Ion-neutral Collisions Research Articles

Multi-fluid Approach to High-frequency Waves in Plasmas. II. Small-amplitude Regime in Partially Ionized Media

Abstract The presence of neutral species in a plasma has been shown to greatly affect the properties of magnetohydrodynamic waves. For instance, the interaction between ions and neutrals through momentum transfer collisions causes the damping of Alfvén waves and alters their oscillation frequency and phase speed. When the collision frequencies are larger than the frequency of the waves, single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic approximations can accurately describe the effects of partial ionization, since there is a strong coupling between the various species. However, at higher frequencies, the single-fluid models are not applicable and more complex approaches are required. Here, we use a five-fluid model with three ionized and two neutral components, which takes into consideration Hall’s current and Ohm’s diffusion in addition to the friction due to collisions between different species. We apply our model to plasmas composed of hydrogen and helium, and allow the ionization degree to be arbitrary. By analyzing the corresponding dispersion relation and numerical simulations, we study the properties of small-amplitude perturbations. We discuss the effect of momentum transfer collisions on the ion-cyclotron resonances and compare the importance of magnetic resistivity, and ion–neutral and ion–ion collisions on the wave damping at various frequency ranges. Applications to partially ionized plasmas of the solar atmosphere are performed.

Two-fluid biasing simulations of the large plasma device

External biasing of the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) and its impact on plasma flows and turbulence are explored for the first time in 3D simulations using the Global Braginskii Solver code. Without external biasing, the LAPD plasma spontaneously rotates in the ion diamagnetic direction. The application of a positive bias increases the plasma rotation in the simulations, which show the emergence of a coherent Kelvin Helmholtz (KH) mode outside of the cathode edge with poloidal mode number m≃6. Negative biasing reduces the rotation in the simulations, which exhibit KH turbulence modestly weaker than but otherwise similar to unbiased simulations. Biasing either way, but especially positively, forces the plasma potential inside the cathode edge to a spatially constant, KH-stable profile, leading to a more quiescent core plasma than the unbiased case. A moderate increase in plasma confinement and an associated steepening of the profiles are seen in the biasing runs. The simulations thus show that the application of external biasing can improve confinement while also driving a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Ion-neutral collisions have only a weak effect in the biased or unbiased simulations.

Effect of secondary electron emission on nonlinear dust acoustic wave propagation in a complex plasma with negative equilibrium dust charge

In this paper, we have investigated the effect of secondary electron emission on nonlinear propagation of dust acoustic waves in a complex plasma where equilibrium dust charge is negative. The primary electrons, secondary electrons, and ions are Boltzmann distributed, and only dust grains are inertial. Electron-neutral and ion-neutral collisions have been neglected with the assumption that electron and ion mean free paths are very large compared to the plasma Debye length. Both adiabatic and nonadiabatic dust charge variations have been separately taken into account. In the case of adiabatic dust charge variation, nonlinear propagation of dust acoustic waves is governed by the KdV (Korteweg-de Vries) equation, whereas for nonadiabatic dust charge variation, it is governed by the KdV-Burger equation. The solution of the KdV equation gives a dust acoustic soliton, whose amplitude and width depend on the secondary electron yield. Similarly, the KdV-Burger equation provides a dust acoustic shock wave. This dust acoustic shock wave may be monotonic or oscillatory in nature depending on the fact that whether it is dissipation dominated or dispersion dominated. Our analysis shows that secondary electron emission increases nonadiabaticity induced dissipation and consequently increases the monotonicity of the dust acoustic shock wave. Such a dust acoustic shock wave may accelerate charge particles and cause bremsstrahlung radiation in space plasmas whose physical process may be affected by secondary electron emission from dust grains. The effect of the secondary electron emission on the stability of the equilibrium points of the KdV-Burger equation has also been investigated. This equation has two equilibrium points. The trivial equilibrium point with zero potential is a saddle and hence unstable in nature. The nontrivial equilibrium point with constant nonzero potential is a stable node up to a critical value of the wave velocity and a stable focus above it. This critical value increases with increasing secondary electron emission. Thus, in the presence of secondary electron emission, higher velocity shock waves are monotonic. The results have been numerically explained considering the presence of Al2O3 dust grains in the plasma.

