Interchange Instability Research Articles

Fringe field dynamics over equatorial and low‐latitude ionosphere: A three‐dimensional perspective

AbstractThis paper presents a three‐dimensional simulation of the collisional interchange instability generating equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) in the evening ionospheric F region and associated fringe field (FF) in the valley‐upper‐E (VE) region. This simulation is primarily intended to address hitherto unexplained radar observations of ascending irregularity structures only in the vicinity of the magnetic equator in association with the EPB phenomenon. Novel results of the present simulation are the following: (1) EPB‐associated FF penetrating into the E region is found to be confined to a latitude belt of ±5∘, (2) ascending irregularity structures from the E region is formed only when perturbation in plasma parameters similar to those responsible for forming EPB are present in the VE region, and (3) perturbation in the VE region provide conditions for the formation of ascending irregularity structures on the eastern wall of the plasma bubble. These results are in excellent agreement with radar observations and also account for the presence of metallic ions in the EPB at and above the F region peak.

Reconnection and interchange instability in the near magnetotail

This paper provides insights into the possible coupling between reconnection and interchange/ballooning in the magnetotail related to substorms and flow bursts. The results presented are largely based on recent simulations of magnetotail dynamics, exploring onset and progression of reconnection. 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with different tail deformation demonstrate a clear boundary between stable and unstable cases depending on the amount of deformation, explored up to the real proton/electron mass ratio. The evolution prior to onset, as well as the evolution of stable cases, are governed by the conservation of integral flux tube entropy S as imposed in ideal MHD, maintaining a monotonic increase with distance downtail. This suggests that ballooning instability in the tail should not be expected prior to the onset of tearing and reconnection. 3-D MHD simulations confirm this conclusion, showing no indication of ballooning prior to reconnection, if the initial state is ballooning stable. The simulation also shows that, after imposing resistivity necessary to initiate reconnection, the reconnection rate and energy release initially remain slow. However, when S becomes reduced from plasmoid ejection and lobe reconnection, forming a negative slope in S as a function of distance from Earth, the reconnection rate and energy release increase drastically. The latter condition has been shown to be necessary for ballooning/interchange instability, and the cross-tail structures that develop subsequently in the MHD simulation are consistent with such modes. The simulations support a concept in which tail activity is initiated by tearing instability but significantly enhanced by the interaction with ballooning/interchange enabled by plasmoid loss and lobe reconnection.

Feedback effect on flute dynamics in a mirror machine

The effect of active feedback on flute instability is experimentally studied in a table-top mirror machine. Changing the plasma conditions from mirror-loss dominated to flute-loss dominated, it is demonstrated that while the feedback has no effect on plasma density in the first case, it increases the plasma density by up to 50% in the second case. Measurements of the dependence of instability amplitude on feedback gain show that large gain stimulates high frequency perturbations. The period of these perturbations corresponds to the inherent delay of immersed electrode feedback. Variation of the spatial phase between the input and output of the phase reveals a large asymmetry between positive and negative phase shifts. A simplified model is introduced to explain how a negative phase shift causes positive feedback between the external feedback and the centrifugally driven rotation.

Threefold Increase of the Bulk Electron Temperature of Plasma Discharges in a Magnetic Mirror Device.

This Letter describes plasma discharges with a high temperature of bulk electrons in the axially symmetric high-mirror-ratio (R=35) open magnetic system gas dynamic trap (GDT) in the Budker Institute (Novosibirsk). According to Thomson scattering measurements, the on-axis electron temperature averaged over a number of sequential shots is 660±50 eV with the plasma density being 0.7×10^{19} m^{-3}; in few shots, electron temperature exceeds 900 eV. This corresponds to at least a threefold increase with respect to previous experiments both at GDT and at other comparable machines, thus, demonstrating the highest quasistationary (about 1 ms) electron temperature achieved in open traps. The breakthrough is made possible by application of a new 0.7 MW/54.5 GHz electron cyclotron resonance heating system in addition to standard 5 MW heating by neutral beams, and application of a radial electric field to mitigate the flute instability.

