Charged Particles In Plasma Research Articles

Interacting dust grains in complex plasmas: Ion wake formation and the electric potential

Dust grains have been used as minimally invasive probes to determine plasma parameters including the plasma density, temperature, and electric field in a plasma discharge. However, the dust grains in a plasma generate local potential disturbances due to the collection of charge and the subsequent electrostatic interactions between the dust and charged plasma particles. Dust grains in close proximity to one another exhibit interesting non-reciprocal interactions and self-organize into structures such as one-dimensional filamentary chains, two-dimensional “zigzags,” and three-dimensional helices, among others. The formation of these structures suggests that although the dust grains may be less invasive than traditional plasma probes, the disturbance to the local plasma environment introduced by dust grains is non-trivial. Commonly used analytic forms of the electric potential describing complex plasmas have failed to resolve the near-dust region, and as a result are insufficient to provide insight about the formation of complex dust structures. Here, we use an N-body simulation to compute the electric potential from ion densities near various dust grain configurations. We provide an alternative description to the standard analytic model for the electric potential of dust and ion wakes based on a Gaussian shaped cloud of ions. The electric potential obtained from simulations is used to identify minimum energy configurations for two and three dust grains. It is further demonstrated that the minimum potential region identified for N dust grains and their associated ion wakes does not predict the minimum-energy configuration of N + 1 dust grains.

Divergence of the energy-losing rate of charged particles in plasmas

In modeling the charged alpha particle transport in hot-spot plasmas of inertial confinement fusion, the energy-losing rate is a major concern in the Monte Carlo simulations of alpha particle transport of a radiative-hydrodynamic code. However, the traditionally used energy stopping-power only describes the averaged energy-losing rate of the incident charged particles, whereas the variance of the energy exchange with the background particles is generally ignored. In this paper, the variance of charged particle collisions is studied by both analytical derivation and Monte Carlo simulations. An expression of the divergence of the charged particle energy-losing rate is given for the first time, which can be directly used for practical estimations. It indicates that when the areal density of the target particles along the incident particle path length is low, the divergence of the lost energy would be much larger than the average value, and the traditionally used energy stopping-power would be no longer sufficient to describe the charged particle Coulomb collisions. It helps to obtain a more comprehensive understanding about the charged particle transport in plasmas.

Turbulence and particle energization in twisted flux ropes under solar-wind conditions

Context. The mechanisms regulating the transport and energization of charged particles in space and astrophysical plasmas are still debated. Plasma turbulence is known to be a powerful particle accelerator. Large-scale structures, including flux ropes and plasmoids, may contribute to confining particles and lead to fast particle energization. These structures may also modify the properties of the turbulent, nonlinear transfer across scales. Aims. We aim to investigate how large-scale flux ropes are perturbed and, simultaneously, how they influence the nonlinear transfer of turbulent energy toward smaller scales. We then intend to address how these structures affect particle transport and energization. Methods. We adopted magnetohydrodynamic simulations perturbing a large-scale flux rope in solar-wind conditions and possibly triggering turbulence. Then, we employed test-particle methods to investigate particle transport and energization in the perturbed flux rope. Results. The large-scale helical flux rope inhibits the turbulent cascade toward smaller scales, especially if the amplitude of the initial perturbations is not large (∼5%). In this case, particle transport is inhibited inside the structure. Fast particle acceleration occurs in association with phases of trapped motion within the large-scale flux rope.

Dynamics of electron capture in positron‐hydrogen scattering under dense semi‐classical plasmas

AbstractThe scattering dynamics of electron capture in ‐H(1 s) scattering under dense semi‐classical plasma (DSCP) environments has been investigated theoretically. Coupled multi‐channel two‐body Lippmann‐Schwinger equations have been solved by retaining +H(1 s) and p + Ps(1 s) channels to calculate the cross sections (CS) of the electron capture process at intermediate and high incident energies. The effective interaction of the plasma charged particles is modelled by a pseudopotential which is a function of two parameters, namely the plasma screening strength and the de Broglie wavelength. A detailed study is made to explore the changes in the CSs of the above‐mentioned process with respect to the variation in the plasma screening strength and de Broglie wavelength. Significant changes are found to take place, when the screening strength and the de Broglie wavelength are varied. Specifically, the sharp minimum in the differential CS moves toward the forward direction with increasing de Broglie wavelength at a given screening strength.