High energy gamma rays from nebulae associated with extragalactic microquasars and ultra-luminous X-ray sources

In the extragalactic sky, microquasars and ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are known as energetic compact objects locating at off-nucleus positions in galaxies. Some of these objects are associated with expanding bubbles with a velocity of 80–250 kms−1. We investigate the shock acceleration of particles in those expanding nebulae. The nebulae having fast expansion velocity ≳120kms−1 are able to accelerate cosmic rays up to ∼100 TeV. If 10% of the shock kinetic energy goes into particle acceleration, powerful nebulae such as the microquasar S26 in NGC 7793 would emit gamma rays up to several tens TeV with a photon index of ∼2. These nebulae will be good targets for future Cherenkov Telescope Array observations given its sensitivity and angular resolution. They would also contribute to ∼7% of the unresolved cosmic gamma-ray background radiation at ≥ 0.1 GeV. In contrast, particle acceleration in slowly expanding nebulae ≲120kms−1 would be less efficient due to ion-neutral collisions and result in softer spectra at ≳ 10 GeV.

Separation of Isotopologues in Ultra-High-Resolution Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

Ion mobility spectrometry provides ion separation in the gas phase mainly based on differing ion-neutral collision cross sections, enabling powerful analysis of many isomers. However, the separation also has a miniscule mass dependence due to the acceleration and collision properties. In this work, we show for the first time that using a compact ultra-high-resolution ion mobility spectrometer with a resolving power of 250 and an UV ionization source enables the separation of isotopologues with ion mobility spectrometry. This is demonstrated for regular and perdeuterated acetone, benzene, and toluene as well as toluene-13C7 in nitrogen and in purified air as drift gas. The observed peak shifts in the ion mobility spectrum agree with the basic ion mobility equation when using nitrogen as drift gas and also agree with a combination of this equation with Blanc's law when using purified air as drift gas. For benzene and toluene, a reduction in the ion-neutral collision cross section of the isotopically replaced species is observed. Furthermore, a third peak formed from regular and perdeuterated acetone is observed, which can most likely be attributed to the exchange of a methyl group.

Effect of ion radiative cooling on Jeans instability of partially ionized dusty plasma with dust charge fluctuation

In this paper, the effect of ion radiative cooling on the gravitational instability of dusty plasma is studied, incorporating dust charge fluctuation with dust-neutral, neutral-ion, and ion-neutral collisions. The basic equations are linearized using normal mode analysis to obtain a general dispersion relation. The general dispersion relation is analytically and numerically discussed to explain the role of ion radiative cooling in the structure formation through gravitational instability. The Jeans collapse criteria are found to be modified due to ion and electron radiative cooling, dust charge fluctuations, and collisions effects. It is determined from the analytical and numerical calculations that the support of radiative cooling of ions drives thermal fluctuations and gives instability to the system. The electron cooling effect remains dominating over ion cooling effect, and thus, it enhances the collapse more efficiently than ion cooling effect. Although the radiative cooling is slow, it may precede the collapse in molecular cloud, which further leads to the structure formation. The present work is relevance for the structure formation in the molecular cloud.

Fluctuation of Position and Energy of a Fine Particle in Plasma Nanofabrication

We are developing plasma nanofabrication, namely, nanoand micro scale guided assembly using plasmas. We manipulate nanoand micro objects using electrostatic, electromagnetic, ion drag, neutral drag, and optical forces. The accuracy of positioning the objects depends on fluctuation of position and energy of a fine particle (= each object) in plasmas. Here we evaluate such fluctuations and discuss the mechanism behind them. In the first experiment, we grabbed a fine particle in plasma using an optical tweezers. The fine particle moves in a potential well made by the optical tweezers. This is a kind of Brownian motion and the position fluctuation can be caused by neutral molecule collisions, ion collisions, and fluctuation of electrostatic force. Among theses possible causes, fluctuation of electrostatic force may be main one. In the second experiment, we deduced interaction potential between two fine particles during their Coulomb collision. We found that there exist repulsive and attractive forces between them. The repulsive force is a screened Coulomb one, whereas the attractive force is likely a force due to a shadow effect, a non-collective attractive force. Moreover, we noted that there is a fluctuation of the potential, probably due to fluctuation of electrostatic force. These position and potential energy fluctuations may limit the accuracy of guided assembly using plasmas.

