Ion Perturbations Research Articles

Topside Ionospheric Structures Determined via Automatically Detected DEMETER Ion Perturbations during a Geomagnetically Quiet Period

In this study, 117,718 ionospheric perturbations, with a space size (t) of 20–300 s but no amplitude (A) limit, were automatically globally searched via software utilizing ion density data measured by the DEMETER satellite for over 6 years. The influence of geomagnetic storms on the ionosphere was first examined. The results demonstrated that storms can globally enhance positive ionospheric irregularities but rarely induce plasma variations of more than 100%. The probability of PERs with a space size falling in 200–300 s (1400–2100 km if a satellite velocity of 7 km/s is considered) occurring in a geomagnetically perturbed period shows more significance than that in a quiet period. Second, statistical work was performed on ion PERs to check their dependence on local time, and it was shown that 24.8% of the perturbations appeared during the daytime (10:30 LT) and 75.2% appeared during the nighttime (22:30 LT). Ionospheric fluctuations with an absolute amplitude of A < 10% tend to be background variations, and the percentages of positive perturbations with a small A < 20% occur at an amount of 64% during the daytime and 26.8% during the nighttime, but this number is reversed for mid–large-amplitude PERs. Large positive PERs with A > 100% mostly occurred at night and negative ones with A < −100% occurred entirely at night. There was a demarcation point in the space size of t = 120 s, and the occurrence probabilities of day PERs were always higher than that of nighttime ones before this point, while this trend was contrary after this point. Finally, distributions of PERs according to different ranges of amplitude and space scale were characterized by typical seasonal variations either in the daytime or nighttime. EIA only exists in the dayside equinox and winter, occupying two low-latitude crests with a lower Np in both hemispheres. Large WSAs appear within all periods, except for dayside summer, and are full of PERs with an enhanced amplitude, especially on winter nights. The WN-like structure is obvious during all seasons, showing large-scale space. On the other hand, several magnetically anomalous zones of planetary-scale non-dipole fields, such as the SAMA, Northern Africa anomaly, and so on, were also successfully detected by extreme negative ion perturbations during this time.

Could future ocean acidification be affecting the energy budgets of marine fish?

With the unprecedented environmental changes caused by climate change including ocean acidification, it has become crucial to understand the responses and adaptive capacity of fish to better predict directional changes in the ecological landscape of the future. We conducted a systematic literature review to examine if simulated ocean acidification (sOA) could influence growth and reproduction in fish within the dynamic energy budget theory framework. As such, we chose to examine metabolic rate, locomotion, food assimilation and growth in early life stages (i.e. larvae and juvenile) and adults. Our goal was to evaluate if acclimatization to sOA has any directional changes in these traits and to explore potential implications for energetic trade-offs in these for growth and reproduction. We found that sOA had negligible effects on energetic expenditure for maintenance and aerobic metabolism due to the robust physiological capacity regulating acid-base and ion perturbations but substantive effects on locomotion, food assimilation and growth. We demonstrated evidence that sOA significantly reduced growth performance of fish in early life stages, which may have resulted from reduced food intake and digestion efficiency. Also, our results showed that sOA may enhance reproduction with increased numbers of offspring although this may come at the cost of altered reproductive behaviours or offspring fitness. While these results indicate evidence for changes in energy budgets because of physiological acclimatization to sOA, the heterogeneity of results in the literature suggests that physiological and neural mechanisms need to be clearly elucidated in future studies. Lastly, most studies on sOA have been conducted on early life stages, which necessitates that more studies should be conducted on adults to understand reproductive success and thus better predict cohort and population dynamics under ongoing climate change.

MRI of Potassium and Sodium Enables Comprehensive Analysis of Ion Perturbations in Skeletal Muscle Tissue After Eccentric Exercise.