Comparative performance evaluation and economic assessment between traditional and vibration assisted EDM during machining of Inconel 718

Nickel based superalloy, Inconel 718 offers extensive applications in aerospace and gas turbine industries because of its outstanding properties, enabling high performance in various critical components. Despite the wide application of electric discharge machining (EDM) for difficult-to-cut conductive materials, the process becomes less productive due to unstable arcing and inadequate debris flushing during machining, leading to reduced operational efficiency. This research focuses on comparative performance evaluation and economic assessment between conventional-EDM and vibration assisted EDM (VA-EDM) while machining Inconel 718 with copper electrode. The workpiece was excited to vibrate with low frequency by employing unbalanced mass attached in a rotary motor with the aim of enhancing EDM performance. Material removal rate MRR, surface integrity (surface crack density SCD, surface roughness Ra, white (recast) layer thickness WLT) and tool wear rate TWR are analyzed to determine machining performance in comprehensive analysis. The results of the performance comparison show that vibration assisted is superior to the conventional-EDM process concerning enhanced material removal rate, and surface morphology with minimum surface crack density, tool wear rate and white layer thickness. The mean value ratios for Ra EDM/ Ra VA-EDM, TWR EDM/ TWR VA-EDM, WLT EDM/ WLT VA-EDM, and SCD EDM/ SCD VA-EDM are 1.35, 1.52, 1.21, and 1.74, respectively. Additionally, the surface integrity was enhanced using vibration-assisted EDM because it (a) increases the plasma flushing efficiency and the gap pressure gradient; (b) raises the energy of electrically charged plasma particles; (c) increases the effective flow of dielectric in the gap; (d) minimizes the number of ineffective pulses (short-circuiting and arching) on the surface; and (e) improves the dielectric flushing conditions in sparking gap. According to the findings, the overall machining expenditure per part under VA-EDM in Indian rupees (INR) 534 is lowered by 8% than expenditure under conventional-EDM (INR 576.60). The outcomes of this research have the potential to benefit numerous industries that deal with difficult-to-cut materials.

The fractional soliton solutions of dynamical system arising in plasma physics: The comparative analysis

In light of fractional theory, this paper presents several new effective solitonic formulations for the Langmuir and ion sound wave equations. Prior to this study, no previous research has presented the comparision and obtained the generalized fractional soliton solutions of this kind with power law kernel and Mittag-Leffler kernel. The ion sound and Langmuir wave equations are essential in plasma physics, offering insights into the collective behavior of charged particles in plasmas and enabling diagnostics and control of these complex, ionized gas systems. The two distinct fractional order differential operators are substituted for the traditional order derivative to reshape the examined model. The Atangana-Baleanu non-singular and non-local operator and conformable fractional operator are the fractional-order operators that are used to create the fractional complex system equations for Langmuir waves and ion sound. A constructive approach new auxiliary equation method utilizes to obtain the exact analytical soliton solutions for ion sound and Langmuir wave equation. A wide range of soliton solutions is obtained, including mixed complex solitary shock solutions, singular solutions, mixed shock singular solutions, mixed trigonometric solutions, mixed singular solutions, exact solutions, mixed periodic solutions, and mixed hyperbolic solutions, dark soliton, bright soliton, trigonometric solutions, periodic results, and hyperbolic results. The solitons solution of the ion sound and Langmuir wave equations lies in their ability to maintain wave stability, their role in modeling wave propagation and nonlinear effects, their potential use as diagnostic tools, and their relevance in wave-particle interactions in plasma physics. The solitons provide a valuable framework for understanding the behavior of waves in plasmas and offer insights into the complex dynamics of these charged particle systems. A graphical comparison analysis of a few solutions is also shown here, taking into account appropriate parametric values through the use of the software package. Moreover, the results of this study have important implications for Hamilton's equations and generalized momentum, where solitons are employed in long-range interactions.

