Density Diagnostics Research Articles

Optical characteristics of finite temperature quantum electron gas

In this paper we study the propagation of elliptically polarized transverse electromagnetic waves in a quasineutral plasma with arbitrary degenerate electron fluid ranging from classical dilute to fully degenerate density regimes by using the appropriate collisional magnetohydrodynamics model, which incorporates the adiabatic quantum equation of states for high-frequency electron fluid compression and the Bohm quantum potential responsible for the collective quantum diffraction effect. Three distinct propagation modes are categorized corresponding to electron density regimes of dilute, intermediate, and fully degenerate plasmas. One of these modes is found to be purely of quantum mechanical origin and disappears in the absence of the quantum diffraction effect. The present generalized magnetohydrodynamics theory qualitatively describes key features of optical parameters and experimental data of dilute classical, semiconducting, and in fully degenerate plasmas. Different optical parameters, such as the refractive and absorption index of the new mode are investigated. It is shown that the optical response of the magnetized plasma with arbitrary degeneracy is essentially governed by three characteristic frequencies, namely, collision, plasmon, and cyclotron frequencies. The profound experimental minimum in the refractive index of arbitrary degenerate quantum plasmas and its dependence on the characteristic frequencies is studied in detail. Current investigation is of fundamental importance in high energy density and fusion plasma diagnostics and may provide key knowledge on the characteristics of astrophysical dense matter.

Density diagnostics of ionized outflows in active galactic nuclei

Ionized outflows in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) are thought to influence their nuclear and local galactic environment. However, the distance of the outflows with respect to the central engine is poorly constrained, which limits our understanding of their kinetic power as a cosmic feedback channel. Therefore, the impact of AGN outflows on their host galaxies is uncertain. However, when the density of the outflows is known, their distance can be immediately obtained from their modelled ionization parameter. With the new self-consistent PhotoIONization (PION) model in the SPEX code, we are able to calculate detailed level populations, including the ground and metastable levels. This enables us to determine under what physical conditions the metastable levels are significantly populated. We then identify characteristic lines from these metastable levels in the 1 -- 2000 {\AA} wavelength range. In the large density range of $n_H \in (10^6, 10^{20} m^{-3}$, the metastable levels 2s 2p $(^3P_{0-2})$ in Be-like ions can be significantly populated. For B-like ions, merely the first excited level 2s$^2$ 2p $(^2P_{3/2})$ can be used as a density probe. For C-like ions, the first two excited levels 2s$^2$ 2p$^2$ ($^3P_1$ and $^3P_2$) are better density probes than the next two excited levels 2s$^2$ 2p$^2$ ($^1S_0$ and $^1D_2$). Different ions in the same isoelectronic sequence cover not only a wide range of ionization parameter, but also a wide range of density. On the other hand, within the same isonuclear sequence, less ionized ions probe lower density and smaller ionization parameter. Finally, we re-analyzed the high-resolution grating spectra of NGC 5548 observed with Chandra in January 2002, using a set of PION components to account for the ionized outflow. We derive lower (or upper) limits of plasma density in five out of six PION components, based on the presence (or absence) of the metastable absorption lines.

The physics of W transport illuminated by recent progress in W density diagnostics at ASDEX Upgrade

Due to the high mass and charge of the heavy ions, centrifugal and electrostatic forces cause a significant variation in their poloidal density. The impact of these forces on the poloidal density profile of tungsten was investigated utilizing the detailed two-dimensional SXR emissivity profiles from the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The perturbation in the electrostatic potential generated by magnetic trapping of the non-thermal ions from neutral beam injection was found to be responsible for significant changes in the poloidal distribution of tungsten ions. An excellent match with the results from fast particle modeling was obtained, validating the model for the poloidal fast particle distribution. Additionally, an enhancement of the neoclassical transport due to an outboard side impurity localization was measured in the experiment when analyzing the tungsten flux between sawtooth crashes. A qualitative match with neoclassical modeling was found, demonstrating the possibility of minimizing neoclassical transport by an optimization of the poloidal asymmetry profile of the impurity.

