Magnetic Slab Research Articles

Fast magnetohydrodynamic oscillations of a coronal loop embedded in a potential coronal arcade

Observations indicate variable widths exhibited by fan coronal loops and flare loops that tend to widen towards the apex. Short-period, quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares are often interpreted in terms of the fast-sausage oscillations of flare loops and the collective vertical vibrations of arcade loops are attributed with the vertical kink mode. Both phenomena are used as a seismological tool to estimate the physical parameters in the corona. We performed an analytical study of fast sausage and kink oscillations in coronal loops, given the effects of loop curvature, expansion, and Alfv \'e n speed variation. We modelled a coronal loop as a dense expanding curved magnetic slab embedded within a potential coronal arcade, using a zero-beta plasma limit. We obtained the dispersion relation that governs fast waves in the model and studied it both numerically and analytically. The effects of loop expansion and variable Alfv \'e n speed reduce the cut-off frequency and increase the cut-off wavenumbers for fast sausage and kink waves. Moreover, the principal vertical kink mode has a cut-off and strongly attenuates in the leaky regime. The frequency increase is found to be minor for the global sausage mode both in the trapped and leaky regimes, with a frequency shift within a few percent. We found that in our model, where the Alfv \'e n speed increases from the footpoints to the loop top, the spatial profile of the longitudinal fundamental is broadened and the antinodes of the first overtone are shifted towards the footpoints. Using the classical expression for the cut-off wavenumber of the global sausage mode in a straight waveguide results in an underestimation of the density contrast constraint in flare loops. Instead, the suggested formula accounting for variations in loop widths provides more accurate results. The frequency of the global sausage mode can be correctly determined with the straight slab model.

On the spontaneous magnetization of two-dimensional ferromagnets.

Ferromagnetism is typically discussed in terms of the exchange interaction and magnetic anisotropies. Yet real samples are inevitably affected by the magnetostatic dipole-dipole interaction. Because of this interaction, a theorem [R.B. Griffiths, Free Energy of interacting magnetic dipoles, Phys. Rev. 176, 655 (1968)] forbids a spontaneous magnetization in, nota bene, three-dimensional bodies. Here we discuss perpendicularly and in-plane magnetized ferromagnetic bodies in the shape of a slab of finite thickness. In perpendicularly magnetized slabs, magnetic domains are energetically favored when the lateral size is sufficiently large, i.e., there is no spontaneous magnetization. For in-plane magnetization, instead, spontaneous magnetization is possible below a critical thickness which, in very thin films, could be as small as few monolayers. At this critical thickness, we predict a genuine phase transition to a multi-domain state. These results have implications for two-dimensional ferromagnetism.

Transverse Oscillations and Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability in Curved Arcade Loops with Siphon Flows

The effect of plasma flow in curved arcade loops on transverse waves and oscillations is examined analytically. The model under study is a semicircular magnetic slab with finite transverse extensions and a mass flow inside, in the zero-β plasma approximation. It is found that in the quasi-perpendicular propagation limit, the model supports two fast surface modes: one with higher (FSW+) and another with lower (FSW−) frequency. For a weak flow, the frequency of the FSW+ (FSW−) increases (decreases) as the flow speed grows in both propagating and quasi-standing wave regimes. We show that the FSW+ and FSW− are subjected to the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability, and the threshold flow is greater (less than) the internal Alfvén speed for the FSW+ (FSW−). The presence of plasma flow results in modifying the period ratio P 1/2P 2 of the fundamental harmonic to the first overtone with P 1/2P 2 less (more) than 1 for the FSW+ (FSW−), and this effect degenerates in the straight waveguide limit. The sub-Alfvénic flow can prohibit resonant absorption of kink modes when the frequencies of the FSW+ and FSW− become out of the Alfvén continuum. It is also shown that in the static case and for a weak flow case, the FSW+ (FSW−) is interpreted as a vertically (horizontally) polarized kink mode, while for moderate flow, both modes have oblique polarization. We apply the developed theory to interpret the observational cases of kink oscillations in coronal loops with signatures of a siphon flow and the onset of KH instability induced by the blowout jet along a loop-shaped magnetic structure.

Effect of magnetically dependent heating on the behaviour of magnetoacoustic waves in coronal plasma with thermal misbalance

ABSTRACT The magnetic nature of coronal heating has been actively investigated within the framework of theoretical models and statistical analysis of observational data for decades. At present, a rather wide range of possible mechanisms has been proposed in the literature that requires additional verification. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of analysing the magnetic nature of coronal heating by means of magnetoacoustic (MA) waves propagating in coronal structures. To address this issue, we perform the analysis of fast and slow waves using a magnetic slab geometry. Applying the assumption of strong magnetic structuring, we derive the dispersion relation, which allows us to study the properties of MA waves. To analyse the dependence of phase velocity and wave decrement/increment on wavenumber, we numerically solved the obtained equations using the parameters corresponding to ‘warm’ coronal loop. It is shown that oscillations on the fundamental harmonic in a plasma with a weak magnetic field, where the effect of phase velocity dispersion is most pronounced, are best suited for diagnostics of magnetic heating using slow MA waves. In turn, the geometry remains the primary source for fast MA wave dispersion. Magnetic heating can either suppress or increase the damping of fast and slow MA waves. Moreover, the amplification of fast MA waves accompanied by damping of slow MA waves can be achieved. This issue is of interest in the context of the excitation of the decayless kink oscillations in the solar coronal loops.

