Electron Energy Gain Research Articles

Prospectus on electron acceleration via magnetic reconnection

Many explosive plasma phenomena are powered by magnetic reconnection. Striking evidence of such events is found in short bursts of radiation from energetic electrons with energies much larger than what is typical of the ambient medium. Reconnection is a fundamentally multi-scale process that couples the global scale over which energy accumulates with small-scale dissipation. These macro- and micro-scales are bridged by a mesoscale of coherent magnetic structures that facilitate rapid energy conversion. Although there are many channels by which reconnection may release magnetic energy, a guiding-center approach distills electron energy gain into three basic mechanisms: parallel electric fields, Fermi reflection, and betatron acceleration. An efficient mechanism must scale strongly with the particle energy and operate over a globally significant region. These criteria favor the Fermi mechanism, which operates in volume-filling plasmoids. The guide field plays a critical role, facilitating three-dimensional transport that enables high-energy particles to continuously access acceleration sites, yet suppressing acceleration if the guide field is much larger than the reconnecting field. Open issues include the conditions necessary for power-law formation, the roles of scattering and plasma compression, and differences between the relativistic and nonrelativistic regimes. New high-resolution observations in the earth's magnetosphere offer a timely opportunity to test the predictions of numerical studies. On the other hand, understanding solar flares, where the global and dissipative scales are separated by many orders of magnitude, requires hybrid models that incorporate both the global evolution of the magnetic field and the self-consistent acceleration and feedback of energetic particles.

Two Phases of Solar Flares and a Stochastic Mechanism for Acceleration of Electrons and Protons

The hypothesis of two phases of charged particle acceleration in solar flares is well known, with subrelativistic electrons accelerated in the first phase and relativistic electrons and protons in the second. Both phases are distinguished in the solar proton events and their parent flares of December 26, 2001 (M7.1), November 2, 2003 (X8.3), and August 9, 2011 (X6.9), while in the interplanetary space only electrons were observed from the first phase and electrons and protons from the second. The temporal profiles of the electrons and protons from the second phase are similar; hence, it is concluded that the relativistic electrons and protons observed in the interplanetary space are predominantly accelerated in flares, rather than in the shock front of a coronal mass ejection. Most likely a stochastic acceleration mechanism is realized in flares where protons and electrons gain energy in many elementary events over the entire duration of the flare which lasts much longer than an elementary event. To ensure consistency of a stochastic acceleration process with the existence of two phases in solar flares it is necessary to consider gyrosynchronous radiative electron losses in the second phase which can be neglected in the first phase. The energy of the accelerated protons in the first phase is small for their detection in processes taking place on the sun, but in the second phase it may be sufficient to produce gamma lines, both nuclear and from pion decay.

Effect of energy deprivation on metabolite release by anaerobic marine naphthalene-degrading sulfate-reducing bacteria.

The aromatic hydrocarbon naphthalene, which occurs in coal and oil, can be degraded by aerobic or anaerobic microorganisms. A wide-spread electron acceptor for the latter is sulfate. Evidence for in situ naphthalene degradation stems in particular from the detection of 2-naphthoate and [5,6,7,8]-tetrahydro-2-naphthoate in oil field samples. Because such intermediates are usually not detected in laboratory cultures with high sulfate concentrations, one may suppose that conditions in reservoirs, such as sulfate limitation, trigger metabolite release. Indeed, if naphthalene-grown cells of marine sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria (strains NaphS2, NaphS3 and NaphS6) were transferred to sulfate-free medium, they released 2-naphthoate and [5,6,7,8]-tetrahydro-2-naphthoate while still consuming naphthalene. With 2-naphthoate as initial substrate, cells produced [5,6,7,8]-tetrahydro-2-naphthoate and the hydrocarbon, naphthalene, indicating reversibility of the initial naphthalene-metabolizing reaction. The reactions in the absence of sulfate were not coupled to observable growth. Excretion of naphthalene-derived metabolites was also achieved in sulfate-rich medium upon addition of the protonophore carbonyl cyanide4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone or the ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. In conclusion, obstruction of electron flow and energy gain by sulfate limitation offers an explanation for the occurrence of naphthalene-derived metabolites in oil reservoirs, and provides a simple experimental tool for gaining insights into the anaerobic naphthalene oxidation pathway from an energetic perspective.