ON THE MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN CHROMOSPHERIC FEATURES AND THE MAGNETIC FIELD ON THE SUN

ABSTRACT Observations of the upper chromosphere show an enormous amount of intricate fine structure. Much of this comes in the form of linear features, which are most often assumed to be well aligned with the direction of the magnetic field in the low plasma β regime that is thought to dominate the upper chromosphere. We use advanced radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations, including the effects of ion-neutral interactions (using the generalized Ohm’s law) in the partially ionized chromosphere, to show that the magnetic field is often not well aligned with chromospheric features. This occurs where the ambipolar diffusion is large, i.e., ions and neutral populations decouple as the ion-neutral collision frequency drops, allowing the field to slip through the neutral population; where currents perpendicular to the field are strong; and where thermodynamic timescales are longer than or similar to those of ambipolar diffusion. We find this often happens in dynamic spicule or fibril-like features at the top of the chromosphere. This has important consequences for field extrapolation methods, which increasingly use such upper chromospheric features to help constrain the chromospheric magnetic field: our results invalidate the underlying assumption that these features are aligned with the field. In addition, our results cast doubt on results from 1D hydrodynamic models, which assume that plasma remains on the same field lines. Finally, our simulations show that ambipolar diffusion significantly alters the amount of free energy available in the coronal part of our simulated volume, which is likely to have consequences for studies of flare initiation.

KELVIN–HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY IN SOLAR CHROMOSPHERIC JETS: THEORY AND OBSERVATION

ABSTRACT Using data obtained by the high-resolution CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter instrument on the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope, we investigate the dynamics and stability of quiet-Sun chromospheric jets observed at the disk center. Small-scale features, such as rapid redshifted and blueshifted excursions, appearing as high-speed jets in the wings of the Hα line, are characterized by short lifetimes and rapid fading without any descending behavior. To study the theoretical aspects of their stability without considering their formation mechanism, we model chromospheric jets as twisted magnetic flux tubes moving along their axis, and use the ideal linear incompressible magnetohydrodynamic approximation to derive the governing dispersion equation. Analytical solutions of the dispersion equation indicate that this type of jet is unstable to Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI), with a very short (few seconds) instability growth time at high upflow speeds. The generated vortices and unresolved turbulent flows associated with the KHI could be observed as a broadening of chromospheric spectral lines. Analysis of the Hα line profiles shows that the detected structures have enhanced line widths with respect to the background. We also investigate the stability of a larger-scale Hα jet that was ejected along the line of sight. Vortex-like features, rapidly developing around the jet’s boundary, are considered as evidence of the KHI. The analysis of the energy equation in the partially ionized plasma shows that ion–neutral collisions may lead to fast heating of the KH vortices over timescales comparable to the lifetime of chromospheric jets.

Ion acoustic wave modulation in a dusty plasma in presence of ion loss, collision and ionization

The effects of ionization, ion loss and ion-neutral collisions on ion acoustic wave modulations in a dusty plasma are investigated. It is found that the dynamics of the modulated wave is governed by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a linear dissipative (damping or growth) term. This linear dissipative term arises due to the combined influence of ionization, ion loss and ion-neutral collisions. Analytical and numerical investigations predict the formation of envelope (bright) soliton with growing or decaying amplitude with time. The ionization instability causes the amplitude amplification, whereas, ion loss and ion-neutral collisions are responsible for the amplitude decay. Results are discussed in the context of dusty plasma experiments.

A Dynamic Ion-Atom Hybrid Trap for High-Resolution Cold-Collision Studies.

We present a dynamic ion-atom hybrid trap for studies of cold ion-neutral collisions and reactions with a significantly improved energy resolution compared with previous experiments. Our approach is based on pushing a cloud of laser-cooled Rb atoms through a stationary Coulomb crystal of cold ions by using precisely controlled, tunable radiation pressure forces. We demonstrate the tuning of the atom kinetic energies over an interval ranging from 30 mK up to 350 mK with energy spreads as low as 24 mK, inferred from the comparison of experimental time-of-flight measurements with Monte Carlo trajectory simulations. We also demonstrate the first applications of our method to the investigation of chemical reactions. Our development opens up perspectives for accurate studies of the energy dependence of the reaction rates, the dynamics, and the reaction-product ratios of the ion-neutral processes in the cold regime. It also paves the way for the realization of fully energy- and state-controlled cold-collision experiments.

Existence regimes for the formation of nonlinear dissipative structures in inhomogeneous magnetoplasmas with non-Maxwellian electrons

Nonlinear dissipative structures are studied in one and two dimensions in nonuniform magnetized plasmas with non-Maxwellian electrons. The dissipation is incorporated in the system through ion-neutral collisions. Employing the drift approximation, nonlinear drift waves are derived in 1D, whereas coupled drift-ion acoustic waves are derived in 2D in the weak nonlinearity limit. It is found that the ratio of the diamagnetic drift velocity to the velocity of nonlinear structure determines the nature (compressive or rarefactive) of the shock structure. The upper and lower bounds for velocity of the nonlinear shock structures are also found. It is noticed that the existence regimes for the drift shock waves in one and two dimensions for Cairns distributed electrons are very distinct from those with kappa distributed electrons. Interestingly, it is found that both compressive and rarefactive shock structures could be obtained for the one dimensional drift waves with kappa distributed electrons.

