refractive index of highly oblique whistler mode waves. In conclusion, such results further support the importance of incorporating very oblique waves into radiation belt models.« less

Particle propagation effects on wave growth in a solar flux tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, S. M.; Melrose, D. B.; Dulk, G. A.

1986-09-01

The evolution of a distribution of electrons is followed after they are injected impulsively at the top of a coronal magnetic loop, with the objective of studying the plasma instabilities which result. At early times the downgoing electrons have beamlike distributions and amplify electrostatic waves via the Cerenkov resonance; the anomalous Doppler resonance is found to be less important. Slightly later, while the electrons are still predominantly downgoing, they are unstable to cyclotron maser generation of z-mode waves with omega(p) much less than Omega, or to second harmonic x-mode waves. The energetics of these instabilities, including saturation effects and heating of the ambient plasma, are discussed. It is suggested that coalescence of two z-mode waves generated by cyclotron maser emission of the downgoing electrons may produce the observed microwave spike bursts.

Toward laboratory torsional spine magnetic reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chesny, David L.; Orange, N. Brice; Oluseyi, Hakeem M.; Valletta, David R.

2017-12-01

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental energy conversion mechanism in nature. Major attempts to study this process in controlled settings on Earth have largely been limited to reproducing approximately two-dimensional (2-D) reconnection dynamics. Other experiments describing reconnection near three-dimensional null points are non-driven, and do not induce any of the 3-D modes of spine fan, torsional fan or torsional spine reconnection. In order to study these important 3-D modes observed in astrophysical plasmas (e.g. the solar atmosphere), laboratory set-ups must be designed to induce driven reconnection about an isolated magnetic null point. As such, we consider the limited range of fundamental resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic parameters of dynamic laboratory plasmas that are necessary to induce the torsional spine reconnection (TSR) mode characterized by a driven rotational slippage of field lines - a feature that has yet to be achieved in operational laboratory magnetic reconnection experiments. Leveraging existing reconnection models, we show that within a 3$ apparatus, TSR can be achieved in dense plasma regimes ( 24~\\text{m}-3$ ) in magnetic fields of -1~\\text{T}$ . We find that MHD and kinetic parameters predict reconnection in thin current sheets on time scales of . While these plasma regimes may not explicitly replicate the plasma parameters of observed astrophysical phenomena, studying the dynamics of the TSR mode within achievable set-ups signifies an important step in understanding the fundamentals of driven 3-D magnetic reconnection and the self-organization of current sheets. Explicit control of this reconnection mode may have implications for understanding particle acceleration in astrophysical environments, and may even have practical applications to fields such as spacecraft propulsion.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Ho, Christian M.; Arballo, John K.; Goldstein, Bruce E.; Balogh, Andre

1995-01-01

Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs), formed by high-speed corotating streams interacting with slow speed streams, have been examined from -20 deg to -36 deg heliolatitudes. The high-speed streams emanate from a polar coronal hole that Ulysses eventually becomes fully embedded in as it travels towards the south pole. We find that the trailing portion of the CIR, from the interface surface (IF) to the reverse shock (RS), contains both large amplitude transverse fluctuations and magnitude fluctuations. Similar fluctuations have been previously noted to exist within CIRs detected in the ecliptic plane, but their existence has not been explained. The normalized magnetic field component variances within this portion of the CIR and in the trailing high-speed stream are approximately the same, indicating that the fluctuations in the CIR are compressed Alfven waves. Mirror mode structures with lower intensities are also observed in the trailing portion of the CIR, presumably generated from a local instability driven by free energy associated with compression of the high-speed solar wind plasma. The mixture of these two modes (compressed Alfven waves and mirror modes) plus other modes generated by three wave processes (wave-shock interactions) lead to a lower Alfvenicity within the trailing portion of the CfR than in the high-speed stream proper. The results presented in this paper suggest a mechanism for generation of large amplitude B(sub z) fluctuations within CIRS. Such phenomena have been noted to be responsible for the generation of moderate geomagnetic storms during the declining phase of the solar cycle.

Simultaneous Observations of p-mode Light Walls and Magnetic Reconnection Ejections above Sunspot Light Bridges

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

Hou, Yijun; Zhang, Jun; Li, Ting

Recent high-resolution observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph reveal bright wall-shaped structures in active regions (ARs), especially above sunspot light bridges. Their most prominent feature is the bright oscillating front in the 1400/1330 Å channel. These structures are named light walls and are often interpreted to be driven by p-mode waves. Above the light bridge of AR 12222 on 2014 December 06, we observed intermittent ejections superimposed on an oscillating light wall in the 1400 Å passband. At the base location of each ejection, the emission enhancement was detected in the Solar Dynamics Observatory 1600 Å channel. Thus, wemore » suggest that in wall bases (light bridges), in addition to the leaked p-mode waves consistently driving the oscillating light wall, magnetic reconnection could happen intermittently at some locations and eject the heated plasma upward. Similarly, in the second event occurring in AR 12371 on 2015 June 16, a jet was simultaneously detected in addition to the light wall with a wave-shaped bright front above the light bridge. At the footpoint of this jet, lasting brightening was observed, implying magnetic reconnection at the base. We propose that in these events, two mechanisms, p-mode waves and magnetic reconnection, simultaneously play roles in the light bridge, and lead to the distinct kinetic features of the light walls and the ejection-like activities, respectively. To illustrate the two mechanisms and their resulting activities above light bridges, in this study we present a cartoon model.« less

Simulations of Magnetohydrodynamic Waves Driven by Photospheric Motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mumford, Stuart

2016-04-01

This thesis investigates the properties of various modelled photospheric motions as generation mechanisms for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves in the low solar atmosphere. The solar atmosphere is heated to million-degree temperatures, yet there is no fully understood heating mechanism which can provide the ≈ 300 W/m^2) required to keep the quiet corona at its observed temperatures. MHD waves are one mechanism by which this energy could be provided to the upper solar atmosphere, however, these waves need to be excited. The excitation of these waves, in or below the photosphere is a complex interaction between the plasma and the magnetic field embedded within it. This thesis studies a model of a small-scale magnetic flux tube based upon a magnetic bright point (MBP). These features are very common in the photosphere and have been observed to be affected by the plasma motions. The modelled flux tube has a foot point magnetic field strength of 120 mT and a FWHM of 90 km, and is embedded in a realistic, stratified solar atmosphere based upon the VALIIIc model. To better understand the excitation of MHD waves in this type of magnetic structures, a selection of velocity profiles are implemented to excite waves. Initially a study of five different driving profiles was performed. A uniform torsional driver as well as Archimedean and logarithmic spiral drivers which mimic observed torsional motions in the solar photosphere, along with vertical and horizontal drivers to mimic different motions caused by convection in the photosphere. The results are then analysed using a novel method for extracting the parallel, perpendicular and azimuthal components of the perturbations, which caters to both the linear and non-linear cases. Employing this method yields the identification of the wave modes excited in the numerical simulations and enables a comparison of excited modes via velocity perturbations and wave energy flux. The wave energy flux distribution is calculated, to enable the quantification of the relative strengths of excited modes. The torsional drivers primarily excite Alfvén modes (≈ 60 %) of the total flux) with contributions from the slow mode. The horizontal and vertical drivers primarily excite slow and fast modes respectively, with small variations dependent upon flux surface radius. This analysis is then applied to more in depth studies of the logarithmic spiral driver. Firstly, five different values for the (B_L) spiral expansion factor are chosen which control how rapidly the spiral expands. Larger values of (B_L) make the driving profile more radial. The results of this analysis show that the Alfvén wave is the dominant wave for lower values of the expansion factor, whereas, for the higher values the parallel component is dominant. This transition occurs within the range of the observational constraints, demonstrating that under realistic conditions spiral drivers may not excite most of their wave flux in the Alfvén mode. Finally, the logarithmic spiral is further studied, but with a variety of different periods. Ten periods from 30 to 300 seconds are chosen, and the simulations are again analysed using the flux surface method employed previously. The results of this study are minimal variation in the percentage wave flux in each mode, with no more than 20 % variation in any mode for any flux surface studied. Within this small variation, some non-linear changes in the wave flux were observed, especially around the more important small periods. Due to the short life time of the MBPs it is thought the short period waves would have more effect and therefore this non-linear variation in wave flux could have some impact on the modes present in the solar atmosphere.

Direct observation of the two-plasmon-decay common plasma wave using ultraviolet Thomson scattering.

PubMed

Follett, R K; Edgell, D H; Henchen, R J; Hu, S X; Katz, J; Michel, D T; Myatt, J F; Shaw, J; Froula, D H

2015-03-01

A 263-nm Thomson-scattering beam was used to directly probe two-plasmon-decay (TPD) excited electron plasma waves (EPWs) driven by between two and five 351-nm beams on the OMEGA Laser System. The amplitude of these waves was nearly independent of the number of drive beams at constant overlapped intensity, showing that the observed EPWs are common to the multiple beams. In an experimental configuration where the Thomson-scattering diagnostic was not wave matched to the common TPD EPWs, a broad spectrum of TPD-driven EPWs was observed, indicative of nonlinear effects associated with TPD saturation. Electron plasma waves corresponding to Langmuir decay of TPD EPWs were observed in both Thomson-scattering spectra, suggesting the Langmuir decay instability as a TPD saturation mechanism. Simulated Thomson-scattering spectra from three-dimensional numerical solutions of the extended Zakharov equations of TPD are in excellent agreement with the experimental spectra and verify the presence of the Langmuir decay instability.

Direct observation of the two-plasmon-decay common plasma wave using ultraviolet Thomson scattering

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

Follett, R. K.; Edgell, D. H.; Henchen, R. J.

2015-03-26

A 263-nm Thomson-scattering beam was used to directly probe two-plasmon-decay (TPD) excited electron plasma waves (EPWs) driven by between two and five 351-nm beams on the OMEGA Laser System. The amplitude of these waves was nearly independent of the number of drive beams at constant overlapped intensity, showing that the observed EPWs are common to the multiple beams. In an experimental configuration where the Thomson-scattering diagnostic was not wave matched to the common TPD EPWs, a broad spectrum of TPD-driven EPWs was observed, indicative of nonlinear effects associated with TPD saturation. Electron plasma waves corresponding to Langmuir decay of TPDmore » EPWs were observed in both Thomson-scattering spectra, suggesting the Langmuir decay instability as a TPD saturation mechanism. Simulated Thomson-scattering spectra from three-dimensional numerical solutions of the extended Zakharov equations of TPD are in excellent agreement with the experimental spectra and verify the presence of the Langmuir decay instability.« less

Nonlinear Excitation of Acoustic Modes by Large Amplitude Alfvén waves in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2013-10-01

Alfvén waves, a fundamental mode of magnetized plasmas, are ubiquitous in lab and space. While the linear behavior of these waves has been extensively studied, non-linear effects are important in many real systems, including the solar wind and solar corona. In particular, a parametric decay process in which a large amplitude Alfvén wave decays into an ion acoustic wave and backward propagating Alfvén wave may play an important role in coronal heating and/or in establishing the spectrum of solar wind turbulence. Recent counter-propagating Alfvén wave experiments have recorded the first laboratory observation of the Alfvén-acoustic mode coupling at the heart of this parametric decay instability. The resonance in the observed beat process has several features consistent with ponderomotive coupling to an ion acoustic mode, including the measured dispersion relation and spatial profile. Strong damping observed after the pump Alfvén waves are turned off is under investigation. New experiments and simulations also aim to identify decay instabilities from a single large-amplitude Alfvén wave. Supported by DOE and NSF.

Nonlinear simulations of beam-driven Compressional Alfv´en Eigenmodes in NSTX

DOE PAGES

Belova, Elena V.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; Crocker, N. A.; ...

2017-03-10

We present results for the 3D nonlinear simulations of neutral-beam-driven compressional Alfv´en eigenmodes (CAEs) in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Hybrid MHD-particle simulations for the H-mode NSTX discharge (shot 141398) using the HYM code show unstable CAE modes for a range of toroidal mode numbers, n = 4 - 9, and frequencies below the ion cyclotron frequency. It is found that the essential feature of CAEs is their coupling to kinetic Alfv´en wave (KAW) that occurs on the high-field side at the Alfv´en resonance location. We frequently observe high-frequency Alfv´en eigenmodes in beam-heated NSTX plasmas, and have been linkedmore » to flattening of the electron temperature profiles at high beam power. Coupling between CAE and KAW suggests an energy channeling mechanism to explain these observations, in which beam driven CAEs dissipate their energy at the resonance location, therefore significantly modifying the energy deposition profile. Nonlinear simulations demonstrate that CAEs can channel the energy of the beam ions from the injection region near the magnetic axis to the location of the resonant mode conversion at the edge of the beam density profile. Furthermore, a set of nonlinear simulations show that the CAE instability saturates due to nonlinear particle trapping, and a large fraction of beam energy can be transferred to several unstable CAEs of relatively large amplitudes and absorbed at the resonant location. Absorption rate shows a strong scaling with the beam power.« less

Nonlinear simulations of beam-driven Compressional Alfv´en Eigenmodes in NSTX

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

Belova, Elena V.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; Crocker, N. A.

We present results for the 3D nonlinear simulations of neutral-beam-driven compressional Alfv´en eigenmodes (CAEs) in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). Hybrid MHD-particle simulations for the H-mode NSTX discharge (shot 141398) using the HYM code show unstable CAE modes for a range of toroidal mode numbers, n = 4 - 9, and frequencies below the ion cyclotron frequency. It is found that the essential feature of CAEs is their coupling to kinetic Alfv´en wave (KAW) that occurs on the high-field side at the Alfv´en resonance location. We frequently observe high-frequency Alfv´en eigenmodes in beam-heated NSTX plasmas, and have been linkedmore » to flattening of the electron temperature profiles at high beam power. Coupling between CAE and KAW suggests an energy channeling mechanism to explain these observations, in which beam driven CAEs dissipate their energy at the resonance location, therefore significantly modifying the energy deposition profile. Nonlinear simulations demonstrate that CAEs can channel the energy of the beam ions from the injection region near the magnetic axis to the location of the resonant mode conversion at the edge of the beam density profile. Furthermore, a set of nonlinear simulations show that the CAE instability saturates due to nonlinear particle trapping, and a large fraction of beam energy can be transferred to several unstable CAEs of relatively large amplitudes and absorbed at the resonant location. Absorption rate shows a strong scaling with the beam power.« less

First tsunami gravity wave detection in ionospheric radio occultation data

DOE PAGES

Coïsson, Pierdavide; Lognonné, Philippe; Walwer, Damian; ...

2015-05-09

After the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Tohoku, the ionospheric signature of the displacements induced in the overlying atmosphere has been observed by ground stations in various regions of the Pacific Ocean. We analyze here the data of radio occultation satellites, detecting the tsunami-driven gravity wave for the first time using a fully space-based ionospheric observation system. One satellite of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) recorded an occultation in the region above the tsunami 2.5 h after the earthquake. The ionosphere was sounded from top to bottom, thus providing themore » vertical structure of the gravity wave excited by the tsunami propagation, observed as oscillations of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). The observed vertical wavelength was about 50 km, with maximum amplitude exceeding 1 total electron content unit when the occultation reached 200 km height. We compared the observations with synthetic data obtained by summation of the tsunami-coupled gravity normal modes of the Earth/Ocean/atmosphere system, which models the associated motion of the ionosphere plasma. These results provide experimental constraints on the attenuation of the gravity wave with altitude due to atmosphere viscosity, improving the understanding of the propagation of tsunami-driven gravity waves in the upper atmosphere. They demonstrate that the amplitude of the tsunami can be estimated to within 20% by the recorded ionospheric data.« less

Radially localized helicon modes in nonuniform plasma

PubMed

Breizman; Arefiev

2000-04-24

A radial density gradient in an axisymmetric cylindrical plasma column forms a potential well for nonaxisymmetric helicon modes ( m not equal0). This paper presents an analytic description of such modes in the limit of small longitudinal wave numbers. The corresponding mode equation indicates the possibility of efficient resonant absorption of rf power in helicon discharges at unusually low frequencies.

Lower hybrid accessibility in a large, hot reversed field pinch

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

Dziubek, R.A.; Harvey, R.W.; Hokin, S.A.

1995-11-01

Accessibility and damping of the slow wave in a reversed field pinch (RFP) plasma is investigated theoretically, using projected Reversed Field Experiment (RFX) plasma parameters. By numerically solving the hot plasma dispersion relation, regions of propagation are found and the possibility of mode conversion is analyzed. If the parallel index of refraction of the wave is chosen judiciously at the edge of the plasma, the slow wave is accessible to a target region located just inside the reversal surface without mode conversion. Landau damping is also optimized in this region. A representative fast electron population is then added in ordermore » to determine its effect on accessibility and damping. The presence of these electrons, whose parameters were estimated by extrapolation of Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) data, does not affect the accessibility of the wave. However, the initial phase velocity of the wave needs to be increased somewhat in order to maintain optimal damping in the target zone.« less

Electron-cyclotron wave propagation, absorption and current drive in the presence of neoclassical tearing modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isliker, Heinz; Chatziantonaki, Ioanna; Tsironis, Christos; Vlahos, Loukas

2012-09-01

We analyze the propagation of electron-cyclotron waves, their absorption and current drive when neoclassical tearing modes (NTMs), in the form of magnetic islands, are present in a tokamak plasma. So far, the analysis of the wave propagation and power deposition in the presence of NTMs has been performed mainly in the frame of an axisymmetric magnetic field, ignoring any effects from the island topology. Our analysis starts from an axisymmetric magnetic equilibrium, which is perturbed such as to exhibit magnetic islands. In this geometry, we compute the wave evolution with a ray-tracing code, focusing on the effect of the island topology on the efficiency of the absorption and current drive. To increase the precision in the calculation of the power deposition, the standard analytical flux-surface labeling for the island region has been adjusted from the usual cylindrical to toroidal geometry. The propagation up to the O-point is found to be little affected by the island topology, whereas the power absorbed and the driven current are significantly enhanced, because the resonant particles are bound to the small volumes in between the flux surfaces of the island. The consequences of these effects on the NTM evolution are investigated in terms of the modified Rutherford equation.

Study of plasma environments for the integrated Space Station electromagnetic analysis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra

1992-01-01

The final report includes an analysis of various plasma effects on the electromagnetic environment of the Space Station Freedom. Effects of arcing are presented. Concerns of control of arcing by a plasma contactor are highlighted. Generation of waves by contaminant ions are studied and amplitude levels of the waves are estimated. Generation of electromagnetic waves by currents in the structure of the space station, driven by motional EMF, is analyzed and the radiation level is estimated.

Energetic-ion-driven global instabilities in stellarator/helical plasmas and comparison with tokamak plasmas

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

Toi, K.; Ogawa, K.; Isobe, M.

2011-01-01

Comprehensive understanding of energetic-ion-driven global instabilities such as Alfven eigenmodes (AEs) and their impact on energetic ions and bulk plasma is crucially important for tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas and in the future for deuterium-tritium (DT) burning plasma experiments. Various types of global modes and their associated enhanced energetic ion transport are commonly observed in toroidal plasmas. Toroidicity-induced AEs and ellipticity-induced AEs, whose gaps are generated through poloidal mode coupling, are observed in both tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas. Global AEs and reversed shear AEs, where toroidal couplings are not as dominant were also observed in those plasmas. Helicity induced AEs thatmore » exist only in 3D plasmas are observed in the large helical device (LHD) and Wendelstein 7 Advanced Stellarator plasmas. In addition, the geodesic acoustic mode that comes from plasma compressibility is destabilized by energetic ions in both tokamak and LHD plasmas. Nonlinear interaction of these modes and their influence on the confinement of the bulk plasma as well as energetic ions are observed in both plasmas. In this paper, the similarities and differences in these instabilities and their consequences for tokamak and stellarator/helical plasmas are summarized through comparison with the data sets obtained in LHD. In particular, this paper focuses on the differences caused by the rotational transform profile and the 2D or 3D geometrical structure of the plasma equilibrium. Important issues left for future study are listed.« less

MHD Waves in Coronal Loops with a Shell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhalyaev, B. B.; Solov'ev, A. A.

2004-04-01

We consider a model of a coronal loop in the form of a cord surrounded by a coaxial shell. Two slow magnetosonic waves longitudinally propagate within a thin flux tube on the m = 0 cylindrical mode with velocities close to the tube velocities in the cord and the shell. One wave propagates inside the cord, while the other propagates inside the shell. A peculiar feature of the second wave is that the plasma in the cord and the shell oscillates with opposite phases. There are two fast magnetosonic waves on each of the cylindrical modes with m > 0. If the plasma density in the shell is lower than that in the surrounding corona, then one of the waves is radiated into the corona, which causes the loop oscillations to be damped, while the other wave is trapped by the cord, but can also be radiated out under certain conditions. If the plasma density in the shell is higher than that in the cord, then one of the waves is trapped by the shell, while the other wave can also be trapped by the shell under certain conditions. In the wave trapped by the shell and the wave radiated by the tube, the plasma in the cord and the shell oscillates with opposite phases.

Fast ion stabilization of the ion temperature gradient driven modes in the Joint European Torus hybrid-scenario plasmas: a trigger mechanism for internal transport barrier formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanelli, M.; Zocco, A.; Crisanti, F.; Contributors, JET-EFDA

2010-04-01

Understanding and modelling turbulent transport in thermonuclear fusion plasmas are crucial for designing and optimizing the operational scenarios of future fusion reactors. In this context, plasmas exhibiting state transitions, such as the formation of an internal transport barrier (ITB), are particularly interesting since they can shed light on transport physics and offer the opportunity to test different turbulence suppression models. In this paper, we focus on the modelling of ITB formation in the Joint European Torus (JET) [1] hybrid-scenario plasmas, where, due to the monotonic safety factor profile, magnetic shear stabilization cannot be invoked to explain the transition. The turbulence suppression mechanism investigated here relies on the increase in the plasma pressure gradient in the presence of a minority of energetic ions. Microstability analysis of the ion temperature gradient driven modes (ITG) in the presence of a fast-hydrogen minority shows that energetic ions accelerated by the ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) system (hydrogen, nH,fast/nD,thermal up to 10%, TH,fast/TD,thermal up to 30) can increase the pressure gradient enough to stabilize the ITG modes driven by the gradient of the thermal ions (deuterium). Numerical analysis shows that, by increasing the temperature of the energetic ions, electrostatic ITG modes are gradually replaced by nearly electrostatic modes with tearing parity at progressively longer wavelengths. The growth rate of the microtearing modes is found to be lower than that of the ITG modes and comparable to the local E × B-velocity shearing rate. The above mechanism is proposed as a possible trigger for the formation of ITBs in this type of discharges.

Bicoherence Analysis of Electrostatic Interchange Mode Coupling in a Turbulent Laboratory Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abler, M. C.; Mauel, M. E.; Saperstein, A.

2017-12-01

Plasmas confined by a strong dipole field exhibit interchange and entropy mode turbulence, which previous experiments have shown respond locally to active feedback [1]. On the Collisionless Terrella Experiment (CTX), this turbulence is characterized by low frequency, low order, quasi-coherent modes with complex spectral dynamics. We apply bicoherence analysis [2] to study nonlinear phase coupling in a variety of scenarios. First, we study the self-interaction of the naturally occurring interchange turbulence; this analysis is then expanded to include the effects of single or multiple driven modes in the frequency range of the background turbulent oscillations. Initial measurements of coupling coefficients are presented in both cases. Driven low frequency interchange modes are observed to generate multiple harmonics which persist throughout the plasma, becoming weaker as they propagate away from the actuator in the direction of the electron magnetic drift. Future work is also discussed, including application of wavelet bicoherence analysis and applications to planetary magnetospheres. [1] Roberts, Mauel, and Worstell, Phys Plasmas (2015). [2] Grierson, Worstell, and Mauel, Phys Plasmas (2009). Supported by NSF-DOE Partnership for Plasma Science Grants DOE-DE-FG02-00ER54585 and NSF-PHY-1201896.