New Advances in Stimulated Electron Energy Gain and Loss Spectroscopy

Journal Article New Advances in Stimulated Electron Energy Gain and Loss Spectroscopy Get access Ben Wolf, Ben Wolf Waviks, Inc., Dallas, Texas, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Thomas Moore, Thomas Moore Waviks, Inc., Dallas, Texas, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Robyn Collette, Robyn Collette University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar David Garfinkel, David Garfinkel University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Philip Rack Philip Rack University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Microscopy and Microanalysis, Volume 26, Issue S2, 1 August 2020, Pages 1916–1918, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927620019820 Published: 01 August 2020

Nearfield excited state imaging of bonding and antibonding plasmon modes in nanorod dimers via stimulated electron energy gain spectroscopy

Stimulated electron energy loss and gain spectroscopy (sEELS and sEEGS) are used to image the nearfield of the bonding and antibonding localized surface plasmon resonance modes in nanorod dimers. A scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with an optical delivery system is used to simultaneously irradiate plasmonic nanorod dimers while electron energy loss and gain spectra of the active plasmons are collected. The length of the nanorod dimer is varied such that the bonding and antibonding modes are resonant with the laser energy. The optically bright bonding mode is clearly observed in the resonant sEEG spectrum images and, consistent with spontaneous EELS, no direct evidence of the hot spot is observed in sEEG. s-polarized irradiation does not stimulate the energy gain of the optically dark antibonding mode. However, when phase retardation is introduced by tilting the longitudinal axis, the otherwise dark antibonding mode becomes sEEG active.

Near field excited state imaging via stimulated electron energy gain spectroscopy of localized surface plasmon resonances in plasmonic nanorod antennas

Continuous wave (cw) photon stimulated electron energy loss and gain spectroscopy (sEELS and sEEGS) is used to image the near field of optically stimulated localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) modes in nanorod antennas. An optical delivery system equipped with a nanomanipulator and a fiber-coupled laser diode is used to simultaneously irradiate plasmonic nanostructures in a (scanning) transmission electron microscope. The nanorod length is varied such that the m = 1, 2, and 3 LSPR modes are resonant with the laser energy and the optically stimulated near field spectra and images of these modes are measured. Various nanorod orientations are also investigated to explore retardation effects. Optical and electron beam simulations are used to rationalize the observed patterns. As expected, the odd modes are optically bright and result in observed sEEG responses. The m = 2 dark mode does not produce a sEEG response, however, when tilted such that retardation effects are operative, the sEEG signal emerges. Thus, we demonstrate that cw sEEGS is an effective tool in imaging the near field of the full set of nanorod plasmon modes of either parity.

Delayed ionization and excitation dynamics in a filament wake channel in a dense-gas medium

A unified theoretical description is developed for the formation of an ionized filament channel in a dense-gas medium and the evolution of electronic degrees of freedom in this channel in the laser pulse wake, as illustrated on an example of high-pressure argon. During the laser pulse, the emerging free electrons gain energy via inverse Bremsstrahlung on neutral atoms, enabling impact ionization and extensive collisional excitation of the atoms. A kinetic model of these processes produces the radial density distributions in the immediate wake of the laser pulse. After the pulse, the thermalized electron gas drives the system evolution via impact ionization (from the ground and excited states) and collisional excitation of the residual neutral atoms, while the excited atoms are engaged in Penning ionization. The interplay of these three processes determines the electron gas cooling dynamics. The local imbalance of the free-electron and ion densities induces a transient radial electric field, which depends critically on the electron temperature. The evolving radial profiles of the electron, ion, and excited-atom densities, as well as the profiles of electron temperature and induced electric field are obtained by solving the system of diffusion-reaction equations numerically. All these characteristics evolve with two characteristic timescales, and allow for measuring the electronic stage of the wake channel evolution via linear and nonlinear light-scattering experiments.

Evidence of noncollisional femtosecond laser energy deposition in dielectric materials

Electron dynamics in the bulk of large band gap dielectric crystals induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses at 800 nm is studied. With laser intensities under the ablation threshold (a few 10 TW/cm\textsuperscript{2}), electrons with unexpected energies in excess of 40-50 eV are observed by using the photoemission spectroscopy. A theoretical approach based on the Boltzmann kinetic equation including state-of-the-art modeling for various particles interactions is developed to interpret these experimental observations. A direct comparison shows that both electron heating in the bulk and a further laser field acceleration after ejection from the material contribute equivalently to the final electron energy gain. The electron heating in the bulk is shown to be significantly driven by a non-collisional process, i.e. direct multiphoton transitions between sub-bands of the conduction band. This work also sheds light on the contribution of the standard electron excitation/relaxation collisional processes, providing a new baseline to study the electron dynamics in dielectric materials and associated applications as laser material structuring.