RPC observation of the development and evolution of plasma interaction boundaries at 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

One of the primary objectives of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium, a suite of five plasma instruments on-board the Rosetta spacecraft, is to observe the formation and evolution of plasma interaction regions at the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/CG). Observations made between 2015 April and 2016 February show that solar wind–cometary plasma interaction boundaries and regions formed around 2015 mid-April and lasted through early 2016 January. At least two regions were observed, separated by an ion-neutral collisionopause boundary. The inner region was located on the nucleus side of the boundary and was characterized by low-energy water-group ions, reduced magnetic field pileup and enhanced electron densities. The outer region was located outside of the boundary and was characterized by reduced electron densities, water-group ions that are accelerated to energies above 100 eV and enhanced magnetic field pileup compared to the inner region. The boundary discussed here is outside of the diamagnetic cavity and shows characteristics similar to observations made on-board the Giotto spacecraft in the ion pileup region at 1P/Halley. We find that the boundary is likely to be related to ion-neutral collisions and that its location is influenced by variability in the neutral density and the solar wind dynamic pressure.

Oversampling Selective Accumulation Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Coupled to FT-ICR MS: Fundamentals and Applications.

In the present paper, we describe the fundamentals and analytical advantages of Oversampling Selective Accumulation Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry (OSA-TIMS) when coupled to ultrahigh resolution mass analyzers (e.g., FT-ICR MS). During TIMS analysis, ion packages are spatially resolved based on their mobilities along the TIMS analyzer axis and multiple strategies can be utilized during the trapping and elution of the ion population of interest. In the case of OSA-TIMS-FT-ICR MS, the TIMS operation sequence, trapping conditions, and operations are optimized to increase the signal-to-noise and the number of points across the mobility domain, which leads to more accurate mobility and mass measurements. Experimental results show that accurate ion-neutral collision cross sections (<1%) can be measured using OSA-TIMS-FT-ICR MS with high mobility resolving powers (RIMS up to 250), high mass accuracy (<1 ppm), and ultrahigh mass resolution (RMS up to 600-1200k at m/z 400) in a single analysis. The analytical advantages of OSA-TIMS over SA-TIMS were illustrated for the analysis of structural peptide isomers (SDGRG and GRGDS [M + H](+)), conformational isomers (AT-hook peptide 3 KRGRGRPRK [M + 2H](+2)), and a complex mixture of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from coal tar. Baseline separation of the structural peptide isomers SDGRG and GRGDS, [M + H](+), was observed, and three conformations were identified for the AT-hook peptide 3 KRGRGRPRK [M + 2H](+2) during OSA-TIMS-FT-ICR MS. A 2-fold increase in the number of molecular features and a 2-6-fold signal-to-noise increase was observed for OSA-TIMS when compared with SA-TIMS during the PAH analysis. This work provides the proof-of-principle for further application of OSA-TIMS-FT-ICR MS for the unsupervised analysis of complex mixtures based on the characterization of the conformational space and the assignment of chemical formulas in a single analysis.

Wakes in complex plasmas: A self-consistent kinetic theory.

In ground-based experiments with complex (dusty) plasmas, charged microparticles are levitated against gravity by an electric field, which also drives ion flow in the parent gas. Existing analytical approaches to describe the electrostatic interaction between microparticles in such conditions generally ignore the field and ion-neutral collisions, assuming free ion flow with a certain approximation for the ion velocity distribution function (usually a shifted Maxwellian). We provide a comprehensive analysis of our previously proposed self-consistent kinetic theory including the field, ion-neutral collisions, and the corresponding ion velocity distribution. We focus on various limiting cases and demonstrate how the interplay of these factors results in different forms of the shielding potential.

High Pressure Mass Spectrometry: The Generation of Mass Spectra at Operating Pressures Exceeding 1 Torr in a Microscale Cylindrical Ion Trap.

