Electromagnetic Waves In Plasma Research Articles

The subtracted-kappa distribution and its properties

We introduce a new particle distribution function in plasma physics called the subtracted-kappa (S-K) distribution. This new distribution incorporates a loss-cone feature and an enhanced high-energy tail characterized by the spectral index κ. The S-K distribution is a generalization of the well-known subtracted-Maxwellian and approaches the latter distribution in the limit as κ→∞. Further, the S-K distribution usefully includes the bi-kappa and kappa-loss-cone distributions as special cases. Two sources of free plasma energy are provided by the S-K distribution, namely, the loss cone property and the thermal anisotropy. Both free energy sources can excite wave growth. In this paper, we briefly consider the influence of the S-K distribution on three wave phenomena: (a) linear growth of whistler-mode waves generated by an injection of hot electrons into a cold plasma, (b) dispersion of R-mode and L-mode electromagnetic waves in a hot plasma, and (c) transition from linear to nonlinear growth of electromagnetic waves as determined by a critical boundary in the input-parameter space. There are many possibilities for future projects involving the S-K distribution. Charged particle distributions in space typically possess a pronounced high-energy tail that can be modeled approximately by a kappa distribution, and so the S-K distribution is an ideal tool for analyzing kinetic waves and microinstabilities in space plasmas.

Propagation of strong electromagnetic waves in tenuous plasmas

We study the propagation of electromagnetic waves in tenuous plasmas, where the wave frequency ω0 is much larger than the plasma frequency ωP. We show that in pair plasmas, nonlinear effects are weak for a0≪ω0/ωP, where a0 is the wave strength parameter. In electron-proton plasmas, a more restrictive condition must be satisfied, namely, either a0≪1/ωPτ0, where τ0 is the duration of the radiation pulse, or a0≪1. We derive the equations that govern the evolution of the pulse in the weakly nonlinear regime. Our results have important implications for the modeling of fast radio bursts. We argue that (i) millisecond duration bursts with a smooth profile must be produced in a proton-free environment, where nonlinear effects are weaker, and (ii) propagation through an electron-proton plasma near the source can imprint a submicrosecond variability on the burst profile. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Electromagnetic Surface Waves in a Relativistic Magnetized Plasma Propagating in a Cylindrical Column

Dispersion relations of electromagnetic surface waves in a magnetized relativistic plasma propagating in a cylindrical column surrounded by vacuum are derived by means of the relativistic fluid equations. The zero order relativistic beam is assumed to stream along the direction of the axial magnetic field. The coupled equations of the E- and B-wave modes are solved analytically in terms of the cylindrical coordinates in weak or intermediate values of the magnetic field in which the cyclotron frequency is much smaller than the relativistic Doppler-shifted frequency. The entangled field components of the E- and B-waves are decoupled by assuming that the flow is incompressible. The surface wave dispersion relations of the E- and B-wave modes show a strong similarity and symmetry. The static magnetic field splits the E- and B-waves, thus doubling the modes in unmagnetized plasma. By taking the radius of the cylinder infinite, the dispersion relations in a semi-infinite plasma are derived.

Propagation of circularly polarized electromagnetic wave in magnetized spin plasma

The spin effects on the propagation characteristic of circularly polarized electromagnetic (EM) wave in high density strongly magnetized plasma are discussed based on the the classical hydrodynamical model of relativistic spin plasma. The dielectric coefficients for right-hand circularly polarized (RCP) and left-hand circularly polarized (LCP) waves are obtained. Results show that the spin effects can affect the propagation characteristic of circularly polarized EM wave dramatically. Provided the spin effect is strong enough, LCP waves can also propagate in the magnetized over-dense plasma, while RCP waves may not. The strength of spin effects can be enhanced by increasing the plasma density or/and EM wave intensity.

Study on human brain protection from electromagnetic radiation of mobile phone by plasma

The propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves (EMW) in plasma with the plural dielectric properties (real and imaginary parts of the relative dielectric constant) were investigated in the virtual human brain (VHB) model by the full-wave solution. Simulation results indicate that the value of the electric and magnetic field amplitude of EMW with the frequency of 5 GHz and the value of specific absorption ratio within VHB can be reduced by more than 60% and 80%, respectively. After the secondary absorption of the plasma layer, the reflected wave amplitude is attenuated by 33.066 dB. The amplitude attenuation of EMW from 2.45 to 6 GHz can be exceeded 10 dB. Compared to the traditional absorbing materials for the electromagnetic protection, the plasma layer, as an absorbing medium, possesses wide frequency characteristics. These results have important reference value for reducing the high-frequency electromagnetic radiation to VHB.