The aims were to investigate if potassium ( 39 K) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to analyze changes in the apparent tissue potassium concentration (aTPC) in calf muscle tissue after eccentric exercise and in delayed-onset muscle soreness, and to compare these to corresponding changes in the apparent tissue sodium concentration (aTSC) measured with sodium ( 23 Na) MRI. Fourteen healthy subjects (7 female, 7 male; 25.0 ± 2.8 years) underwent 39 K and 23 Na MRI at a 7 T MR system, as well as 1 H MRI at a 3 T MR system. Magnetic resonance imaging data and blood samples were collected at baseline (t0), directly after performing eccentric exercise (t1) and 48 hours after exercise (t2). Self-reported muscle soreness was evaluated using a 10-cm visual analog scale for pain (0, no pain; 10, worst pain) at t0, t1, and t2. Quantification of aTPC/aTSC was performed after correcting the measured 39 K/ 23 Na signal intensities for partial volume and relaxation effects using 5 external reference phantoms. Edema volume and 1 H T 2 relaxation times were determined based on the 1 H MRI data. Participants were divided according to their increase in creatine kinase (CK) level into high (CK t2 ≥ 10·CK t0 ) and low CK (CK t2 < 10·CK t0 ) subjects. Blood serum CK and edema volume were significantly increased 48 hours after exercise compared with baseline ( P < 0.001). Six participants showed a high increase in blood serum CK level at t2 relative to baseline, whereas 8 participants had only a low to moderate increase in blood serum CK. All participants reported increased muscle soreness both at rest and when climbing stairs at t1 (0.4 ± 0.7; 1.4 ± 1.2) and t2 (1.6 ± 1.4; 4.8 ± 1.9) compared with baseline (0 ± 0; 0 ± 0). Moreover, aTSC was increased at t1 in exercised muscles of all participants (increase by 57% ± 24% in high CK, 73% ± 33% in low CK subjects). Forty-eight hours after training, subjects with high increase in blood serum CK still showed highly increased aTSC (increase by 79% ± 57% compared with t0). In contrast, aTPC at t2 was elevated in exercised muscles of low CK subjects (increase by 19% ± 11% compared with t0), in which aTSC had returned to baseline or below. Overall, aTSC and aTPC showed inverse evolution, with changes in aTSC being approximately twice as high as in aTPC. Our results showed that 39 K MRI is able to detect changes in muscular potassium concentrations caused by eccentric exercise. In combination with 23 Na MRI, this enables a more holistic analysis of tissue ion concentration changes.

Wavelike perturbations in Titan’s ionosphere and their compositional variation: A preliminary survey of Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer measurements

Wavelike perturbations in the ionosphere of Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, are explored based on the Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measurements. Strong wavelike perturbations are identified for more than twenty ion species, from simple ones such as N⁺ and CH₄⁺ to complex ones such as C₂H₃CNH⁺ and C₄H₇⁺. Simultaneous wavelike perturbations in background N₂, indicative of atmospheric gravity waves, are also observed, motivating us to speculate that the INMS-derived ion perturbations are wave-driven. The amplitudes of the ion perturbations are found to be larger than that of the N₂ perturbations. Clear compositional variation is revealed by the data: heavier ion species exhibit greater amplitudes. Such observations might be understood based on considerations either of force balance or chemical loss in Titan’s ionosphere.

Nanostructured Na2Ti9O19 for Hybrid Sodium-Ion Capacitors with Excellent Rate Capability.

Herein, we report a new Na-insertion electrode material, Na2Ti9O19, as a potential candidate for Na-ion hybrid capacitors. We study the structural properties of nanostructured Na2Ti9O19, synthesized by a hydrothermal technique, upon electrochemical cycling vs Na. Average and local structures of Na2Ti9O19 are elucidated from neutron Rietveld refinement and pair distribution function (PDF), respectively, to investigate the initial discharge and charge events. Rietveld refinement reveals electrochemical cycling of Na2Ti9O19 is driven by single-phase solid solution reaction during (de)sodiation without any major structural deterioration, keeping the average structure intact. Unit cell volume and lattice evolution on discharge process is inherently related to TiO6 distortion and Na ion perturbations, while the PDF reveals the deviation in the local structure after sodiation. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies further corroborate the average and local structural behavior derived from neutron diffraction measurements. Also, Na2Ti9O19 shows excellent Na-ion kinetics with a capacitve nature of 86% at 1.0 mV s-1, indicating that the material is a good anode candidate for a sodium-ion hybrid capacitor. A full cell hybrid Na-ion capacitor is fabricated by using Na2Ti9O19 as anode and activated porous carbon as cathode, which exhibits excellent electrochemical properties, with a maximum energy density of 54 Wh kg-1 and a maximum power density of 5 kW kg-1. Both structural insights and electrochemical investigation suggest that Na2Ti9O19 is a promising negative electrode for sodium-ion batteries and hybrid capacitors.