We present the first demonstration of high pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS), which we define as mass spectrometry performed at pressures greater than 100 mTorr. Mass analysis is shown at operational pressures exceeding 1 Torr of helium buffer gas. A differentially pumped MS system was constructed for HPMS development consisting of two chambers. The first chamber (mass analysis chamber) was operated at pressures up to 1.2 Torr and contained the ionization source and a microscale cylindrical ion trap (CIT) mass analyzer. The CIT had critical dimensions of r0 = 500 μm and z0 = 650 μm. The second chamber was held at a lower pressure (≤10 mTorr) and contained an electron multiplier for detection. Mass spectra for xenon, 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), and octane were acquired with helium buffer gas pressures ranging from 0.04 to 1.2 Torr in the mass analysis chamber. Full-width at half-maximum of mass spectral peaks was found to increase 143% for xenon, 40% for CEES, and 77% for octane over this pressure range, with maximum peak widths of 1.19, 1.26, and 0.82 Da, respectively. Data were fitted with an algebraic model that factors in ion-neutral collision peak broadening effects at high pressures. Experimental and theoretical peak broadening slopes showed good agreement at buffer gas pressures greater than 0.2 Torr. Experiments presented here demonstrate mass spectrometry at pressures orders of magnitude higher than conventionally practiced with any type of mass analyzer. The use of HPMS provides a way to eliminate turbo pumping requirements, leading to significant reduction in MS system size, weight, and power and facilitating a path toward compact/hand-held mass spectrometers with numerous potential applications.

Ion-acoustic and Buneman instabilities in collisional plasmas with q-nonextensive distribution

The ion-acoustic and Buneman instabilities are studied in a current carrying plasma by taking into account the collisional effects and q-nonextensive distribution function. Using the kinetic theory and Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook collision model, a generalized dielectric permittivity function in the presence of moving electrons and electron and ion–neutral collision frequency is derived. The longitudinal dispersion relation in the Buneman and ion-acoustic instability limit is obtained. The results of the Buneman instability shows that the collision frequency, the q-parameter and electron drift velocity affect the growth rate of the instability. Finally, the profile of the ion-acoustic growth rate indicates that by increasing the ion to electron temperature ratio the instability growth rate decreases.

Isomer Separation of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Metabolites using nanoESI-TIMS-MS.

In this paper, high-resolution nano-electrospray ionization-trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled to mass spectrometry (nESI-TIMS-MS) is used for the study of hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether (OH-PBDE) metabolites. In particular, experimental ion-neutral collision cross sections (CCS) were measured for five structural OH-PBDE isomers using TIMS-MS. Candidate structures were proposed for each IMS band observed in good agreement with the experimental CCS measurements (5% error). The analytical power of TIMS-MS to baseline and partially separate structural isomers of OH-BDE in binary and ternary mixtures is shown for single charge species with a mobility resolving power of RIMS ~ 400. This work provides the proof of concept for the analysis of low concentration OH-PBDE in environmental samples based on accurate collision cross section and mass measurements without the need for derivatization and pre-fractionation protocols, thus significantly reducing the cost and analysis time.

Measurement of Electron Density and Ion Collision Frequency with Dual Assisted Grounded Electrode DBD in Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Jet**supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11105093), the Technological Project of Shenzhen, China (No. JC201005280485A), and the Planned S&T Program of Shenzhen, China (No. JC201105170703A)

The properties of a helium atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) are diagnosed with a dual assisted grounded electrode dielectric barrier discharge device. In the glow discharge, we captured the current waveforms at the positions of the three grounded rings. From the current waveforms, the time delay between the adjacent positions of the rings is employed to calculate the plasma bullet velocity of the helium APPJ. Moreover, the electron density is deduced from a model combining with the time delay and current intensity, which is about 1011 cm−3. In addition, The ion-neutral particles collision frequency in the radial direction is calculated from the current phase difference between two rings, which is on the order of 107 Hz. The results are helpful for understanding the basic properties of APPJs.

Collisional effects on interaction potential in complex plasma in presence of magnetic field

Interaction potential in complex plasma with streaming ions is derived analytically in presence of ion-neutral collision and magnetic field. The linear dielectric response function obtained describes the behavior of charged micron sized dust particles in strong collisional limit. A new type of repulsive potential is found to be operative among the dust grains apart from the normal Debye–Hückel potential. The amplitude and shielding length involved in the potential are substantially affected by the parameters describing ion cyclotron frequency, collision frequency among ions and neutrals, and ion streaming. It is also observed that the usual mechanism of ion focusing surrounding the grain is inhibited due to collision. As a result, the attractive wake potential structure is destroyed in the ion flow direction. The horizontal interaction involves only Debye–Hückel potential.