Hot Magnetized Plasma Research Articles

Magnetohydrodynamics modelling successfully predicts new helical states in reversed-field pinch fusion plasmas

Nonlinear fluid modelling predictions of qualitatively new self-organized helical states in the reversed-field pinch configuration are confirmed by experiments in the RFX-mod device. The new states are realized by using a seed edge magnetic field, which can impose its helical pitch to the whole plasma. In simulations, we show increased magnetic order and reduced transport of magnetic field lines in regimes with the twist of a non-resonant mode. We reveal the existence of Cantori, encompassing the region characterized by conserved magnetic surfaces, which act as barriers to transport of magnetic field lines. This opens a new research line for transport studies in hot magnetized plasmas and highlights a path towards reversed-field pinches with high confinement at high current.

Negative and positive dust grain effect on the modulation instability of an intense laser propagating in a hot magnetoplasma

The modulation instability of intense circularly polarized laser beam in hot magnetized dusty plasma is studied. A nonlinear equation describing the interaction of laser with dusty plasma in the quasi-neutral approximation is derived. The effect of negative and positive dust grains on the laser modulation growth rate is studied. It is shown that the existence of positive dust grains instead of ions can substantially improve the modulation growth rate.

Relativistic self-focusing of an intense laser pulse with hot magnetized plasma in the presence of a helical magnetostatic wiggler

In this paper, we study the nonlinear interaction of a circularly polarized laser pulse propagating through a hot magnetized plasma in the presence of a helical magnetostatic wiggler. A non-linear equation that describes the spot-size of the laser beam for both left- and right-hand polarizations has been derived. Non-linear dispersion relation describing the evolution of the laser frequency propagating through the hot magnetized plasma has been obtained. The effect of the wiggler magnetic field strength on the evolution of the laser spot-size has been discussed. The results indicate that for the right-hand polarization with increasing wiggler magnetic field strength, the laser spot-size decreases and the laser pulse becomes more focused. On the contrary, for the left-hand polarization, the self-focusing decreases with increasing wiggler magnetic field strength. Besides, it was found that in the right-hand polarization, the laser spot-size increases with the increasing plasma temperature, and the laser beam becomes more defocused. Furthermore, for the left-hand polarization, the laser self-focusing increases with the decreasing plasma temperature. Further numerical results revealed that by increasing the wiggler field strength, the normalized laser power increases significantly.

Self-Focusing and de-Focusing of Intense Left- and Right-Hand Polarized Laser Pulse in Hot Magnetized Plasma in the Presence of an External Non-Uniform Magnetized Field

In this paper, self-focusing of an intense circularly polarized laser beam in the presence of a non-uniform positive guide magnetic field with slope constant parameter δ in hot magnetized plasma, using Maxwell’s equations and relativistic fluid momentum equation is investigated. An envelope equation governing the spot-size of laser beam for both of left- and right-hand polarizations has been derived, and the effects of the plasma temperature and magnetic field on the electron density distribution of hot plasma with respect to variation of normalized laser spot-size has been studied. Numerical results show that self-focusing is better increased in the presence of an external non-uniform magnetic field. Moreover, in plasma density profile, self-focusing of the laser pulse improves in comparison with no non-uniform magnetic field. Also, with increasing slope of constant parameter of the non-uniform magnetic field, the self-focusing increases, and subsequently, the spot-size of laser pulse propagated through the hot magnetized plasma decreases.

Nonlinear interaction of intense left- and right-hand polarized laser pulse with hot magnetized plasma

In this article, self-focusing of an intense circularly polarized laser pulse in the presence of an external oblique magnetic field in hot magnetized plasma, using Maxwell’s equations and the relativistic fluid momentum equation, is studied. An envelope equation governing the spot size of the laser beam for both of left- and right-hand polarizations has been derived and the effects of the plasma temperature and oblique magnetic field on the electron density distribution of hot plasma with respect to variation of the normalized laser spot size has been investigated. Numerical results depict that in right-hand polarization, self-focusing of the laser pulse along the propagation direction in hot magnetized plasma becomes better and more compressed with increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$. Inversely, in left-hand polarization, increase of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D703}$ in an oblique magnetic field leads to enhancement of the spot size and reduction self-focusing. Besides, in the plasma density profile, self-focusing of the laser pulse improves in comparison with no oblique magnetic field. Also it is shown that plasma temperature has a key role in the laser spot size, normalized laser output power and the variation of plasma density.