Different kinds of accelerated propagation of relativistic electromagnetic plasma wavepackets

Relativistic electromagnetic plasma waves are described by a dynamical equation that can be solved not only in terms of plane waves, but also for several different accelerating wavepacket solutions. Depending on the spatial and temporal dependence of the plasma frequency, different kinds of accelerating solutions can be obtained, for example, in terms of Airy or Weber functions. Also, we show that an arbitrary accelerated wavepacket solution is possible, for example, for a system with a luminal plasma slab.

A diagnostic method of radial electron density distribution based on microwave transmission of cylindrical plasma along multipath

Based on the multipath propagation phase shift of electromagnetic wave in cylindrical plasma, a method to obtain the radial electron density distribution of non-uniform cylindrical plasma is proposed in this paper. Focused lens antennas are used in multipath transmission distribution diagnosis (MTDD), where the propagation area in the plasma is approximately the size of the focal spot. The equivalent propagation thickness at each layer can be calculated for each path based on the propagation region and layer thickness. Combining with Fermat's shortest wavelength principle, electromagnetic waves propagate in a straight line between different layers. The phase shift caused by the propagation of electromagnetic waves in each layer, starting from the outermost layer, can obtain layer by layer electron density. To validate the MTDD method, multipath transmission propagation phase shift was simulated in CST, and the electron density distribution was obtained, which has a good agreement with the preset electron density. In addition, the MTDD method was applied to inductively coupled plasma, and the diagnostic results showed high agreement with the Langmuir probe results. The proposed MTDD method has higher spatial resolution than the transmission diagnosis method and can provide more precise plasma parameter information.

Eigenmodes and eigenfunctions of high-power electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas and their stability to stimulated Raman backscattering

Eigenmodes and eigenfunctions of high-power electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas are investigated. Considering the dielectric permittivity in the presence of an external magnetic field and relativistic nonlinearity and considering the inhomogeneity of the electron density in the linear and rippled structures, two nonlinear wave equations are obtained. In the linear regime, eigenmodes and eigenfunctions of the electric field for two-electron densities are obtained. In the nonlinear regime, results indicate that by increasing the external magnetic field, the amplitude of the electric field increases, which affects the dielectric permittivity. The conditions of the stimulated Raman backscattering and the equation of the space-charge potential are obtained. Results also indicate that in the presence of the external magnetic field, plasma inhomogeneity, and relativistic nonlinearity, the stimulated Raman backscattering becomes unstable.

Parasitic modulation effect caused by dynamic plasma in low frequency

Abstract-dynamic plasma sheath can severely interfere with the communication of hypersonic vehicles during atmospheric reentry. Theoretical and experimental results show that low-frequency (LF) electromagnetic (EM) waves could penetrate the plasma sheath, building a feasible method to solve the “radio blackout” problem. This paper discovers that the propagation of LF EM waves in plasmas is still influenced by parasitic modulation effects. Compared to microwave frequencies, the impact of parasitic modulation effects on signal modulation patterns is more distinct for LF EM waves. In contrast to the microwave frequency range, where the rotation direction of QPSK signal constellation points changes with the ratio of plasma frequency to electromagnetic wave frequency, in the LF range, the constellation points undergo limited clockwise rotation. This phenomenon can be attributed to the unique magnetic field propagation mechanism of LF EM waves in dynamic plasmas. This paper analyzes the mechanism of this specific parasitic modulation effect and discovers a sinusoidal transformation relationship between amplitude attenuation and phase shift. Meanwhile, the experimental and simulation results proved that the time-varying plasma could cause the parasitic modulation effect of LF EM wave, resulting in a limited clockwise rotation of orthogonal phase-shift keying constellation points, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis.

Self-consistent interaction of linear gravitational and electromagnetic waves in non-magnetized plasma

This paper explores the hybridization of linear metric perturbations with linear electromagnetic (EM) perturbations in non-magnetized plasma for a general background metric. The local wave properties are derived from first principles for inhomogeneous plasma, without assuming any symmetries of the background metric. First, we derive the effective (“oscillation-center”) Hamiltonian that governs the average dynamics of plasma particles in a prescribed quasimonochromatic wave that involves metric perturbations and EM fields simultaneously. Then, using this Hamiltonian, we derive the backreaction of plasma particles on the wave itself and obtain gauge-invariant equations that describe the resulting self-consistent gravito-electromagnetic (GEM) waves in a plasma. The transverse tensor modes of gravitational waves are found to have no interaction with the plasma and the EM modes in the geometrical-optics limit. However, for longitudinal GEM modes with large values of the refraction index, the interplay between gravitational and EM interactions in plasma can have a strong effect. In particular, the dispersion relation of the Jeans mode is significantly affected by electrostatic interactions. As a spin-off, our calculation also provides an alternative resolution of the so-called Jeans swindle.