Lane–Emden equation with inertial force and general polytropic dynamic model for molecular cloud cores

We study self-similar hydrodynamics of spherical symmetry using a general polytropic ( GP) equation of state and derive the GP dynamic Lane-Emden equation ( LEE) with a radial inertial force. In reference to Lou & Cao, we solve the GP dynamic LEE for both polytropic index gamma = 1 + 1/n and the isothermal case n -> +infinity; our formalism is more general than the conventional polytropic model with n = 3 or gamma = 4/3 of Goldreich & Weber. For proper boundary conditions, we obtain an exact constant solution for arbitrary n and analytic variable solutions for n = 0 and n = 1, respectively. Series expansion solutions are derived near the origin with the explicit recursion formulae for the series coefficients for both the GP and isothermal cases. By extensive numerical explorations, we find that there is no zero density at a finite radius for n >= 5. For 0 0 for monotonically decreasing density from the origin and vanishing at a finite radius for c being less than a critical value C-cr. As astrophysical applications, we invoke our solutions of the GP dynamic LEE with central finite boundary conditions to fit the molecular cloud core Barnard 68 in contrast to the static isothermal Bonnor-Ebert sphere by Alves et al. Our GP dynamic model fits appear to be sensibly consistent with several more observations and diagnostics for density, temperature and gas pressure profiles.

The anatomy of the Orion B giant molecular cloud: A local template for studies of nearby galaxies

We aim to develop the Orion B Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) as a local template for interpreting extra-galactic molecular line observations. We use the wide-band receiver at the IRAM-30m to spatially and spectrally resolve the Orion B GMC. The observations cover almost 1 square degree at 26" resolution with a bandwidth of 32 GHz from 84 to 116 GHz in only two tunings. Among the mapped spectral lines are the 12CO, 13CO, C18O, C17O, HCN, HNC, 12CN, CCH, HCO+, N2H+ (1-0), and 12CS, 32SO, SiO, c-C3H2, CH3OH (2-1) transitions. We introduce the molecular anatomy of the Orion B GMC, including relations between line intensities and gas column density or far-UV radiation fields, and correlations between selected line and line ratios. We also obtain a dust-traced gas mass that is less than about one third the CO-traced mass, using the standard Xco conversion factor. The presence of overluminous CO can be traced back to the dependence of the CO intensity on UV illumination. In fact, while most lines show some dependence on the UV radiation field, CN and CCH are the most sensitive. Moreover dense cloud cores are almost exclusively traced by N2H+. Other traditional high density tracers, such as HCN (1-0), are also easily detected in extended translucent regions at a typical density of about 500 H2 cm-3. In general, we find no straightforward relation between line critical density and the fraction of the line luminosity coming from dense gas regions. Our initial findings demonstrate that the relations between line (ratio) intensities and environment in GMCs are more complicated than often assumed. Sensitivity (i.e., the molecular column density), excitation, and above all chemistry contribute to the observed line intensity distributions. They must be considered together when developing the next generation of extra-galactic molecular line diagnostics of mass, density, temperature and radiation field.

Electron density and temperature diagnostics in laser-induced hydrogen plasma

Laser-induced optical breakdown is achieved by using Q-switched, Nd:YAG radiation focused into ultra-high-purity (UHP) hydrogen gas at a pressure of 1.08 ± 0.03 × 105 Pa inside a cell. The plasma emission spectra are dispersed by a Czerny-Turner type spectrometer and detected with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD). Stark-broadened hydrogen Balmer series Hα and Hβ line profiles are used as a spectroscopic tool for the determination of electron density and excitation temperature. Spatial variation of electron density and temperature at 0.40 µs are extracted from the recorded intensities of Hα and Hβ lines. Temporal variations of electron density and excitation temperature are also presented for the time delay range of 0.15 µs to 1.4 µs.

Study of non-Maxwellian distributions of electron energies in the solar transition region

For accurate spectral diagnostics in the solar transition region, we discuss the electron energies for non-Maxwellian distributions both for and Druyvesteyn distributions. We analyze the difference between the κ and the Druyvesteyn distributions with the Maxwellian distribution and derive the expressions for the averaged collision strengths for the κ and the Druyvesteyn distributions. This discussion will be significant for spectral diagnostics of the electron density and temperature in the solar transition region.

Online plasma diagnostics of a laser-produced plasma

In this study, we report a laser interferometry experiment for the online-diagnosing of a laser-produced plasma. The laser pulses generating the plasma are ultra-fast (30 femtoseconds), ultra-intense (tens of Terawatt) and are focused on a helium gas jet to generate relativistic electron beams via the laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) mechanism. A probe laser beam (λ = 800 nm) which is split-off the main beam is used to cross the plasma at the time of arrival of the main pulse, allowing online plasma density diagnostics. The interferometer setup is based on the NoMarski method in which we used a Fresnel bi-prism where the probe beam interferes with itself after crossing the plasma medium. A high-dynamic range CCD camera is used to record the interference patterns. Based upon the Abel inversion technique, we obtained a 3D density distribution of the plasma density.