The critical role of logarithmic transformation in Nernstian equilibrium potential calculations.

The membrane potential, arising from uneven distribution of ions across cell membranes containing selectively permeable ion channels, is of fundamental importance to cell signaling. The necessity of maintaining the membrane potential may be appreciated by expressing Ohm's law as current = voltage/resistance and recognizing that no current flows when voltage = 0, i.e., transmembrane voltage gradients, created by uneven transmembrane ion concentrations, are an absolute requirement for the generation of currents that precipitate the action and synaptic potentials that consume >80% of the brain's energy budget and underlie the electrical activity that defines brain function. The concept of the equilibrium potential is vital to understanding the origins of the membrane potential. The equilibrium potential defines a potential at which there is no net transmembrane ion flux, where the work created by the concentration gradient is balanced by the transmembrane voltage difference, and derives from a relationship describing the work done by the diffusion of ions down a concentration gradient. The Nernst equation predicts the equilibrium potential and, as such, is fundamental to understanding the interplay between transmembrane ion concentrations and equilibrium potentials. Logarithmic transformation of the ratio of internal and external ion concentrations lies at the heart of the Nernst equation, but most undergraduate neuroscience students have little understanding of the logarithmic function. To compound this, no current undergraduate neuroscience textbooks describe the effect of logarithmic transformation in appreciable detail, leaving the majority of students with little insight into how ion concentrations determine, or how ion perturbations alter, the membrane potential.

A hot flow anomaly at Mars

AbstractOne of the most important modes of planet/solar wind interaction are “foreshock transients” such as hot flow anomalies (HFAs). Here we present early observations by the NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft, confirming their presence at Mars and for the first time at an unmagnetized planet revealing the underlying ion perturbations that drive the phenomenon, finding them to be weaker than at magnetized planets. Analysis revealed the HFA to be virtually microscopic: the smallest on record at ∼2200 km across and commensurate with the local proton gyroradius, resulting in a much stronger perturbation in solar wind protons than alpha particles. As at Venus, despite being physically diminutive, the HFA is still large (0.66 RM) when compared to the relative size of the induced magnetosphere. Given the associated order of magnitude decrease in solar wind dynamic pressure (411 pPa 70 pPa), we find that HFAs at Mars have the potential to directly impact the topside ionosphere. We thus hypothesize that the loss of a planetary magnetic dynamo left Mars far more vulnerable to the pressure pulses resulting from HFAs and related foreshock transients.

Ion heating, burnout of the high-frequency field, and ion sound generation under the development of a modulation instability of an intense Langmuir wave in a plasma

The development of one-dimensional parametric instabilities of intense long plasma waves is considered in terms of the so-called hybrid models, with electrons being treated as a fluid and ions being regarded as particles. The analysis is performed for both cases when the average plasma field energy is lower (Zakharov's hybrid model—ZHM) or greater (Silin's hybrid model—SHM) than the plasma thermal energy. The efficiency of energy transfer to ions and to ion perturbations under the development of the instability is considered for various values of electron-to-ion mass ratios. The energy of low-frequency oscillations (ion-sound waves) is found to be much lower than the final ion kinetic energy. We also discuss the influence of the changes in the damping rate of the high-frequency (HF) field on the instability development. The decrease of the absorption of the HF field inhibits the HF field burnout within plasma density cavities and gives rise to the broadening of the HF spectrum. At the same time, the ion velocity distribution tends to the normal distribution in both ZHM and SHM.