Search for Wormhole Candidates: Accreting Wormholes with Monopole Magnetic Fields

The existence of even the simplest magnetized wormholes may lead to observable consequences. In the case where both the wormhole and the magnetic field around its mouths are static and spherically symmetric, and gas in the region near the wormhole falls radially into it, the former’s spectrum contains bright cyclotron or synchrotron lines due to the interaction of charged plasma particles with the magnetic field. At the same time, due to spherical symmetry, the radiation is non-polarized. The emission of this just-described exotic type (non-thermal, but non-polarized) may be a wormhole signature. Also, in this scenario, the formation of an accretion disk is still quite possible at some distance from the wormhole, but a monopole magnetic field could complicate this process and lead to the emergence of asymmetrical and one-sided relativistic jets.

Coupling multi-fluid dynamics equipped with Landau closures to the particle-in-cell method

The particle-in-cell (PIC) method is successfully used to study magnetized plasmas. However, this requires large computational costs and limits simulations to short physical run times and often to set-ups of less than three spatial dimensions. Traditionally, this is circumvented either via hybrid-PIC methods (adopting massless electrons) or via magneto-hydrodynamic-PIC methods (modelling the background plasma as a single charge-neutral magneto-hydrodynamical fluid). Because both methods preclude modelling important plasma-kinetic effects, we introduce a new fluid-PIC code that couples a fully explicit and charge-conserving multi-fluid solver to the PIC code SHARP through a current-coupling scheme and solve the full set of Maxwell's equations. This avoids simplifications typically adopted for Ohm's law and enables us to fully resolve the electron temporal and spatial scales while retaining the versatility of initializing any number of ion, electron or neutral species with arbitrary velocity distributions. The fluid solver includes closures emulating Landau damping so that we can account for this important kinetic process in our fluid species. Our fluid-PIC code is second-order accurate in space and time. The code is successfully validated against several test problems, including the stability and accuracy of shocks and the dispersion relation and damping rates of waves in unmagnetized and magnetized plasmas. It also matches growth rates and saturation levels of the gyro-scale and intermediate-scale instabilities driven by drifting charged particles in magnetized thermal background plasmas in comparison with linear theory and PIC simulations. This new fluid-SHARP code is specially designed for studying high-energy cosmic rays interacting with thermal plasmas over macroscopic time scales.

Polarizabilities of the negative ions of hydrogen and positronium in nonideal classical plasmas

We investigate the polarizability of the negative ions of hydrogen and positronium embedded in nonideal classical plasmas using correlated exponential wavefunctions. The interactions among the charged particles in plasmas have been taken care of by a pseudopotential, derived from a solution of Bogolyubov's hierarchy equations. The effects of nonideality of plasma on the ground state energies and the static and dynamic dipole polarizabilities of the negative ions have been studied in detail for wide range of nonideality. The results show interesting features.

Velocity-space Signatures of Resonant Energy Transfer between Whistler Waves and Electrons in the Earth’s Magnetosheath

Wave–particle interactions play a crucial role in transferring energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles in space and astrophysical plasmas. Despite the prevalence of different electromagnetic waves in space, there is still a lack of understanding of fundamental aspects of wave–particle interactions, particularly in terms of energy flow and velocity-space characteristics. In this study, we combine a novel quasilinear model with observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission to reveal the signatures of resonant interactions between electrons and whistler waves in magnetic holes, which are coherent structures often found in the Earth’s magnetosheath. We investigate the energy transfer rates and velocity-space characteristics associated with Landau and cyclotron resonances between electrons and slightly oblique propagating whistler waves. In the case of our observed magnetic hole, the loss of electron kinetic energy primarily contributes to the growth of whistler waves through the n = −1 cyclotron resonance, where n is the order of the resonance expansion in linear Vlasov–Maxwell theory. The excitation of whistler waves leads to a reduction of the temperature anisotropy and parallel heating of the electrons. Our study offers a new and self-consistent understanding of resonant energy transfer in turbulent plasmas.