Density diagnostics derived from the O iv and S iv intercombination lines observed by IRIS

The intensity of the \oiv~2s$^{2}$ 2p $^{2}$P-2s2p$^{2}$ $^{4}$P and \siv~3 s$^{2}$ 3p $^{2}$P- 3s 3p$^{2}$ $^{4}$ P intercombination lines around 1400~\AA~observed with the \textit{Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph} (IRIS) provide a useful tool to diagnose the electron number density ($N_\textrm{e}$) in the solar transition region plasma. We measure the electron number density in a variety of solar features observed by IRIS, including an active region (AR) loop, plage and brightening, and the ribbon of the 22-June-2015 M 6.5 class flare. By using the emissivity ratios of \oiv\ and \siv\ lines, we find that our observations are consistent with the emitting plasma being near isothermal (log$T$[K] $\approx$ 5) and iso-density ($N_\textrm{e}$ $\approx$~10$^{10.6}$ cm$^{-3}$) in the AR loop. Moreover, high electron number densities ($N_\textrm{e}$ $\approx$~10$^{13}$ cm$^{-3}$) are obtained during the impulsive phase of the flare by using the \siv\ line ratio. We note that the \siv\ lines provide a higher range of density sensitivity than the \oiv\ lines. Finally, we investigate the effects of high densities ($N_\textrm{e}$ $\gtrsim$ 10$^{11}$ cm$^{-3}$) on the ionization balance. In particular, the fractional ion abundances are found to be shifted towards lower temperatures for high densities compared to the low density case. We also explored the effects of a non-Maxwellian electron distribution on our diagnostic method.

CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS FROM X-RAY HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTRA OF THE GALACTIC NOVA V959 MON

ABSTRACT Two observations of V959 Mon done using the Chandra X-ray gratings during the late outburst phases (2012 September and December) offer extraordinary insight into the physics and chemistry of this Galactic ONe nova. The X-ray flux was 1.7 × 10−11 erg cm−2 s−1 and 8.6 × 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1, respectively, at the two epochs. The first result, coupled with electron density diagnostics and compared with published optical and ultraviolet observations, indicates that most likely in 2012 September, the X-rays originated from a very small fraction of the ejecta, concentrated in very dense clumps. We obtained a fairly good fit to the September spectrum with a model of plasma in collisional ionization equilibrium with two components; one at a temperature of 0.78 keV, associated with flat-topped and asymmetrical emission lines, blueshifted by ≃710–930 km s−1; the other one at a temperature of 4.5 keV, mostly contributing to the high-energy continuum. However, we cannot rule out a range of plasma temperatures between these two extremes; we also modeled the spectrum as a static cooling flow, but the available models and the data quality are not adequate yet to differentiate between the two-component fit and a smoothly varying temperature structure. In December, the central white dwarf (WD) became visible in X-rays. We estimate an effective temperature of ≃680,000 K, consistent with a WD mass M ⊙. The WD flux is modulated with the orbital period, indicating high inclination, and two quasi-periodic modulations with hour timescales were also observed. No hot plasma component with a temperature above 0.5 keV was observed in December, and the blueshifted component cooled to kT ≃ 0.45 keV. Additionally, new emission lines due to a much cooler plasma appeared, which were not observed two months earlier. We estimate abundances and yields of elements in the nova wind that cannot be measured in the optical spectra and confirm the high Ne abundance previously derived for this nova. We also find high abundance of Al, 230 times the solar value, consistently with the prediction that ONe novae contribute to at least one-third of the Galactic yield of 26Al.

Electron density diagnostics by use of a collisional excitation model of the oxygen VI doublet in the solar transition region

ABSTRACTFor spectral diagnostics in the solar transition region under the collision–equilibrium condition, the method for electron density diagnostics by the collisional excitation is discussed in this paper. By using observed signal ratio of spectral lines produced by the oxygen VI ion, we discuss the electron density by this method. We find that this method is valid for a large region of signal ratio (from 2.001 to 4.162). We obtain that the electron density increases with increasing signal ratio of the oxygen VI doublet, and the plasma has an electron density on the order of magnitude of 106–107 cm−3. This discussion will be significant for study on spectral diagnostics of the solar transition region.

A high speed compact microwave interferometer for density fluctuation measurements in Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak.