Electrostatic ion perturbations in kinematically complex shear flows

The scope of the present paper is to determine how ion electrostatic wave perturbations in plasma flows are influenced by the presence of a kinematically complex velocity shear. For this purpose we consider a model based on the following set of physical equations: the equation of motion, the continuity equation and the Poisson equation for the electric potential governing the evolution of the system. After linearizing the equations, we solve them numerically. We find out that for a variety of specific values of parameters the system may exhibit quite interesting dynamic behaviour. In particular, we demonstrate that the system exhibits two different kinds of shear flow instabilities: (a) when the wave vectors evolve exponentially, the ion sound modes become unstable as well; while, (b) on the other hand, one can find areas in a parametric space where, when the wave vectors vary periodically, the physical system is subject to a strongly pronounced parametric instability. We also show the possibility of the generation of beat wave phenomena, characterized by a noteworthy quasi-periodic temporal behaviour. In the conclusion, we discuss the possible areas of applications and further directions of generalization of the presented work.

A survey of hot flow anomalies at Venus

We present the first survey of hot flow anomalies (HFAs) at the bow shock of Venus, expanding on our recent initial case study. A 3.06 sol (774 Earth day) survey of Venus Express magnetometer, ion spectrometer, and electron spectrometer data was undertaken in order to identify Cytherian HFAs. Seven events were discovered, corresponding to a statistical frequency ≈1.2±0.8 per day, approximately the same rate as at the Earth. All seven HFAs were centered on a discontinuity in the solar wind, with inward pointing motional electric fields on at least one side, and exhibited electron and ion perturbations consistent with heating. For one event the calculation of continuous electron moments is possible, revealing that electron temperature increased from ≈2×105 K to 8×105 K in the HFA core (comparable to terrestrial and Kronian HFA observations), and density increased from ≈1 cm−3 to ~2→2.5 cm−3 in the bounding compression regions. Cytherian HFAs were found to be physically smaller (0.4→1.7 Venus radii (RV)) than their terrestrial or Kronian counterparts, although are much larger when compared to the overall size of the system (≈130% of the subsolar bow shock distance), and occur very close (1.5→3.0RV) to the planet. Thus, we hypothesize that HFAs have a much more dominant role in the dynamics of the induced magnetosphere of Venus relative to the magnetospheres of magnetized planets.

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) smolts require more than two weeks to recover from acidic water and aluminium exposure

The detrimental effects of acid rain and aluminium (Al) on salmonids have been extensively studied, yet knowledge about the extent and rate of potential recovery after exposures to acid and Al episodes is limited. Atlantic salmon smolts in freshwater (FW) were exposed for 2 and 7-day episodes (ACID2 and ACID7, respectively) to low pH (5.7±0.2) and inorganic aluminium (Ali; 40±4μg) and then transferred to good water quality, control water (CW; pH 6.8±0.1; <14±2μg Ali). Al accumulation on gills after 2 and 7 days of acid/Al exposure was 35.3±14.1 and 26.6±1.8μgg−1 dry weight, respectively. These elevated levels decreased 2 days post transfer to CW and remained higher than in control (CON; 5–10μg Ali) for two weeks. Plasma Na+ levels in ACID2 and ACID7 smolts decreased to 141±0.8 and 138.6±1.4mM, respectively, and remained significantly lower than CON levels for two weeks post transfer to CW. Similarly, plasma Cl− levels in ACID7 smolts (124.3±2.8mM) were significantly lower than in CON, with Cl− levels remaining significantly lower in ACID7 (126.2±4.8mM) and ACID2 (127.6±3.7mM) than in CON following 9 and 14 days post-transfer to CW, respectively. ACID2 and ACID7 smolts sustained elevated plasma glucose levels post transfer to CW suggesting elevated stress for more than a week following exposure. While gill Na+, K+-ATPase (NKA) activity was only slightly affected in ACID2 and not in ACID7 smolts in FW, acid/Al exposure resulted in a transient decrease in NKA activity following SW exposure in both groups. Acid/Al episodes had limited impact on isoform specific NKA α-subunit mRNA during exposure. However, the transfer of ACID2 and ACID7 smolts to CW showed an increase in NKAα1a mRNA (the FW isoform) and inhibited the up-regulation of NKAα1b (the SW isoform), probably resulting in higher abundance of the enzyme favouring ion uptake. Gill caspase 3B gene transcription did not change in acid/Al treated smolts, indicating no increased apoptosis in gills. ACID2 and ACID7 treatments resulted in lower smolt-related gill transcription of the gene encoding the tight junction protein claudin 10e compared to CON, while the gene encoding claudin 30 showed lower mRNA expression only after 11 days SW exposure in ACID7 fish. Our data suggest that acid/Al conditions affect ion perturbations through a combination of alteration of the preparatory increase in paracellular permeability and negative impact on the SW type NKA α-subunit mRNA transcripts, and raise major concerns regarding the recovery of physiological disruption in smolts following acid/Al exposure. Smolts may require more than two weeks to fully recover from even short moderate episodes of acid/Al exposure. Acid/Al exposure thus probably has greater impact on salmon populations than previously acknowledged.