Enhanced electron acceleration by a chirped tightly focused laser in vacuum in the presence of axial magnetic field

The paper presents a scheme of vacuum electron acceleration due to tightly focused linearly polarized (LP) frequency chirped laser in the presence external magnetic field. The focused terawatt chirped laser pulse and the external axial magnetic field enable the electron of few MeV initial energy to attain high energy in GeV range, hence, explore the possibility of efficient electron acceleration. This can be achieved by optimizing the focused terawatt chirped laser and axial magnetic field parameters for resonance, which is realized between the electron and electric field of the tightly focused laser pulse. The frequency chirp plays a crucial role in enforcing resonance condition for longer duration and the applied magnetic field strongly enforces the electron to remain in the accelerating phase, thereby, both factors are equally imperative for accomplishing high electron energy gain in GeV. The presence of optimum axial magnetic field (~8.5 MG) along with optimum value of linear frequency chirp for laser intensity 1.38 × 1020 W/cm2 results in electron beam with energy ~5.78 GeV. During acceleration process, electron energy gain is highly sensitive to the initial phase of laser along with the frequency chirp and magnetic field. Electron trajectories in the influence of frequency chirp and magnetic field are also analyzed.

Electronically driven spin-reorientation transition of the correlated polar metal Ca3Ru2O7

The interplay between spin-orbit coupling and structural inversion symmetry breaking in solids has generated much interest due to the nontrivial spin and magnetic textures which can result. Such studies are typically focused on systems where large atomic number elements lead to strong spin-orbit coupling, in turn rendering electronic correlations weak. In contrast, here we investigate the temperature-dependent electronic structure of [Formula: see text], a [Formula: see text] oxide metal for which both correlations and spin-orbit coupling are pronounced and in which octahedral tilts and rotations combine to mediate both global and local inversion symmetry-breaking polar distortions. Our angle-resolved photoemission measurements reveal the destruction of a large hole-like Fermi surface upon cooling through a coupled structural and spin-reorientation transition at 48 K, accompanied by a sudden onset of quasiparticle coherence. We demonstrate how these result from band hybridization mediated by a hidden Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling. This is enabled by the bulk structural distortions and unlocked when the spin reorients perpendicular to the local symmetry-breaking potential at the Ru sites. We argue that the electronic energy gain associated with the band hybridization is actually the key driver for the phase transition, reflecting a delicate interplay between spin-orbit coupling and strong electronic correlations and revealing a route to control magnetic ordering in solids.

Plasma bubble evolution in laser wakefield acceleration in a petawatt regime

The bubble regime of the laser wakefield acceleration is one of the most recent and promising mechanisms for generating quasi-monoenergetic electron beams. In this work, we propose to study the dynamics of bubble (a wake structure devoid of electrons created in underdense plasma by a highly-intense ultrashort laser pulse) in a petawatt regime. The dependence of the electron beam energy and the quality of the electron beam on the shape of the bubble is the main motivation behind this work. The bubble length as well as bubble shape have been investigated using two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The evolution of the bubble with time, and the correlation of bubble length (longitudinal and transverse radius) with the intensity of laser pulse have been revealed in this study. The change of bubble dimensions can be estimated by various determining factors such as the laser pulse focusing, the beam loading, the residual electrons, and the bubble velocity. It has also been confirmed that the shape of the bubble cannot be predicted using fixed shape models as spherical or elliptical. Simulations unveil that as the bubble traverses in plasma, it evolves from spherical shape to the highly elliptical shape. And, as it approaches the dephasing length, the eccentricity decreases further. Consequently, the self-injection of plasma electrons in the bubble is seriously affected by the bubble evolution. Comparison of the electron energy gain at different intensities of laser pulse has also been provided. Various scaling laws for electron beam energy estimations are predicted in this investigation. High quality electron beam can be obtained by controlling the bubble evolution, which may have significant applications in future coherent light sources, biomedical, condensed matter physics, and x-ray generation by table-top FEL.