On the possibility of mode coupling for low frequency electromagnetic waves in plasmas with anisotropy of temperature

We study the dispersion relation for low frequency electromagnetic waves propagating along the ambient magnetic field and investigate the possibility of occurrence of coupling between waves in the ion cyclotron branch and waves in the whistler branch. The results obtained show that the coupling may occur in the case of conditions leading to the ion cyclotron instability, for sufficiently high value of the ratio between perpendicular and parallel ion temperature, and does not occur in the case of conditions leading to the ion firehose instability. The results also show that the decrease in the value of the plasma beta may lead to the disappearance of the mode coupling conditions. Regarding the effect of the electron population, it is shown that the change in the shape of the electron velocity distribution, from Maxwellian to bi-Kappa form, does not change the results obtained, as long as the electron temperatures are isotropic, but the increase in anisotropy in the electron temperatures may lead to the disappearance of the coupling between the different waves. The consequences of the frequency dependency of the mode coupling conditions are discussed considering wave propagation in an inhomogeneous medium, leading to the conclusion that the energy of a packet of waves of a given mode can be absorbed or mode converted over an extended region of space. These findings can be of relevance for the analysis and understanding of processes related to the conversion between ion cyclotron waves and whistler waves.

Wavefront distortion and compensation for weakly relativistic vortex beams propagating in plasma

The propagation of electromagnetic wave in plasma is one of the long-standing concerns in the field of laser plasma, and it is closely related to the researches of radiation source generation, particle acceleration, and inertial confinement fusion. Recently, the proposal of various schemes for generating intense vortex beams has led to an increasing number of researchers focusing on the interaction between intense vortex beams and plasmas, resulting in significant research progress in various areas, such as particle acceleration, high-order harmonic generation, quasi-static self-generated magnetic fields, and parametric instability. Compared with traditional Gaussian beams, vortex beams, featuring their hollow amplitudes and helical phases, can exhibit novel phenomena during propagating through plasma. In this work, we primarily focus on studying the influence of the propagation process on the wave structure of vortex beams before filamentation occurs. The three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that weakly relativistic vortex beams exhibit wavefront distortion during their propagation in plasma. The distortion degree is closely related to the intensity of the electromagnetic wave and the propagation distance for a given plasma density. This phenomenon is theoretically explained by using a phase correction model that considers the relativistic mass correction of electrons. Additionally, we demonstrate that the wavefront distortion can be compensated for and suppressed by appropriately modulating the initial plasma density, as confirmed by three-dimensional particle simulations. The results of decomposing the wavefront into Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) mode components indicate that the wavefront distortion is primarily caused by high-order <i>p</i> LG modes, and it is independent of other <i>l</i> LG modes. Additionally, we extend the present investigation to the propagation of vortex beams in axially magnetized plasma, where the phase correction model can also effectively explain the occurrence of wavefront distortion. Our work can deepen the understanding of the interaction between plasma and strong vortex beams, and provide some valuable references for designing plasma devices serving as the manipulation of intense vortex beams in future research.

Electromagnetic plasma waves in dark energy cosmology

We explore the electromagnetic wave modes that can exist in a cosmological plasma dominated by dark energy due to a cosmological constant. It is found that, in the cold and hot plasma cases, electromagnetic plasma wave modes can be found exactly. The effect of this cosmology appears as a time-dependent potential in the wave equation for the electromagnetic modes, which effectively modifies the frequency response of the plasma. This potential depends on the metric of the spacetime and on the thermodynamical properties of the plasma. For both cases, cold and hot, the solutions are found in terms of Airy and Bessel functions, respectively. When those solutions are required to have vanishing initial conditions, a discretization on the wavelengths of the electromagnetic plasma waves is imposed. Thus, only some specific wave modes can exist in this dark energy cosmology. Relaxing those conditions, we obtain other solutions that approximate to plane waves only in the very hot plasma limit.