Interaction of solitons for obliquely propagating magnetoacoustic waves in stellar atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahangir, R.; Masood, W.; Siddiq, M.; Batool, Nazia

2016-12-01

We study here the nonlinear oblique propagation of magnetoacoustic waves in dense plasmas with degenerate electrons by deriving Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation for small but finite amplitude perturbations. The two soliton interaction has been studied by finding the solution of the KP equation using the Hirota bilinear formalism. For illustrative purposes, we have used the plasma parameters typically found in white dwarf stars for both the fast and slow modes of magnetoacoustic waves. It has been observed that the soliton interaction in the fast and slow modes is strongly influenced by the predominant and weak dispersive coefficients of the KP equation. The single soliton behavior has also been explained for the fast and slow magnetoacoustic modes.

Arbitrary amplitude nucleus-acoustic solitons in multi-ion quantum plasmas with relativistically degenerate electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sultana, S.; Schlickeiser, R.

2018-02-01

A three component degenerate relativistic quantum plasma (consisting of relativistically degenerate electrons, nondegenerate inertial light nuclei, and stationary heavy nuclei) is considered to model the linear wave and also the electrostatic solitary waves in the light nuclei-scale length. A well-known normal mode analysis is employed to investigate the linear wave properties. A mechanical-motion analog (Sagdeev-type) pseudo-potential approach, which reveals the existence of large amplitude solitary excitations, is adopted to study the nonlinear wave properties. Only the positive potential solitary excitations are found to exist in the plasma medium under consideration. The basic properties of the arbitrary amplitude electrostatic acoustic modes in the light nuclei-scale length and their existence domain in terms of soliton speed (Mach number) are examined. The modifications of solitary wave characteristics and their existence domain with the variation of different key plasma configuration parameters (e.g., electrons degeneracy parameter, inertial light nuclei number density, and degenerate electron number density) are also analyzed. Our results, which may be helpful to explain the basic features of the nonlinear wave propagation in multi-component degenerate quantum plasmas, in connection with astrophysical compact objects (e.g., white dwarfs) are briefly discussed.

Full-wave feasibility study of anti-radar diagnostic of magnetic field based on O-X mode conversion and oblique reflectometry imaging

DOE PAGES

Meneghini, Orso; Volpe, Francesco A.

2016-08-19

An innovative millimeter wave diagnostic is proposed to measure the local magnetic field and edge current as a function of the minor radius in the tokamak pedestal region. The idea is to identify the direction of minimum reflectivity at the O-mode cutoff layer. Correspondingly, the transmissivity due to O-X mode conversion is maximum. That direction, and the angular map of reflectivity around it, contain information on the magnetic field vector B at the cutoff layer. By probing the plasma with different wave frequencies it provides the radial profile of B. Full-wave finite-element simulations are presented here in 2D slab geometry.more » Modeling confirms the existence of a minimum in reflectivity that depends on the magnetic field at the cutoff, as expected from mode conversion physics, giving confidence in the feasibility of the diagnostic. We proposed an reflectometric approach in order to yield superior signal-to-noise ratio and to access wider ranges of density and magnetic field, compared with related radiometric techniques that require the plasma to emit Electron Bernstein Waves. Due to computational limitations, frequencies of 10-20 GHz were considered in this initial study. Furthermore, frequencies above the edge electron-cyclotron frequency (f >28 GHz here) would be preferable for the experiment, because the upper hybrid resonance and right cutoff would lie in the plasma, and would help separate the O-mode of interest from spurious X-waves.« less

Full-wave feasibility study of anti-radar diagnostic of magnetic field based on O-X mode conversion and oblique reflectometry imaging

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

Meneghini, Orso; Volpe, Francesco A., E-mail: fvolpe@columbia.edu

An innovative millimeter wave diagnostic is proposed to measure the local magnetic field and edge current as a function of the minor radius in the tokamak pedestal region. The idea is to identify the direction of minimum reflectivity at the O-mode cutoff layer. Correspondingly, the transmissivity due to O-X mode conversion is maximum. That direction, and the angular map of reflectivity around it, contains information on the magnetic field vector B at the cutoff layer. Probing the plasma with different wave frequencies provides the radial profile of B. Full-wave finite-element simulations are presented here in 2D slab geometry. Modeling confirmsmore » the existence of a minimum in reflectivity that depends on the magnetic field at the cutoff, as expected from mode conversion physics, giving confidence in the feasibility of the diagnostic. The proposed reflectometric approach is expected to yield superior signal-to-noise ratio and to access wider ranges of density and magnetic field, compared with related radiometric techniques that require the plasma to emit electron Bernstein waves. Due to computational limitations, frequencies of 10-20 GHz were considered in this initial study. Frequencies above the edge electron-cyclotron frequency (f > 28 GHz here) would be preferable for the experiment, because the upper hybrid resonance and right cutoff would lie in the plasma, and would help separate the O-mode of interest from spurious X-waves.« less

Generation of waves in the Venus mantle by the ion acoustic beam instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huba, J. D.

1993-01-01

The ion acoustic beam instability is suggested as a mechanism to produce wave turbulence observed in the Venus mantle at frequencies 100 Hz and 730 Hz. The plasma is assumed to consist of a stationary cold O(+) ion plasma and a flowing, shocked solar wind plasma. The O(+) ions appear as a beam relative to the flowing ionosheath plasma which provides the free energy to drive the instability. The plasma is driven unstable by inverse electron Landau damping of an ion acoustic wave associated with the cold ionospheric O(+) ions. The instability can directly generate the observed 100 Hz waves in the Venus mantle as well as the observed 730 Hz waves through the Doppler shift of the frequency caused by the satellite motion.

Fast Ion and Thermal Plasma Transport in Turbulent Waves in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Shu

2011-10-01

The transport of fast ions and thermal plasmas in electrostatic microturbulence is studied. Strong density and potential fluctuations (δn / n ~ δϕ / kTe ~ 0 . 5 , f ~5-50 kHz) are observed in the LAPD in density gradient regions produced by obstacles with slab or cylindrical geometry. Wave characteristics and the associated plasma transport are modified by driving sheared E ×B drift through biasing the obstacle, and by modification of the axial magnetic fields (Bz) and the plasma species. Cross-field plasma transport is suppressed with small bias and large Bz, and is enhanced with large bias and small Bz. Suppressed cross-field thermal transport coincides with a 180° phase shift between the density and potential fluctuations in the radial direction, while the enhanced thermal transport is associated with modes having low mode number (m = 1) and long radial correlation length. Large gyroradius lithium ions (ρfast /ρs ~ 10) orbit through the turbulent region. Scans with a collimated analyzer and with Langmuir probes give detailed profiles of the fast ion spatial-temporal distribution and of the fluctuating fields. Fast-ion transport decreases rapidly with increasing fast-ion gyroradius. Background waves with different scale lengths also alter the fast ion transport: Beam diffusion is smaller in waves with smaller structures (higher mode number); also, coherent waves with long correlation length cause less beam diffusion than turbulent waves. Experimental results agree well with gyro-averaging theory. When the fast ion interacts with the wave for most of a wave period, a transition from super-diffusive to sub-diffusive transport is observed, as predicted by diffusion theory. A Monte Carlo trajectory-following code simulates the interaction of the fast ions with the measured turbulent fields. Good agreement between observation and modeling is observed. Work funded by DOE and NSF and performed at the Basic Plasma Science Facility.

Quasi-monoenergetic ion beam acceleration by laser-driven shock and solitary waves in near-critical plasmas

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

Zhang, W. L.; Qiao, B., E-mail: bqiao@pku.edu.cn; Huang, T. W.

2016-07-15

Ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas driven by intense laser pulses is investigated theoretically and numerically. A theoretical model has been given for clarification of the ion acceleration dynamics in relation to different laser and target parameters. Two distinct regimes have been identified, where ions are accelerated by, respectively, the laser-induced shock wave in the weakly driven regime (comparatively low laser intensity) and the nonlinear solitary wave in the strongly driven regime (comparatively high laser intensity). Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic proton beams with a peak energy of 94.6 MeV and an energy spread 15.8% are obtained by intense laser pulsesmore » at intensity I{sub 0} = 3 × 10{sup 20 }W/cm{sup 2} and pulse duration τ = 0.5 ps in the strongly driven regime, which is more advantageous than that got in the weakly driven regime. In addition, 233 MeV proton beams with narrow spread can be produced by extending τ to 1.0 ps in the strongly driven regime.« less

Damping Measurements of Plasma Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderegg, F.; Affolter, M.; Driscoll, C. F.

2010-11-01

For azimuthally symmetric plasma modes in a magnesium ion plasma, confined in a 3 Tesla Penning-Malmberg trap with a density of n ˜10^7cm-3, we measure a damping rate of 2s-1< γ< 10^4s-1 over a wide range in temperature (5 x10-6 eV< T < 5eV) and aspect ratio (0.25 < α< 25), with a wave amplitude of δn / n ˜5%. Changing the aspect ratio, α= Lp/ 2rp, of the plasma column, alters the frequency of the mode from 16 KHz to 192 KHz. The oscillatory fluid displacement is small compared to the wavelength of the mode; in contrast, the fluid velocity, δvf, can be large compared to v. The real part of the frequency satisfies a linear dispersion relation. In long thin plasmas (α> 10) these modes are Trivelpiece-Gould (TG) modes, and for smaller values of α they are Dubin spheroidal modes. However the damping appears to be non-linear; initially large waves have weaker exponential damping, which is not yet understood. Recent theoryootnotetextM.W. Anderson and T.M. O'Neil, Phys. Plasmas 14, 112110 (2007). calculates the damping of TG modes expected from viscosity due to ion-ion collisions; but the measured damping, while having a similar temperature and density dependence, is about 40 times larger than calculated. This discrepancy might be due to an external damping mechanism.

A test of the Hall-MHD model: Application to low-frequency upstream waves at Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orlowski, D. S.; Russell, C. T.; Krauss-Varban, D.; Omidi, N.

1994-01-01

Early studies suggested that in the range of parameter space where the wave angular frequency is less than the proton gyrofrequency and the plasma beta, the ratio of the thermal to magnetic pressure, is less than 1 magnetohydrodynamics provides an adequate description of the propagating modes in a plasma. However, recently, Lacombe et al. (1992) have reported significant differences between basic wave characteristics of the specific propagation modes derived from linear Vlasov and Hall-magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theories even when the waves are only weakly damped. In this paper we compare the magnetic polarization and normalization magnetic compression ratio of ultra low frequency (ULF) upstream waves at Venus with magnetic polarization and normalized magnetic compression ratio derived from both theories. We find that while the 'kinetic' approach gives magnetic polarization and normalized magnetic compression ratio consistent with the data in the analyzed range of beta (0.5 less than beta less than 5) for the fast magnetosonic mode, the same wave characteristics derived from the Hall-MHD model strongly depend on beta and are consistent with the data only at low beta for the fast mode and at high beta for the intermediate mode.

Double plasma resonance instability as a source of solar zebra emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benáček, J.; Karlický, M.

2018-03-01

Context. The double plasma resonance (DPR) instability plays a basic role in the generation of solar radio zebras. In the plasma, consisting of the loss-cone type distribution of hot electrons and much denser and colder background plasma, this instability generates the upper-hybrid waves, which are then transformed into the electromagnetic waves and observed as radio zebras. Aims: In the present paper we numerically study the double plasma resonance instability from the point of view of the zebra interpretation. Methods: We use a 3-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell (3D PIC) relativistic model. We use this model in two versions: (a) a spatially extended "multi-mode" model and (b) a spatially limited "specific-mode" model. While the multi-mode model is used for detailed computations and verifications of the results obtained by the "specific-mode" model, the specific-mode model is used for computations in a broad range of model parameters, which considerably save computational time. For an analysis of the computational results, we developed software tools in Python. Results: First using the multi-mode model, we study details of the double plasma resonance instability. We show how the distribution function of hot electrons changes during this instability. Then we show that there is a very good agreement between results obtained by the multi-mode and specific-mode models, which is caused by a dominance of the wave with the maximal growth rate. Therefore, for computations in a broad range of model parameters, we use the specific-mode model. We compute the maximal growth rates of the double plasma resonance instability with a dependence on the ratio between the upper-hybrid ωUH and electron-cyclotron ωce frequency. We vary temperatures of both the hot and background plasma components and study their effects on the resulting growth rates. The results are compared with the analytical ones. We find a very good agreement between numerical and analytical growth rates. We also compute saturation energies of the upper-hybrid waves in a very broad range of parameters. We find that the saturation energies of the upper-hybrid waves show maxima and minima at almost the same values of ωUH/ωce as the growth rates, but with a higher contrast between them than the growth rate maxima and minima. The contrast between saturation energy maxima and minima increases when the temperature of hot electrons increases. Furthermore, we find that the saturation energy of the upper-hybrid waves is proportional to the density of hot electrons. The maximum saturated energy can be up to one percent of the kinetic energy of hot electrons. Finally we find that the saturation energy maxima in the interval of ωUH/ωce = 3-18 decrease according to the exponential function. All these findings can be used in the interpretation of solar radio zebras.

Nonlinear Evolution of Counter-Propagating Whistler Mode Waves Excited by Anisotropic Electrons Within the Equatorial Source Region: 1-D PIC Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huayue; Gao, Xinliang; Lu, Quanming; Sun, Jicheng; Wang, Shui

2018-02-01

Nonlinear physical processes related to whistler mode waves are attracting more and more attention for their significant role in reshaping whistler mode spectra in the Earth's magnetosphere. Using a 1-D particle-in-cell simulation model, we have investigated the nonlinear evolution of parallel counter-propagating whistler mode waves excited by anisotropic electrons within the equatorial source region. In our simulations, after the linear phase of whistler mode instability, the strong electrostatic standing structures along the background magnetic field will be formed, resulting from the coupling between excited counter-propagating whistler mode waves. The wave numbers of electrostatic standing structures are about twice those of whistler mode waves generated by anisotropic hot electrons. Moreover, these electrostatic standing structures can further be coupled with either parallel or antiparallel propagating whistler mode waves to excite high-k modes in this plasma system. Compared with excited whistler mode waves, these high-k modes typically have 3 times wave number, same frequency, and about 2 orders of magnitude smaller amplitude. Our study may provide a fresh view on the evolution of whistler mode waves within their equatorial source regions in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Dynamics of energetic particle driven modes and MHD modes in wall-stabilized high-β plasmas on JT-60U and DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsunaga, G.; Okabayashi, M.; Aiba, N.; Boedo, J. A.; Ferron, J. R.; Hanson, J. M.; Hao, G. Z.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Holcomb, C. T.; In, Y.; Jackson, G. L.; Liu, Y. Q.; Luce, T. C.; McKee, G. R.; Osborne, T. H.; Pace, D. C.; Shinohara, K.; Snyder, P. B.; Solomon, W. M.; Strait, E. J.; Turnbull, A. D.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Watkins, J. G.; Zeng, L.; the DIII-D Team; the JT-60 Team

2013-12-01

In the wall-stabilized high-β plasmas in JT-60U and DIII-D, interactions between energetic particle (EP) driven modes (EPdMs) and edge localized modes (ELMs) have been observed. The interaction between the EPdM and ELM are reproducibly observed. Many EP diagnostics indicate a strong correlation between the distorted waveform of the EPdM and the EP transport to the edge. The waveform distortion is composed of higher harmonics (n ⩾ 2) and looks like a density snake near the plasma edge. According to statistical analyses, ELM triggering by the EPdMs requires a finite level of waveform distortion and pedestal recovery. ELM pacing by the EPdMs occurs when the repetition frequency of the EPdMs is higher than the natural ELM frequency. EPs transported by EPdMs are thought to contribute to change the edge stability.

Nonlinear mode coupling theory of the lower-hybrid-drift instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, J. F.; Guzdar, P. N.; Hassam, A. B.; Huba, J. D.

1984-01-01

A nonlinear mode coupling theory of the lower-hybrid-drift instability is presented. A two-dimensional nonlinear wave equation is derived which describes lower-hybrid drift wave turbulence in the plane transverse to B (k.B = 0), and which is valid for finite beta, collisional and collisionless plasmas. The instability saturates by transferring energy from growing, long wavelength modes to damped, short wavelength modes. Detailed numerical results are presented which compare favorably to both recent computer simulations and experimental observations. Applications of this theory to space plasmas, the earth's magnetotail and the equatorial F region ionosphere, are discussed. Previously announced in STAR as N84-17734

Minority heating scenarios in ^4He(H) and ^3He(H) SST-1 plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chattopadhyay, Asim Kumar

2018-01-01

A numerical analysis of ion cyclotron resonance heating scenarios in two species of low ion temperature plasma has been done to elucidate the physics and possibility to achieve H-mode in tokamak plasma. The analysis is done in the steady-state superconducting tokamak, SST-1, using phase-I plasma parameters which is basically L-mode plasma parameters having low ion temperature and magnetic field with the help of the ion cyclotron heating code TORIC combined with `steady state Fokker-Planck quasilinear' (SSFPQL) solver. As a minority species hydrogen has been used in ^3He and ^4He plasmas to make two species ^3He(H) and ^4He(H) plasmas to study the ion cyclotron wave absorption scenarios. The minority heating is predominant in ^3He(H) and ^4He(H) plasmas as minority resonance layers are not shielded by ion-ion resonance and cut-off layers in both cases, and it is better in ^4He(H) plasma due to the smooth penetration of wave through plasma-vacuum surface. In minority concentration up to 15%, it has been observed that minority ion heating is the principal heating mechanism compared to electron heating and heating due to mode conversion phenomena. Numerical analysis with the help of SSFPQL solver shows that the tail of the distribution function of the minority ion is more energetic than that of the majority ion and therefore, more anisotropic. Due to good coupling of the wave and predominance of the minority heating regime, producing energetic ions in the tail region of the distribution function, the ^4He(H) and ^3He(H) plasmas could be studied in-depth to achieve H-mode in two species of low-temperature plasma.

Direct evidence for EMIC wave scattering of relativistic electrons in space: EMIC-Driven Electron Losses in Space

DOE PAGES

Zhang, X. -J.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; ...

2016-07-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. Simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited, however. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on pitch angle scattering of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both Van Allen Probes.more » EMIC waves captured by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) probes and on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) are also used to infer their magnetic local time (MLT) coverage. From the observed EMIC wave spectra and local plasma parameters, we compute wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. In conclusion, by comparing model results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, we show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron losses in the Earth’s outer radiation belt.« less

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

Yu, Dae Jung; Lee, Dong-Hun; Kim, Kihong

We study theoretically the linear mode conversion between electromagnetic waves and Langmuir waves in warm, stratified, and unmagnetized plasmas, using a numerically precise calculation based on the invariant imbedding method. We verify that the principle of reciprocity for the forward and backward mode conversion coefficients holds precisely regardless of temperature. We also find that the temperature dependence of the mode conversion coefficient is substantially stronger than that previously reported. Depending on the wave frequency and the incident angle, the mode conversion coefficient is found to increase or decrease with the increase of temperature.

Exploration of High Harmonic Fast Wave Heating on the National Spherical Torus Experiment

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

J.R. Wilson; R.E. Bell; S. Bernabei

2003-02-11

High Harmonic Fast Wave (HHFW) heating has been proposed as a particularly attractive means for plasma heating and current drive in the high-beta plasmas that are achievable in spherical torus (ST) devices. The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [Ono, M., Kaye, S.M., Neumeyer, S., et al., Proceedings, 18th IEEE/NPSS Symposium on Fusion Engineering, Albuquerque, 1999, (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ (1999), p. 53.)] is such a device. An radio-frequency (rf) heating system has been installed on NSTX to explore the physics of HHFW heating, current drive via rf waves and for use as a tool to demonstrate the attractiveness of the STmore » concept as a fusion device. To date, experiments have demonstrated many of the theoretical predictions for HHFW. In particular, strong wave absorption on electrons over a wide range of plasma parameters and wave parallel phase velocities, wave acceleration of energetic ions, and indications of current drive for directed wave spectra have been observed. In addition HHFW heating has been used to explore the energy transport properties of NSTX plasmas, to create H-mode (high-confinement mode) discharges with a large fraction of bootstrap current and to control the plasma current profile during the early stages of the discharge.« less

Multipoint study of interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cano, Xochitl; Kajdic, Primoz; Russell, Christopher T.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, Ernesto; Jian, Lan K.; Luhmann, Janet G.

2016-04-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are driven in the heliosphere by Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) and Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs). These shocks perturb the solar wind plasma, and play an active role in the acceleration of ions to suprathermal energies. Shock fronts evolve as they move from the Sun. Their surfaces can be far from uniform and be modulated by changes in the ambient solar wind (magnetic field orientation, flow velocity), shocks rippling, and perturbations upstream and downstream from the shocks, i.e., electromagnetic waves. In this work we use multipoint observations from STEREO, WIND, and MESSENGER missions to study shock characteristics at different helio-longitudes and determine the properties of the waves near them. We also determine shock longitudinal extensions and foreshock sizes. The variations of geometry along the shock surface can result in different extensions of the wave and ion foreshocks ahead of the shocks, and in different wave modes upstream and downtream of the shocks. We find that the ion foreshock can extend up to 0.2 AU ahead of the shock, and that the upstream region with modified solar wind/waves can be very asymmetric.

Observation of Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf Bifurcation in Cyclotron Maser Emission from a Magnetic Plasma Trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shalashov, A. G.; Gospodchikov, E. D.; Izotov, I. V.; Mansfeld, D. A.; Skalyga, V. A.; Tarvainen, O.

2018-04-01

We report the first experimental evidence of a controlled transition from the generation of periodic bursts of electromagnetic radiation into the continuous-wave regime of a cyclotron maser formed in magnetically confined nonequilibrium plasma. The kinetic cyclotron instability of the extraordinary wave of weakly inhomogeneous magnetized plasma is driven by the anisotropic electron population resulting from electron cyclotron plasma heating in a MHD-stable minimum-B open magnetic trap.

Nonlinear MHD simulation of magnetic relaxation during DC helicity injection in spherical torus plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanki, Takashi; Nagata, Masayoshi; Kagei, Yasuhiro

2009-11-01

Recently, the intermittent plasma flow has been observed to be correlated with the fluctuations of the toroidal current It and n=1 mode in the HIST spherical torus device. During the partially driven phase mixed with a resistive decay, the toroidal ion flow velocity (˜ 40 km/s) in the opposite direction of It is driven in the central open flux region, and the oscillations in n=1 mode occur there, while during the resistive decay phase, this flow velocity reverses and results in the same as that of It, and the oscillations in n=1 mode disappear there. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the plasma flow reversal process and the relevant MHD relaxation by using the 3-D nonlinear MHD simulations. The numerical results exhibit that during the driven phase, the toroidal flow velocity (˜ 37 km/s) is in the opposite direction to It, but in the same direction as the ExB rotation induced by an applied voltage. This flow is driven by the magnetic reconnection occurring at the X-point during the repetitive process of the non-axisymmetric magnetized plasmoid ejection from the helicity injector. The oscillations of poloidal flux ψp are out of phase with those of toroidal flux ψt and magnetic energy for the dominant n=1 mode, indicating the flux conversion from ψt to ψp. The effect of the vacuum toroidal field strength on the plasma dynamics is discussed.

Dione's Magnetospheric Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Schippers, P.; Moncuquet, M.; Lecacheux, A.; Crary, F. J.; Khurana, K. K.; Mitchell, D. G.