Seawater tolerance and post‐smolt migration of wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar× brown trout S. trutta hybrid smolts

High levels of hybridization between Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and brown trout Salmo trutta have been reported in the River Driva. This study presents the underlying mechanisms of development of seawater (SW) tolerance and marine migration pattern for S. salar×S. trutta hybrids. Migrating S. salar×S. trutta hybrid smolts caught in the River Driva, Norway (a river containing Gyrodactylus salaris), displayed freshwater (FW) gill Na(+), K(+) -ATPase (NKA) activity levels of 11·8 µmol ADP mg protein h(-1), which were equal to or higher than activity levels observed in S. salar and S. trutta smolts. Following 4 days of SW exposure (salinity 32·3), enzyme activity remained high and plasma ion levels were maintained within the normal physiological range observed in S. salar smolts, indicating no signs of ion perturbations in S. salar×S. trutta hybrids. SW exposure induced an increase in NKA α1b-subunit mRNA levels with a concurrent decrease in α1a levels. Salmo salar×S. trutta post-smolts migrated rapidly through the fjord system, with increasing speed with distance from the river, as is often seen in S. salar smolts. The present findings suggest that S. salar×S. trutta smolts, as judged by the activity and transcription of the NKA system, regulation of plasma ion levels and migration speed more closely resemble S. salar than S. trutta.

A paradigm for the stability of the plasma sheath against fluid perturbations

The stability of the sheath created by a collisionless, unmagnetized plasma interacting with a material boundary at floating potential is studied with a fluid plasma model. In the limit where the sonic sheath ion flow is neglected, ion perturbations can be unstable to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, driven by the sheath ion density gradient and electric field. The sonic sheath ion flow, however, is very effective in stabilizing these modes by convective stabilization. Therefore, within the assumptions of our model and the parameters considered, the sheath is stable.

On the possibility of collective attraction in complex plasmas

An investigation on the possible collective electric attraction between like-charged dust particles has been performed in an isotropic homogeneous complex (dusty) plasma in which a balance between plasma creation due to ionization and plasma loss due to the absorption on dust particles has been reached. The analysis is made on the basis of a self-consistent fluid model, which includes plasma ionization, plasma loss on dust particles, dust charge variations, and ion-neutral friction. It is shown that the interaction potential can have an attractive part in the stability regime of the ionization-absorption balance with respect to ion perturbations only under very limited circumstances.

Electrostatic instabilities in circularly polarized microwave produced magnetized plasmas

The growth rate of electrostatic instabilities of electron oscillation and low-frequency (LF) ion oscillation are investigated for a plasma produced by a circularly polarized microwave field during the breakdown process. The plasma is magnetized by an external homogenous static magnetic field on the direction of microwave field propagation. Numerical calculations show that the electron and ion perturbations are unstable in such an anisotropic plasma. Electron perturbations have the maximum growth rate across the magnetic field. In addition, ion perturbation growth rate is minimum on this direction. The LF ion oscillation is excited by Cherenkov emission mechanism due to the nonequilibrium form of the electron velocity distribution function. Electron oscillation growth rate decreases by increasing the external magnetic field, while the LF ion oscillation increases smoothly and reaches a maximum when the electron oscillation is stopped.