Simulation of Electromagnetic Waves in Magnetized Cold Plasma by a Novel BZT-DGTD Method

This work presents a novel discontinuous Galerkin time domain (DGTD) approach based on second-order bilinear <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">z</i> transform (BZT) to analyze the behavior of electromagnetic waves in a magnetized cold plasma. The Maxwell’s equations and current density equation are utilized to formulate the governing mathematical expressions of magnetized plasma, and the BZT approach is employed to construct the time domain iterative formula. The suggested technique outperforms existing methods in terms of stability, performance, and aliasing effect avoidance. The efficacy of the suggested BZT-DGTD approach is investigated by analyzing electromagnetic wave propagation in unmagnetized and magnetized cold plasmas, and a comprehensive comparison is performed with commercial software WCT and COMSOL to validate its practicality. Furthermore, the features of electromagnetic wave propagation in plasma are investigated under numerous circumstances, and these instances are compatible with plasma physics.

Observations of plasma waves generated by charged space objects

A sampling of the environment around inert space objects has determined, which linear and nonlinear waves are created by moving space debris of all sizes. Plasma waves excited by satellites and space debris moving through the Earth's plasma in low earth orbit have been measured with in situ electric field sensors on other satellites. These orbit driven plasma waves are of interest for proximity detection of space debris and sources of electrostatic and electromagnetic noise on spacecraft. Satellites and other space objects moving through the near-earth ionosphere between 200 and 1000 km altitude become electrically charged by both electron collection and photo emission in sunlight. These hypersonic, charged objects can excite a wide range of plasma waves. Measurements with the Radio Receiver Instrument (RRI) on the Swarm-E satellite have shown that electromagnetic plasma waves from known objects can be observed out to ranges of tens of kilometers. The amplitude, spectral, and polarization changes of the RRI data are consistent with electromagnetic, compressional Alfvén waves launched by charged space objects traveling across magnetic field lines. In addition, electrostatic lower hybrid waves or nonlinear ion acoustic pinned oscillations may have been self-generated and measured on the Swarm-E satellite. It is proposed that measurements of these waves with local electric field measurements or remote electromagnetic wave scatter may be useful to design systems for the location of orbiting objects. Spatial and temporal details of spacecraft charging are key to understanding the extent of waves associated with the object motion in space plasmas.

Signatures of quantized magnetic field on the nonlinear Landau damping of transverse electromagnetic waves

A quantum kinetic approach alongwith the Landau theory of quantization (LQ) is utilized to study the impact of the magnetic field on the nonlinear Landau damping (NLD) of transverse electromagnetic (EM) waves in a degenerate electron-ion plasma. The gyratory motion of fermions around the magnetic field (H) lines gets quantized into the Landau levels and consequently the associated Fermi–Dirac distribution function becomes modified with the fermion cyclotron frequency under the limit l ℏ ω ce − ε Fe ≫ k B T e , where l is the orbital quantum number with all other standard notations. In this context, the density oscillations due to electrons are calculated in the presence of the LQ parameter η( = ℏ ω ce /ε Fe < 1) and ion density perturbations are computed using the framework of Maxwell distribution. A new type of kinetic nonlinear Shrödinger equation is derived in the presence of η, which involves nonlocal nonlinear term responsible for the NLD of EM waves. Furthermore, longitudinal wave modes are investigated to account for quantization parameter η. The LQ is also shown to absorb oscillation spectra of the linear ion-acoustic mode. The present findings might be helpful to understand the impact of the H field on the nonlinear interaction of EM waves with astrophysical plasmas, e.g., in the atmosphere of neutron star the presence of quantized magnetic field is more common.

Design of a point-focusing lens antenna based on 3D printing for a small-area plasma

The interaction mechanism between plasmas and electromagnetic waves has not been fully defined, and experiments are helpful for investigating the mechanism and verifying the theoretical analysis. This paper proposes a point-focusing lens antenna based on three-dimensional (3D) printing technology for the experimental study of the interaction between electromagnetic waves and a small-area plasma. First, CST simulation software was used for the simulation design of the horn antenna and focusing lens. Subsequently, 3D printing technology was used to print the lens combined with the horn antenna for experimental verification of the focusing performance. Finally, an electromagnetic wave passing through a plasma was experimentally investigated, and it was mutually verified with the propagation theory of electromagnetic waves in plasmas. The experimental and theoretical data indicated that the 3D-printed point-focusing lens antenna exhibited a good focusing effect on electromagnetic waves. This method may be used by employing a variety of materials and designs, thereby considerably improving the detection of small-area plasma. It may also solve the issue of the radial diffraction effect of narrow cylindrical plasma generated by inductively coupled plasma-generation equipment and reduce the error associated with experimental data. Therefore, this method may be useful for plasma propagation measurement, plasma-environment diffraction analysis, and parameter inversion of complex plasma environments.