Simulating coronal condensation dynamics in 3D

We present numerical simulations in 3D settings where coronal rain phenomena take place in a magnetic configuration of a quadrupolar arcade system. Our simulation is a magnetohydrodynamic simulation including anisotropic thermal conduction, optically thin radiative losses, and parametrised heating as main thermodynamical features to construct a realistic arcade configuration from chromospheric to coronal heights. The plasma evaporation from chromospheric and transition region heights eventually causes localised runaway condensation events and we witness the formation of plasma blobs due to thermal instability, that evolve dynamically in the heated arcade part and move gradually downwards due to interchange type dynamics. Unlike earlier 2.5D simulations, in this case there is no large scale prominence formation observed, but a continuous coronal rain develops which shows clear indications of Rayleigh–Taylor or interchange instability, that causes the denser plasma located above the transition region to fall down, as the system moves towards a more stable state. Linear stability analysis is used in the non-linear regime for gaining insight and giving a prediction of the system’s evolution. After the plasma blobs descend through interchange, they follow the magnetic field topology more closely in the lower coronal regions, where they are guided by the magnetic dips.

Approaching the investigation of plasma turbulence through a rigorous verification and validation procedure: A practical examplea)

In the present work, a Verification and Validation procedure is presented and applied showing, through a practical example, how it can contribute to advancing our physics understanding of plasma turbulence. Bridging the gap between plasma physics and other scientific domains, in particular, the computational fluid dynamics community, a rigorous methodology for the verification of a plasma simulation code is presented, based on the method of manufactured solutions. This methodology assesses that the model equations are correctly solved, within the order of accuracy of the numerical scheme. The technique to carry out a solution verification is described to provide a rigorous estimate of the uncertainty affecting the numerical results. A methodology for plasma turbulence code validation is also discussed, focusing on quantitative assessment of the agreement between experiments and simulations. The Verification and Validation methodology is then applied to the study of plasma turbulence in the basic plasma physics experiment TORPEX [Fasoli et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 055902 (2006)], considering both two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations carried out with the GBS code [Ricci et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 124047 (2012)]. The validation procedure allows progress in the understanding of the turbulent dynamics in TORPEX, by pinpointing the presence of a turbulent regime transition, due to the competition between the resistive and ideal interchange instabilities.

The formation of blobs from a pure interchange process

In this work, we focus on examining a pure interchange process in a shear-less slab configuration as a prototype mechanism for blob formation. We employ full magnetohydrodynamic simulations to demonstrate that the blob-like structures can emerge through the nonlinear development of a pure interchange instability originating from a pedestal-like transition region. In the early nonlinear stage, filamentary structures develop and extend in the direction of the effective gravity. The blob-like structures appear when the radially extending filaments break off and disconnect from the core plasma. The morphology and the dynamics of these filaments and blobs vary dramatically with a sensitive dependence on the dissipation mechanisms in the system and the initial perturbation. Despite the complexity in morphology and dynamics, the nature of the entire blob formation process in the shear-less slab configuration remains strictly interchange without involving any change in magnetic topology.

Turbulent plasma transport across the Earth's low‐latitude boundary layer

AbstractThe Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability is a key process for the transport of solar wind plasma into the Earth's magnetosphere when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is northward. Previous kinetic simulations for symmetric layers have demonstrated that the flow vortices compress the magnetopause current layer and induce magnetic reconnection, leading to the rapid streaming of solar wind plasma into the vortices along newly reconnected field lines. Using fully kinetic 3‐D simulations, we demonstrate that the inherent density asymmetry across the boundary layer leads to a spectrum of oblique interchange instabilities along the magnetospheric side of the vortices. These secondary instabilities give rise to turbulence, which transports the solar wind plasma originally stored within the flow vortices deep into the magnetosphere. Simple estimates suggest that this turbulent transport may contribute significantly to the formation of the Earth's low‐latitude boundary layer and the cold‐dense plasma sheet during prolonged periods of northward IMF.