2015-12-01

Cassini has executed four close flybys of Dione during its mission at Saturn with one additional flyby planned as of this writing. The Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument observed the plasma wave spectrum during each of the four encounters and plans to make additional observations during the 17 August 2015 flyby. These observations are joined by those from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI), and the Magnetometer instrument (MAG), although neither CAPS nor MAG data were available for the fourth flyby. The first and fourth flybys were near polar passes while the second and third were near wake passes. The second flyby occurred during a time of hot plasma injections which are not thought to be specifically related to Dione. The Dione plasma wave environment is characterized by an intensification of the upper hybrid band and whistler mode chorus. The upper hybrid band shows frequency fluctuations with a period of order 1 minute that suggest density variations of up to 10%. These density variations are anti-correlated with the magnetic field magnitude, suggesting a mirror mode wave. Other than these periodic density fluctuations there appears to be no local plasma source which would be observed as a local enhancement in the density although variations in the electron distribution are apparent. Wake passages show a deep density depletion consistent with a plasma cavity downstream of the moon. Energetic particles show portions of the distribution apparently absorbed by the moon leading to anisotropies that likely drive both the intensification of the upper hybrid band as well as the whistler mode emissions. We investigate the role of electron anisotropies and enhanced hot electron fluxes in the intensification of the upper hybrid band and whistler mode emissions.

Simulations on Monitoring and Evaluation of Plasticity-Driven Material Damage Based on Second Harmonic of S0 Mode Lamb Waves in Metallic Plates

PubMed Central

Sun, Xiaoqiang; Liu, Xuyang; Liu, Yaolu; Hu, Ning; Zhao, Youxuan; Ding, Xiangyan; Qin, Shiwei; Zhang, Jianyu; Zhang, Jun; Liu, Feng; Fu, Shaoyun

2017-01-01

In this study, a numerical approach—the discontinuous Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin-Eshelby Method (MLPGEM)—was adopted to simulate and measure material plasticity in an Al 7075-T651 plate. The plate was modeled in two dimensions by assemblies of small particles that interact with each other through bonding stiffness. The material plasticity of the model loaded to produce different levels of strain is evaluated with the Lamb waves of S0 mode. A tone burst at the center frequency of 200 kHz was used as excitation. Second-order nonlinear wave was extracted from the spectrogram of a signal receiving point. Tensile-driven plastic deformation and cumulative second harmonic generation of S0 mode were observed in the simulation. Simulated measurement of the acoustic nonlinearity increased monotonically with the level of tensile-driven plastic strain captured by MLPGEM, whereas achieving this state by other numerical methods is comparatively more difficult. This result indicates that the second harmonics of S0 mode can be employed to monitor and evaluate the material or structural early-stage damage induced by plasticity. PMID:28773188

Nonlinear study of the parallel velocity/tearing instability using an implicit, nonlinear resistive MHD solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chacon, L.; Finn, J. M.; Knoll, D. A.

2000-10-01

Recently, a new parallel velocity instability has been found.(J. M. Finn, Phys. Plasmas), 2, 12 (1995) This mode is a tearing mode driven unstable by curvature effects and sound wave coupling in the presence of parallel velocity shear. Under such conditions, linear theory predicts that tearing instabilities will grow even in situations in which the classical tearing mode is stable. This could then be a viable seed mechanism for the neoclassical tearing mode, and hence a non-linear study is of interest. Here, the linear and non-linear stages of this instability are explored using a fully implicit, fully nonlinear 2D reduced resistive MHD code,(L. Chacon et al), ``Implicit, Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov 2D reduced resistive MHD nonlinear solver,'' submitted to J. Comput. Phys. (2000) including viscosity and particle transport effects. The nonlinear implicit time integration is performed using the Newton-Raphson iterative algorithm. Krylov iterative techniques are employed for the required algebraic matrix inversions, implemented Jacobian-free (i.e., without ever forming and storing the Jacobian matrix), and preconditioned with a ``physics-based'' preconditioner. Nonlinear results indicate that, for large total plasma beta and large parallel velocity shear, the instability results in the generation of large poloidal shear flows and large magnetic islands even in regimes when the classical tearing mode is absolutely stable. For small viscosity, the time asymptotic state can be turbulent.

Theoretical issues on the spontaneous rotation of axisymmetric plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppi, B.; Zhou, T.

2014-09-01

An extensive series of experiments have confirmed that the observed ‘spontaneous rotation’ phenomenon in axisymmetric plasmas is related to the confinement properties of these plasmas and connected to the excitation of collective modes associated with these properties (Coppi 2000 18th IAEA Fusion Energy Conf. (Sorrento, Italy, 2000) THP 1/17, www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/csp_008c/html/node343.htm and Coppi 2002 Nucl. Fusion 42 1). In particular, radially localized modes can extract angular momentum from the plasma column from which they grow while the background plasma has to recoil in the direction opposite to that of the mode phase velocity. In the case of the excitation of the plasma modes at the edge, the loss of their angular momentum can be connected to the directed particle ejection to the surrounding medium. The recoil angular momentum is then redistributed inside the plasma column mainly by the combination of an effective viscous diffusion and an inward angular momentum transport velocity that is connected, for instance, to ion temperature gradient (ITG) driven modes. The linear and quasi-linear theories of the collisionless trapped electron modes and of the toroidal ITG driven modes are re-examined in the context of their influence on angular momentum transport. Internal modes that produce magnetic reconnection and are electromagnetic in nature, acquire characteristic phase velocity directions in high temperature regimes and become relevant to the ‘generation’ of angular momentum. The drift-tearing mode, the ‘complex’ reconnecting mode and the m0 = 1 internal mode belong to this category, the last mode acquiring different features depending on the strength of its driving factor. Toroidal velocity profiles that reproduce the experimental observations are obtained considering a global angular momentum balance equation that includes the localized sources associated with the excited internal electrostatic and electromagnetic modes besides the appropriate diffusive and the inward angular momentum transparent terms.

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

Zhao, G. Q.; Feng, H. Q.; Liu, Q.

Energetic electrons with power-law spectra are commonly observed in astrophysics. This paper investigates electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME) from the power-law electrons, in which strong pitch-angle anisotropy is emphasized. The electron distribution function proposed in this paper can describe various types of pitch-angle anisotropy. Results show that the emission properties of ECME, including radiation growth, propagation, and frequency properties, depend considerably on the types of electron pitch-angle anisotropy, and different wave modes show different dependences on the pitch angle of electrons. In particular, the maximum growth rate of the X2 mode rapidly decreases with respect to the electron pitch-angle cosinemore » μ {sub 0} at which the electron distribution peaks, while the growth rates for other modes (X1, O1, O2) initially increase before decreasing as μ {sub 0} increases. Moreover, the O mode, as well as the X mode, can be the fastest growth mode, in terms of not only the plasma parameter but also the type of electron pitch-angle distribution. This result presents a significant extension of the recent researches on ECME driven by the lower energy cutoff of power-law electrons, in which the X mode is generally the fastest growth mode.« less

Velocity Space Degrees of Freedom of Plasma Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattingly, Sean

2017-10-01

Small scale wave modes are becoming more important in plasma physics. Examples include turbulent cascades in the solar wind, the energetics of fusion plasma electrostatic turbulence and transport, and low temperature basic plasma physics experiments. In order to improve our understanding of these modes, I present an advance in experimental plasma diagnostics and use it to show the first measurement of a plasma ion velocity-space cross-correlation matrix. From this matrix I determine the eigenmodes of fluctuations on the ion distribution function as a function of frequency. I also determine the relative strengths of these modes - these are the velocity space degrees of freedom of plasma fluctuations. This measurement can detect the aforementioned smaller scale modes in plasmas through a localized measurement. The locality of this measurement means that it may be applied to plasmas in which a single - point velocity sensitive diagnostic is available and multipoint measurements may be difficult. Examples include in situ measurements of space plasmas, fusion plasmas, trapped plasmas, and laser cooled plasmas. This fact, combined with the new perspective it can give on small scale plasma fluctuations, means it may be used to further research on the above cited subjects. Much work remains on fully understanding this measurement. This measurement opens a velocity space interpretation of small scale plasma wave modes, and understanding this perspective from theory requires the application or invention of new mathematical tools. I discuss open problems to follow up on, which include questions from experimental, theoretical, and instrumentation perspectives. NSF-DOE Program Grant DE-FG02-99ER54543.

Penetration and screening of perpendicularly launched electromagnetic waves through bounded supercritical plasma confined in multicusp magnetic field

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

Dey, Indranuj; Bhattacharjee, Sudeep

2011-02-15

The question of electromagnetic wave penetration and screening by a bounded supercritical ({omega}{sub p}>{omega} with {omega}{sub p} and {omega} being the electron-plasma and wave frequencies, respectively) plasma confined in a minimum B multicusp field, for waves launched in the k perpendicular B{sub o} mode, is addressed through experiments and numerical simulations. The scale length of radial plasma nonuniformity (|n{sub e}/({partial_derivative}n{sub e}/{partial_derivative}r)|) and magnetostatic field (B{sub o}) inhomogeneity (|B{sub o}/({partial_derivative}B{sub o}/{partial_derivative}r)|) are much smaller than the free space ({lambda}{sub o}) and guided wavelengths ({lambda}{sub g}). Contrary to predictions of plane wave dispersion theory and the Clemow-Mullaly-Allis (CMA) diagram, for a boundedmore » plasma a finite propagation occurs through the central plasma regions where {alpha}{sub p}{sup 2}={omega}{sub p}{sup 2}/{omega}{sup 2}{>=}1 and {beta}{sub c}{sup 2}={omega}{sub ce}{sup 2}/{omega}{sup 2}<<1({approx}10{sup -4}), with {omega}{sub ce} being the electron cyclotron frequency. Wave screening, as predicted by the plane wave model, does not remain valid due to phase mixing and superposition of reflected waves from the conducting boundary, leading to the formation of electromagnetic standing wave modes. The waves are found to satisfy a modified upper hybrid resonance (UHR) relation in the minimum B field and are damped at the local electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) location.« less

Instabilities and transport in Hall plasmas with ExB drift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolyakov, Andrei

2016-10-01

Low temperature plasma with moderate magnetic field, where the ions are not or just weakly magnetized, i.e. the ion Larmor radius being larger or comparable to the characteristic length scale of interest (e.g. the size ofthe system), have distinctly different properties from strongly magnetized plasmas such as that for fusion applications. Such parameters regimes are generally defined here as Hall plasmas. The natural scale separation between the ion and electron Larmor radii in Hall plasma, further exploited by the application of the external electric field, offers unique applications in various plasma devices for material processing and electric propulsion. Plasmas in such devices are in strongly non-equilibrium state making it prone to a number of instabilities. This talk presents physics description of the dominant unstable modes in ExB Hall plasmas resulting in highly turbulent state with nonlinear coherent structures and anomalous electron current. Since ions are un-magnetized, fundamental instabilities operating in low temperature Hall plasmas are very different from much studied gradients (density, temperature and magnetic field) driven drift-wave turbulence in strongly magnetized plasmas for fusion applications. As a result the nonlinear saturation mechanisms, role of the ExB shear flows are also markedly different in such plasmas. We review the basic instabilities in these plasmas which are related to the ion-sound, low-hybrid and anti-drift modes, discuss nonlinear saturation and anomalous transport mechanisms. The advanced nonlinear fluid model for such plasmas and results of nonlinear simulations of turbulence and anomalous transport performed within a modified BOUT++ framework will be presented. Research supported by NSERC Canada and US AFOSR FA9550-15-1-0226.

Magnetic Field Effects and Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Highly Collisional Plasmas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozeman, Steven Paul

The homogeneity and size of radio frequency (RF) and microwave driven plasmas are often limited by insufficient penetration of the electromagnetic radiation. To investigate increasing the skin depth of the radiation, we consider the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weakly ionized plasma immersed in a steady magnetic field where the dominant collision processes are electron-neutral and ion-neutral collisions. Retaining both the electron and ion dynamics, we have adapted the theory for cold collisionless plasmas to include the effects of these collisions and obtained the dispersion relation at arbitrary frequency omega for plane waves propagating at arbitrary angles with respect to the magnetic field. We discuss in particular the cases of magnetic field enhanced wave penetration for parallel and perpendicular propagation, examining the experimental parameters which lead to electromagnetic wave propagation beyond the collisional skin depth. Our theory predicts that the most favorable scaling of skin depth with magnetic field occurs for waves propagating nearly parallel to B and for omega << Omega_{rm e} where Omega_{rm e} is the electron cyclotron frequency. The scaling is less favorable for propagation perpendicular to B, but the skin depth does increase for this case as well. Still, to achieve optimal wave penetration, we find that one must design the plasma configuration and antenna geometry so that one generates primarily the appropriate angles of propagation. We have measured plasma wave amplitudes and phases using an RF magnetic probe and densities using Stark line broadening. These measurements were performed in inductively coupled plasmas (ICP's) driven with a standard helical coil, a reverse turn (Stix) coil, and a flat spiral coil. Density measurements were also made in a microwave generated plasma. The RF magnetic probe measurements of wave propagation in a conventional ICP with wave propagation approximately perpendicular to B show an increase in skin depth with magnetic field and a damping of the effect of B with pressure. The flat coil geometry which launches waves more nearly parallel to B allows enhanced wave penetration at higher pressures than the standard helical coil.

Low to high confinement transition theory of finite-beta drift-wave driven shear flow and its comparison with data from DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzdar, P. N.; Kleva, R. G.; Groebner, R. J.; Gohil, P.

2004-03-01

Shear flow stabilization of edge turbulence in tokamaks has been the accepted paradigm for the improvement in confinement observed in high (H) confinement mode plasmas. Results on the generation of zonal flow and fields in finite β plasmas are presented. This theory yields a criterion for bifurcation from low to high (L-H) confinement mode, proportional to Te/√Ln , where Te is the electron temperature and Ln is the density scale-length at the steepest part of the density gradient. When this parameter exceeds a critical value (mostly determined by the strength of the toroidal magnetic field), the transition occurs. The predicted threshold based on this parameter shows good agreement with edge measurements on discharges undergoing L-H transitions in DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, R. Anderson, F. Batty et al., in Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Research, 1986 (International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1987), Vol. I, p. 159]. The observed differences in the transitions with the reversal of the toroidal magnetic field are reconciled in terms of this critical parameter due to the differences in the density gradient scale-lengths in the edge. The theory also provides a possible explanation for lowered threshold power, pellet injection H modes in DIII-D, thereby providing a unified picture of the varied observations on the L-H transition.

Wave-Particle Interactions in the Earth's Radiation Belts: Recent Advances and Unprecedented Future Opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.

2017-12-01

In the collisionless heliospheric plasmas, wave-particle interaction is a fundamental physical process in transferring energy and momentum between particles with different species and energies. This presentation focuses on one of the important wave-particle interaction processes: interaction between whistler-mode waves and electrons. Whistler-mode waves have frequencies between proton and electron cyclotron frequency and are ubiquitously present in the heliospheric plasmas including solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. I use Earth's Van Allen radiation belt as "local space laboratory" to discuss the role of whistler-mode waves in energetic electron dynamics using multi-satellite observations, theory and modeling. I further discuss solar wind drivers leading to energetic electron dynamics in the Earth's radiation belts, which is critical in predicting space weather that has broad impacts on our technological systems and society. At last, I discuss the unprecedented future opportunities of exploring space science using multi-satellite observations and state-of-the-art theory and modeling.

Coherent emission mechanisms in astrophysical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melrose, D. B.

2017-12-01

Three known examples of coherent emission in radio astronomical sources are reviewed: plasma emission, electron cyclotron maser emission (ECME) and pulsar radio emission. Plasma emission is a multi-stage mechanism with the first stage being generation of Langmuir waves through a streaming instability, and subsequent stages involving partial conversion of the Langmuir turbulence into escaping radiation at the fundamental (F) and second harmonic (H) of the plasma frequency. The early development and subsequent refinements of the theory, motivated by application to solar radio bursts, are reviewed. The driver of the instability is faster electrons outpacing slower electrons, resulting in a positive gradient ({d}f(v_allel )/{d}v_allel >0) at the front of the beam. Despite many successes of the theory, there is no widely accepted explanation for type I bursts and various radio continua. The earliest models for ECME were purely theoretical, and the theory was later adapted and applied to Jupiter (DAM), the Earth (AKR), solar spike bursts and flare stars. ECME strongly favors the x mode, whereas plasma emission favors the o mode. Two drivers for ECME are a ring feature (implying {d}f(v)/{d}v>0) and a loss-cone feature. Loss-cone-driven ECME was initially favored for all applications. The now favored driver for AKR is the ring-feature in a horseshoe distribution, which results from acceleration by a parallel electric on converging magnetic field lines. The driver in DAM and solar and stellar applications is uncertain. The pulsar radio emission mechanism remains an enigma. Ingredients needed in discussing possible mechanisms are reviewed: general properties of pulsars, pulsar electrodynamics, the properties of pulsar plasma and wave dispersion in such plasma. Four specific emission mechanisms (curvature emission, linear acceleration emission, relativistic plasma emission and anomalous Doppler emission) are discussed and it is argued that all encounter difficulties. Coherent radio emission from extensive air showers in the Earth's atmosphere is reviewed briefly. The difference in theoretical approach from astrophysical theories is pointed out and discussed. Fine structures in DAM and in pulsar radio emission are discussed, and it is suggested that trapping in a large-amplitude wave, as in a model for discrete VLF emission, provides a plausible explanation. A possible direct measure of coherence is pointed out.

Energetic particle transport and alpha driven instabilities in advanced confinement DT plasmas on TFTR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stratton, B. C.; Budny, R. V.; Darrow, D. S.; Fisher, R. K.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Fu, G. Y.; Medley, S. S.; Nazikian, R.; Petrov, M. P.; Redi, M. H.; Ruskov, E.; Taylor, G.; White, R. B.; Zweben, S. J.; TFTR Group

1999-09-01

The article reviews the physics of fusion alpha particles and energetic neutral beam ions studied in the final phase of TFTR operation, with an emphasis on observations in reversed magnetic shear (RS) and enhanced reversed shear (ERS) DT plasmas. Energy resolved measurements of the radial profiles of confined, trapped alphas in RS plasmas exhibit reduced core alpha density with increasing alpha energy, in contrast to plasmas with normal monotonic shear. The measured profiles are consistent with predictions of increased alpha loss due to stochastic ripple diffusion and increased first orbit loss in RS plasmas. In experiments in which a short tritium beam pulse is injected into a deuterium RS plasma, the measured DT neutron emission is lower than standard predictions assuming first orbit loss and stochastic ripple diffusion of the beam ions. A microwave reflectometer measured the spatial localization of low toroidal mode number (n), alpha driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (TAEs) in DT RS discharges. Although the observed ballooning character of the n = 4 mode is consistent with predictions of a kinetic MHD stability code, the observed antiballooning nature of the n = 2 mode is not. Furthermore, the modelling does not show the observed strong dependence of mode frequency on n. These alpha driven TAEs do not cause measurable alpha loss in TFTR. Other Alfvén frequency modes with n = 2-4 seen in both DT and DD ERS and RS discharges are localized to the weak magnetic shear region near qmin. In 10-20% of DT discharges, normal low n MHD activity causes alpha loss at levels above the first orbit loss rate.

Excitation of half-integer up-shifted decay channel and quasi-mode in plasma edge for high power electron Bernstein wave heating scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali Asgarian, M.; Abbasi, M.

2018-04-01

Electron Bernstein waves (EBW) consist of promising tools in driving localized off-axis current needed for sustained operation as well as effective selective heating scenarios in advanced over dense fusion plasmas like spherical tori and stellarators by applying high power radio frequency waves within the range of Megawatts. Here some serious non-linear effects like parametric decay modes are highly expect-able which have been extensively studied theoretically and experimentally. In general, the decay of an EBW depends on the ratio of the incident frequency and electron cyclotron frequency. At ratios less than two, parametric decay leads to a lower hybrid wave (or an ion Bernstein wave) and EBWs at a lower frequency. For ratios more than two, the daughter waves constitute either an electron cyclotron quasi-mode and another EBW or an ion wave and EBW. However, in contrast with these decay patterns, the excitation of an unusual up-shifted frequency decay channel for the ratio less than two is demonstrated in this study which is totally different as to its generation and persistence. It is shown that this mode varies from the conventional parametric decay channels which necessarily satisfy the matching conditions in frequency and wave-vector. Moreover, the excitation of some less-known local non-propagating quasi-modes (virtual modes) through weak-turbulence theory and their contributions to energy leakage from conversion process leading the reduction in conversion efficiency is assessed.

Source Region and Growth Analysis of Narrowband Z-mode Emission at Saturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menietti, J. D.; Pisa, D.; Santolik, O.; Ye, S.; Arridge, C. S.; Coates, A. J.

2015-12-01

Z-mode intensity levels can be significant in the lower density region near the inner edge of the Enceladus torus at Saturn, where these waves may resonate with electrons at MeV energies. The source mechanism of this emission, which is narrow banded and most intense near 5 kHz, is not yet well understood. We survey the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) data to isolate several probable source regions. Electron phase space distributions are obtained from the Cassini Electron Spectrometer (ELS), a part of the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) investigation. These data are analyzed in seeking the wave source mechanism, free energy source and growth rate of Z-mode observations. We present the first results of our analysis.

Edge transport and mode structure of a QCM-like fluctuation driven by the Shoelace antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golfinopoulos, T.; LaBombard, B.; Brunner, D.; Terry, J. L.; Baek, S. G.; Ennever, P.; Edlund, E.; Han, W.; Burke, W. M.; Wolfe, S. M.; Irby, J. H.; Hughes, J. W.; Fitzgerald, E. W.; Granetz, R. S.; Greenwald, M. J.; Leccacorvi, R.; Marmar, E. S.; Pierson, S. Z.; Porkolab, M.; Vieira, R. F.; Wukitch, S. J.; The Alcator C-Mod Team

2018-05-01

The Shoelace antenna was built to drive edge fluctuations in the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, matching the wavenumber (k\\perp≈1.5 cm‑1) and frequency (30≲ f ≲ 200 kHz) of the quasi-coherent mode (QCM), which is responsible for regulating transport across the plasma boundary in the steady-state, ELM-free Enhanced D α (EDA) H-mode. Initial experiments in 2012 demonstrated that the antenna drove a resonant response in the edge plasma in steady-state EDA and transient, non-ELMy H-modes, but transport measurements were unavailable. In 2016, the Shoelace antenna was relocated to enable direct measurements of driven transport by a reciprocating Mirror Langmuir Probe, while also making available gas puff imaging and reflectometer data to provide additional radial localization of the driven fluctuation. This new data suggests a  ∼4 mm-wide mode layer centered on or just outside the separatrix. Fluctuations coherent with the antenna produced a radial electron flux with {Γ_e}/{n_e}∼4 m s‑1 in EDA H-mode, smaller than but comparable to the QCM level. But in transient ELM-free H-mode, {Γ_e}/{n_e} was an order of magnitude smaller, and driven fluctuations reduced by a factor of ≳ 3. The driven mode is quantitatively similar to the intrinsic QCM across measured spectral quantities, except that it is more coherent and weaker. This work informs the prospect of achieving control of edge transport by direct coupling to edge modes, as well as the use of such active coupling for diagnostic purposes.

Modeling TAE Response To Nonlinear Drives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bo; Berk, Herbert; Breizman, Boris; Zheng, Linjin

2012-10-01

Experiment has detected the Toroidal Alfven Eigenmodes (TAE) with signals at twice the eigenfrequency.These harmonic modes arise from the second order perturbation in amplitude of the MHD equation for the linear modes that are driven the energetic particle free energy. The structure of TAE in realistic geometry can be calculated by generalizing the linear numerical solver (AEGIS package). We have have inserted all the nonlinear MHD source terms, where are quadratic in the linear amplitudes, into AEGIS code. We then invert the linear MHD equation at the second harmonic frequency. The ratio of amplitudes of the first and second harmonic terms are used to determine the internal field amplitude. The spatial structure of energy and density distribution are investigated. The results can be directly employed to compare with experiments and determine the Alfven wave amplitude in the plasma region.

Parametric decay of current-driven Langmuir waves in plateau plasmas: Relevance to solar wind and foreshock events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, Konrad; Malaspina, David M.; Pulupa, Marc; Salem, Chadi S.