A single-channel 3 mm interferometer has been developed for plasma density diagnostics in the Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak (SUNIST). The extremely compact microwave interferometer utilizes one corrugated feed horn antenna for both emitting and receiving the microwave. The beam path lies on the equatorial plane so the system would not suffer from beam path deflection problems due to the symmetry of the cross section. A focusing lens group and an oblique vacuum window are carefully designed to boost the signal to noise ratio, which allows this system to show good performance even with the small-diameter central column itself as a reflector, without a concave mirror. The whole system discards the reference leg for maximum compactness, which is particularly suitable for the small-sized tokamak. An auto-correcting algorithm is developed to calculate the phase evolution, and the result displays good phase stability of the whole system. The intermediate frequency is adjustable and can reach its full potential of 2 MHz for best temporal resolution. Multiple measurements during ohmic discharges proved the interferometer's capability to track typical density fluctuations in SUNIST, which enables this system to be utilized in the study of MHD activities.

A benchmark of the He-like triplet for ions with 6 ≤Z≤ 14 in Maxwellian and non-Maxwellian plasmas

After an extensive assessment of the effective collision strengths available to model the He-like triplet of C V, N VI, O VII, Ne IX, Mg XI and Si XIII in collisionally dominated plasmas, new accurate effective collision strengths are reported for Ne IX. The uncertainty intervals of the density and temperature diagnostics due to the atomic data errors are also determined for both Maxwell-Boltzmann and $\kappa$ electron-energy distributions. It is shown that these uncertainty bands limit the temperature range where the temperature line-ratio diagnostic can be applied and its effectiveness to discern the electron-energy distribution type. These findings are benchmarked with Chandra and XMM-Newton spectra of stellar coronae and with tokamak measurements.

A simple method for laser-induced plasma diagnostics under condition of optically thin

For simple plasma diagnostics for laser-induced plasma (LIP) under the condition of optically thin, taking the Cu I spectral lines produced by the laser-induced copper plasma, we investigate a simple method for temperature and electron density diagnostics, and we obtain the plasma temperature which has 104 K order of magnitude and the averaged electron density is [Formula: see text], which are in agreement with that obtained by other methods. This investigation will be significant for spectral diagnostics for LIP.

Hot prominence detected in the core of a coronal mass ejection: Analysis of SOHO/UVCS Lαand SOHO/LASCO visible-light observations

Context. The paper deals with the physics of erupting prominences in the core of coronal mass ejections (CME). Aims. We determine the physical parameters of an erupting prominence embedded in the core of a CME using SOHO/UVCS hydrogen L α and L β lines and SOHO/LASCO visible light observations. In particular we analyze the CME event observed on August 2, 2000. We develop the non-LTE (NLTE; i.e. considering departures from the local thermodynamic equilibrium – LTE) spectral diagnostics based on L α and visible light observations. Methods. Our method is based on 1D NLTE modeling of eruptive prominences and takes into account the effect of large flow velocities, which reach up to 300 km s -1 for the studied event (the so-called Doppler dimming). The NLTE radiative-transfer method can be used for both optically thin and thick prominence structures. We combine spectroscopic UVCS observations of an erupting prominence in the core of a CME with visible light images from LASCO-C2 in order to derive the geometrical parameters like projected thickness and velocity, together with the effective temperature and column density of electrons. These are then used to constrain our NLTE radiative transfer modeling which provides the kinetic temperature, microturbulent velocity, gas pressure, ionization degree, the line opacities, and the prominence effective thickness (geometrical filling factor). Results. Analysis was made for 69 observational points (spatial pixels) inside the whole erupting prominence. Roughly one-half of them show a non-negligible L α optical thickness for flow velocity 300 km s -1 and about one-third for flow velocity 150 km s -1 . All pixels with L α τ 0 ≤ 0.3 have been considered for further analysis, which is presented in the form of statistical distributions (histograms) of various physical quantities such as the kinetic temperature, gas pressure, and electron density for two representative flow velocities (150 and 300 km s -1 ) and non-zero microturbulence. For two pixels co-temporal LASCO visible-light data are also available, which further constrains the diagnostics of the electron density and effective thickness. Detailed NLTE modeling is presented for various sets of input parameters. Conclusions. The studied CME event shows that the erupting prominence expands to large volumes, meaning that it is a low-pressure structure with low electron densities and high temperatures. This analysis provides a basis for future diagnostics using the METIS coronagraph on board the Solar Orbiter mission.