Mass ablation and magnetic flux losses through a magnetized plasma-liner wall interface

The understanding of energy and magnetic flux losses in a magnetized plasma medium confined by a cold wall is of great interest in the success of magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF). In a MagLIF scheme, the fuel is magnetized and subsonically compressed by a cylindrical liner. Magnetic flux conservation is degraded by the presence of gradient-driven transport processes such as thermoelectric effects (Nernst) and magnetic field diffusion. In previous publications [Velikovich et al., Phys. Plasmas 22, 042702 (2015)], the evolution of a hot magnetized plasma in contact with a cold solid wall (liner) was studied using the classical collisional Braginskii's plasma transport equations in one dimension. The Nernst term degraded the magnetic flux conservation, while both thermal energy and magnetic flux losses were reduced with the electron Hall parameter ωeτe with a power-law asymptotic scaling (ωeτe)−1/2. In the analysis made in the present paper, we consider a similar situation, but with the liner being treated differently. Instead of a cold solid wall acting as a heat sink, we model the liner as a cold dense plasma with low thermal conduction (that could represent the cryogenic fuel layer added on the inner surface of the liner in a high-gain MagLIF configuration). Mass ablation comes into play, which adds notably differences to the previous analysis. The direction of the plasma motion is inverted, but the Nernst term still convects the magnetic field towards the liner. Magnetization suppresses the Nernst velocity and improves the magnetic flux conservation. Thermal energy in the hot plasma is lost in heating the ablated material. When the electron Hall parameter is large, mass ablation scales as (ωeτe)−3/10, while both the energy and magnetic flux losses are reduced with a power-law asymptotic scaling (ωeτe)−7/10.

Self-focusing and de-focusing of intense left and right-hand polarized laser pulse in hot magnetized plasma: Laser out-put power and laser spot-size

In this work, self-focusing of an intense circularly polarized laser pulse in hot magnetized plasma using Maxwell’s equations and relativistic fluid momentum equation is investigated. An envelope equation governing the spot-size of laser beam for both of left- and right-hand polarizations has been derived and the effects of the plasma temperature and magnetic field on the spatial electron density distribution of hot plasma with respect to variation of normalized laser spot-size has been studied. Numerical results indicate that with increasing the magnetic field strength self-focusing of the right-hand polarization laser pulse increases, while for the left-hand polarization, laser de-focusing enhances. Furthermore, it is found that for right-hand polarization of the incident laser, when the external magnetic field strength enhances the laser spot-size reduces and laser pulse becomes focused. In fact, effect magnetic field on the density profile in right-hand polarization is more prominent. Also it is shown that plasma temperature has a significant role in the, laser spot-size, laser out-put power and the variation of plasma density.

On all-FLR order numerical modelling of RF wave propagation and damping

Determining the fate of waves in hot magnetized plasmas in magnetic confinement fusion machines close to arbitrary cyclotron harmonics retaining finite Larmor radius effects requires solving the relevant integro-differential wave equation for waves of arbitrary wavelength. Anticipating exploitation in as realistic geometry as possible this requires massive computer resources. Work is ongoing to attempt reducing the required CPU memory and time. As Morlet wavelets are localised in x-space as well as k-space, they potentially offer a means to solve the relevant wave equation at reduced CPU requirement cost. Encouraging first results are obtained.

Whistlers, helicons, and lower hybrid waves: The physics of radio frequency wave propagation and absorption for current drive via Landau damping

This introductory-level tutorial article describes the application of plasma waves in the lower hybrid range of frequencies (LHRF) for current drive in tokamaks. Wave damping mechanisms in a nearly collisionless hot magnetized plasma are briefly described, and the connections between the properties of the damping mechanisms and the optimal choices of wave properties (mode, frequency, wavelength) are explored. The two wave modes available for current drive in the LHRF are described and compared. The terms applied to these waves in different applications of plasma physics are elucidated. The character of the ray paths of these waves in the LHRF is illustrated in slab and toroidal geometries. Applications of these ideas to experiments in the DIII-D tokamak are discussed.

Effect of dynamical non-neutrality on the modulational instability of laser propagating through hot magnetoplasma

In this work, modulational instability of a laser pulse in a hot magnetized plasma is investigated. Nonlinear relativistic equation, describing the amplitude evolution of a laser with finite longitudinal and transversal structure, is obtained. Taking into account the plasma dynamical non-neutrality caused by the ponderomotive force, the growth rate of the modulational instability is derived. Effect of the pulse length on the instability growth rate is investigated.