2017-07-01

Langmuir amplitude modulation in association with type III radio bursts is a well-known phenomenon since the beginning of space observations. It is commonly attributed to the superposition of beam-excited Langmuir waves and their backscattered counterparts as a result of parametric decay. The dilemma, however, is the discrepancy between fast beam relaxation and long-lasting Langmuir wave activity. Instead of starting with an unstable electron beam, our focus in this paper is on the nonlinear response of Langmuir oscillations that are driven after beam stabilization by the still persisting current of the (stable) two-electron plasma. The velocity distribution function of the second population forms a plateau (index h) with a point at which ∂fh/∂v ˜0 associated with weak damping over a more or less extended wave number range k. As shown by particle-in-cell simulations, this so-called plateau plasma drives primarily Langmuir oscillations at the plasma frequency (ωe) with k = 0 over long times without remarkable change of the distribution function. These Langmuir oscillations act as a pump wave for parametric decay by which an electron-acoustic wave slightly below ωe and a counterstreaming ion-acoustic wave are generated. Both high-frequency waves have nearly the same amplitude, which is given by the product of plateau density and velocity. Beating of these two wave types leads to pronounced Langmuir amplitude modulation, in reasonable agreement with solar wind and terrestrial foreshock observations made by the Wind spacecraft.

Plasma Waves in the Magnetosheath of Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strangeway, Robert J.

1996-01-01

Research supported by this grant is divided into three basic topics of investigation. These are: (1) Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath, (2) Plasma waves in the Venus foreshock and solar wind, (3) plasma waves in the Venus nightside ionosphere and ionotail. The main issues addressed in the first area - Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath - dealt with the wave modes observed in the magnetosheath and upper ionosphere, and whether these waves are a significant source of heating for the topside ionosphere. The source of the waves was also investigated. In the second area - Plasma waves in the Venus foreshock and solar wind, we carried out some research on waves observed upstream of the planetary bow shock known as the foreshock. The foreshock and bow shock modify the ambient magnetic field and plasma, and need to be understood if we are to understand the magnetosheath. Although most of the research was directed to wave observations on the dayside of the planet, in the last of the three basic areas studied, we also analyzed data from the nightside. The plasma waves observed by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter on the nightside continue to be of considerable interest since they have been cited as evidence for lightning on Venus.

The interaction between fishbone modes and shear Alfvén waves in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Hongda; Liu, Yueqiang; Dong, J. Q.; Hao, G. Z.; Wu, Tingting; He, Zhixiong; Zhao, K.

2016-05-01

The resonant interaction between the energetic particle triggered fishbone mode and the shear Alfvén waves is computationally investigated and firmly demonstrated based on a tokamak plasma equilibrium, using the self-consistent MHD-kinetic hybrid code MARS-K (Liu et al 2008 Phys. Plasmas 15 112503). This type of continuum resonance, occurring critically due to the mode’s toroidal rotation in the plasma frame, significantly modifies the eigenmode structure of the fishbone instability, by introducing two large peaks of the perturbed parallel current density near but offside the q  =  1 rational surface (q is the safety factor). The self-consistently computed radial plasma displacement substantially differs from that being assumed in the conventional fishbone theory.

Charcateristics of Plasma Waves Excited During Gas Release and Plasma Injection Into The Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klos, Z.; Gdalevich, G. L.; Mikhailov, I.

Waves in broad frequency range are generated during the injection of fast plasma as well as release of neutral gas into ionosphere from the spacecraft. The excited wave modes depend on the environmental plasma parameters, geometry of injection as well as on the rate of ionisation of plasma in the stream. The neutral xenon gas was released from the board of the ACTIVE satellite (in 1989) and parallel with the release process the VLF as well as HF waves were diagnosed. On the other hand the xenon plasma from gun generator was injected into the ionosphere from the board of APEX satellite (in 1991) and also broad frequency range of emission was registered. In the present paper are compared the plasma waves characteristics observed in these two types of experiments.

STEREO Observations of Waves in the Ramp Regions of Interplanetary Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Z.; Breneman, A. W.; Cattell, C. A.; Davis, L.; Grul, P.; Kersten, K.; Wilson, L. B., III

2017-12-01

Determining the role of plasma waves in providing energy dissipation at shock waves is of long-standing interest. Interplanetary (IP) shocks serve as a large database of low Mach number shocks. We examine electric field waveforms captured by the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) on the STEREO spacecraft during the ramps of IP shocks, with emphasis on captures lasting 2.1 seconds. Previous work has used captures of shorter duration (66 and 131 ms on STEREO, and 17 ms on WIND), which allowed for observation of waves with maximum (minimum) frequencies of 125 kHz (15 Hz), 62.5 kHz (8 Hz), and 60 kHz (59 Hz), respectively. The maximum frequencies are comparable to 2-8 times the plasma frequency in the solar wind, enabling observation of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic, and some whistler-mode waves. The 2 second captures resolve lower frequencies ( few Hz), which allows us to analyze packet structure of the whistler-mode waves and some ion acoustic waves. The longer capture time also improves the resolvability of simultaneous wave modes and of waves with frequencies on the order of 10s of Hz. Langmuir waves, however, cannot be identified at this sampling rate, since the plasma frequency is usually higher than 3.9 kHz. IP shocks are identified from multiple databases (Helsinki heliospheric shock database at http://ipshocks.fi, and the STEREO level 3 shock database at ftp://stereoftp.nascom.nasa.gov/pub/ins_data/impact/level3/). Our analysis focuses on TDS captures in shock ramp regions, with ramp durations determined from magnetic field data taken at 8 Hz. Software is used to identify multiple wave modes in any given capture and classify waves as Langmuir, ion acoustic, whistler, lower hybrid, electron cyclotron drift instability, or electrostatic solitary waves. Relevant frequencies are determined from density and magnetic field data collected in situ. Preliminary results suggest that large amplitude (≥ 5 mV/m) ion acoustic waves are most prevalent in the ramp, in agreement with Wilson, et al. Other modes are also observed. Statistical results will be presented and compared with previous studies and theoretical predictions.

Bicoherence Analysis of Electrostatic Interchange Mode Coupling in a Turbulent Laboratory Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abler, M. C.; Saperstein, A.; Yan, J. R.; Mauel, M. E.

2017-10-01

Plasmas confined by a strong dipole field exhibit interchange and entropy mode turbulence, which previous experiments have shown respond locally to active feedback. On the Collisionless Terrella Experiment (CTX), this turbulence is characterized by low frequency, low order, quasi-coherent modes with complex spectral dynamics. We apply bicoherence analysis to study nonlinear phase coupling in a variety of scenarios. First, we study the self-interaction of the naturally occurring interchange turbulence; this analysis is then expanded to include the effects of driven modes in the frequency range of the background turbulent oscillations. Initial measurements of coupling coefficients are presented in both cases. Driven low frequency interchange modes are observed to generate multiple harmonics which persist throughout the plasma, becoming weaker as they propagate away from the actuator in the direction of the electron magnetic drift. Future work is also discussed, including application of wavelet bicoherence analysis, excitation of interchange modes at multiple frequencies, and applications to planetary magnetospheres. Supported by NSF-DOE Partnership for Plasma Science Grants DOE-DE-FG02-00ER54585.

Multifluid Theory of Solitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verheest, Frank

2008-03-01

After introducing the basic multifluid model equations, this review discusses three different methods to describe nonlinear plasma waves, by giving a rather general overview of the relevant methodology, followed by a specific and recent application. First, reductive perturbation analysis is applicable to waves that are not too strongly nonlinear, if their linear counterparts have an acoustic-like dispersion at low frequencies. It is discussed for electrostatic modes, with a brief application to dusty plasma waves. The typical paradigm for such problems is the well known KdV equation and its siblings. Stationary waves with larger amplitudes can be treated, i.a., via the fluid-dynamic approach pioneered by McKenzie, which focuses on essential insights into the limitations that restrict the range of available solitary electrostatic solutions. As an illustration, novel electrostatic solutions have been found in plasmas with two-temperature electron species that are relevant in understanding certain magnetospheric plasma observations. The older cousin of the large-amplitude technique is the Sagdeev pseudopotential description, to which the newer fluid-dynamic approach is essentially equivalent. Because the Sagdeev analysis has mostly been applied to electrostatic waves, some recent results are given for electromagnetic modes in pair plasmas, to show its versatility.

Fast ion beta limit measurements by collimated neutron detection in MST plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capecchi, William; Anderson, Jay; Bonofiglo, Phillip; Kim, Jungha; Sears, Stephanie

2015-11-01

Fast ion orbits in the reversed field pinch (RFP) are well ordered and classically confined despite magnetic field stochasticity generated by multiple tearing modes. Classical TRANSP modeling of a 1MW tangentially injected hydrogen neutral beam in MST deuterium plasmas predicts a core-localized fast ion density that can be up to 25% of the electron density and a fast ion beta of many times the local thermal beta. However, neutral particle analysis of an NBI-driven mode (presumably driven by a fast ion pressure gradient) shows mode-induced transport of core-localized fast ions and a saturated fast ion density. The TRANSP modeling is presumed valid until the onset of the beam-driven mode and gives an initial estimate of the volume-averaged fast ion beta of 1-2% (local core value up to 10%). A collimated neutron detector for fusion product profile measurements will be used to determine the spatial distribution of fast ions, allowing for a first measurement of the critical fast-ion pressure gradient required for mode destabilization. Testing/calibration data and initial fast-ion profiles will be presented. Characterization of both the local and global fast ion beta will be done for deuterium beam injection into deuterium plasmas for comparison to TRANSP predictions. Work supported by US DOE.

Pairing from dynamically screened Coulomb repulsion in bismuth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruhman, Jonathan; Lee, Patrick A.

2017-12-01

Recently, Prakash et al. have discovered bulk superconductivity in single crystals of bismuth, which is a semimetal with extremely low carrier density. At such low density, we argue that conventional electron-phonon coupling is too weak to be responsible for the binding of electrons into Cooper pairs. We study a dynamically screened Coulomb interaction with effective attraction generated on the scale of the collective plasma modes. We model the electronic states in bismuth to include three Dirac pockets with high velocity and one hole pocket with a significantly smaller velocity. We find a weak-coupling instability, which is greatly enhanced by the presence of the hole pocket. Therefore we argue that bismuth is the first material to exhibit superconductivity driven by retardation effects of Coulomb repulsion alone. By using realistic parameters for bismuth we find that the acoustic plasma mode does not play the central role in pairing. We also discuss a matrix element effect, resulting from the Dirac nature of the conduction band, which may affect Tc in the s -wave channel without breaking time-reversal symmetry.

Experiments on Alfv'en waves in high beta plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; Cooper, Chris; Vincena, Stephen

2008-11-01

The propagation of Alfv'en waves in high beta plasmas is of great interest in solar wind studies as well as in astrophysical plasmas. Alfv'en wave propagation in a high beta plasma is studied on the axis of a toroidal device at UCLA. The vacuum vessel is 30 meters in circumference, 2 meters wide and 3 meters tall. The plasma has a cross sectional area of 20 cm^2 and can be as long as 120 m which is hundreds of parallel Alfv'en wavelengths. The waves are launched using two orthogonal 5-turn , 5.7 cm diameter loops. The AC currents (10 kHz < f < 250 kHz) to the loops are as high as 2 kA p-p, producing fields of 1 kG on the axis of the antenna. The antenna coils are independently driven such that waves with arbitrary polarization can be launched. Movable three axis magnetic pickup loops detect the wave and are used to construct field maps in the machine. Wave propagation results as a function of plasma beta and input wave energy will be presented.

Two dimensional kinetic analysis of electrostatic harmonic plasma waves

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

Fonseca-Pongutá, E. C.; Ziebell, L. F.; Gaelzer, R.

2016-06-15

Electrostatic harmonic Langmuir waves are virtual modes excited in weakly turbulent plasmas, first observed in early laboratory beam-plasma experiments as well as in rocket-borne active experiments in space. However, their unequivocal presence was confirmed through computer simulated experiments and subsequently theoretically explained. The peculiarity of harmonic Langmuir waves is that while their existence requires nonlinear response, their excitation mechanism and subsequent early time evolution are governed by essentially linear process. One of the unresolved theoretical issues regards the role of nonlinear wave-particle interaction process over longer evolution time period. Another outstanding issue is that existing theories for these modes aremore » limited to one-dimensional space. The present paper carries out two dimensional theoretical analysis of fundamental and (first) harmonic Langmuir waves for the first time. The result shows that harmonic Langmuir wave is essentially governed by (quasi)linear process and that nonlinear wave-particle interaction plays no significant role in the time evolution of the wave spectrum. The numerical solutions of the two-dimensional wave spectra for fundamental and harmonic Langmuir waves are also found to be consistent with those obtained by direct particle-in-cell simulation method reported in the literature.« less

Waves and instabilities in plasmas

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

Chen, L.

1987-01-01

The contents of this book are: Plasma as a Dielectric Medium; Nyquist Technique; Absolute and Convective Instabilities; Landau Damping and Phase Mixing; Particle Trapping and Breakdown of Linear Theory; Solution of Viasov Equation via Guilding-Center Transformation; Kinetic Theory of Magnetohydrodynamic Waves; Geometric Optics; Wave-Kinetic Equation; Cutoff and Resonance; Resonant Absorption; Mode Conversion; Gyrokinetic Equation; Drift Waves; Quasi-Linear Theory; Ponderomotive Force; Parametric Instabilities; Problem Sets for Homework, Midterm and Final Examinations.

Understanding the impact of insulating and conducting endplate boundary conditions on turbulence in CSDX through nonlocal simulations

DOE PAGES

Vaezi, P.; Holland, C.; Thakur, S. C.; ...

2017-04-01

The Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device provides a unique platform for investigating the underlying physics of self-regulating drift-wave turbulence/zonal flow dynamics. A minimal model of 3D drift-reduced nonlocal cold ion fluid equations which evolves density, vorticity, and electron temperature fluctuations, with proper sheath boundary conditions, is used to simulate dynamics of the turbulence in CSDX and its response to changes in parallel boundary conditions. These simulations are then carried out using the BOUndary Turbulence (BOUT++) framework and use equilibrium electron density and temperature profiles taken from experimental measurements. The results show that density gradient-driven drift-waves are themore » dominant instability in CSDX. However, the choice of insulating or conducting endplate boundary conditions affects the linear growth rates and energy balance of the system due to the absence or addition of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes generated by the sheath-driven equilibrium E × B shear and sheath-driven temperature gradient instability. Moreover, nonlinear simulation results show that the boundary conditions impact the turbulence structure and zonal flow formation, resulting in less broadband (more quasi-coherent) turbulence and weaker zonal flow in conducting boundary condition case. These results are qualitatively consistent with earlier experimental observations.« less

Interaction physics for the stimulated Brillouin scattering of a laser in laser driven fusion

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

Yadav, Pinki; Gupta, D.N.; Avinash, K., E-mail: dngupta@physics.du.ac.in

2014-07-01

Energy exchange between pump wave and ion-acoustic wave during the stimulated Brillouin Scattering process in relativistic laser-plasma interactions is studied, including the effect of damping coefficient of electron-ion collision by obeying the energy and momentum conservations. The variations of plasma density and damping coefficient of electron-ion collision change the amplitudes of the interacting wave. The relativistic mass effect modifies the dispersion relations of the interacting waves and consequently, the energy exchange during the stimulated Brillouin Scattering is affected. The collisional damping of electron-ion collision in the plasma is shown to have an important effect on the evolution of the interactingmore » waves. (author)« less

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, D. E.

2016-10-01

Even diffraction aside, the commonly known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. GO considers wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but rays have another degree of freedom, namely, polarization. As a result, wave rays can behave as particles with spin. A well-known example of polarization dynamics is wave-mode conversion, which can be interpreted as rotation of the (classical) ``wave spin.'' However, there are other less-known manifestations of the wave spin, such as polarization precession and polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. This talk presents recent advances in extending and reformulating GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective-gauge Hamiltonian governs both mentioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. Examples and numerical results are presented. When applied to classical waves, the theory correctly predicts the polarization-driven divergence of left- and right- polarized electromagnetic waves in isotropic media, such as dielectrics and nonmagnetized plasmas. In the case of particles with spin, the formalism also yields a point-particle Lagrangian model for the Dirac electron, i.e. the relativistic spin-1/2 electron, which includes both the Stern-Gerlach spin potential and the Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi spin precession. Additionally, the same theory contributes, perhaps unexpectedly, to the understanding of ponderomotive effects in both wave and particle dynamics; e.g., the formalism allows to obtain the ponderomotive Hamiltonian for a Dirac electron interacting with an arbitrarily large electromagnetic laser field with spin effects included. Supported by the NNSA SSAA Program through DOE Research Grant No. DE-NA0002948, by the U.S. DOE through Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466, and by the U.S. DOD NDSEG Fellowship through Contract No. 32-CFR-168a.

Strong Evidence for Stochastic Growth of Langmuir-Like Waves in Earth's Foreshock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cairns, Iver H.; Robinson, P. A.

1999-01-01

Bursty Langmuir-like waves driven by electron beams in Earth's foreshock have properties which are inconsistent with the standard plasma physics paradigm of uniform exponential growth saturated by nonlinear processes. Here it is demonstrated for a specific period that stochastic growth theory (SGT) quantitatively describes these waves throughout a large fraction of the foreshock. The statistical wave properties are inconsistent with nonlinear processes or self-organized criticality being important. SGT's success in explaining the foreshock waves and type III solar bursts suggests that SGT is widely applicable to wave growth in space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas.

Existence domain of electrostatic solitary waves in the lunar wake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubia, R.; Singh, S. V.; Lakhina, G. S.

2018-03-01

Electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) and double layers are explored in a four-component plasma consisting of hot protons, hot heavier ions (He++), electron beam, and suprathermal electrons having κ-distribution using the Sagdeev pseudopotential method. Three modes exist: slow and fast ion-acoustic modes and electron-acoustic mode. The occurrence of ESWs and their existence domain as a function of various plasma parameters, such as the number densities of ions and electron beam, the spectral index, κ, the electron beam velocity, the temperatures of ions, and electron beam, are analyzed. It is observed that both the slow and fast ion-acoustic modes support both positive and negative potential solitons as well as their coexistence. Further, they support a "forbidden gap," the region in which the soliton ceases to propagate. In addition, slow ion-acoustic solitons support the existence of both positive and negative potential double layers. The electron-acoustic mode is only found to support negative potential solitons for parameters relevant to the lunar wake plasma. Fast Fourier transform of a soliton electric field produces a broadband frequency spectrum. It is suggested that all three soliton types taken together can provide a good explanation for the observed electrostatic waves in the lunar wake.

Electromagnetic fluctuation spectra of collective oscillations in magnetized Maxwellian equal mass plasmas for low-frequency waves

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

Vafin, S.; Schlickeiser, R.; Yoon, P. H.

Recently, the general electromagnetic fluctuation theory for magnetized plasmas has been used to study the steady-state fluctuation spectra and the total intensity of low-frequency collective weakly damped modes for parallel wave vectors in Maxwellian plasmas. Now, we address the same question with respect to an arbitrary direction of the wave-vector. Here, we analyze this problem for equal mass plasmas. These plasmas are a very good tool to study various plasma phenomena, as they considerably facilitate the theoretical consideration and at the same time provide with their clear physical picture. Finally, we compare our results in the limiting case of parallelmore » wave vectors with the previous study.« less

Testing neoclassical and turbulent effects on poloidal rotation in the core of DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Chrystal, Colin; Burrell, Keith H.; Grierson, Brian A.; ...

2014-07-09

Experimental tests of ion poloidal rotation theories have been performed on DIII-D using a novel impurity poloidal rotation diagnostic. These tests show significant disagreements with theoretical predictions in various conditions, including L-mode plasmas with internal transport barriers (ITB), H-mode plasmas, and QH-mode plasmas. The theories tested include standard neoclassical theory, turbulence driven Reynolds stress, and fast-ion friction on the thermal ions. Poloidal rotation is observed to spin up at the formation of an ITB and makes a significant contribution to the measurement of themore » $$\\vec{E}$$ × $$\\vec{B}$$ shear that forms the ITB. In ITB cases, neoclassical theory agrees quantitatively with the experimental measurements only in the steep gradient region. Significant quantitative disagreement with neoclassical predictions is seen in the cores of ITB, QH-, and H-mode plasmas, demonstrating that neoclassical theory is an incomplete description of poloidal rotation. The addition of turbulence driven Reynolds stress does not remedy this disagreement; linear stability calculations and Doppler backscattering measurements show that disagreement increases as turbulence levels decline. Furthermore, the effect of fast-ion friction, by itself, does not lead to improved agreement; in QH-mode plasmas, neoclassical predictions are closest to experimental results in plasmas with the largest fast ion friction. Finally, predictions from a new model that combines all three effects show somewhat better agreement in the H-mode case, but discrepancies well outside the experimental error bars remain.« less

Coronal magnetohydrodynamic waves and oscillations: observations and quests.

PubMed

Aschwanden, Markus J

2006-02-15

Coronal seismology, a new field of solar physics that emerged over the last 5 years, provides unique information on basic physical properties of the solar corona. The inhomogeneous coronal plasma supports a variety of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) wave modes, which manifest themselves as standing waves (MHD oscillations) and propagating waves. Here, we briefly review the physical properties of observed MHD oscillations and waves, including fast kink modes, fast sausage modes, slow (acoustic) modes, torsional modes, their diagnostics of the coronal magnetic field, and their physical damping mechanisms. We discuss the excitation mechanisms of coronal MHD oscillations and waves: the origin of the exciter, exciter propagation, and excitation in magnetic reconnection outflow regions. Finally, we consider the role of coronal MHD oscillations and waves for coronal heating, the detectability of various MHD wave types, and we estimate the energies carried in the observed MHD waves and oscillations: Alfvénic MHD waves could potentially provide sufficient energy to sustain coronal heating, while acoustic MHD waves fall far short of the required coronal heating rates.

Wave propagation in and around negative-dielectric-constant discharge plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, Osamu; Iwai, Akinori; Omura, Yoshiharu; Iio, Satoshi; Naito, Teruki

2018-03-01

The modes of wave propagation in media with a negative dielectric constant are not simple, unlike those for electromagnetic waves in media with a positive dielectric constant (where modes propagate inside the media with positive phase velocity since the refractive index is usually positive). Instead, they depend on the permeability sign, either positive or negative, and exhibit completely different features. In this report, we investigated a wave confined on the surface of a negative-dielectric-constant and a positive-permeability plasma medium for which the refractive index is imaginary. The propagation mode is similar to surface plasmon polaritons on the metal containing free electrons, but its frequency band is different due to the significant spatial gradient of the dielectric constant and a different pressure term. We also studied a wave with a negative dielectric constant and negative permeability, where the refractive index is negative. This wave can propagate inside the media, but its phase velocity is negative. It also shares similar qualities with waves in plasmonic devices with negative permeability in the photon range.

Chaotic neoclassical separatrix dissipation in parametric drift-wave decay.

PubMed

Kabantsev, A A; Tsidulko, Yu A; Driscoll, C F

2014-02-07

Experiments and theory characterize a parametric decay instability between plasma drift waves when the nonlinear coupling is modified by an electrostatic barrier. Novel mode coupling terms representing enhanced dissipation and mode phase shifts are caused by chaotic separatrix crossings on the wave-ruffled separatrix. Experimental determination of these coupling terms is in broad agreement with new chaotic neoclassical transport analyses.

Nonlinear wave interaction in a plasma column

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, J.

1972-01-01

Two particular cases of nonlinear wave interaction in a plasma column were investigated. The frequencies of the waves were on the order of magnitude of the electron plasma frequency, and ion motion was neglected. The nonlinear coupling of slow waves on a plasma column was studied by means of cold plasma theory, and the case of a plasma column surrounded by an infinite dielectric in the absence of a magnetic field was also examined. Nonlinear scattering from a plasma column in an electromagnetic field having it's magnetic field parallel to the axis of the column was investigated. Some experimental results on mode conversion in the presence of loss are presented along with some observations of nonlinear scattering, The effect of the earth's magnetic field and of discharge symmetry on the radiation pattern are discussed.