Theory of Thomson scattering in inhomogeneous media.

Thomson scattering of laser light is one of the most fundamental diagnostics of plasma density, temperature and magnetic fields. It relies on the assumption that the properties in the probed volume are homogeneous and constant during the probing time. On the other hand, laboratory plasmas are seldom uniform and homogeneous on the temporal and spatial dimensions over which data is collected. This is particularly true for laser-produced high-energy-density matter, which often exhibits steep gradients in temperature, density and pressure, on a scale determined by the laser focus. Here, we discuss the modification of the cross section for Thomson scattering in fully-ionized media exhibiting steep spatial inhomogeneities and/or fast temporal fluctuations. We show that the predicted Thomson scattering spectra are greatly altered compared to the uniform case, and may lead to violations of detailed balance. Therefore, careful interpretation of the spectra is necessary for spatially or temporally inhomogeneous systems.

Proton imaging of 3D density distribution for dense DT plasmas using regularization method

AbstractThree-dimensional (3D) density distribution of inhomogeneous dense deuterium tritium plasmas in laser fusion is revealed by the energy loss of fast protons going through the plasmas. The fast protons generated in the laser–plasma interaction can be used for the simulation of a plasma density diagnostics. The large linear and ill-posed equation set of the densities of all grids is obtained and then solved by the Tikhonov regularization method after dividing a 3D area into grids and knowing the initial and final energies of the protons. 3D density reconstructions with six proton sources are done without and with random noises added to the final energy. The revealed density is a little smaller than the simulated one in most simulated zones and the error is as much as those of 2D reconstructions with four proton sources. The picture element N is chosen as 2744 with consideration of smoothness and calculation memory of the computers. With fast calculation speed and low error, the Tikhonov regularization method is more suitable for 3D density reconstructions with large calculation amount than simultaneous iterative reconstruction method. Also the analytical expressions between the errors and the noises are established. Furthermore, the density reconstruction method in this paper is particularly suitable for plasmas with small density gradient. The errors without noises and with 2% noises added to the final proton energies are 3 and 20%, respectively, for the homogeneous plasma.

Atomic data and density diagnostics for S iv

We present a new large-scale R-matrix scattering calculation for S iv. We used the intermediate-coupling frame transformation method and applied term energy corrections. Our calculation has a much larger configuration-interaction (CI) and close-coupling (CC) expansion than previous calculations. Despite that, we find good agreement in the predicted intensities of the decays from the three 3s 3p2 4P levels around 1400 A, important for density diagnostics. A discrepancy between the observed and predicted intensity of the 1404.8 A line, which is known to be blended at least with an O iv transition, is still present. Significant differences compared to previous models are found instead for the 1062.7 and 1073.0 A lines, useful for diagnostics in low density plasma such as in nebulae. Several other significant differences were also found, concerning the population of the 3s 3p 3d 4F9/2 metastable level, and the intensities of several transitions.

Initiation of PETN detonation by an impactor and a high-enthalpy gas flow

This paper compares two methods of near-threshold initiation of a loose-packed PETN charge: by impact of a plate and by injection of an intense flow of hot gases into the powder. Synchrotron diagnostics of material density was used. Both methods lead to the development of detonation in about 10 μs, but the nature of initiation differs sharply. Initiation by an impermeable piston involves the formation of a dense plug of compressed material. After some delay, a wave is formed at the front of this plug which initiates chemical reaction and accelerates to normal detonation. For high-enthalpy initiation by a hot gas flow, the compression of the powder is low and the process develops in the gas-permeable material, starting from the stage of rapid convective combustion followed by transition to detonation.

The Interaction of Terahertz Waves and a Dusty Plasma Slab with Epstein Distribution

AbstractThe Auxiliary Differential Equation Finite Difference Time Domain (ADE-FDTD) method is applied to study the electromagnetic scattering of a dusty plasma sheath with Epstein distribution. The charging response factor of dust particles and angular plasma frequency of the dusty plasma are functions of space-varying electron density with an Epstein profile. The verification of the numerical ADE-FDTD algorithm for the dusty plasma is given. The propagation properties of Terahertz (THz) waves through a dusty plasma slab affected by the characteristic parameter and modulation factor of the Epstein distribution are discussed. The absorption coefficients of the slab influenced by the electron density, density of dust particles, and effective collision frequency are studied. It is shown that Terahertz waves may be an efficient tool for high density dusty plasmas detection and diagnostics.