Computational simulations of spatio—temporal plasma dynamics in a very high frequency capacitively coupled reactor

Abstract The standing wave effect in Very High Frequency Capacitively Coupled Plasma (VHF CCP) reactors is a major cause of plasma non-uniformity. The nonlinearly excited higher harmonics exacerbate this non-uniformity. In this work we analyze the physical mechanisms of plasma—electromagnetic wave coupling in detail for a single RF cycle of the input electric field. We consider a simplified CCP reactor geometry operated at 100 mTorr and computationally simulate three cases where the bulk electron density increases from order 1015 m−3 to 1017 m−3. We see the appearance of higher harmonics in the B-dot signal with increasing bulk electron density in accordance with recent experimental measurements. By looking at the spatio-temporal variations of different quantities at a periodic steady state, we observe significant changes in the dynamics of current flow, electromagnetic power deposition and ionization rates within the reactor. In particular, as the electron density increases, we see that the current profile in the bulk plasma exhibits a re-circulation pattern that is correlated with the appearance of structural features in the B-dot signal seen in the measurements.

Modulation of electromagnetic waves in a relativistic degenerate plasma at finite temperature

We study the modulational instability (MI) of a linearly polarized electromagnetic (EM) wave envelope in an intermediate regime of relativistic degenerate plasmas at a finite temperature (T≠0) where the thermal energy (KBT) and the rest-mass energy (mec2) of electrons do not differ significantly, i.e., βe≡KBT/mec2≲ (or ≳) 1, but the Fermi energy (KBTF) and the chemical potential energy (μe) of electrons are still a bit higher than the thermal energy, i.e., TF&amp;gt;T and ξe=μe/KBT≳1. Starting from a set of relativistic fluid equations for degenerate electrons at finite temperature, coupled to the EM wave equation and using the multiple scale perturbation expansion scheme, a one-dimensional nonlinear Schödinger (NLS) equation is derived, which describes the evolution of slowly varying amplitudes of EM wave envelopes. Then, we study the MI of the latter in two different regimes, namely, βe&amp;lt;1 and βe&amp;gt;1. Like unmagnetized classical cold plasmas, the modulated EM envelope is always unstable in the region βe&amp;gt;4. However, for βe≲1 and 1&amp;lt;βe&amp;lt;4, the wave can be stable or unstable depending on the values of the EM wave frequency, ω, and the parameter ξe. We also obtain the instability growth rate for the modulated wave and find a significant reduction by increasing the values of either βe or ξe. Finally, we present the profiles of the traveling EM waves in the form of bright (envelope pulses) and dark (voids) solitons, as well as the profiles (other than traveling waves) of the Kuznetsov–Ma breather, the Akhmediev breather, and the Peregrine solitons as EM rogue (freak) waves, and discuss their characteristics in the regimes of βe≲1 and βe&amp;gt;1.

Effects of High-collision Plasma on Radiation Protection of Human Brain

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to find a reasonable composite structure of electromagnetic protection device, especially the distribution characteristics of plasma parameters and operation conditions. Methods: Due to its high collision frequency, the high-pressure discharge plasma can be usedas a filling medium to take the electromagnetic protection effect. The strategies and algorithmsare presented to solve the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic wave (EMW) in plasma with complex dielectric constant. When the real and imaginary part of permittivity are of the same order of magnitude, the imaginary part value will impact on the feature of plasma dielectric constant, also affect the behavior of propagation of EMW. The propagation process of EMW in virtual human brain (VHB) model is investigated by finite difference time domain method. By optimizing the layout of plasma layer and air layer, an effective phase regulator is constructed, and the reflected wave amplitude is greatly reduced. Results: The simulation results show that plasma makes the amplitude of the electromagnetic fields in VHB decrease to different degrees. their maximum average decrease is about 25% and the corresponding reduction of SAR value is more than 40% in the frequency range of 1.8-3.6GHz. Conclusion: The existence of plasma can make the scalp and muscle possess the excellent performance in resisting the incident of EMW, so that the amplitude of the electromagnetic field inside the brain body is small, so as to effectively protect the brain tissue. These research results have good reference value and engineering applicability for the structure design of protection equipment with high frequency of EMW.