Catastrophic instabilities of modified DA-DC hybrid surface waves in a semi-bounded plasma system

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

Lee, Myoung-Jae; Jung, Young-Dae, E-mail: ydjung@hanyang.ac.kr

We find the catastrophic instabilities and derive the growth rates for the dust-cyclotron resonance (DCR) and dust-rotation resonance (DRR) modes of the modified dust-acoustic and dust-cyclotron (DA-DC) hybrid surface waves propagating at the plasma–vacuum interface where the plasma is semi-bounded and composed of electrons and rotating dust grains. The effects of magnetic field and dust rotation frequency on the DCR- and DDR-modes are also investigated. We find that the dust rotation frequency enhances the growth rate of DCR-mode and the effect of dust rotation on this resonance mode decreases with an increase of the wave number. We also find thatmore » an increase of magnetic field strength enhances the DCR growth rate, especially, for the short wavelength regime. In the case of DRR-mode, the growth rate is found to be decreased less sensitively with an increase of the wave number compared with the case of DCR, but much significantly enhanced by an increase of dust rotation frequency. The DRR growth rate also decreases with an increase of the magnetic field strength, especially in the long wavelength regime. Interestingly, we find that catastrophic instabilities occur for both DCR- and DRR-modes of the modified DA-DC hybrid surface waves when the rotational frequency is close to the dust-cyclotron frequency. Both modes can also be excited catastrophically due to the cooperative interaction between the DCR-mode and the DRR-mode.« less

On the Vortex Waves in Nonadiabatic Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibáñez S., Miguel H.; Núñez, Luis A.

2018-03-01

Linear disturbances superposed on steady flows in nonadiabatic plasmas are analyzed. In addition to the potential modes resulting (two sound waves and a thermal mode) that are Doppler shifted, a rotational mode appears identified as an entropy-vortex wave (evw) which is carried along by the gas flow. In adiabatic flows, as well as in nonadiabatic flows, the evw always shows a null pressure disturbance. But in the second case, the wave number of the evw disturbance is fixed for the particular thermal conditions of the gas. The above holds for optically thin gases, as well as for radiating flows, if the dynamical effects of the radiation field are neglected in a first approximation. The above results allow us to calculate the dimensions of the vortex elements that are expected to be formed in nonadiabatic gas flows, particularly in hot ionized plasmas of interest in astrophysics.

ULF waves in the Martian foreshock: MAVEN observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Lican; Mazelle, Christian; Meziane, Karim; Ruhunusiri, Suranga; Espley, Jared; Halekas, Jasper; Connerney, Jack; McFadden, Jim; Mitchell, Dave; Larson, Davin; Brain, Dave; Jakosky, Bruce; Ge, Yasong; Du, Aimin

2016-04-01

Foreshock ULF waves constitute a significant physical phenomenon of the plasma environment for terrestrial planets. The occurrence of these ULF waves, associated with backstreaming ions reflected and accelerated at the bow shock, implies specific conditions and properties of the shock and its foreshock. Using measurements from MAVEN, we report clear observations of this type of ULF waves in the Martian foreshock. We show from different case studies that the peak frequency of the wave case in spacecraft frame is too far from the local ion cyclotron frequency to be associated with local pickup ions taking into account the Doppler shifted frequency from a cyclotron resonance, the obliquity of the mode, resonance broadening and experimental uncertainties. On the opposite their properties fit very well with foreshock waves driven unstable by backtreaming field-aligned ion beams. The propagation angle is usually less than 30 degrees from ambient magnetic field. The waves also display elliptical and left-hand polarizations with respect to interplanetary magnetic field in the spacecraft frame. It is clear for these cases that foreshock ions are simultaneous present for the ULF wave interval. Such observation is important in order to discriminate with the already well-reported pickup ion (protons) waves associated with exospheric hydrogen in order to quantitatively use the later to study seasonal variations of the hydrogen corona.

Landau damping in space plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thorne, Richard M.; Summers, Danny

1991-01-01

The Landau damping of electrostatic Langmuir waves and ion-acoustic waves in a hot, isotropic, nonmagnetized, generalized Lorentzian plasma is analyzed using the modified plasma dispersion function. Numerical solutions for the real and imaginary parts of the wave frequency omega sub 0 - (i)(gamma) have been obtained as a function of the normalized wave number (k)(lambda sub D), where lambda sub D is the electron Debye length. For both particle distributions the electrostatic modes are found to be strongly damped at short wavelengths. At long wavelengths, this damping becomes less severe, but the attenuation of Langmuir waves is much stronger for a generalized Lorentzian plasma than for a Maxwellian plasma. It is concluded that Landau damping of ion-acoustic waves is only slightly affected by the presence of a high energy tail, but is strongly dependent on the ion temperature.

High energy radiation precursors to the collapse of black holes binaries based on resonating plasma modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coppi, B.

2018-05-01

The presence of well organized plasma structures around binary systems of collapsed objects [1,2] (black holes and neutron stars) is proposed in which processes can develop [3] leading to high energy electromagnetic radiation emission immediately before the binary collapse. The formulated theoretical model supporting this argument shows that resonating plasma collective modes can be excited in the relevant magnetized plasma structure. Accordingly, the collapse of the binary approaches, with the loss of angular momentum by emission of gravitational waves [2], the resonance conditions with vertically standing plasma density and magnetic field oscillations are met. Then, secondary plasma modes propagating along the magnetic field are envisioned to be sustained with mode-particle interactions producing the particle populations responsible for the observable electromagnetic radiation emission. Weak evidence for a precursor to the binary collapse reported in Ref. [2], has been offered by the Agile X-γ-ray observatory [4] while the August 17 (2017) event, identified first by the LIGO-Virgo detection of gravitational waves and featuring the inferred collapse of a neutron star binary, improves the evidence of such a precursor. A new set of experimental observations is needed to reassess the presented theory.

Wave propagation in strongly coupled classical plasmas in an external magnetic field

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

Genga, R.O.

When a small perturbation is applied to the plasma dispersion, a small shift of frequency due to correlation occurs. This is justified even for strong coupling, since the effect is proportional to k/sup 2/ (k is the wave vector) and it is sufficient to consider the k ..-->.. 0 limit. Then by solving the dispersion relations for delta omega, the shift of frequency due to correlation, at different angles of propagation, we obtain all information needed. The plasma modes in which we are primarily interested are the whistler and the extraordinary modes. In this work the STLS (Singwi, Tosi, Land,more » and Sjolander) approximation scheme is used. It is seen that the correlational effects enter only through terms of order k/sup 6/ for the whistler mode and terms of order k/sup 2/ for the nonresonant situation of the extraordinary mode.« less

Nonlinear Alfvén wave propagating in ideal MHD plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jugao; Chen, Yinhua; Yu, Mingyang

2016-01-01

The behavior of nonlinear Alfvén waves propagating in ideal MHD plasmas is investigated numerically. It is found that in a one-dimensional weakly nonlinear system an Alfvén wave train can excite two longitudinal disturbances, namely an acoustic wave and a ponderomotively driven disturbance, which behave differently for β \\gt 1 and β \\lt 1, where β is the ratio of plasma-to-magnetic pressures. In a strongly nonlinear system, the Alfvén wave train is modulated and can steepen to form shocks, leading to significant dissipation due to appearance of current sheets at magnetic-pressure minima. For periodic boundary condition, we find that the Alfvén wave transfers its energy to the plasma and heats it during the shock formation. In two-dimensional systems, fast magneto-acoustic wave generation due to Alfvén wave phase mixing is considered. It is found that the process depends on the amplitude and frequency of the Alfvén waves, as well as their speed gradients and the pressure of the background plasma.

Non-linear wave interaction in a magnetoplasma column. I - Theory. II Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, J.-M.; Crawford, F. W.

1979-01-01

The paper presents an analysis of non-linear three-wave interaction for propagation along a cylindrical plasma column surrounded either by a metallic boundary, or by an infinite dielectric, and immersed in an infinite, static, axial magnetic field. An averaged Lagrangian method is used and the results are specialized to parametric amplification and mode conversion, assuming an undepleted pump wave. Computations are presented for a magneto-plasma column surrounded by free space, indicating that parametric growth rates of the order of a fraction of a decibel per centimeter should be obtainable for plausible laboratory plasma parameters. In addition, experiments on non-linear mode conversion in a cylindrical magnetoplasma column are described. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions and good qualitative agreement is demonstrated.

Electromagnetic radiation from beam-plasma instabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Whelan, D. A.

1982-01-01

The mechanism by which unstable electrostatic waves of an electron-beam plasma system are converted into observed electromagnetic waves is of great current interest in space plasma physics. Electromagnetic radiation arises from both natural beam-plasma systems, e.g., type III solar bursts and kilometric radiation, and from man-made electron beams injected from rockets and spacecraft. In the present investigation the diagnostic difficulties encountered in space plasmas are overcome by using a large laboratory plasma. A finite diameter (d approximately equal to 0.8 cm) electron beam is injected into a uniform quiescent magnetized afterglow plasma of dimensions large compared with electromagnetic wavelength. Electrostatic waves grow, saturate and decay within the uniform central region of the plasma volume so that linear mode conversion on density gradients can be excluded as a possible generation mechanism for electromagnetic waves.

Plasma Flow During RF Discharges in VASIMR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, V. T.; Chang Diaz, F. R.; Squire, J. P.; Ilin, A. V.; Bengtson, R. D.; Carter, M. D.; Goulding, R. H.

1999-01-01

The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) plasma source consists of a helical antenna, driven at frequencies of 4 to 19 MHz with powers up to 1 kW, in a magnetic field up to 3 kG. Helium is the current test gas, and future experiments with hydrogen are planned. Plasma density and temperature profiles were measured by a reciprocating Langmuir probe, and plasma flow profiles were measured with a reciprocating Mach probe. Both probes were located about 0.5 m downstream from the helical antenna. The plasma source operated in capacitive and inductive modes in addition to a helicon mode. During capacitive and inductive modes, densities were low and plasma flow was < 0.5 Cs. When the plasma operated in a helicon mode, the densities measured downstream from the source were higher [10(exp 12) / cubic cm ] and plasma flow along the magnetic field was of the order Mach 1. Details of the measurements will be shown.

Negative ion-driven associated particle neutron generator

DOE PAGES

Antolak, A. J.; Leung, K. N.; Morse, D. H.; ...

2015-10-09

We describe an associated particle neutron generator that employs a negative ion source to produce high neutron flux from a small source size. Furthermore, negative ions produced in an rf-driven plasma source are extracted through a small aperture to form a beam which bombards a positively biased, high voltage target electrode. Electrons co-extracted with the negative ions are removed by a permanent magnet electron filter. The use of negative ions enables high neutron output (100% atomic ion beam), high quality imaging (small neutron source size), and reliable operation (no high voltage breakdowns). Finally, the neutron generator can operate in eithermore » pulsed or continuous-wave (cw) mode and has been demonstrated to produce 10 6 D-D n/s (equivalent to similar to 10 8 D-T n/s) from a 1 mm-diameter neutron source size to facilitate high fidelity associated particle imaging.« less

Full-wave modeling of EMIC waves near the He + gyrofrequency

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

Kim, Eun -Hwa; Johnson, Jay R.

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are known to be excited by the cyclotron instability associated with hot and anisotropic ion distributions in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere and are thought to play a key role in radiation belt losses. Although detection of these waves at the ground can provide a global view of the EMIC wave environment, it is not clear what signatures, if any, would be expected. One of the significant scientific issues concerning EMIC waves is to understand how these waves are detected at the ground. In order to solve this puzzle, it is necessary to understandmore » the propagation characteristics of the field-aligned EMIC waves, which include polarization reversal, cutoff, resonance, and mode coupling between different wave modes, in a dipolar magnetic field. However, the inability of ray tracing to adequately describe wave propagation near the crossover cutoff-resonance frequencies in multi-ion plasmas is one of reasons why these scientific questions remain unsolved. Using a recently developed 2-D full-wave code that solves the full-wave equations in global magnetospheric geometry, we demonstrate how EMIC waves propagate from the equatorial region to higher magnetic latitude in an electron-proton-He+ plasma. We find that polarization reversal occurs at the crossover frequency from left-hand polarization (LHP) to right-hand (RHP) polarization and such RHP EMIC waves can either propagate to the inner magnetosphere or reflect to the outer magnetosphere at the Buchsbaum resonance location. Lastly, we also find that mode coupling from guided LHP EMIC waves to unguided RHP or LHP waves (i.e., fast mode) occurs.« less

Full-wave modeling of EMIC waves near the He + gyrofrequency

DOE PAGES

Kim, Eun -Hwa; Johnson, Jay R.

2016-01-06

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are known to be excited by the cyclotron instability associated with hot and anisotropic ion distributions in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere and are thought to play a key role in radiation belt losses. Although detection of these waves at the ground can provide a global view of the EMIC wave environment, it is not clear what signatures, if any, would be expected. One of the significant scientific issues concerning EMIC waves is to understand how these waves are detected at the ground. In order to solve this puzzle, it is necessary to understandmore » the propagation characteristics of the field-aligned EMIC waves, which include polarization reversal, cutoff, resonance, and mode coupling between different wave modes, in a dipolar magnetic field. However, the inability of ray tracing to adequately describe wave propagation near the crossover cutoff-resonance frequencies in multi-ion plasmas is one of reasons why these scientific questions remain unsolved. Using a recently developed 2-D full-wave code that solves the full-wave equations in global magnetospheric geometry, we demonstrate how EMIC waves propagate from the equatorial region to higher magnetic latitude in an electron-proton-He+ plasma. We find that polarization reversal occurs at the crossover frequency from left-hand polarization (LHP) to right-hand (RHP) polarization and such RHP EMIC waves can either propagate to the inner magnetosphere or reflect to the outer magnetosphere at the Buchsbaum resonance location. Lastly, we also find that mode coupling from guided LHP EMIC waves to unguided RHP or LHP waves (i.e., fast mode) occurs.« less

Experimental studies of high-confinement mode plasma response to non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations in ASDEX Upgrade

DOE PAGES

Suttrop, Wolfgang; Kirk, A.; Nazikian, R.; ...

2016-11-22

Here, the interaction of externally applied small non-axisymmetric magnetic perturbations (MP) with tokamak high-confinement mode (H-mode) plasmas is reviewed and illustrated by recent experiments in ASDEX Upgrade. The plasma response to the vacuum MP field is amplified by stable ideal kink modes with low toroidal mode number n driven by the H-mode edge pressure gradient (and associated bootstrap current) which is experimentally evidenced by an observable shift of the poloidal mode number m away from field alignment (m = qn, with q being the safety factor) at the response maximum. A torque scan experiment demonstrates the importance of the perpendicular electron flow for shielding of the resonant magnetic perturbation, as expected from a two-fluid MHD picture. Two significant effects of MP occur in H-mode plasmas at low pedestal collisionality,more » $$\

A traveling-wave forward coupler design for a new accelerating mode in a silicon woodpile accelerator

DOE PAGES

Wu, Ziran; Lee, Chunghun H.; Wootton, Kent P.; ...

2016-03-01

Silicon woodpile photonic crystals provide a base structure that can be used to build a three-dimensional dielectric waveguide system for high-gradient laser driven acceleration. A new woodpile waveguide design that hosts a phase synchronous, centrally confined accelerating mode is proposed. Comparing with previously discovered silicon woodpile accelerating modes, this mode shows advantages in terms of better electron beam loading and higher achievable acceleration gradient. Several traveling-wave coupler design schemes developed for multi-cell RF cavity accelerators are adapted to the woodpile power coupler design for this new accelerating mode. Design of a forward coupled, highly efficient silicon woodpile accelerator is achieved.more » Simulation shows high efficiency of over 75% of the drive laser power coupled to this fundamental accelerating mode, with less than 15% backward wave scattering. The estimated acceleration gradient, when the coupler structure is driven at the damage threshold fluence of silicon at its operating 1.506 μm wavelength, can reach 185 MV/m. Lastly, a 17-layer woodpile waveguide structure was successfully fabricated, and the measured bandgap is in excellent agreement with simulation.« less

A traveling-wave forward coupler design for a new accelerating mode in a silicon woodpile accelerator

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

Wu, Ziran; Lee, Chunghun H.; Wootton, Kent P.

Silicon woodpile photonic crystals provide a base structure that can be used to build a three-dimensional dielectric waveguide system for high-gradient laser driven acceleration. A new woodpile waveguide design that hosts a phase synchronous, centrally confined accelerating mode is proposed. Comparing with previously discovered silicon woodpile accelerating modes, this mode shows advantages in terms of better electron beam loading and higher achievable acceleration gradient. Several traveling-wave coupler design schemes developed for multi-cell RF cavity accelerators are adapted to the woodpile power coupler design for this new accelerating mode. Design of a forward coupled, highly efficient silicon woodpile accelerator is achieved.more » Simulation shows high efficiency of over 75% of the drive laser power coupled to this fundamental accelerating mode, with less than 15% backward wave scattering. The estimated acceleration gradient, when the coupler structure is driven at the damage threshold fluence of silicon at its operating 1.506 μm wavelength, can reach 185 MV/m. Lastly, a 17-layer woodpile waveguide structure was successfully fabricated, and the measured bandgap is in excellent agreement with simulation.« less

Assessment of the measurement performance of the in-vessel system of gap 6 of the ITER plasma position reflectometer using a finite-difference time-domain Maxwell full-wave code.

PubMed

da Silva, F; Heuraux, S; Ricardo, E; Quental, P; Ferreira, J

2016-11-01

We conducted a first assessment of the measurement performance of the in-vessel components at gap 6 of the ITER plasma position reflectometry with the aid of a synthetic Ordinary Mode (O-mode) broadband frequency-modulated continuous-wave reflectometer implemented with REFMUL, a 2D finite-difference time-domain full-wave Maxwell code. These simulations take into account the system location within the vacuum vessel as well as its access to the plasma. The plasma case considered is a baseline scenario from Fusion for Energy. We concluded that for the analyzed scenario, (i) the plasma curvature and non-equatorial position of the antenna have neglectable impact on the measurements; (ii) the cavity-like space surrounding the antenna can cause deflection and splitting of the probing beam; and (iii) multi-reflections on the blanket wall cause a substantial error preventing the system from operating within the required error margin.

Low frequency electromagnetic fluctuations in Kappa magnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sunjung; Lazar, M.; Schlickeiser, R.; López, R. A.; Yoon, P. H.

2018-07-01

The present paper provides a theoretical approach for the evaluation of the low frequency spontaneously emitted electromagnetic (EM) fluctuations in Kappa magnetized plasmas, which include the kinetic Alfvén, fast magnetosonic/whistler, kinetic slow mode, ion Bernstein cyclotron modes, and higher-order modes. The model predictions are consistent with particle-in-cell simulations. Effects of suprathermal particles on low frequency fluctuations are studied by varying the power index, either for ions (κ i) or for electrons (κ e). Computations for an arbitrary wave vector orientation and wave polarization provide the intensity of spontaneous emissions to be enhanced in the presence of suprathermal populations. These results strongly suggest that spontaneous fluctuations may significantly contribute to the EM fluctuations observed in space plasmas, where suprathermal Kappa distributed particles are ubiquitous.

Explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt

DOE PAGES

Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L. G.; Murphy, K. R.; ...

2016-06-20

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts over 50 years ago, an explanation for their complete dynamics has remained elusive. Especially challenging is understanding the recently discovered ultra-relativistic third electron radiation belt. Current theory asserts that loss in the heart of the outer belt, essential to the formation of the third belt, must be controlled by high-frequency plasma wave–particle scattering into the atmosphere, via whistler mode chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, or electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. However, this has failed to accurately reproduce the third belt. In this paper, using a data-driven, time-dependent specification of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves we showmore » for the first time how the third radiation belt is established as a simple, elegant consequence of storm-time extremely fast outward ULF wave transport. High-frequency wave–particle scattering loss into the atmosphere is not needed in this case. Finally, when rapid ULF wave transport coupled to a dynamic boundary is accurately specified, the sensitive dynamics controlling the enigmatic ultra-relativistic third radiation belt are naturally explained.« less

Explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt

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

Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L. G.; Murphy, K. R.

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts over 50 years ago, an explanation for their complete dynamics has remained elusive. Especially challenging is understanding the recently discovered ultra-relativistic third electron radiation belt. Current theory asserts that loss in the heart of the outer belt, essential to the formation of the third belt, must be controlled by high-frequency plasma wave–particle scattering into the atmosphere, via whistler mode chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, or electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. However, this has failed to accurately reproduce the third belt. In this paper, using a data-driven, time-dependent specification of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves we showmore » for the first time how the third radiation belt is established as a simple, elegant consequence of storm-time extremely fast outward ULF wave transport. High-frequency wave–particle scattering loss into the atmosphere is not needed in this case. Finally, when rapid ULF wave transport coupled to a dynamic boundary is accurately specified, the sensitive dynamics controlling the enigmatic ultra-relativistic third radiation belt are naturally explained.« less

Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Energy Interplay in the Regions of Diffuse Aurora

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Glocer, A.; Sibeck, D. G.; Tripathi, A. K.; Detweiler, L.G.; Avanov, L. A.; Singhal, R. P.

2016-01-01

Both electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves and whistler mode chorus waves resonate with electrons of the Earths plasma sheet in the energy range from tens of eV to several keV and produce the electron diffuse aurora at ionospheric altitudes. Interaction of these superthermal electrons with the neutral atmosphere leads to the production of secondary electrons (E500600 eV) and, as a result, leads to the activation of lower energy superthermal electron spectra that can escape back to the magnetosphere and contribute to the thermal electron energy deposition processes in the magnetospheric plasma. The ECH and whistler mode chorus waves, however, can also interact with the secondary electrons that are coming from both of the magnetically conjugated ionospheres after they have been produced by initially precipitated high-energy electrons that came from the plasma sheet. After their degradation and subsequent reflection in magnetically conjugate atmospheric regions, both the secondary electrons and the precipitating electrons with high (E600 eV) initial energies will travel back through the loss cone, become trapped in the magnetosphere, and redistribute the energy content of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Thus, scattering of the secondary electrons by ECH and whistler mode chorus waves leads to an increase of the fraction of superthermal electron energy deposited into the core magnetospheric plasma.

Weibel instability for a streaming electron, counterstreaming e-e, and e-p plasmas with intrinsic temperature anisotropy

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

Ghorbanalilu, M.; Physics Department, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz; Sadegzadeh, S.

2014-05-15

The existence of Weibel instability for a streaming electron, counterstreaming electron-electron (e-e), and electron-positron (e-p) plasmas with intrinsic temperature anisotropy is investigated. The temperature anisotropy is included in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the streaming direction. It is shown that the beam mean speed changes the instability mode, for a streaming electron beam, from the classic Weibel to the Weibel-like mode. The analytical and numerical solutions approved that Weibel-like modes are excited for both counterstreaming e-e and e-p plasmas. The growth rates of the instabilities in e-e and e-p plasmas are compared. The growth rate is larger for e-pmore » plasmas if the thermal anisotropy is small and the opposite is true for large thermal anisotropies. The analytical and numerical solutions are in good agreement only in the small parallel temperature and wave number limits, when the instability growth rate increases linearly with normalized wave number kc∕ω{sub p}.« less

Kinetic Simulations of the Interruption of Large-Amplitude Shear-Alfvén Waves in a High- β Plasma

DOE PAGES

Squire, J.; Kunz, M. W.; Quataert, E.; ...