DETERMINATION OF SEVERAL IMPORTANT PARAMETERS OF HOLLOW ELECTRODES ABNORMAL GLOW DISCHARGE PLASMA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MAGNETIC FIELD AT DIFFERENT GAS PRESSURES

This paper investigates the impact of an axial magnetic field on several plasma parameters of hollow electrode argon abnormal glow discharge. The discharge is generated by applying a DC voltage ranging from 0-6KV. By varying the pressure and magnetic field strength (0-25mT), the plasma potential, frequency, and degree of ionization were measured. The plasma potential, frequency, and degree of ionization were evaluated using spectroscopic measurements of the electron temperature and density. The results of the experiment show that the plasma potential decreases as the magnetic field strength increases, while the plasma frequency increases for lower pressure but reaches a constant value for higher pressure due to the increasing number of excitation collisions among the plasma-charged particles. The degree of ionization, determined using the ideal gas law, shows a near-linear relationship with the axial magnetic field at both low and high pressure.

A Study of the Atomic Processes of Highly Charged Ions Embedded in Dense Plasma

The study of atomic spectroscopy and collision processes in a dense plasma environment has gained a considerable interest in the past few years due to its several applications in various branches of physics. The multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock (MCDF) method and relativistic configuration interaction (RCI) technique incorporating the uniform electron gas model (UEGM) and analytical plasma screening (APS) potentials have been employed for characterizing the interactions among the charged particles in plasma. The bound and continuum state wavefunctions are determined using the aforementioned potentials within a relativistic Dirac-Coulomb atomic structure framework. The present approach is applied for the calculation of electronic structures, radiative properties, electron impact excitation cross sections and photoionization cross sections of many electron systems confined in a plasma environment. The present study not only extends our knowledge of the plasma-screening effect but also opens the door for the modelling and diagnostics of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas.

Plasma disinfection procedures for surfaces in emergency service vehicles: a field trial at the German Red Cross

The demand for thorough disinfection within ambulances is essential, given the in-vehicle medical procedures and the potential high risk of infections due to patients' open wounds. One solution that can address this hygiene challenge involves the application of reactive products generated from atmospheric (air) oxygen and water vapor, activated through the use of cold plasma. Cold plasma's charged particles perforate the cell membranes of microorganisms. This process does not work in human cells, as proteins in the form of enzymes within the body break down the cold plasma and protect the cells. The study was done on an ambulance that was contaminated in eight places. Samples were taken from each site, and two surfaces measuring approximately 8 × 8 cm were carefully sealed and marked. These surfaces were deliberately contaminated by applying an Enterococcus faecium suspension of 8.5 × 107 CFU/mL using a sterile cotton swab. It was followed by the disinfection procedure, that was initiated with the PLASMOCAR device. It was positioned on the front workspace and operated for a duration of 30 min, utilizing the vehicle's onboard voltage. Throughout the operation, all doors and windows were closed and the vehicle's air conditioning system remained active. After the completion of the disinfection process, samples were collected from the surfaces for bacterial counts. A reduction of 3.73 log levels in initial bacteria was accomplished within the rescue vehicle for Enterococcus faecium, equivalent to a 10–fourfold reduction in bacteria, eliminating up to 99.99% of the initial microorganisms. This success makes the process well-suited and convenient as an ongoing "background" procedure to enhance the established disinfection procedures. The established disinfection procedures outlined in the hygiene plan must be promptly implemented whenever mechanical surface cleaning is required. The use of PLASMOCAR offers an extra layer of protection and security, significantly decreasing the risk of microorganism transmission through cross-contamination and aerosols. This is a significant benefit for the well-being of both staff and patients.