Magnetic Energy Transfer and Distribution between Protons and Electrons for Alfvénic Waves at Kinetic Scales in Wavenumber Space

Abstract Turbulent dissipation is considered a main source of heating and acceleration in cosmic plasmas. The alternating current Joule-like term, , is used to measure the energy transfer between electromagnetic fields and particles. Because the electric field depends on the reference frame, in which frame to calculate is an important issue. We compute the scale-dependent energy transfer rate spectrum in wavevector space, and investigate the electric-field fluctuations in two reference frames: in the mean bulk flow frame and in the local bulk flow frame (non-inertial reference frame). Considering Alfvénic waves, we find that , which neglects the contribution of work done by the ion inertial force, is not consistent with the magnetic field energy damping rate (2γδB 2) according to linear Maxwell–Vlasov theory, while is exactly the same as 2γδB 2 in wavenumber space (k ∥, k ⊥), where γ is the linear damping rate. Under typical conditions of solar wind at 1 au, we find in our theoretical calculation that the field energy is mainly converted into proton kinetic energy leaving the residual minor portion for electrons. Although the electrons gain energy in the direction perpendicular to the mean magnetic field, they return a significant fraction of their kinetic energy in the parallel direction. Magnetic-field fluctuations can transfer particle energy between the parallel and perpendicular degrees of freedom. Therefore, and do not solely describe the energy transfer in the parallel direction and perpendicular direction, respectively.

Direct electron acceleration by chirped laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11865014, 11765017, 11764039, 11475027, 11274255, and 11305132),the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province of China (Grant No. 17JR5RA076), the Scientific Research Project of Gansu Higher Education of China (Grant No. 2016A-005), the Natural Science Foundation of Education

We study the dynamics of single electron in an inhomogeneous cylindrical plasma channel during the direct acceleration by linearly polarized chirped laser pulse. By adjusting the parameters of the chirped laser pulse and the plasma channel, we obtain the energy gain, trajectory, dephasing rate and unstable threshold of electron oscillation in the channel. The influences of the chirped factor and inhomogeneous plasma density distribution on the electron dynamics are discussed in depth. We find that the nonlinearly chirped laser pulse and the inhomogeneous plasma channel have strong coupled influence on the electron dynamics. The electron energy gain can be enhanced, the instability threshold of the electron oscillation can be lowered, and the acceleration length can be shortened by chirped laser, while the inhomogeneity of the plasma channel can reduce the amplitude of the chirped laser.

Electron confinement by laser-driven azimuthal magnetic fields during direct laser acceleration

A laser-driven azimuthal plasma magnetic field is known to facilitate electron energy gain from the irradiating laser pulse. The enhancement is due to changes in the orientation between the laser electric field and electron velocity caused by magnetic field deflections. Transverse electron confinement is critical for realizing this concept experimentally. Using analytical theory, we show that the phase velocity of the laser pulse has a profound impact on the maximum transverse size of electron trajectories. The transverse size remains constant only below a threshold energy that depends on the degree of the superluminosity, and it increases with the electron energy above the threshold. We illustrate this finding using 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The described increase can cause electron losses in tightly focused laser pulses, so it should be taken into account when designing high-intensity experiments at high-power laser facilities.

Vacuum transverse-field acceleration of an electron bunch

We propose a feasible novel scheme of efficiently accelerating an electron bunch through a targeted-designed transverse-field configuration that consists of a laser and a DC magnetic field. Its merit over well-known longitudinal-field acceleration is the independence of the acceleration quality on the initial phase of the accelerated charge relative to the accelerator. Such an initial phase is a probability factor that is difficult to control. Strict theory and numerical experiment demonstrate that under available not-too-high strength, such as 10 16 W / c m 2 and 1 ∼ 10 T e s l a , electronic energy gain in such a configuration can reach giga-electronvolt level over a time scale lasting 1600-fold laser cycles. The cost of achieving such an “accelerating ability” in the transverse field acceleration is far below that in the longitudinal-field acceleration. Other aspects of acceleration quality in such a transverse-field configuration also display the advantage of the configuration in achieving a compact, high-gain accelerator.

Non-adiabatic reflection of particles in a multipole plasma trap configuration

Charged particles incident on a region of time-varying, spatially inhomogeneous electric field may be reflected back toward the region of weaker field. This effect is used for adiabatic particle confinement in charged particle traps, but it may also be subject to non-adiabatic reflection that increases the particle energy. The electrons of a plasma in a multipole plasma trap may be heated by this effect. This work explores the energy gain of electrons in such a device with parameters relevant to laboratory experimentation, and it presents in one representative case an average 10% energy gain after a single reflection.