2017-10-12

Using two-dimensional hybrid-kinetic simulations, we explore the nonlinear “interruption” of standing and traveling shear-Alfvén waves in collisionless plasmas. Interruption involves a self-generated pressure anisotropy removing the restoring force of a linearly polarized Alfvénic perturbation, and occurs for wave amplitudes δB ⊥/B 0≳β –1/2 (where β is the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure). We use highly elongated domains to obtain maximal scale separation between the wave and the ion gyroscale. For standing waves above the amplitude limit, we find that the large-scale magnetic field of the wave decays rapidly. The dynamics are strongly affected by the excitation of oblique firehosemore » modes, which transition into long-lived parallel fluctuations at the ion gyroscale and cause significant particle scattering. Traveling waves are damped more slowly, but are also influenced by small-scale parallel fluctuations created by the decay of firehose modes. Our results demonstrate that collisionless plasmas cannot support linearly polarized Alfvén waves above δB ⊥/B 0~β –1/2. Here, they also provide a vivid illustration of two key aspects of low-collisionality plasma dynamics: (i) the importance of velocity-space instabilities in regulating plasma dynamics at high β, and (ii) how nonlinear collisionless processes can transfer mechanical energy directly from the largest scales into thermal energy and microscale fluctuations, without the need for a scale-by-scale turbulent cascade.« less

Kinetic Simulations of the Interruption of Large-Amplitude Shear-Alfvén Waves in a High- β Plasma

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

Squire, J.; Kunz, M. W.; Quataert, E.

Using two-dimensional hybrid-kinetic simulations, we explore the nonlinear “interruption” of standing and traveling shear-Alfvén waves in collisionless plasmas. Interruption involves a self-generated pressure anisotropy removing the restoring force of a linearly polarized Alfvénic perturbation, and occurs for wave amplitudes δB ⊥/B 0≳β –1/2 (where β is the ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure). We use highly elongated domains to obtain maximal scale separation between the wave and the ion gyroscale. For standing waves above the amplitude limit, we find that the large-scale magnetic field of the wave decays rapidly. The dynamics are strongly affected by the excitation of oblique firehosemore » modes, which transition into long-lived parallel fluctuations at the ion gyroscale and cause significant particle scattering. Traveling waves are damped more slowly, but are also influenced by small-scale parallel fluctuations created by the decay of firehose modes. Our results demonstrate that collisionless plasmas cannot support linearly polarized Alfvén waves above δB ⊥/B 0~β –1/2. Here, they also provide a vivid illustration of two key aspects of low-collisionality plasma dynamics: (i) the importance of velocity-space instabilities in regulating plasma dynamics at high β, and (ii) how nonlinear collisionless processes can transfer mechanical energy directly from the largest scales into thermal energy and microscale fluctuations, without the need for a scale-by-scale turbulent cascade.« less

Correlation of wave propagation modes in helicon plasma with source tube lengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Chen; Zhao, Gao; Wang, Yu; Liu, Zhongwei; Chen, Qiang

2017-01-01

Helicon wave plasma demonstrates lots of advantages in high coupling efficiency, high density, and low magnetic field. However, the helicon wave plasma still meets challenges in applications of material deposition, surface treatment, and electromagnetic thrusters owing to the changeable coupled efficiency and the remarkable non-uniformity. In this paper, we explore the wave propagation characterization by the B-dot probe in various lengths of source tubes. We find that in a long source tube the standing wave appears under the antenna zone, while the traveling wave is formed out of the antenna region. The apparent modulation of wave amplitude is formed in upstream rather than in downstream of the antenna. In a short source tube, however, there is only standing wave propagation.

Fluctuation spectra in the NASA Lewis bumpy-torus plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, C. M.; Krawczonek, W. M.; Roth, J. R.; Hong, J. Y.; Powers, E. J.

1978-01-01

The electrostatic potential fluctuation spectrum in the NASA Lewis bumpy-torus plasma was studied with capacitive probes in the low pressure (high impedance) mode and in the high pressure (low impedance) mode. Under different operating conditions, the plasma exhibited electrostatic potential fluctuations (1) at a set of discrete frequencies, (2) at a continuum of frequencies, and (3) as incoherent high-frequency turbulence. The frequencies and azimuthal wave numbers were determined from digitally implemented autopower and cross-power spectra. The azimuthal dispersion characteristics of the unstable waves were examined by varying the electrode voltage, the polarity of the voltage, and the neutral background density at a constant magnetic field strength.

Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors.

PubMed

Cesario, R; Amicucci, L; Cardinali, A; Castaldo, C; Marinucci, M; Panaccione, L; Santini, F; Tudisco, O; Apicella, M L; Calabrò, G; Cianfarani, C; Frigione, D; Galli, A; Mazzitelli, G; Mazzotta, C; Pericoli, V; Schettini, G; Tuccillo, A A

2010-08-10

Progress in thermonuclear fusion energy research based on deuterium plasmas magnetically confined in toroidal tokamak devices requires the development of efficient current drive methods. Previous experiments have shown that plasma current can be driven effectively by externally launched radio frequency power coupled to lower hybrid plasma waves. However, at the high plasma densities required for fusion power plants, the coupled radio frequency power does not penetrate into the plasma core, possibly because of strong wave interactions with the plasma edge. Here we show experiments performed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) based on theoretical predictions that nonlinear interactions diminish when the peripheral plasma electron temperature is high, allowing significant wave penetration at high density. The results show that the coupled radio frequency power can penetrate into high-density plasmas due to weaker plasma edge effects, thus extending the effective range of lower hybrid current drive towards the domain relevant for fusion reactors.

A numerical investigation on the influence of engine shape and mixing processes on wave engine performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, Robert R.

Wave engines are a class of unsteady, air-breathing propulsion devices that use an intermittent combustion process to generate thrust. The inherently simple mechanical design of the wave engine allows for a relatively low cost per unit propulsion system, yet unsatisfactory overall performance has severely limited the development of commercially successful wave engines. The primary objective of this investigation was to develop a more detailed physical understanding of the influence of gas dynamic nonlinearities, unsteady combustion processes, and engine shape on overall wave engine performance. Within this study, several numerical models were developed and applied to wave engines and related applications. The first portion of this investigation examined the influence of duct shape on driven oscillations in acoustic compression devices, which represent a simplified physical system closely related in several ways to the wave engine. A numerical model based on an application of the Galerkin method was developed to simulate large amplitude, one-dimensional acoustic waves driven in closed ducts. Results from this portion of the investigation showed that gas-dynamic nonlinearities significantly influence the properties of driven oscillations by transferring acoustic energy from the fundamental driven mode into higher harmonic modes. The second portion of this investigation presented and analyzed results from a numerical model of wave engine dynamics based on the quasi one-dimensional conservation equations in addition to separate sub-models for mixing and heat release. This model was then used to perform parametric studies of the characteristics of mixing and engine shape. The objectives of these studies were to determine the influence of mixing characteristics and engine shape on overall wave engine performance and to develop insight into the physical processes controlling overall performance trends. Results from this model showed that wave engine performance was strongly dependent on the coupling between the unsteady heat release that drives oscillations in the engine and the characteristics that determine the acoustic properties of the engine such as engine shape and mean property gradients. Simulation results showed that average thrust generation decreased dramatically when the natural acoustic mode frequencies of the engine and the frequency content of the unsteady heat release were not aligned.

Calculation of the gain of a self-launched high-density free-electron laser by using a newly confirmed law stated as the impossibility of free-electron net stimulated radiation and modal analysis based on plasma hydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. H.

2017-05-01

We reason based on the concept of stationary plasma fluctuation that in the free-electron laser (FEL), the Coulomb force from the surrounding electrons and the Ampérian force arising from the beam current do not disrupt the density-deviation mode driven by the laser field in cooperation with the magnetic wiggler. We adopt the synchronization principle that in the state of a stationary plasma density-wave and laser wave, all electrons arriving at the same position can emit laser photons all together only at t = NT + t o , where N is an integer and T is the laser period. We find that in the FEL, the incident laser radiation acts as a dummy field in net stimulated radiation. Using these findings and noticing a previously-recognized concept that the radiation power from an electron is given by Δ E/T, where Δ E is the amplitude of the net work done by the electron during T [1], we derive the laser gain of a self-launched FEL. The thusly derived gain is in excellent agreement with the measured gain.

Suppression of AGN-Driven G-Mode Turbulence by Magnetic Fields in a Magnetohydrodynamic Model of the Intracluster Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bambic, Christopher J.; Morsony, Brian J.; Reynolds, Christopher S.

2017-08-01

We investigate the role of AGN feedback in turbulent heating of galaxy clusters. X-ray measurements of the Perseus Cluster intracluster medium (ICM) by the Hitomi Mission found a velocity dispersion measure of σ ˜ 164 km/s, indicating a large-scale turbulent energy of approximately 4% of the thermal energy. If this energy is transferred to small scales via a turbulent cascade and dissipated as heat, radiative cooling can be offset and the cluster can remain in the observed thermal equilibrium. Using 3D ideal MHD simulations and a plane-parallel model of the ICM, we analyze the production of turbulence by g-modes generated by the supersonic expansion and buoyant rise of AGN-driven bubbles. Previous work has shown that this process is inefficient, with less than 1% of the injected energy ending up in turbulence. Hydrodynamic instabilities shred the bubbles apart before they can excite sufficiently strong g-modes. We examine the role of a large-scale magnetic field which is able to drape around these rising bubbles, preserving them from instabilities. We show that a helical magnetic field geometry is able to better preserve bubbles, driving stronger g-modes; however, the production of turbulence is still inefficient. Magnetic tension acts to stabilize g-modes, preventing the nonlinear transition to turbulence. In addition, the magnetic tension force acts along the field lines to suppress the formation of small-scale vortices. These two effects halt the turbulent cascade. Our work shows that ideal MHD is an insufficient description for the cluster feedback process, and we discuss future work such as the inclusion of anisotropic viscosity as a means of simulating high β plasma kinetic effects. In addition, other mechanisms of heating the ICM plasma such as sound waves or cosmic rays may be responsible to account for observed feedback in galaxy clusters.

Interaction of an electromagnetic wave with a rapidly created spatially periodic plasma

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

Kuo, S.P.; Faith, J.

1997-08-01

The interaction of electromagnetic waves with rapidly created time-varying spatially periodic plasmas is studied. The numerical results of the collisionless case show that both frequency upshifted and frequency downshifted waves are generated. Moreover, the frequency downshifted waves are trapped by the plasma when the plasma frequency is larger than the wave frequency. The trapping has the effect of dramatically enhancing the efficiency of the frequency downshift conversion process, by accumulating incident wave energy during the plasma transition period. A theory based on the wave impedance of each Floquet mode of the periodic structure is formulated, incorporating with the collisional dampingmore » of the plasma. Such a theory explains the recent experimental observations [Faith, Kuo, and Huang, Phys. Rev. E {bold 55}, 1843 (1997)] where the frequency downshifted signals were detected repetitively with considerably enhanced spectral intensities while the frequency upshifted signals were missing. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

Aspect ratio effects on limited scrape-off layer plasma turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolliet, Sébastien; Halpern, Federico D.; Loizu, Joaquim; Mosetto, Annamaria; Ricci, Paolo

2014-02-01

The drift-reduced Braginskii model describing turbulence in the tokamak scrape-off layer is written for a general magnetic configuration with a limiter. The equilibrium is then specified for a circular concentric magnetic geometry retaining aspect ratio effects. Simulations are then carried out with the help of the global, flux-driven fluid three-dimensional code GBS [Ricci et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 124047 (2012)]. Linearly, both simulations and simplified analytical models reveal a stabilization of ballooning modes. Nonlinearly, flux-driven nonlinear simulations give a pressure characteristic length whose trends are correctly captured by the gradient removal theory [Ricci and Rogers, Phys. Plasmas 20, 010702 (2013)], that assumes the profile flattening from the linear modes as the saturation mechanism. More specifically, the linear stabilization of ballooning modes is reflected by a 15% increase in the steady-state pressure gradient obtained from GBS nonlinear simulations when going from an infinite to a realistic aspect ratio.

Kinetic Theory of quasi-electrostatic waves in non-gyrotropic plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, K.; Poedts, S.; Lazar, M.

2017-12-01

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) is a trait of helically phased light or helical (twisted) electric field. Lasers carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) revolutionized many scientific and technological paradigms like microscopy, imaging and ionospheric radar facility to analyze three dimensional plasma dynamics in ionosphere, ultra-intense twisted laser pulses, twisted gravitational waves and astrophysics. This trend has also been investigated in plasma physics. Laguerre-Gaussian type solutions are predicted for magnetic tornadoes and Alfvénic tornadoes which exhibit spiral, split and ring-like morphologies. The ring shape morphology is ideal to fit the observed solar corona, solar atmosphere and Earth's ionosphere. The orbital angular momentum indicates the mediation of electrostatic and electromagnetic waves in new phenomena like Raman and Brillouin scattering. A few years ago, some new effects have been included in studies of orbital angular momentum in plasma regimes such as wave-particle interaction in the presence of helical electric field. Therefore, kinetic studies are carried out to investigate the Landau damping of the waves and growth of the instabilities in the presence helical electric field carrying orbital angular momentum for the Maxwellian distributed plasmas. Recently, a well suited approach involving a kappa distribution function has been adopted to model the twisted space plasmas. This leads to the development of new theoretical grounds for the study of Lorentzian or kappa distributed twisted Langmuir, ion acoustic, dust ion acoustic and dust acoustic modes. The quasi-electrostatic twisted waves have been studied now for the non-gyrotropic dusty plasmas in the presence of the orbital angular momentum of the helical electric field using Generalized Lorentzian or kappa distribution function. The Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) mode function is employed to decompose the perturbed distribution function and electric field into planar (longitudinal) and non-planar (azimuthal) components. The modified Vlasov and Poisson equations are solved to obtain the dielectric function for quasi-electrostatic twisted modes the non-gyrotropic dusty plasmas. Some numerical and graphical analysis is also illustrated for the better understanding of the twisted non-gyrotropic plasmas.

The Caltech experimental investigation of fast 3D non-equilbrium dynamics: an overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellan, Paul; Shikama, Taiichi; Chai, Kilbyoung; Ha, Bao; Chaplin, Vernon; Kendall, Mark; Moser, Auna; Stenson, Eve; Tobin, Zachary; Zhai, Xiang

2012-10-01

The formation and dynamics of writhing, plasma-filled, twisted open magnetic flux tubes is being investigated using pulsed-power laboratory experiments. This work is relevant to solar corona loops, astrophysical jets, spheromak formation, and open field lines in tokamaks and RFP's. MHD forces have been observed to drive fast axial plasma flows into the flux tube from the boundary it intercepts. These flows fill the flux tube with plasma while simultaneously injecting linked frozen-in azimuthal flux; helicity injection is thus associated with mass injection. Recent results include observation of a secondary instability (Rayleigh-Taylor driven by the effective gravity of an exponentially growing kink mode), color-coded plasmas manifesting bidirectional axial flows in a geometry similar to a solar corona loop, and spectroscopic measurements of the internal vector magnetic field. Experiments underway include investigating how an external magnetic field straps down a solar loop, investigation of the details of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, development of a fast EUV movie camera, increasing the jet velocity, excitation of Alfven waves, and investigating 3D magnetic reconnection.

Electron Heating and Acceleration from High Amplitude Driven Alfvén Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auerbach, David; Carter, Troy; Brugman, Brian

2006-10-01

High amplitude (δB/B ˜1 %) shear Alfvén waves are generated in the Large Plasma Device Upgrade (LAPD) at UCLA, and elevated electron temperatures and high energy electrons are observed using triple probes and Langmuir current traces. The Poynting flux of the observed waves is calculated, and wave power is compared to estimates of power input required to cause the observed heating. Theoretical calculations of power transfer from wave to plasma due to Landau damping and collisional heating are also presented and compared to experimental measurements. Heating by antenna near field effects is also being explored. The density and potential structures of these waves are explored using interferometer and triple probe measurements. Applications to Auroral generation and plasma heating are discussed.

Electric dipole radiation at VLF in a uniform warm magneto-plasma.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, T. N. C.; Bell, T. F.

1972-01-01

Use of a linear full electromagnetic wave theory to calculate the input impedance of an electric antenna embedded in a uniform, lossless, unbounded warm magnetoplasma, which is assumed to consist of warm electrons and cold ions. In calculating the dipole radiation resistance for the thermal modes and the thermally modified whistler mode the analysis includes the finite temperature only for the electrons. In deriving the formal solution of the warm plasma dipole input impedance a full-wave analysis is used and two antenna orientations are considered, parallel and perpendicular to the static magnetic field. A general dispersion equation governing the modes of propagation is derived and a detailed analysis is made of the propagation characteristics of these modes.

The properties of the extraordinary mode and surface plasmon modes in the three-dimensional magnetized plasma photonic crystals based on the magneto-optical Voigt effects

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

Zhang, Hai-Feng, E-mail: hanlor@163.com, E-mail: lsb@nuaa.edu.cn; Nanjing Artillery Academy, Nanjing 211132; Liu, Shao-Bin, E-mail: hanlor@163.com, E-mail: lsb@nuaa.edu.cn

2014-06-15

In this paper, the properties of the extraordinary mode and surface plasmon modes in the three-dimensional (3D) magnetized plasma photonic crystals (MPPCs) with face-centered-cubic lattices that are composed of the core tellurium (Te) spheres with surrounded by the homogeneous magnetized plasma shells inserted in the air, are theoretically investigated in detail by the plane wave expansion method, as the magneto-optical Voigt effects of magnetized plasma are considered (the incidence electromagnetic wave vector is perpendicular to the external magnetic field at any time). The optical switching or wavelength division multiplexer can be realized by the proposed 3D MPPCs. Our analyses demonstratemore » that the complete photonic band gaps (PBGs) and two flatbands regions for the extraordinary mode can be observed obviously. PBGs can be tuned by the radius of core Te sphere, the plasma density and the external magnetic field. The flatbands regions are determined by the existence of surface plasmon modes. Numerical simulations also show that if the thickness of magnetized plasma shell is larger than a threshold value, the band structures of the extraordinary mode will be similar to those obtained from the same structure containing the pure magnetized plasma spheres. In this case, the band structures also will not be affected by the inserted core spheres. It is also provided that the upper edges of two flatbands regions will not depend on the topology of lattice. However, the frequencies of lower edges of two flatbands regions will be convergent to the different constants for different lattices, as the thickness of magnetized plasma shell is close to zero.« less

Plasma Waves Observed in the Cusp Turbulent Boundary Layer: An Analysis of High Time Resolution Wave and Particle Measurements from the Polar Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pickett, J. S.; Franz, J. R.; Scudder, J. D.; Menietti, J. D.; Gurnett, D. A.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Braunger, R. M.; Kintner, P. M.; Kurth, W. S.

2001-01-01

The boundary layer located in the cusp and adjacent to the magnetopause is a region that is quite turbulent and abundant with waves. The Polar spacecraft's orbit and sophisticated instrumentation are ideal for studying this region of space. Our analysis of the waveform data obtained in this turbulent boundary layer shows broadband magnetic noise extending up to a few kilohertz (but less than the electron cyclotron frequency); sinusoidal bursts (a few tenths of a second) of whistler mode waves at around a few tens of hertz, a few hundreds of hertz, and just below the electron cyclotron frequency; and bipolar pulses, interpreted as electron phase-space holes. In addition, bursts of electron cyclotron harmonic waves are occasionally observed with magnetic components. We show evidence of broadband electrostatic bursts covering a range of approx. 3 to approx. 25 kHz (near but less than the plasma frequency) occurring in packets modulated at the frequency of some of the whistler mode waves. On the basis of high time resolution particle data from the Polar HYDRA instrument, we show that these bursts are consistent with generation by the resistive medium instability. The most likely source of the whistler mode waves is the magnetic reconnection site closest to the spacecraft, since the waves are observed propagating both toward and away from the Earth, are bursty, which is often the case with reconnection, and do not fit on the theoretical cold plasma dispersion relation curve.

Undamped electrostatic plasma waves

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

Valentini, F.; Perrone, D.; Veltri, P.

2012-09-15

Electrostatic waves in a collision-free unmagnetized plasma of electrons with fixed ions are investigated for electron equilibrium velocity distribution functions that deviate slightly from Maxwellian. Of interest are undamped waves that are the small amplitude limit of nonlinear excitations, such as electron acoustic waves (EAWs). A deviation consisting of a small plateau, a region with zero velocity derivative over a width that is a very small fraction of the electron thermal speed, is shown to give rise to new undamped modes, which here are named corner modes. The presence of the plateau turns off Landau damping and allows oscillations withmore » phase speeds within the plateau. These undamped waves are obtained in a wide region of the (k,{omega}{sub R}) plane ({omega}{sub R} being the real part of the wave frequency and k the wavenumber), away from the well-known 'thumb curve' for Langmuir waves and EAWs based on the Maxwellian. Results of nonlinear Vlasov-Poisson simulations that corroborate the existence of these modes are described. It is also shown that deviations caused by fattening the tail of the distribution shift roots off of the thumb curve toward lower k-values and chopping the tail shifts them toward higher k-values. In addition, a rule of thumb is obtained for assessing how the existence of a plateau shifts roots off of the thumb curve. Suggestions are made for interpreting experimental observations of electrostatic waves, such as recent ones in nonneutral plasmas.« less

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.

The Hall-induced stability of gravitating fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, P. K.; Goutam, H. P.

2018-05-01

We analyze the stability behavior of low-density partially ionized self-gravitating magnetized unbounded dusty plasma fluid in the presence of the Hall diffusion effects (HDEs) in the non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium framework. The effects of inhomogeneous self-gravity are methodically included in the basic model tapestry. Application of the Fourier plane-wave perturbative treatment decouples the structuration representative parameters into a linear generalized dispersion relation (sextic) in a judicious mean-fluid approximation. The dispersion analysis shows that the normal mode, termed as the gravito-magneto-acoustic (GMA) mode, is drastically modified due to the HDEs. This mode is highly dispersive, and driven unstable by the Hall current resulting from the symmetry-breaking of electrons and ions relative to the magnetic field. The mode feature, which is derived from a modified induction with the positive Hall, is against the ideal MHD. It is further demonstrated that the HDEs play stabilizing roles by supporting the cloud against gravitational collapse. Provided that the HDEs are concurrently switched off, the collapse occurs on the global spatial scale due to enhanced inward accretion of the gravitating dust constituents. It is seen explicitly that the enhanced dust-charge leads to stabilizing effects. Besides, the Hall-induced fluctuations, as propagatory wave modes, exhibit both normal and anomalous dispersions. The reliability checkup of the entailed results as diverse corollaries and special cases are illustratively discussed in the panoptic light of the earlier paradigmatic predictions available in the literature.

Characteristics of solitary waves in a relativistic degenerate ion beam driven magneto plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deka, Manoj Kr.; Dev, Apul N.; Misra, Amar P.; Adhikary, Nirab C.

2018-01-01

The nonlinear propagation of a small amplitude ion acoustic solitary wave in a relativistic degenerate magneto plasma in the presence of an ion beam is investigated in detail. The nonlinear equations describing the evolution of a solitary wave in the presence of relativistic non-degenerate magnetized positive ions and ion beams including magnetized degenerate relativistic electrons are derived in terms of Zakharov-Kuznetsov (Z-K) equation for such plasma systems. The ion beams which are a ubiquitous ingredient in such plasma systems are found to have a decisive role in the propagation of a solitary wave in such a highly dense plasma system. The conditions of a wave, propagating with typical solitonic characteristics, are examined and discussed in detail under suitable conditions of different physical parameters. Both a subsonic and supersonic wave can propagate in such plasmas bearing different characteristics under different physical situations. A detailed analysis of waves propagating in subsonic and/or supersonic regime is carried out. The ion beam concentrations, magnetic field, as well as ion beam streaming velocity are found to play a momentous role on the control of the amplitude and width of small amplitude perturbation in both weakly (or non-relativistic) and relativistic plasmas.