Magnetic flux and heat losses by diffusive, advective, and Nernst effects in magnetized liner inertial fusion-like plasma

The magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) approach to inertial confinement fusion [Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010); Cuneo et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40, 3222 (2012)] involves subsonic/isobaric compression and heating of a deuterium-tritium plasma with frozen-in magnetic flux by a heavy cylindrical liner. The losses of heat and magnetic flux from the plasma to the liner are thereby determined by plasma advection and gradient-driven transport processes, such as thermal conductivity, magnetic field diffusion, and thermomagnetic effects. Theoretical analysis based on obtaining exact self-similar solutions of the classical collisional Braginskii's plasma transport equations in one dimension demonstrates that the heat loss from the hot compressed magnetized plasma to the cold liner is dominated by transverse heat conduction and advection, and the corresponding loss of magnetic flux is dominated by advection and the Nernst effect. For a large electron Hall parameter (ωeτe≫1), the effective diffusion coefficients determining the losses of heat and magnetic flux to the liner wall are both shown to decrease with ωeτe as does the Bohm diffusion coefficient cT/(16eB), which is commonly associated with low collisionality and two-dimensional transport. We demonstrate how this family of exact solutions can be used for verification of codes that model the MagLIF plasma dynamics.

Finding the elusive E×B staircase in magnetized plasmas.

Turbulence in hot magnetized plasmas is shown to generate permeable localized transport barriers that globally organize into the so-called "ExB staircase" [G. Dif-Pradalier et al., Phys. Rev. E, 82, 025401(R) (2010)]. Its domain of existence and dependence with key plasma parameters is discussed theoretically. Based on these predictions, staircases are observed experimentally in the Tore Supra tokamak by means of high-resolution fast-sweeping X-mode reflectometry. This observation strongly emphasizes the critical role of mesoscale self-organization in plasma turbulence and may have far-reaching consequences for turbulent transport models and their validation.

Effect of dust-charge fluctuations on dust acoustic solitary waves in an inhomogeneous dusty plasma with nonextensive electrons

The effects of adiabatic dust grain charge fluctuation and inhomogeneity on the nonlinear properties of dust acoustic (DA) solitary waves are studied. The plasma under consideration is a hot magnetized dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged dust particles, Boltzmann ions, and nonextensive electrons. A modified Zakharov-Kusnetsov equation, which admits a solitary wave solution, is derived using the reductive perturbation theory. It is found that the charge fluctuation of the dust grain modifies the nature of DA solitary structures. The numerical results may be useful to understand phenomena in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

INSTABILITY OF THE HELIOPAUSE DRIVEN BY CHARGE EXCHANGE INTERACTIONS

The stability of the heliopause that separates the tenuous hot magnetized heliosheath plasma from the dense cool local interstellar magnetized plasma is examined using a fully general model that includes all the essential physical processes. Charge exchange coupling between plasma protons and primary interstellar neutral atoms provides an effective gravity that drives Rayleigh-Taylor (RT)-like instabilities. The velocity difference or shear between the heliosheath and interstellar flows, when coupled to energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), drives a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH)-like instability on the heliopause. The shoulder region of the heliopause is unstable to a new instability that has characteristics of a mixed RT-KH-like mode. The instabilities are not stabilized by typical values of the magnetic fields in the inner and outer heliosheath (OHS). ENAs play an essential role in driving the KH-like instability, which is fully stabilized in their absence by magnetic fields. The nonlinear phase of these instabilities is briefly discussed. We also discuss the possibility that RT-like or mixed KH-RT-like instabilities drag outer heliosheath/very local interstellar medium (OHS/VLISM) magnetic field lines into the inner heliosheath (IHS) with the VLISM flow, and the possibility that IHS and VLISM magnetic field lines experience reconnection. Such reconnection may (1) greatly enhance the mixing ofmore » plasmas across the heliopause and (2) provide open magnetic field lines that allow easy ingress of galactic cosmic rays into the heliosphere and corresponding easy loss of anomalous cosmic rays from the heliosphere.« less

Three-dimensional general relativistic radiation magnetohydrodynamical simulation of super-Eddington accretion, using a new code harmrad with M1 closure

Black hole (BH) accretion flows and jets are dynamic hot relativistic magnetized plasma flows whose radiative opacity can significantly affect flow structure and behavior. We describe a numerical scheme, tests, and an astrophysically relevant application using the M1 radiation closure within a new three-dimensional (3D) general relativistic (GR) radiation (R) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) massively parallel code called HARMRAD. Our 3D GRRMHD simulation of super-Eddington accretion (about $20$ times Eddington) onto a rapidly rotating BH (dimensionless spin $j=0.9375$) shows sustained non-axisymmemtric disk turbulence, a persistent electromagnetic jet driven by the Blandford-Znajek effect, and a total radiative output consistently near the Eddington rate. The total accretion efficiency is of order $20\%$, the large-scale electromagnetic jet efficiency is of order $10\%$, and the total radiative efficiency that reaches large distances remains low at only order $1\%$. However, the radiation jet and the electromagnetic jet both emerge from a geometrically beamed polar region, with super-Eddington isotropic equivalent luminosities. Such simulations with HARMRAD can enlighten the role of BH spin vs.\ disks in launching jets, help determine the origin of spectral and temporal states in x-ray binaries, help understand how tidal disruption events (TDEs) work, provide an accurate horizon-scale flow structure for M87 and other active galactic nuclei (AGN), and isolate whether AGN feedback is driven by radiation or by an electromagnetic, thermal, or kinetic wind/jet. For example, the low radiative efficiency and weak BH spin-down rate from our simulation suggest that BH growth over cosmological times to billions of solar masses by redshifts of $z\sim 6-8$ is achievable even with rapidly rotating BHs and ten solar mass BH seeds.