Numerical model of a gaseous inductive discharge in oxygen, taking into account the complete scheme of the vibrational kinetics of O2 molecules

In this work, the two-dimensional model of inductively coupled plasma discharge in oxygen was developed. The model includes hydrodynamic equations in drift-diffusion approximation for describing the kinetics of charged (electrons and ions) and neutral plasma particles, Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetic fields, and equations for the temperature and neutral gas flow as well as a detailed scheme of plasma-chemical reactions. The model was tested against theoretical and experimental data in a simple cylindrical chamber. The electron density and temperature distributions were obtained over a wide range of powers deposited in the plasma (100–500 W) and compared with literature data. Also, the complete scheme of the vibrational kinetics of O2 molecules was included in the model. The vibrational distribution function was calculated in low-pressure inductive discharge as well as spatial distributions of plasma parameters (density and temperature of electrons, excited components, neutral gas temperature, etc.) and flows of charged and active neutral particles at the reactor walls.

Sedimentation of a Charged Spherical Particle in a Viscoelastic Electrolyte Solution.

When a charged particle translates through an electrolyte solution, the electric double layer around it deforms in response to the fluid motion and creates an electric force opposite the direction of motion, decreasing the settling velocity. This is a multidisciplinary phenomenon that combines fluid mechanics and electrodynamics, differentiating it from the classical problem of an uncharged sedimenting particle. It has many applications varying from mechanical to biomedical, such as in drug delivery in blood through charged microparticles. Related studies so far have focused on Newtonian fluids, but recent studies have proven that many biofluids, such as human blood plasma, have elastic properties. To this end, we perform a computational study of the steady sedimentation of a spherical, charged particle in human blood plasma due to the centrifugal force. We used the Giesekus model to describe the rheological behavior of human blood plasma. Assuming axial symmetry, the governing equations include the momentum and mass balances, Poisson's equation for the electric field, and the species conservation. The finite size of the ions is considered through the local-density approximation approach of Carnahan-Starling. We perform a detailed parametric analysis, varying parameters such as the ζ potential, the size of the ions, and the centrifugal force exerted upon the particle. We observe that as the ζ potential increases, the settling velocity decreases due to a stronger electric force that slows the particle. We also conduct a parametric analysis of the relaxation time of the material to investigate what happens generally in viscoelastic electrolyte solutions and not only in human blood plasma. We conclude that elasticity plays a crucial role and should not be excluded from the study. Finally, we examine under which conditions the assumption of point-like ions gives different predictions from the Carnahan-Starling approach.

Effect of trapping and reflection on dust acoustic solitary waves in nonthermal opposite polarity dust plasmas

The study of resonant wave-particle interactions (WPIs) is crucial in plasma systems where charged plasma particles interact via long-range electromagnetic waves. Our research focuses on exploring the impact of trapping and reflection, along with the superthermality of Kappa resonance electrons and ions, on the characteristics of dust acoustic waves (DAWs) in opposite polarity dust plasma (OPDP). Both linear and non-linear analyses were conducted. Two distinct types of dust acoustic modes, namely fast and slow, have been observed in the linear regime of two different instances of WPIs. Moving on to the non-linear regime, the Schamel KdV (SKdV) equation has been derived using the reductive perturbation technique. In both cases, a stationary solution in the form of a dust acoustic double-layer wave (DADLW) has been successfully obtained. Our findings are highly relevant to astrophysical plasma environments with non-thermal trapped and reflected particles.

The Fingerprints of Periodic Electric Fields on Line Shapes Emitted in Plasmas

Periodic electric fields are found in many kinds of plasmas and result from the presence of collective fields amplified by plasma instabilities, or they are created by external sources such as microwave generators or lasers. The spectral lines emitted by atoms or ions in a plasma exhibit a frequency profile characteristic of plasma conditions, such as the temperature and density of charged particles. The fingerprints of periodic electric fields appear clearly on the line shape for a large range of frequencies and magnitudes of the oscillating electric field. Satellite structures appear near to multiples of the oscillation frequency and redistribute the intensity of the line far from the line center. The modeling of the simultaneous effects of the plasma microfield and of a periodic electric field has been active since the seventies, but it remains difficult to be conducted accurately since the quantum emitter is submitted to several time-dependent electric fields, each with their own characteristic time. We describe here a numerical approach which couples a simulation of the motion of charged plasma particles with an integration of the emitter Schrödinger equation. Resulting hydrogen line shapes are presented for different plasmas and periodic fields encountered in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