Low-frequency electrostatic wave in a metallic electron-hole-ion plasma with nanoparticles

AbstractWe investigate the dispersion property of a low-frequency electrostatic wave in a dense metallic electron-hole-ion plasma with nanoparticles. The latter are charged due to the field emission, and hence the metallic nanoparticles/nanotubes can be regarded as charged dust rods surrounded by degenerate electrons and holes, and non-degenerate ions. By using a quantum hydrodynamic model for the electrons and holes, we obtain the electron and hole number density perturbations, while the ion and dust rod number density perturbations follow the classical expressions. A dispersion relation for the low-frequency electrostatic wave in our multi-species dense metallic plasma is derived and analyzed. The possibility of exciting non-thermal electrostatic waves is also discussed.

Experimental studies of the propagation of electrostatic ion perturbations by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence

Effects induced by the propagation of several kinds of electrostatic perturbation in a low-density collisionless argon plasma are observed with space, time, and velocity-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). The propagation of strong self-organized ion structures is observed and the associated electric field is determined. Snap shots of the ion phase space with a time resolution of 2 μs can be reconstructed from the experimental data. All the terms of the kinetic equation can also be determined from the data. A one-dimensional (1D) numerical simulation reproduces qualitatively the experimentally observed ion phase space behavior.

Analysis of lightning ‐ induced ionization from VLF Trimpi events

Detailed analysis of Trimpi phenomena (Trimpis) revealed two different regimes in their temporal behavior. One time regime is the initial “nose” part of Trimpis of about 1–5 s, and the second is the “tail” of Trimpis of about 50–100 s. Using a rather simple theoretical model of VLF wave scattering from abating ion and electron density perturbations, we discovered two fitting formulas to describe the temporal evolution of Trimpis. An exponential‐hyperbolic evolution in amplitude a/a0 = (exp{−t/τ0})/[1 + b/2(1 − exp{−t/τ0})] for weak scattering and a logarithmic dependence a/a0 = [ln τ2/(t + τ1)]/(ln τ2/τ1) for strong scattering. Parameters b, τ0, τ1, τ2 were calculated for all the observed 50 Trimpi events. Maximal ion and electron density perturbation (Δnmi and Δnme) were estimated together with the background ion and electron density (ni0 and ne0) and vertical length of the perturbation column (ΔH). For the conventional model of background electron density and horizontal scale of perturbations L ≃ 5 – 10 km, we find the perturbation parameters to be as follows: Δnme ≃ 103 – 104 cm−3, Δnme/ne0 ∼ Δnmi/ni0 ≃ 10 – 100, ni0 ≃ 3 × 103 − 3 × 104 cm−3, and ΔH ∼ 10 – 15 km.

Velocity shear-induced effects on electrostatic ion perturbations

Linear evolution of electrostatic perturbations in an unmagnetized electron–ion plasma shear flow is studied. New physical effects, arising due to the non-normality of linear dynamics are disclosed. A new class of nonperiodic collective mode with vortical motion of ions, characterized by intense energy exchange with the mean flow, is found. It is also shown that the velocity shear induces extraction of the mean flow energy by ion-sound waves and that during the shear-induced evolution the ion-sound waves turn eventually into ion plasma oscillations.

Validity of the impurity entrainment assumption in the thermal stability analysis of multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFEs) in tokamak plasmas

The assumption that impurity ion perturbations are entrained in phase and in fixed proportion with the main plasma ion perturbations is commonly made in analyses of radiative thermal instabilities in the edge of tokamak plasmas, leading to multifaceted asymmetric radiation from the edge (MARFE). An analysis in which the impurity ion perturbations are treated separately from the plasma ion perturbations demonstrates that this assumption does not alter the conclusion of the analysis regarding stability limits or edge density limits for the (m=0, k‖=0) mode, but that inclusion of a separate impurity ion perturbation in the analysis stabilizes the (m&amp;gt;0, k‖≠0) modes.