Physics in the magnetic configuration space of W7-X

The neoclassical confinement and the bootstrap current are analysed in the configuration space of W7-X by self-consistent neoclassical transport simulations. Since the establishment of quasi-stationary operation is the most important goal for W7-X, the analysis concentrates on high-performance discharge scenarios in magnetic configurations which are adjusted so that bootstrap current vanishes, or, alternatively, on scenarios where the bootstrap current can be balanced by strong ECCD. Both scenarios lead to restrictions either in the configuration space or in plasma parameters and ECRH heating scenarios. Furthermore, the flexibility of the magnetic configuration space of W7-X is briefly described with emphasis on other physics topics of interest, for example, ballooning unstable configurations as well as configurations with a magnetic hill which might lead to interchange instability.

Stability of fixed points and generalized critical behavior in multifield models.

We study models with three coupled vector fields characterized by O(N_{1})⊕O(N_{2})⊕O(N_{3}) symmetry. Using the nonperturbative functional renormalization group, we derive β functions for the couplings and anomalous dimensions in d dimensions. Specializing to the case of three dimensions, we explore interacting fixed points that generalize the O(N) Wilson-Fisher fixed point. We find a symmetry-enhanced isotropic fixed point, a large class of fixed points with partial symmetry enhancement, as well as partially and fully decoupled fixed-point solutions. We discuss their stability properties for all values of N_{1},N_{2}, and N_{3}, emphasizing important differences to the related two-field models. For small numbers of field components, we find no stable fixed-point solutions, and we argue that this can be attributed to the presence of a large class of possible (mixed) couplings in the three-field and multifield models. Furthermore, we contrast different mechanisms for stability interchange between fixed points in the case of the two- and three-field models, which generically proceed through fixed-point collisions.

1. Transport of Mass, Momentum and Energy in Planetary Magnetodisc Regions

The rapid rotation of the gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, leads to the formation of magnetodisc regions in their magnetospheric environments. In these regions, relatively cold plasma is confined towards the equatorial regions, and the magnetic field generated by the azimuthal (ring) current adds to the planetary dipole, forming radially distended field lines near the equatorial plane. The ensuing force balance in the equatorial magnetodisc is strongly influenced by centrifugal stress and by the thermal pressure of hot ion populations, whose thermal energy is large compared to the magnitude of their centrifugal potential energy. The sources of plasma for the Jovian and Kronian magnetospheres are the respective satellites Io (a volcanic moon) and Enceladus (an icy moon). The plasma produced by these sources is globally transported outwards through the respective magnetosphere, and ultimately lost from the system. One of the most studied mechanisms for this transport is flux tube interchange, a plasma instability which displaces mass but does not displace magnetic flux—an important observational constraint for any transport process. Pressure anisotropy is likely to play a role in the loss of plasma from these magnetospheres. This is especially the case for the Jovian system, which can harbour strong parallel pressures at the equatorial segments of rotating, expanding flux tubes, leading to these regions becoming unstable, blowing open and releasing their plasma. Plasma mass loss is also associated with magnetic reconnection events in the magnetotail regions. In this overview, we summarise some important observational and theoretical concepts associated with the production and transport of plasma in giant planet magnetodiscs. We begin by considering aspects of force balance in these systems, and their coupling with the ionospheres of their parent planets. We then describe the role of the interaction between neutral and ionized species, and how it determines the rate at which plasma mass and momentum are added to the magnetodisc. Following this, we describe the observational properties of plasma injections, and the consequent implications for the nature of global plasma transport and magnetodisc stability. The theory of the flux tube interchange instability is reviewed, and the influences of gravity and magnetic curvature on the instability are described. The interaction between simulated interchange plasma structures and Saturn’s moon Titan is discussed, and its relationship to observed periodic phenomena at Saturn is described. Finally, the observation, generation and evolution of plasma waves associated with mass loading in the magnetodisc regions is reviewed.

Gravity wave effects on postsunset equatorial F region stability

AbstractThe influence of gravity waves on the stability of the postsunset equatorial F region ionosphere is investigated numerically. For this investigation, we use the output of a direct numerical simulation of waves and turbulence in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere to force a simulation of ionospheric dynamics. Both simulations are cast in three dimensions. The effectiveness of the neutral‐plasma coupling involved is generally thought to depend on the dynamo efficiency and spatial resonance of the forcing, which we evaluate. In our simulations, the postsunset equatorial ionosphere could be deformed by neutral waves after 5–15 min most severely when the wavefronts were aligned approximately with the magnetic meridian, despite the fact that the dynamo efficiency is modest even in that case. However, poor spatial resonance limits the subsequent growth of the deformations in our simulations, and the seeding of interchange instabilities does not occur. The coupled simulations predict the formation of intermediate layers in the equatorial valley region (150–250 km apex altitude) under some circumstances that could serve as telltales in nature of the presence of the kind of neutral forcing we simulate.