Thermonuclear instabilities and plasma edge transport in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulop, Tunde Maria

High-energy ions generated by fusion reactions in a burning fusion plasma may give rise to different types of wave instabilities. The present thesis investigates two types of such instabilities which recently have been observed in fusion experiments: the Toroidal Alfvén Eigenmode (TAE) instability and the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI) which is predicted to give rise to ion cyclotron emission (ICE). The TAE instability may degrade the confinement of fusion-produced high energy alpha particles and adversely affect the possibilities of reaching ignition. The present work derives it generalized expression for the linear growth rate of the instability, by including the effects of finite orbit width and finite Larmor radius of energetic particles, as well as the effects of mode localization and the possible mode excitation by both passing and trapped energetic ions. ICE does not threaten the plasma performance, but it might be useful as a fast ion diagnostic. The ICE originates from the MCI involving fast magnetoacoustic waves driven unstable by toroidicity-affected cyclotron resonance with fast ions. In the present thesis a detailed numerical and analytical investigation of this instability is presented, that explains most of the experimental ICE features observed in JET and TFTR. Moreover, the radial and poloidal localization of the fast magnetoacoustic eigenmodes is investigated, including the effects of toroidicity, ellipticity, the presence of a subpopulation of high energy ions and various profiles of the bulk ion density. In a fusion reactor, the transport of the particles near the edge have a strong influence on the global confinement of the plasma. In the edge region, where neutral atoms and impurity ions are abundant and the temperature and density gradients are large, the assumptions of the standard neoclassical theory break down. In this thesis, we explore the effect of neutral particles on the ion flow shear in the edge region. Furthermore, the neoclassical transport theory in an impure, toroidally rotating plasma is extended to allow for steeper pressure and temperature gradients than are usually considered.

Excitation of THz hybrid modes in an elliptical dielectric rod waveguide with a cold collisionless unmagnetized plasma column by an annular electron beam

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

Rahmani, Z., E-mail: z.rahmani@kashanu.ac.ir; Safari, S.; Heidari-Semiromi, E.

2016-06-15

The dispersion relation of electromagnetic waves propagating in an elliptical plasma waveguide with a cold collisionless unmagnetized plasma column and a dielectric rod is studied analytically. The frequency spectrum of the hybrid waves and the growth rate for excitation of the waves by a thin annular relativistic elliptical electron beam (TAREEB) is obtained. The effects of relative permittivity constant of dielectric rod, geometrical dimensions, plasma frequency, accelerating voltage, and current density of TAREEB on the growth rate and frequency spectra of the waveguide will be investigated.

Investigation of impurity confinement in lower hybrid wave heated plasma on EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Z.; Wu, Z. W.; Zhang, L.; Gao, W.; Ye, Y.; Chen, K. Y.; Yuan, Y.; Zhang, W.; Yang, X. D.; Chen, Y. J.; Zhang, P. F.; Huang, J.; Wu, C. R.; Morita, S.; Oishi, T.; Zhang, J. Z.; Duan, Y. M.; Zang, Q.; Ding, S. Y.; Liu, H. Q.; Chen, J. L.; Hu, L. Q.; Xu, G. S.; Guo, H. Y.; the EAST Team

2018-01-01

The transient perturbation method with metallic impurities such as iron (Fe, Z  =  26) and copper (Cu, Z  =  29) induced in plasma-material interaction (PMI) procedure is used to investigate the impurity confinement characters in lower hybrid wave (LHW) heated EAST sawtooth-free plasma. The dependence of metallic impurities confinement time on plasma parameters (e.g. plasma current, toroidal magnetic field, electron density and heating power) are investigated in ohmic and LHW heated plasma. It is shown that LHW heating plays an important role in the reduction of the impurity confinement time in L-mode discharges on EAST. The impurity confinement time scaling is given as 42IP0.32Bt0.2\\overline{n}e0.43Ptotal-0.4~ on EAST, which is close to the observed scaling on Tore Supra and JET. Furthermore, the LHW heated high-enhanced-recycling (HER) H-mode discharges with ~25 kHz edge coherent modes (ECM), which have lower impurity confinement time and higher energy confinement time, provide promising candidates for high performance and steady state operation on EAST.

Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave

PubMed Central

Gershman, Daniel J.; F-Viñas, Adolfo; Dorelli, John C.; Boardsen, Scott A.; Avanov, Levon A.; Bellan, Paul M.; Schwartz, Steven J.; Lavraud, Benoit; Coffey, Victoria N.; Chandler, Michael O.; Saito, Yoshifumi; Paterson, William R.; Fuselier, Stephen A.; Ergun, Robert E.; Strangeway, Robert J.; Russell, Christopher T.; Giles, Barbara L.; Pollock, Craig J.; Torbert, Roy B.; Burch, James L.

2017-01-01

Alfvén waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earth's magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfvén wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via nonlinear particle trapping. The investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations. PMID:28361881

Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave.

PubMed

Gershman, Daniel J; F-Viñas, Adolfo; Dorelli, John C; Boardsen, Scott A; Avanov, Levon A; Bellan, Paul M; Schwartz, Steven J; Lavraud, Benoit; Coffey, Victoria N; Chandler, Michael O; Saito, Yoshifumi; Paterson, William R; Fuselier, Stephen A; Ergun, Robert E; Strangeway, Robert J; Russell, Christopher T; Giles, Barbara L; Pollock, Craig J; Torbert, Roy B; Burch, James L

2017-03-31

Alfvén waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earth's magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfvén wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via nonlinear particle trapping. The investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

An Overview of Saturn Narrowband Radio Emissions Observed by Cassini RPWS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, S.-Y.; Fischer, G.; Menietti, J. D.; Wang, Z.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.

Saturn narrowband (NB) radio emissions are detected between 3 and 70 kHz, with occurrence probability and wave intensity peaking around 5 kHz and 20 kHz. The emissions usually occur periodically for several days after intensification of Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR). Originally detected by the Voyagers, the extended duration of the Cassini mission and the improved capabilities of the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument have significantly advanced our knowledge about them. For example, RPWS measurements of the magnetic component have validated the electromagnetic nature of Saturn NB emissions. Evidences show that the 20 kHz NB emissions are generated by mode conversion of electrostatic upper hybrid waves on the boundary of the plasma torus, whereas direction-finding results point to a source in the auroral zone for the 5 kHz component. Similar to SKR, the 5 kHz NB emissions have a clock-like modulation and display two distinct modulation periods identical to the northern and southern hemisphere periods of SKR. Polarization measurements confirm that most NB emissions are propagating in the L-O mode, with the exception of second harmonic NB emissions. At high latitudes closer to the planet, RPWS detected right hand polarized Z-mode NB emissions below the local electron cyclotron frequency (f_ce), which are believed to be the source of the L-O mode NB emissions detected above the local f_ce. Although the energy source for the generation of the Z-mode waves is still unclear, linear growth rate calculations indicate that the observed plasma distributions are unstable to the growth of electrostatic cyclotron harmonic emission. Alternatively, electromagnetic Z-mode might be directly generated by the cyclotron maser instability. The source Z-mode waves, upon reflection, propagate to the opposite hemisphere before escaping through mode conversion, which could explain the fact that both rotational modulation periods of NB emissions are observable in each hemisphere.

Analysis of Alfven eigenmode destabilization in DIII-D high poloidal β discharges using a Landau closure model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varela, J.; Spong, D. A.; Garcia, L.; Huang, J.; Murakami, M.; Garofalo, A. M.; Qian, J. P.; Holcomb, C. T.; Hyatt, A. W.; Ferron, J. R.; Collins, C. S.; Ren, Q. L.; McClenaghan, J.; Guo, W.

2018-07-01

Alfvén eigenmodes are destabilized at the DIII-D pedestal during transient beta drops in high poloidal β discharges with internal transport barriers (ITBs), driven by n  =  1 external kink modes, leading to energetic particle losses. There are two different scenarios in the thermal β recovery phase: with bifurcation (two instability branches with different frequencies) or without bifurcation (single instability branch). We use the reduced MHD equations in a full 3D system, coupled with equations of density and parallel velocity moments for the energetic particles as well as the geodesic acoustic wave dynamics, to study the properties of the instabilities observed in the DIII-D high poloidal β discharges and identify the conditions to trigger the bifurcation. The simulations suggest that instabilities with lower frequency in the bifurcation case are ballooning modes driven at the plasma pedestal, while the instability branch with higher frequencies are low n (n  <  4) toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes nearby the pedestal. The reverse shear region between the middle and plasma periphery in the non-bifurcated case avoids the excitation of ballooning modes at the pedestal, although toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes and reverse shear Alfvén eigenmodes are unstable in the reverse shear region. The n  =  1 and n  =  2 Alfvén eigenmode activity can be suppressed or minimized if the neutral beam injector (NBI) intensity is lower than the experimental value (). In addition, if the beam energy or neutral beam injector voltage is lower than in the experiment (), the resonance between beam and thermal plasma is weaker. The and 6 AE activity can not be fully suppressed, although the growth rate and frequency is smaller for an optimized neutral beam injector operation regime. In conclusion, AE activity in high poloidal β discharges can be minimized for optimized NBI operation regimes.

Spectral transfers and zonal flow dynamics in the generalized Charney-Hasegawa-Mima model

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

Lashmore-Davies, C.N.; Thyagaraja, A.; McCarthy, D.R.

2005-12-15

The mechanism of four nonlinearly interacting drift or Rossby waves is used as the basic process underlying the turbulent evolution of both the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima-equation (CHME) and its generalized modification (GCHME). Hasegawa and Kodama's concept of equivalent action (or quanta) is applied to the four-wave system and shown to control the distribution of energy and enstrophy between the modes. A numerical study of the GCHME is described in which the initial state contains a single finite-amplitude drift wave (the pump wave), and all the modulationally unstable modes are present at the same low level (10{sup -6} times the pump amplitude). Themore » simulation shows that at first the fastest-growing modulationally unstable modes dominate but reveals that at a later time, before pump depletion occurs, long- and short-wavelength modes, driven by pairs of fast-growing modes, grow at 2{gamma}{sub max}. The numerical simulation illustrates the development of a spectrum of turbulent modes from a finite-amplitude pump wave.« less

Radiation from an electron beam in magnetized plasma: excitation of a whistler mode wave packet by interacting, higher-frequency, electrostatic-wave eigenmodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenning, N.; Axnäs, I.; Koepke, M.; Raadu, M. A.; Tennfors, E.

2017-12-01

Infrequent, bursty, electromagnetic, whistler-mode wave packets, excited spontaneously in the laboratory by an electron beam from a hot cathode, appear transiently, each with a time duration τ around ∼1 μs. The wave packets have a center frequency f W that is broadly distributed in the range 7 MHz < f W < 40 MHz. They are excited in a region with separate electrostatic (es) plasma oscillations at values of f hf, 200 MHz < f hf < 500 MHz, that are hypothesized to match eigenmode frequencies of an axially localized hf es field in a well-defined region attached to the cathode. Features of these es-eigenmodes that are studied include: the mode competition at times of transitions from one dominating es-eigenmode to another, the amplitude and spectral distribution of simultaneously occurring es-eigenmodes that do not lead to a transition, and the correlation of these features with the excitation of whistler mode waves. It is concluded that transient coupling of es-eigenmode pairs at f hf such that | {{{f}}}1,{{h}{{f}}}-{{{f}}}2,{{h}{{f}}}| = {f}{{W}}< {f}{{g}{{e}}} can explain both the transient lifetime and the frequency spectra of the whistler-mode wave packets (f W) as observed in lab. The generalization of the results to bursty whistler-mode excitation in space from electron beams, created on the high potential side of double layers, is discussed.

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

Wave-particle interactions in rotating mirrorsa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fetterman, Abraham J.; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2011-05-01

Wave-particle interactions in E ×B rotating plasmas feature an unusual effect: particles are diffused by waves in both potential energy and kinetic energy. This wave-particle interaction generalizes the alpha channeling effect, in which radio frequency waves are used to remove alpha particles collisionlessly at low energy. In rotating plasmas, the alpha particles may be removed at low energy through the loss cone, and the energy lost may be transferred to the radial electric field. This eliminates the need for electrodes in the mirror throat, which have presented serious technical issues in past rotating plasma devices. A particularly simple way to achieve this effect is to use a high azimuthal mode number perturbation on the magnetic field. Rotation can also be sustained by waves in plasmas without a kinetic energy source. This type of wave has been considered for plasma centrifuges used for isotope separation. Energy may also be transferred from the electric field to particles or waves, which may be useful for ion heating and energy generation.

Stimulated electromagnetic emission polarization under different polarizations of pump waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tereshchenko, E. D.; Yurik, R. Y.; Baddeley, L.

2015-03-01

The results of investigations into the stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) polarization under different modes of the pump wave polarization are presented. The present results were obtained in November 2012 during a heating campaign utilizing the SPEAR (Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar) heating facility, transmitting in both O- and X-mode polarization, and a PGI (Polar Geophysical Institute) radio interferometer capable of recording the polarization of the received radiation. The polarization ellipse parameters of the SEE DM (downshifted maximum) components were determined under both O-mode and X-mode polarization of the pump waves. The polarization direction of the SEE DM component was preserved under different polarizations of the pump waves. Different polarizations of the pump waves have a different SEE generation efficiency. The intensity of the DM component is observed to be greater during O-mode pumping. In addition, the numbers of observed SEE features are also greater during O-mode pumping.

Polarization of low-frequency electromagnetic radiation in the lobes of Jupiter's magnetotail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moses, S. L.; Kennel, C. F.; Coroniti, F. V.; Scarf, F. L.; Kurth, W. S.

1987-01-01

The plasma wave instruments on the Voyager spacecraft have detected intense electromagnetic radiation within the lobes of Jupiter's magnetic tail down to the lowest frequency of the detector (10 Hz). During a yaw maneuver performed by Voyager 1 in the lobe of the Jovian magnetotail, a modulation appeared in the amplitudes of waves detected in the 10-, 17.8- and 31.1-Hz channels of the plasma wave analyzer, well below the local electron cyclotron frequency of 260 Hz. The lowest amplitudes occurred when the antenna axis was most nearly parallel to the magnetic field. Wave amplitudes in the 56.2-Hz and higher frequency channels remained nearly constant during the maneuver. From the cold-plasma theory of electromagnetic waves, it is concluded that the plasma frequency was between the 56.2- and 31.1-Hz channels where the parallel-polarized component of the spectrum cuts off. This implies a tail-lobe density between 0.000032 and 0.000015/cu cm. The left-hand cutoff frequency would then be below 10 Hz, consistent with either the Z-mode (L, X) or whistlers (R-mode) in the modulated channels.

Mode conversion in three ion species ICRF heating scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Edlund, E.; Ennever, P.; Porkolab, M.; Wright, J.; Wukitch, S.

2016-10-01

Three-ion species ICRF heating has been studied on Alcator C-Mod and on JET. It has been shown to heat the plasma and generate energetic particles. In a typical three-ion scenario, the plasma consists of 60-70% D, 30-40% H and a trace level (1% or less) of 3He. This species mixture creates two hybrid resonances (D-3He and 3He-H) in the plasma, in the vicinity of the 3He IC resonance (on both sides). The fast wave can undergo mode conversion (MC) to ion Bernstein waves and ion cyclotron waves at the two hybrid resonances. A phase contrast imaging (PCI) system has been used to measure the RF waves in the three-ion heating experiment. The experimentally measured MC locations and the separating distance between the two MC regions help to determine the concentration of the three species. The PCI signal amplitudes for the RF waves are found to be sensitive to RF and plasma parameters, including PRF, Te, ne and also the species mix concentration. The parameter dependences found in the experiment will be compared with ICRF code simulations. Supported by USDoE Awards DE-FC02-99ER54512 and DE-FG02-94-ER54235.

Small-scale Pressure-balanced Structures Driven by Mirror-mode Waves in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Shuo; He, J.-S.; Tu, C.-Y.; Wang, L.-H.; Marsch, E.

2013-10-01

Recently, small-scale pressure-balanced structures (PBSs) have been studied with regard to their dependence on the direction of the local mean magnetic field B0 . The present work continues these studies by investigating the compressive wave mode forming small PBSs, here for B0 quasi-perpendicular to the x-axis of Geocentric Solar Ecliptic coordinates (GSE-x). All the data used were measured by WIND in the quiet solar wind. From the distribution of PBSs on the plane determined by the temporal scale and angle θxB between the GSE-x and B0 , we notice that at θxB = 115° the PBSs appear at temporal scales ranging from 700 s to 60 s. In the corresponding temporal segment, the correlations between the plasma thermal pressure P th and the magnetic pressure P B, as well as that between the proton density N p and the magnetic field strength B, are investigated. In addition, we use the proton velocity distribution functions to calculate the proton temperatures T and T ∥. Minimum Variance Analysis is applied to find the magnetic field minimum variance vector BN . We also study the time variation of the cross-helicity σc and the compressibility C p and compare these with values from numerical predictions for the mirror mode. In this way, we finally identify a short segment that has T > T ∥, proton β ~= 1, both pairs of P th-P B and N p-B showing anti-correlation, and σc ≈ 0 with C p > 0. Although the examination of σc and C p is not conclusive, it provides helpful additional information for the wave mode identification. Additionally, BN is found to be highly oblique to B0 . Thus, this work suggests that a candidate mechanism for forming small-scale PBSs in the quiet solar wind is due to mirror-mode waves.

High-Beta Electromagnetic Turbulence in LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, G.; Carter, T. A.; Pueschel, M. J.; Jenko, F.; Told, D.; Terry, P. W.

2015-11-01

The introduction of a new LaB6 cathode plasma source in the Large Plasma Device has enabled the study of pressure-gradient-driven turbulence and transport variations at significantly higher plasma β. Density fluctuations are observed to decrease with increasing β while magnetic fluctuations increase. Furthermore, the perpendicular magnetic fluctuations are seen to saturate while parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations increase continuously with β. These observations are compared to linear and nonlinear simulations with the GENE code. The results are consistent with the linear excitation of a Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode (GDC) which relies on grad-B drift due to parallel magnetic fluctuations and can be driven by density or temperature gradients.

Model for spontaneous frequency sweeping of an Alfvén wave in a toroidal plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ge; Berk, H. L.

2012-05-01

We study the frequency chirping signals arising from spontaneously excited toroidial Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) waves that are being driven by an inverted energetic particle distribution whose free energy is tapped from the generic particle/wave resonance interaction. Initially a wave is excited inside the Alfvén gap with a frequency determined from the linear tip model of Rosenbluth, Berk and Van dam (RBV) [1]. Hole/clumps structures are formed and are observed to chirp towards lower energy states. We find that the chirping signals from clump enter the Alfvén continuum which eventually produce more rapid chirping signals. The accuracy of the adiabatic approximation for the mode evolution is tested and verified by demonstrating that a WKB-like decomposition of the time response for the field phase and amplitude agree with the data. Plots of the phase space structure correlate well with the chirping dependent shape of the separatrix structure. A novel aspect of the simulation is that it performed close to the wave frame of the phase space structure, which enables the numerical time step to remain the same during the simulation, independent of the rest frame frequency.

Lineshape-asymmetry elimination in weak atomic transitions driven by an intense standing wave field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antypas, Dionysios; Fabricant, Anne; Budker, Dmitry

2018-05-01

Owing to the ac-Stark effect, the lineshape of a weak optical transition in an atomic beam can become significantly distorted, when driven by an intense standing wave field. We use an Yb atomic beam to study the lineshape of the 6s2 1S0 -> 5d6s 3D1 transition, which is excited with light circulating in a Fabry-Perot resonator. We demonstrate two methods to avoid the distortion of the transition profile. Of these, one relies on the operation of the resonator in multiple longitudinal modes, and the other in multiple transverse modes.

Experimental Plans for Subsystems of a Shock Wave Driven Gas Core Reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazeminezhad, F.; Anghai, S.

2008-01-01

This Contractor Report proposes a number of plans for experiments on subsystems of a shock wave driven pulsed magnetic induction gas core reactor (PMI-GCR, or PMD-GCR pulsed magnet driven gas core reactor). Computer models of shock generation and collision in a large-scale PMI-GCR shock tube have been performed. Based upon the simulation results a number of issues arose that can only be addressed adequately by capturing experimental data on high pressure (approx.1 atmosphere or greater) partial plasma shock wave effects in large bore shock tubes ( 10 cm radius). There are three main subsystems that are of immediate interest (for appraisal of the concept viability). These are (1) the shock generation in a high pressure gas using either a plasma thruster or pulsed high magnetic field, (2) collision of MHD or gas dynamic shocks, their interaction time, and collision pile-up region thickness, and (3) magnetic flux compression power generation (not included here).

Nonlinear MHD simulations of Quiescent H-mode plasmas in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Liu, Feng; Huijsmans, G. T. A.; Loarte, A.; ...

2015-09-04

In the Quiescent H-mode (QH-mode) regime, the edge harmonic oscillation (EHO), thought to be a saturated kink-peeling mode (KPM) driven unstable by current and rotation, is found in experiment to provide sufficient stationary edge particle transport to avoid the periodic expulsion of particles and energy by edge localized modes (ELMs). In this article, both linear and nonlinear MHD modelling of QH-mode plasmas from the DIII-D tokamak have been investigated to understand the mechanism leading to the appearance of the EHO in QH-mode plasmas. For the first time nonlinear MHD simulations with low-n modes both with ideal wall and resistive wallmore » boundary conditions have been carried out with 3-D non-linear MHD code JOREK. The results show, in agreement with the original conjectures, that in the nonlinear phase, kink peeling modes are the main unstable modes in QH-mode plasmas of DIIID and that the kink-peeling modes saturate non-linearly leading to a 3-D stationary state. The characteristics of the kink-peeling modes, in terms of mode structure and associated decrease of the edge plasma density associated with them, are in good agreement with experimental measurements of the EHO in DIII-D. Finally, the effect of plasma resistivity, the role of plasma parallel rotation as well as the effect of the conductivity of the vacuum vessel wall on the destabilization and saturation of kink-peeling modes have been evaluated for experimental QH-mode plasma conditions in DIII-D.« less

Quasi-electrostatic twisted waves in Lorentzian dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arshad, Kashif; Lazar, M.; Poedts, S.

2018-07-01

The quasi electrostatic modes are investigated in non thermal dusty plasma using non-gyrotropic Kappa distribution in the presence of helical electric field. The Laguerre Gaussian (LG) mode function is employed to decompose the perturbed distribution function and helical electric field. The modified dielectric function is obtained for the dust ion acoustic (DIA) and dust acoustic (DA) twisted modes from the solution of Vlasov-Poisson equation. The threshold conditions for the growing modes is also illustrated.

Higgs Mode in the d -Wave Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x Driven by an Intense Terahertz Pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsumi, Kota; Tsuji, Naoto; Hamada, Yuki I.; Matsunaga, Ryusuke; Schneeloch, John; Zhong, Ruidan D.; Gu, Genda D.; Aoki, Hideo; Gallais, Yann; Shimano, Ryo

2018-03-01

We investigate the terahertz (THz)-pulse-driven nonlinear response in the d -wave cuprate superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 +x (Bi2212) using a THz pump near-infrared probe scheme in the time domain. We observe an oscillatory behavior of the optical reflectivity that follows the THz electric field squared and is markedly enhanced below Tc . The corresponding third-order nonlinear effect exhibits both A1 g and B1 g symmetry components, which are decomposed from polarization-resolved measurements. A comparison with a BCS calculation of the nonlinear susceptibility indicates that the A1 g component is associated with the Higgs mode of the d -wave order parameter.

Higgs Mode in the d -Wave Superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + x Driven by an Intense Terahertz Pulse

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

Katsumi, Kota; Tsuji, Naoto; Hamada, Yuki I.

We investigated the terahertz (THz)-pulse driven nonlinear response in the d-wave cuprate superconductor Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+x (Bi2212) using a THz pump near-infrared probe scheme in the time domain. We have observed an oscillatory behavior of the optical reflectivity that follows the THz electric field squared and is strongly enhanced below Tc. The corresponding third-order nonlinear effect exhibits both A 1g and B 1g symmetry components, which are decomposed from polarization-resolved measurements. Comparison with a BCS calculation of the nonlinear susceptibility indicates that the A 1g component is associated with the Higgs mode of the d-wave order parameter.