Assessment of the spatial distribution of low-temperature plasma parameters on plasma-beam installation

At present continue, studies of the interaction of plasma with structural materials of the first wall and divertor of the ITER international experimental fusion reactor on operating tokamaks and simulated plasma facilities. In the research of the interaction of plasma with the surface of candidate materials TNR an important role plasma parameters play. For determination of local values of the main plasma parameters there is a separate field of research – plasma diagnostics. Plasma diagnostics is the determination of local and instantaneous values of main its parameters: concentration and temperature of charged plasma particles, as well as the distribution functions of various plasma components by energies.This works presents the results of a research to the spatial distribution of local parameters (temperature electrons (Te) and plasma concentration (ne)) of a low-temperature plasma on a plasma-beam installation (PBI) with the help a movable Langmuir probe with the following geometrical parameters of the electrode: length – 4 mm; diameter 0.5 mm. The probe sweep was with the help a Keithley 6487 picoammeter. The processing of volt-ampere characteristics (VAC) was carried out by standard methods.To assess the spatial distribution of the above-mentioned parameters of low-temperature plasma, experiments were carried out with the location of the probe at a distance of 5 mm, 9 mm and 11 mm from the center of the plasma beam at different energies of the primary electron beam in the range from 0.5 keV to 5 keV.The experiments results showed a smooth decrease in plasma concentration in the radial direction.

Slowing down of charged particles in the dusty plasmas with a non‐thermal velocity α‐distribution

AbstractThe slowing down of a charged particle beam passing through the dusty plasma with a non‐thermal velocity α‐distribution is studied. By using the Fokker‐Planck collision theory, we derive the deceleration factor and slowing down time and make the numerical analyses. We show that the non‐thermal velocity α‐distributions of the plasma components have a significant effect on the slowing down. With increase of the mean velocity, the deceleration factor increases rapidly, reaches a peak and then decreases gradually. And the entire peak of the deceleration factor moves generally to the right with the increase of the α‐parameter. The slowing down time decreases with the increase of the non‐thermal α‐parameter, and so the slowing down time in the non‐thermal dusty plasma is generally less than that in a Maxwellian one.

Ion current density on the substrate during short-pulse HiPIMS

A probe method for measuring the ion current density and theoretical calculations of the dynamics of neutral and charged plasma particles using the ionization region model (IRM) is used to study short and ultra-short pulse high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). This paper studies reasons for the increase in the average ion current density on the substrate at shorter pulses, when the average discharge power does not change. HiPIMS pulses are applied to the copper target at constant values of average discharge power (1000 W) and peak current (150 А), respectively, while the pulse time of the discharge voltage ranges from 4 to 50 µs. A power supply with low output inductance is designed to generate ultra-short pulses. It is shown that shorter discharge pulses lead to a multiple growth (from 2 to 7 mA cm−2) in the average ion current density on the substrate and a growth in the peak intensity of Ar+, Cu+ and Cu2+ recorded by optical emission spectroscopy. A theoretical model of this effect is based on the spatially averaged IRM, which considers afterglow effects. According to theoretical calculations, the increase in the average ion current density on the substrate is determined by the plasma dissipation in the ionized region after the pulse ends. Also, a decrease in the copper deposition rate from 180 to 60 nm min−1 with decreasing pulse time from 40 to 4 µs is explored. A comparison of experimental data with those obtained earlier shows that the suggested dependences of the ion current density and deposition rate on the HiPIMS pulse time are typical for discharge systems with different cathode materials and configurations, i.e., for single- and dual-magnetron systems. This indicates a common nature of the phenomena observed and additionally confirms the results obtained.