Active feedback stabilization of multimode flute instability in a mirror trap

The flute instability in a table-top mirror machine has been stabilized by a feedback system consisting of optical sensors, a digital signal processor and charge-injecting electrodes. The use of multiple sensors and actuators enable the feedback to simultaneously stabilize two modes of the fast-growing, slowly rotating flute instability. Step function response and magnetohydrodynamic spectroscopy indicate a smooth frequency response and an inherent delayed response of the plasma drift due to the sheath resistivity. The measured feedback power is very small relative to the heating power of the plasma.

Scattering of electromagnetic waves by vortex density structures associated with interchange instability: Analytical and large scale plasma simulation results

The presence of plasma turbulence can strongly influence propagation properties of electromagnetic signals used for surveillance and communication. In particular, we are interested in the generation of low frequency plasma density irregularities in the form of coherent vortex structures. Interchange or flute type density irregularities in magnetized plasma are associated with Rayleigh-Taylor type instability. These types of density irregularities play an important role in refraction and scattering of high frequency electromagnetic signals propagating in the earth ionosphere, in high energy density physics, and in many other applications. We will discuss scattering of high frequency electromagnetic waves on low frequency density irregularities due to the presence of vortex density structures associated with interchange instability. We will also present particle-in-cell simulation results of electromagnetic scattering on vortex type density structures using the large scale plasma code LSP and compare them with analytical results.

Characteristics of magnetic island formation due to resistive interchange instability in helical plasma

Focusing attention on the magnetic island formation, we investigate the characteristics of the resistive interchange magnetohydrodynamics instabilities, which would limit a high beta operational regime in helical type fusion reactors. An introduction of a new index, i.e., the ratio of the magnetic fluctuation level to the radial displacement, enables us to make a systematic analysis on the magnetic island formation in the large helical device-like plasmas during the linear growth phase; (i) the interchange instability with the second largest growth rate makes the magnetic island larger than that with the largest growth rate when the amplitude of the radial displacement in both cases is almost the same as each other; (ii) applied to a typical tearing instability, the index is smaller than that for the interchange instability with the second largest growth rate.

Plasma blob formation by ion kinetic Kelvin–Helmholtz and interchange instabilities

The near-edge region of a tokamak is observed to generate radially propagating, coherent filamentary structures (‘blobs’), which transport particles and heat from the confined region and across the scrape-off layer. The distribution of blob sizes may include a currently unresolvable population with radii comparable to the ion gyro-radius. Here, we conduct large-scale numerical simulations to study mechanisms for the creation of ion gyro-scale blobs via the ion kinetic Kelvin–Helmholtz and interchange instabilities, using a hybrid (kinetic ion, fluid electron) model. We present statistics of the sizes of blobs created by these instabilities, and radial particle displacement data. We find that ion gyro-scale blobs constitute a significant portion of the blob population, and that an increase in ion gyro-radius results in an increase in radial transport. Results are contrasted for pure proton plasmas and for 50 : 50 deuterium–tritium mix, relevant to burning plasmas. We conclude that ion kinetic physics plays a significant role in the transport of energy and particles by ion gyro-scale blobs in the near-edge region of low-field tokamaks.

Flute growth rate of plasma jet in mirror machine

The evolution of flute instability in a cold, high-density hydrogen plasma jet, injected into a mirror machine, is studied. The experiment was designed to minimize the interaction of the plasma with the walls, thus bringing it close to the ideal magnetic Rayleigh–Taylor instability conditions. The modal growth rate was measured in various settings to demonstrate the effects of the finite Larmor radius, Bohm diffusion, conductive limiter, biased limiter and neutral background gas. In this paper we will demonstrate that lowering the magnetic field increases stability, as does the insertion of a conducting ring. However, if the ring is biased, the stability is reduced due to inhomogeneous coupling between the plasma and the limiter. It was also found that heavy background gas dramatically reduces the flute instability growth rate.