Higgs Mode in the d -Wave Superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + x Driven by an Intense Terahertz Pulse

DOE PAGES

Katsumi, Kota; Tsuji, Naoto; Hamada, Yuki I.; ...

2018-03-14

We investigated the terahertz (THz)-pulse driven nonlinear response in the d-wave cuprate superconductor Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+x (Bi2212) using a THz pump near-infrared probe scheme in the time domain. We have observed an oscillatory behavior of the optical reflectivity that follows the THz electric field squared and is strongly enhanced below Tc. The corresponding third-order nonlinear effect exhibits both A 1g and B 1g symmetry components, which are decomposed from polarization-resolved measurements. Comparison with a BCS calculation of the nonlinear susceptibility indicates that the A 1g component is associated with the Higgs mode of the d-wave order parameter.

Observation of the electron density fluctuations by using the O-mode Microwave Imaging Reflectometry in LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagayama, Yoshio; Yamaguchi, Soichiro; Tsuchiya, Hayato; Kuwahara, Daisuke; LHD Experimental Team

2016-10-01

Visualization of local electron density fluctuations will be very useful to study the physics of confinement and instabilities in fusion plasma. In the Large Helical Device (LHD), the O-mode microwave imaging reflectometry (O-MIR) has been intensively developed in order to visualize the electron density fluctuations. The frequency is 26 - 34 GHz. This corresponds to the electron density of 0.8 - 1.5 × 1019 m-3. The plasma is illuminated by the Gaussian beam with four frequencies. The imaging optics make a plasma image onto the newly developed 2D (8 × 8) Horn-antenna Millimeter-wave Imaging Device (HMID). In HMID, the signal wave that is accumulated by the horn antenna is transduced to the micro-strip line by using the finline transducer. The signal wave is mixed by the double balanced mixer with the local wave that is delivered by cables. By using O-MIR, electron density fluctuations are measured at the H-mode edge and the ITB layer in LHD. This work is supported by NIFS/NINS under the project of Formation of International Scientific Base and Network, by the NIFS LHD project, by KAKENHI, and by IMS.

MHD Wave Propagation at the Interface Between Solar Chromosphere and Corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Song, P.; Vasyliunas, V. M.

2017-12-01

We study the electromagnetic and momentum constraints at the solar transition region which is a sharp layer interfacing between the solar chromosphere and corona. When mass transfer between the two domains is neglected, the transition region can be treated as a contact discontinuity across which the magnetic flux is conserved and the total forces are balanced. We consider an Alfvénic perturbation that propagates along the magnetic field incident onto the interface from one side. In order to satisfy the boundary conditions at the transition region, only part of the incident energy flux is transmitted through and the rest is reflected. Taking into account the highly anisotropic propagation of waves in magnetized plasmas, we generalize the law of reflection and specify Snell's law for each of the three wave MHD modes: incompressible Alfvén mode and compressible fast and slow modes. Unlike conventional optical systems, the interface between two magnetized plasmas is not rigid but can be deformed by the waves, allowing momentum and energy to be transferred by compression. With compressible modes included, the Fresnel conditions need substantial modification. We derive Fresnel conditions, reflectivities and transmittances, and mode conversion for incident waves propagating along the background magnetic field. The results are well organized when the incident perturbation is decomposed into components in and normal to the incident plane (containing the background magnetic field and the normal direction of the interface). For a perturbation normal to the incident plane, both transmitted and reflected perturbations are incompressible Alfvén mode waves. For a perturbation in the incident plane, they can be compressible slow and fast mode waves which may produce ripples on the transition region.

Observation of an edge coherent mode and poloidal flow in the electron cyclotron wave induced high β{sub p} plasma in QUEST

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

Banerjee, Santanu, E-mail: sbanerje@ipr.res.in; Mishra, K.; Zushi, H.

Fluctuations are measured in the edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) of QUEST using fast visible imaging diagnostic. Electron cyclotron wave injection in the Ohmic plasma features excitation of low frequency coherent fluctuations near the separatrix and enhanced cross-field transport. Plasma shifts from initial high field side limiter bound (inboard limited, IL) towards inboard poloidal null (IPN) configuration with steepening of the density profile at the edge. This may have facilitated the increased edge and SOL fluctuation activities. Observation of the coherent mode, associated plasma flow, and particle out-flux, for the first time in the IPN plasma configuration in a sphericalmore » tokamak may provide further impetus to the edge and SOL turbulence studies in tokamaks.« less

Observations of mirror waves and plasma depletion layer upstream of Saturn's magnetopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Violante, L.; Cattaneo, M. B. Bavassano; Moreno, G.; Richardson, J. D.

1995-01-01

The two inbound traversals of the Saturn's magnetosheath by Voyagers 1 and 2 have been studied using plasma and magnetic field data. In a great portion of the subsolar magnetosheath, large-amplitude compressional waves are observed at low frequency (approximately 0.1 f(sub p)) in a high-beta plasma regime. The fluctuations of the magnetic field magnitude and ion density are anticorrelated, as are those of the magnetic and thermal pressures. The normals to the structures are almost orthogonal to the background field, and the Doppler ratio is on the average small. Even though the data do not allow the determination of the ion thermal anisotropy, the observations are consistent with values of T(sub perpendicular)/T(sub parallel) greater than 1, producing the onset of the mirror instability. All the above features indicate that the waves should be most probably identified with mirror modes. One of the two magnetopause crossings is of the high-shear type and the above described waves are seen until the magnetopause. The other crossing is of the low-shear type and, similarly to what has been observed at Earth, a plasma depletion occurs close to the magnetopause. In this layer, waves with smaller amplitude, presumably of the mirror mode, are present together with higher-frequency waves showing a transverse component.

Generation of ordinary mode electromagnetic radiation near the upper hybrid frequency in the magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashour-Abdalla, M.; Okuda, H.

1984-01-01

It is shown by means of plasma numerical simulations that long-wavelength ordinary mode electromagnetic radiation can be generated from short-wavelength electrostatic waves near the upper hybrid resonance frequency in an inhomogeneous plasma. A possible relation of this process to nonthermal continuum radiation in the magnetosphere is discussed.

Broad ion energy distributions in helicon wave-coupled helium plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woller, K. B.; Whyte, D. G.; Wright, G. M.

2017-05-01

Helium ion energy distributions were measured in helicon wave-coupled plasmas of the dynamics of ion implantation and sputtering of surface experiment using a retarding field energy analyzer. The shape of the energy distribution is a double-peak, characteristic of radiofrequency plasma potential modulation. The broad distribution is located within a radius of 0.8 cm, while the quartz tube of the plasma source has an inner radius of 2.2 cm. The ion energy distribution rapidly changes from a double-peak to a single peak in the radius range of 0.7-0.9 cm. The average ion energy is approximately uniform across the plasma column including the double-peak and single peak regions. The widths of the broad distribution, ΔE , in the wave-coupled mode are large compared to the time-averaged ion energy, ⟨E ⟩. On the axis (r = 0), ΔE / ⟨E ⟩ ≲ 3.4, and at a radius near the edge of the plasma column (r = 2.2 cm), ΔE / ⟨E ⟩ ˜ 1.2. The discharge parameter space is scanned to investigate the effects of the magnetic field, input power, and chamber fill pressure on the wave-coupled mode that exhibits the sharp radial variation in the ion energy distribution.

The Feasibility of Applying AC Driven Low-Temperature Plasma for Multi-Cycle Detonation Initiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dianfeng

2016-11-01

Ignition is a key system in pulse detonation engines (PDE). As advanced ignition methods, nanosecond pulse discharge low-temperature plasma ignition is used in some combustion systems, and continuous alternating current (AC) driven low-temperature plasma using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is used for the combustion assistant. However, continuous AC driven plasmas cannot be used for ignition in pulse detonation engines. In this paper, experimental and numerical studies of pneumatic valve PDE using an AC driven low-temperature plasma igniter were described. The pneumatic valve was jointly designed with the low-temperature plasma igniter, and the numerical simulation of the cold-state flow field in the pneumatic valve showed that a complex flow in the discharge area, along with low speed, was beneficial for successful ignition. In the experiments ethylene was used as the fuel and air as oxidizing agent, ignition by an AC driven low-temperature plasma achieved multi-cycle intermittent detonation combustion on a PDE, the working frequency of the PDE reached 15 Hz and the peak pressure of the detonation wave was approximately 2.0 MPa. The experimental verifications of the feasibility in PDE ignition expanded the application field of AC driven low-temperature plasma. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51176001)

Identification of new turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in spherical tokamak regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; Kaye, S.; Chen, J.; Startsev, E.; Lu, Z.; Li, Z. Q.

2015-10-01

Highly distinct features of spherical tokamaks (ST), such as National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) and NSTX-U, result in a different fusion plasma regime with unique physics properties compared to conventional tokamaks. Nonlinear global gyrokinetic simulations critical for addressing turbulence and transport physics in the ST regime have led to new insights. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is identified in strongly rotating NSTX L-mode plasmas. While the strong E ×B shear associated with the rotation leads to a reduction in KH/ion temperature gradient turbulence, the remaining fluctuations can produce a significant ion thermal transport that is comparable to the experimental level in the outer core region (with no "transport shortfall"). The other new, important turbulence source identified in NSTX is the dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM), which is believed to play little role in conventional tokamak regime. Due to the high fraction of trapped electrons, long wavelength DTEMs peaking around kθρs˜0.1 are destabilized in NSTX collisionality regime by electron density and temperature gradients achieved there. Surprisingly, the E ×B shear stabilization effect on DTEM is remarkably weak, which makes it a major turbulence source in the ST regime dominant over collisionless TEM (CTEM). The latter, on the other hand, is subject to strong collisional and E ×B shear suppression in NSTX. DTEM is shown to produce significant particle, energy and toroidal momentum transport, in agreement with experimental levels in NSTX H-modes. Moreover, DTEM-driven transport in NSTX parametric regime is found to increase with electron collision frequency, providing one possible source for the scaling of confinement time observed in NSTX H-modes. Most interestingly, the existence of a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced CTEM to DTEM transition, corresponding to a minimum plasma transport in advanced ST collisionality regime, is predicted.

Identification of new turbulence contributions to plasma transport and confinement in spherical tokamak regime

DOE PAGES

Wang, W. X.; Ethier, S.; Ren, Y.; ...

2015-10-15

Highly distinct features of spherical tokamaks (ST), such as National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) and NSTX-U, result in a different fusion plasma regime with unique physics properties compared to conventional tokamaks. Nonlinear global gyrokinetic simulations critical for addressing turbulence and transport physics in the ST regime have led to new insights. The drift wave Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability characterized by intrinsic mode asymmetry is identified in strongly rotating NSTX L-mode plasmas. While the strong E x B shear associated with the rotation leads to a reduction in KH/ion temperature gradient turbulence, the remaining fluctuations can produce a significant ion thermal transportmore » that is comparable to the experimental level in the outer core region (with no "transport shortfall"). The other new, important turbulence source identified in NSTX is the dissipative trapped electron mode (DTEM), which is believed to play little role in conventional tokamak regime. Due to the high fraction of trapped electrons, long wavelength DTEMs peaking around k θρs ~ 0.1 are destabilized in NSTX collisionality regime by electron density and temperature gradients achieved there. Surprisingly, the E x B shear stabilization effect on DTEM is remarkably weak, which makes it a major turbulence source in the ST regime dominant over collisionless TEM (CTEM). The latter, on the other hand, is subject to strong collisional and E x B shear suppression in NSTX. DTEM is shown to produce significant particle, energy and toroidal momentum transport, in agreement with experimental levels in NSTX H-modes. Furthermore, DTEM-driven transport in NSTX parametric regime is found to increase with electron collision frequency, providing one possible source for the scaling of confinement time observed in NSTX H-modes. Most interestingly, the existence of a turbulence-free regime in the collision-induced CTEM to DTEM transition, corresponding to a minimum plasma transport in advanced ST collisionality regime, is predicted.« less

Transport simulation of EAST long-pulse H-mode discharge with integrated modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, M. Q.; Li, G. Q.; Chen, J. L.; Du, H. F.; Gao, X.; Ren, Q. L.; Li, K.; Chan, Vincent; Pan, C. K.; Ding, S. Y.; Jian, X.; Zhu, X.; Lian, H.; Qian, J. P.; Gong, X. Z.; Zang, Q.; Duan, Y. M.; Liu, H. Q.; Lyu, B.

2018-04-01

In the 2017 EAST experimental campaign, a steady-state long-pulse H-mode discharge lasting longer than 100 s has been obtained using only radio frequency heating and current drive, and the confinement quality is slightly better than standard H-mode, H98y2 ~ 1.1, with stationary peaked electron temperature profiles. Integrated modeling of one long-pulse H-mode discharge in the 2016 EAST experimental campaign has been performed with equilibrium code EFIT, and transport codes TGYRO and ONETWO under integrated modeling framework OMFIT. The plasma current is fully-noninductively driven with a combination of ~2.2 MW LHW, ~0.3 MW ECH and ~1.1 MW ICRF. Time evolution of the predicted electron and ion temperature profiles through integrated modeling agree closely with that from measurements. The plasma current (I p ~ 0.45 MA) and electron density are kept constantly. A steady-state is achieved using integrated modeling, and the bootstrap current fraction is ~28%, the RF drive current fraction is ~72%. The predicted current density profile matches the experimental one well. Analysis shows that electron cyclotron heating (ECH) makes large contribution to the plasma confinement when heating in the core region while heating in large radius does smaller improvement, also a more peaked LHW driven current profile is got when heating in the core. Linear analysis shows that the high-k modes instability (electron temperature gradient driven modes) is suppressed in the core region where exists weak electron internal transport barriers. The trapped electron modes dominates in the low-k region, which is mainly responsible for driving the electron energy flux. It is found that the ECH heating effect is very local and not the main cause to sustained the good confinement, the peaked current density profile has the most important effect on plasma confinement improvement. Transport analysis of the long-pulse H-mode experiments on EAST will be helpful to build future experiments.

Overdense microwave plasma heating in the CNT stellarator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, K. C.; Diaz-Pacheco, R. R.; Köhn, A.; Volpe, F. A.; Wei, Y.

2018-02-01

Overdense plasmas have been attained with 2.45 GHz microwave heating in the low-field, low-aspect-ratio CNT stellarator. Densities higher than four times the ordinary (O) mode cutoff density were measured with 8 kW of power injected in the O-mode and, alternatively, with 6.5 kW in the extraordinary (X) mode. The temperature profiles peak at the plasma edge. This was ascribed to collisional damping of the X-mode at the upper hybrid resonant layer. The X-mode reaches that location by tunneling, mode-conversions or after polarization-scrambling reflections off the wall and in-vessel coils, regardless of the initial launch being in O- or X-mode. This interpretation was confirmed by full-wave numerical simulations. Also, as the CNT plasma is not completely ionized at these low microwave power levels, electron density was shown to increase with power. A dependence on magnetic field strength was also observed, for O-mode launch.

Eddy, drift wave and zonal flow dynamics in a linear magnetized plasma

PubMed Central

Arakawa, H.; Inagaki, S.; Sasaki, M.; Kosuga, Y.; Kobayashi, T.; Kasuya, N.; Nagashima, Y.; Yamada, T.; Lesur, M.; Fujisawa, A.; Itoh, K.; Itoh, S.-I.

2016-01-01

Turbulence and its structure formation are universal in neutral fluids and in plasmas. Turbulence annihilates global structures but can organize flows and eddies. The mutual-interactions between flow and the eddy give basic insights into the understanding of non-equilibrium and nonlinear interaction by turbulence. In fusion plasma, clarifying structure formation by Drift-wave turbulence, driven by density gradients in magnetized plasma, is an important issue. Here, a new mutual-interaction among eddy, drift wave and flow in magnetized plasma is discovered. A two-dimensional solitary eddy, which is a perturbation with circumnavigating motion localized radially and azimuthally, is transiently organized in a drift wave – zonal flow (azimuthally symmetric band-like shear flows) system. The excitation of the eddy is synchronized with zonal perturbation. The organization of the eddy has substantial impact on the acceleration of zonal flow. PMID:27628894

Role of density gradient driven trapped electron mode turbulence in the H-mode inner core with electron heating

DOE PAGES

Ernst, D. R.; Burrell, K. H.; Guttenfelder, W.; ...

2016-05-10

In a series of DIII-D [J. L. Luxon, Nucl. Fusion 42 614 (2002)] low torque quiescent H-mode experiments show that density gradient driven TEM (DGTEM) turbulence dominates the inner core of H-Mode plasmas during strong electron cyclotron heating (ECH). By adding 3.4 MW ECH doubles T e/T i from 0.5 to 1.0, which halves the linear DGTEM critical density gradient, locally reducing density peaking, while transport in all channels displays extreme stiffness in the density gradient. This then suggests fusion -heating may degrade inner core confinement in H-Mode plasmas with moderate density peaking and low collisionality, with equal electron andmore » ion temperatures, key conditions expected in burning plasmas. Gyrokinetic simulations using GYRO [J. Candy and R. E. Waltz, J. Comp. Phys. 186 545 (2003)] (and GENE [F. Jenko et al., Phys. Plasmas 7, 1904 (2000)]) closely match not only particle, energy, and momentum fluxes, but also density fluctuation spectra from Doppler Backscattering (DBS), with and without ECH. Inner core DBS density fluctuations display discrete frequencies with adjacent toroidal mode numbers, which we identify as DGTEMs. GS2 [W. Dorland et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 5579 (2000)] predictions show the DGTEM can be suppressed, to avoid degradation with electron heating, by broadening the current density profile to attain q 0 > q min > 1.« less

Surface plasma wave assisted second harmonic generation of laser over a metal film

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

Chauhan, Santosh; Parashar, J., E-mail: j.p.parashar@gmail.com

2015-01-15

Second harmonic generation of laser mode converted surface plasma wave (SPW) over a corrugated metal film is studied. The laser, impinged on the metal film, under attenuated total reflection configuration, excites SPW over the metal–vacuum interface. The excited SPW extends over a much wider surface area than the laser spot cross-section. It exerts a second harmonic ponderomotive force on metal electrons, imparting them velocity that beats with the surface ripple to produce a nonlinear current, driving resonant second harmonic surface plasma wave.

Energy behaviour of extraordinary waves in magnetized quantum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moradi, Afshin

2018-05-01

We study the storage and flow of energy in a homogeneous magnetized quantum electron plasma that occurs when an elliptically polarized extraordinary electromagnetic wave propagates in the system. Expressions for the stored energy, energy flow, and energy velocity of extraordinary electromagnetic waves are derived by means of the quantum magnetohydrodynamics theory in conjunction with the Maxwell equations. Numerical results show that the energy flow of the high-frequency mode of extraordinary wave is modified only due to the Bohm potential in the short wavelength limit.

Surface Roughness Measurements Utilizing Long-Range Surface-Plasma Waves

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

8217 The theory dealt only with the depen- modes, one symmetric and one antisymmetric, dence of the real wave vector on the real part of that propagate...quantity, while the wave vector is complex. It is shown that for both the supported and unsup- From Eqs. (1) and (2) one obtains the real implic- ported...Opt. Soc. sabbatical leave from the University of Toledo. Am.). Optical feild enhancemeft by long-range surface- I" ouT In O’ in OUT way@, plasma waves

Waves generated in the plasma plume of helicon magnetic nozzle

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

Singh, Nagendra; Rao, Sathyanarayan; Ranganath, Praveen

2013-03-15

Experimental measurements have shown that the plasma plume created in a helicon plasma device contains a conical structure in the plasma density and a U-shaped double layer (US-DL) tightly confined near the throat where plasma begins to expand from the source. Recently reported two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations verified these density and US-DL features of the plasma plume. Simulations also showed that the plasma in the plume develops non-thermal feature consisting of radial ion beams with large densities near the conical surface of the density structure. The plasma waves that are generated by the radial ion beams affecting the structure of themore » plasma plume are studied here. We find that most intense waves persist in the high-density regions of the conical density structure, where the transversely accelerated ions in the radial electric fields in the plume are reflected setting up counter-streaming. The waves generated are primarily ion Bernstein modes. The nonlinear evolution of the waves leads to magnetic field-aligned striations in the fields and the plasma near the conical surface of the density structure.« less

Observations of strong ion-ion correlations in dense plasmas

DOE PAGES

Ma, T.; Fletcher, L.; Pak, A.; ...

2014-04-24

Using simultaneous spectrally, angularly, and temporally resolved x-ray scattering, we measure the pronounced ion-ion correlation peak in a strongly coupled plasma. Laser-driven shock-compressed aluminum at ~3× solid density is probed with high-energy photons at 17.9 keV created by molybdenum He-α emission in a laser-driven plasma source. The measured elastic scattering feature shows a well-pronounced correlation peak at a wave vector of k=4Å –1. The magnitude of this correlation peak cannot be described by standard plasma theories employing a linear screened Coulomb potential. Advanced models, including a strong short-range repulsion due to the inner structure of the aluminum ions are howevermore » in good agreement with the scattering data. These studies have demonstrated a new highly accurate diagnostic technique to directly measure the state of compression and the ion-ion correlations. Furthermore, we have since applied this new method in single-shot wave-number resolved S(k) measurements to characterize the physical properties of dense plasmas.« less

Nonlinear excitation of long-wavelength modes in Hall plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-10-01

Hall plasmas with magnetized electrons and unmagnetized ions exhibit a wide range of small scale fluctuations in the lower-hybrid frequency range as well as low-frequency large scale modes. Modulational instability of lower-hybrid frequency modes is investigated in this work for typical conditions in Hall plasma devices such as magnetrons and Hall thrusters. In these conditions, the dispersion of the waves in the lower-hybrid frequency range propagating perpendicular to the external magnetic field is due to the gradients of the magnetic field and the plasma density. It is shown that such lower-hybrid modes are unstable with respect to the secondary instability of the large scale quasimode perturbations. It is suggested that the large scale slow coherent modes observed in a number of Hall plasma devices may be explained as a result of such secondary instabilities.

ECRH launching scenario in FFHR-d1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanagihara, Kota; Kubo, Shin; Shimozuma, Takashi; Yoshimura, Yasuo; Igami, Hiroe; Takahashi, Hiromi; Tsujimura, Tohru; Makino, Ryohhei

2016-10-01

ECRH is promising as a principal heating system in a prototype helical reactor FFHR-d1 where the heating power of 80 MW is required to bring the plasma parameter to break even condition. To generate the plasma and bring it to ignition condition in FFHR-d1, it is effective to heat the under/over-dense plasma with normal ECRH or Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW). Normal ECRH is well established but heating via EBW need sophisticated injection control. EBW can be excited via the O(ordinary)-X(extraordinary)-B(EBW) mode conversion process by launching the ordinary wave from the low field side to plasma cut-off layer with optimum injection angle, and the range of injection angle to get high OXB mode conversion rate is called OXB mode conversion window. Since the window position can change as the plasma parameter, it is necessary to optimize the injection angle so as to aim the window in response to the plasma parameters. Candidates of antenna positions are determined by optimum injection points on the plasma facing wall calculated by the injection angle. Given such picked up area, detailed analysis using ray-tracing calculations and engineering antenna design will be performed.

Helicon normal modes in Proto-MPEX

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

Piotrowicz, Pawel A.; Caneses, Juan F.; Green, David L.

Here, the Proto-MPEX helicon source has been operating in a high electron density 'helicon-mode'. Establishing plasma densities and magnetic field strengths under the antenna that allow for the formation of normal modes of the fast-wave are believed to be responsible for the 'helicon-mode'. A 2D finite-element full-wave model of the helicon antenna on Proto-MPEX is used to identify the fast-wave normal modes responsible for the steady-state electron density profile produced by the source. We also show through the simulation that in the regions of operation in which core power deposition is maximum the slow-wave does not deposit significant power besidesmore » directly under the antenna. In the case of a simulation where a normal mode is not excited significant edge power is deposited in the mirror region.« less