Polarization effect on the relativistic nonlinear dynamics of an intense laser beam propagating in a hot magnetoactive plasma

Nonlinear dynamics of an intense circularly polarized laser beam interacting with a hot magnetized plasma is investigated. Using a relativistic fluid model, a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived based on a quasineutral approximation, which is valid for hot plasma. Using a three-dimensional model, spatial-temporal development of the laser pulse is investigated. The occurrence of some nonlinear phenomena such as self-focusing, self-modulation, light trapping, and filamentation of the laser pulse is discussed. Also the effect of polarization and external magnetic field on the nonlinear evolution of these phenomena is studied.

Exact kinetic theory for the instability of an electron beam in a hot magnetized plasma

Efficiency of collective beam-plasma interaction strongly depends on the growth rates of dominant instabilities excited in the system. Nevertheless, exact calculations of the full unstable spectrum in the framework of relativistic kinetic theory for arbitrary magnetic fields and particle distributions were unknown until now. In this paper, we give an example of such a calculation answering the question whether the finite thermal spreads of plasma electrons are able to suppress the fastest growing modes in the beam-plasma system. It is shown that nonrelativistic temperatures of Maxwellian plasmas can stabilize only the oblique instabilities of relativistic beam. On the contrary, non-Maxwellian tails typically found in laboratory beam-plasma experiments are able to substantially reduce the growth rate of the dominant longitudinal modes affecting the efficiency of turbulent plasma heating.

On the kinetic Alfvén waves in nonrelativistic spin quantum plasmas

We have studied the effect of electron spin on the kinetic Alfvén waves in the presence of uniform static magnetic field in an electron–ion plasma. We deduce that the usual kinetic Alfvén waves are modified via spin quantum effects of electrons. The dimensionless parameters that determine the relative importance of the electron spin become prominent at higher densities. It is found that the kinetic Alfvén wave frequency decreases due to the electron spin contribution in the kinetic limit while in the inertial limit they are almost unaffected in a hot magnetized plasma. • Spin-modified Vlasov–Maxwell equations have been used to derive the generalized dispersion relation of kinetic Alfvén waves for spin quantum plasmas. • It is found that the spin quantum effects suppress the Alfvén wave frequency in a hot magnetized plasma. • The applicability of the present results to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) as well as to astrophysical environments has been point out.

Relativistic nonlinear dynamics of an intense laser beam propagating in a hot electron-positron magnetoactive plasma

The present study is devoted to investigation of the nonlinear dynamics of an intense laser beam interacting with a hot magnetized electron-positron plasma. Propagation of the intense circularly polarized laser beam along an external magnetic field is studied using a relativistic two-fluid model. A modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived based on the quasi-neutral approximation, which is valid for hot plasma. Light envelope solitary waves and modulation instability are studied, for one-dimensional case. Using a three-dimensional model, spatial-temporal development of laser pulse is investigated. Occurrence of some nonlinear phenomena such as self-focusing, self-modulation, light trapping, and filamentation of laser pulse is discussed. Also the effect of external magnetic field and plasma temperature on the nonlinear evolution of these phenomena is studied.

Competition of circularly polarized laser modes in the modulation instability of hot magnetoplasma

The present study is aimed to investigate the problem of modulation instability of an intense laser beam in the hot magnetized plasma. The propagation of intense circularly polarized laser beam along the external magnetic field is considered using a relativistic fluid model. The nonlinear equation describing the interaction of laser pulse with magnetized hot plasma is derived in the quasi-neutral approximation, which is valid for hot plasma. Nonlinear dispersion equation for hot plasma is obtained. For left- and right-hand polarizations, the growth rate of instability is achieved and the effect of temperature, external magnetic field, and kind of polarization on the growth rate is considered. It is observed that for the right-hand polarization, increase of magnetic field leads to the increasing of growth rate. Also for the left-hand polarization, increase of magnetic field inversely causes decrease of the growth rate.