Equatorial spread F initiation and growth from satellite traces as revealed from conjugate point observations in Brazil

AbstractA better understanding of the precursor conditions for the instability growth is very important for identifying the causes of day‐to‐day variability in the equatorial spread F (ESF)/plasma bubble irregularity development. We investigate here the satellite trace (S‐trace) in the ionograms, a precursor to the postsunset ESF occurrence, as observed by Digisondes operated at an equatorial and two magnetic conjugate sites in Brazil during a 66 day observational campaign (Conjugate Point Equatorial Experiment 2002). The satellite traces first occur at the equatorial site, and sequentially, after a variable delay of approximately 20 to 50 min, they are observed nearly simultaneously over the two conjugate sites. The evening prereversal enhancement in the zonal electric field/vertical drift is found to control its development. Using a three‐dimensional simulation code based on collisional interchange instability mechanism, it is shown that the observed S‐trace occurrence sequence is fully consistent with the instability initiation over the equator with the field‐aligned plasma depletion vertical growth marked by latitudinal expansion of its extremities to conjugate locations. The delay in the S‐trace occurrence at the conjugate sites (a measure of the nonlinear growth of the instability for plasma depletion) is controlled also by field line parallel (meridional) neutral wind. The relationship between the S‐trace and the large‐scale wave structure in the F layer, another widely known characterization of the precursor condition for the ESF development, is also clarified.

Theoretical constraints on the cross-tail width of bursty bulk flows

Abstract. The characteristic cross-tail width of bursty bulk flows (BBFs) in earth's plasma sheet was investigated at two stages of its life, one at its onset, the other when it is fully developed. Equilibrium domains with gradient of magnetic field are constructed. Interchange instability analysis of such domains yields the most unstable mode with the half wave length comparable with the observed cross-tail width of a flow burst and the inverse of growth rate comparable with its duration. The thickness of the plasma sheet for the most unstable mode is also comparable to the width of BBFs in the north–south direction. We found that viscosity, the dimension of the unstable domain, the thickness of the plasma sheet and gradient of the magnetic field together determine the most unstable mode. The ion Larmor radius plays an important role in viscosity as half effective mean free path. For a fully developed flow, however, velocity-caused pressure difference between the leading and trailing sides of a flow burst also plays a role. The equatorial cross section of flow is reshaped and its cross-tail width is changed as well. Representing the surrounding medium with empirical magnetic field and plasma models, the force balance of the fast flow is analyzed. The cross-section area of flow burst is estimated to be one to several square earth radii, and the cross-tail width of fast flow is estimated to be 1 to 3 earth radii, which is consistent with observations of BBFs.

Statistical analysis of radar observed F region irregularities from three longitudinal sectors

Abstract. Equatorial Spread F (ESF) is a manifestation of ionospheric interchange instabilities in the nighttime equatorial F region. These instabilities generate plasma density irregularities with scale sizes ranging from centimetres to thousands of kilometres. The irregularities can be detected from a variety of instruments such as digisonde, coherent and incoherent scatter radars, in situ space probes, and airglow photometers. In the present study, occurrence statistics of the ESF, based on various parameters are presented using data obtained from the VHF radars located at three longitudinally separated equatorial stations: Christmas Island (2° N, 202.6° E, 2.9° N dip latitude), São Luís (2.59° S, 315.8° E, 0.5° S dip latitude) and Jicamarca (12° S, 283.1° E, 0.6° N dip latitude). The ESF parameters presented here are the onset altitude, onset time (onset refers to first appearance of signal in the radar field of view) of the bottom-type and plume, and the peak altitude of the plume. Recent studies have used these parameters to classify the spread F occurrence characteristics. The present study reveals novel features namely, the dependence of ESF parameters on the seasonal, solar flux, declination angle and longitudinal dependence from the three radar sites. In addition, we also present an empirical model to determine the nature of these ESF parameters as a function of the solar flux which may enable us to forecast (with 30 min to 1 h tolerance) the plume occurrence at any longitude located in between São Luís and Christmas Island.