Ionospheric HF Heating Experiment With Frequency Ramping‐up Sweep: Approach for Artificial Ionization Layer Generation

AbstractAn ionospheric high‐frequency (HF) heating experiment was conducted at the HAARP facility in Alaska by sweeping the heater frequency, near the third electron gyroharmonic, over a 145 kHz range with 4 min duration. A 446 MHz diagnostic radar was used to detect scattering from HF‐enhanced plasma waves corresponding to the HF‐enhanced ion lines (HFILs). Increasing frequency progressively moves the third gyroharmonic resonance layer downward, and this is evident in observations of both downgoing and upgoing HFILs dropping in height about 50 km. Artificial ionization was formed by the HF‐plasma interaction during this process and driven downward to about 150–155 km. Total electron content measurements oblique across the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program transmit beam, above the altitude of primary ionization production, show variations that correspond to ionization production at lower heights. A theoretical interpretation of the experimental observations is presented to understand the HF‐plasma interaction process. It is shown that the double resonance condition enhances the excitation of the upper‐hybrid parametric decay instability (PDI). HF heater frequency ramping‐up sweep increases the spatial height span of the upper‐hybrid PDI generation region and the spectral width of generated upper‐hybrid waves, as well as provides a positive tuning frequency on the excited upper‐hybrid waves that keeps the continuous positive feedback on the Doppler‐shifted cyclotron harmonic resonance interaction. Resonant electrons gain energy from the upper‐hybrid waves and are generated in an extended spatial region; after a drift space, spatially distributed energetic electrons bunch together to build up a density structure.

Overcoming the dephasing limit in multiple-pulse laser wakefield acceleration

The electric field in laser-driven plasma wakefield acceleration is orders of magnitude higher than conventional radio-frequency cavities, but the energy gain is limited by dephasing between the ultra-relativistic electron bunch and the wakefield, which travels at the laser group velocity. We present a way to overcome this limit within a single plasma stage. The amplitude of the wakefield behind a train of laser pulses can be controlled in-flight by modulating the density profile. This creates a succession of resonant laser-plasma accelerator sections and non-resonant drift sections, within which the wakefield disappears and the electrons rephase. A two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation with four 2.5TW laser pulses produces a 50MeV electron energy gain, four times that obtained from a uniform plasma. Although laser red-shift prevents operation in the blowout regime, the technique offers increased energy gain for accelerators limited to the linear regime by the available laser power. This is particularly relevant for laser-plasma x-ray sources capable of operating at high repetition rates, which are highly sought after.

Stochastic electron energy gain under sheath electric field near sidewall of chamber to drive inductively coupled magnetized plasmas

Single-electron motions near the sidewall of a chamber to drive a type of inductively coupled magnetized plasmas are analyzed using a Monte Carlo method in a simulation model with sheath electric field () to understand the mechanism of electron energy gain (EEG). The analysis reveals that the drift caused by , along the rf electric field induced in parallel to the sidewall, makes the EEG high and asymmetric between the first and second halves of an rf period. We observe spatial distributions of the EEG as a function of the distance from the wall under several sheath conditions. The EEG is higher under higher and high EEG values are more concentrated in the sheath whose potential gradient is larger. Finally, observation of the phase-resolved EEG distributions demonstrates statistically that the EEG mechanism found in stochastic individual electron behaviors also works for a majority of electrons.

Solar Electrons and Protons in the Events of September 4–10, 2017 and Related Phenomena

The solar proton events on September 4–10, 2017 motivated us to reconsider the hypothesis of the presence of two phases of acceleration of charged particles in solar flares in which nonrelativistic electrons are accelerated in the first phase, while relativistic electrons and protons are accelerated during the second phase. According to the data of SOHO/EPHIN (relativistic electrons) and ACS SPI (hard X-rays and protons with energy of >100 MeV), the populations of electrons and protons accelerated at the first and second phases of a flare could be separated in these events near the Earth. The data of observations are indicative of the realization of a stochastic mechanism of acceleration in flares according to which protons and electrons gain energy in many elementary acts, whose duration is much shorter than that of the flare itself. To reconcile the stochastic acceleration process with the existence of two phases in solar flares, it is necessary taking into account the gyrosynchrotron radiation losses of electrons that can be neglected at the first phase. The energy of accelerated protons at the first phase is too low for their detection in the Sun. However, in the second phase, it can reach levels sufficient for detection of nuclear and pion decay gamma lines. In this case, the role of coronal mass ejection consists in (1) involvement of an increasingly larger number of loops in the flare process at altitudes ranging from the chromosphere to the corona; (2) return of the accelerated particles into the flare region; (3) additional acceleration of particles at the shock front; (4) creation of conditions for escaping of particles into the interplanetary space in a wide spatial angle.