Decayless low-amplitude transverse oscillations in short coronal loops as manifestations of driven slow modes

ABSTRACT A recent theoretical study of slow magnetoacoustic oscillations in a curved magnetic slab shows that the principal slow mode causes both dominant longitudinal motions and radial (transverse) kink-like motions of a slab. This modification of wave properties occurs due to the violation of the symmetry of wave motions with respect to the waveguide axis and the slow to fast wave interaction in curved magnetic configurations. In this work, we carry out a comprehensive investigation of the principal slow mode depending on the model parameters. It is shown that the dominance of longitudinal motions in the principal slow mode decreases as both the internal plasma-β and slab aspect ratio increase. The results are used to explain the observed small amplitude decayless transverse oscillations in short coronal loops. In particular, these phenomena are interpreted as direct manifestation of slow mode oscillations in curved coronal loops excited at the footpoints by compressible oscillations of the underlying atmospheric layers. Numerical calculations have shown that the observed velocity range of V = 0.6–5 km s−1 corresponds to radial velocity amplitudes in the principal slow mode, provided that the plasma-β inside the short loops is in the range of βi= 0.3–0.5 and the loop aspect ratio 0.15 ≤ a/R ≤ 0.25. These parameters appear to be typical for low-lying small coronal loops extending from the transition region to the lower corona.

3D permanent magnetic lattices for ultracold atoms

We introduce 3D permanent magnetic lattices for ultracold atoms which can be created by arbitrary number of 2D arrays of square permanent magnetic slabs plus a bias magnetic field. Instead of the square magnets, we can also use magnetic films with square holes. We find analytical expressions for the location of the nonzero magnetic field minima and physical quantities such as trap depths, absolute value of the magnetic field and curvatures as well as trap frequencies at each minimum. We show that most of them, including the trap depths, modulation depths, and trap frequencies can be controlled by the bias field. Accessible trap depths and trap frequencies in the permanent magnetic lattices are much higher compared to the optical lattices. Between the magnetic layers, the trap frequencies are higher compared to above the top layer (under the bottom layer). In principle, our method can be generalized to other 2D permanent magnetic lattices and we show how to transform a 2D lattice of a given geometry into 3D by using multiple layers of magnets.

Destabilization mechanism of the collisional microtearing mode in magnetized slab plasmas

The destabilization mechanism of the collisional microtearing mode driven by an electron temperature gradient is studied using theoretical analyses and gyrokinetic simulations including a comprehensive collision model, in magnetized slab plasmas. The essential destabilization mechanism of the microtearing mode is the lag of the parallel inductive electric field behind the magnetic field owing to the time-dependent thermal force and inertia force induced by the velocity-dependent electron–ion collisions. Quantitative measurements of the collision effects enable us to identify the unstable regime against collisionality and reveal the relevance of the collisional microtearing mode with existing toroidal experiments. A nonlinear simulation demonstrates that the microtearing mode does not drive magnetic reconnection with the explosive release and conversion of the magnetic energy.

Design of Frequency-Reconfigurable Antenna on Dielectric and Magnetic Metamaterial Composite Substrate

Reconfigurable planar antennas are essential in multifunctional wireless communication devices. This letter presents the design of a frequency-reconfigurable patch antenna printed on a composite substrate made of a dielectric and a magnetic metamaterial (MMM). The MMM comprises magnetized ferrite slabs with embedded split-ring resonators (SRR). The constructive coupling between the resonances of the magnetized ferrites and SRR is optimized to achieve promising reconfigurable properties. The proposed frequency-reconfigurable antenna demonstrates a 158% increase in the frequency tuning range. Furthermore, the simulated results are experimentally verified, and the composite substrate shows slight effects on the antenna radiation characteristics.

Slow mode oscillations in curved arcade loops

ABSTRACT In this work we theoretically investigate the effect of curvature on the slow-mode oscillations in coronal loop arcade. A simple model of an arc circle magnetic slab is used to simulate curved coronal magnetic structures. Solving the set of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations for a compressible plasma, we obtain the dispersion relation that governs the compressible MHD modes in the model. A band of slow body modes with phase speeds close to the internal tube speed and a single hybrid slow mode with phase speed close to the external tube speed are found to exist under typical coronal circumstances. The principal slow body and hybrid modes both produce radial kink-like displacements of the slab axis and distort its cross-section. These motions are accompanied with the dominating longitudinal oscillations. Such mode properties may result in Doppler shift and intensity oscillations as well as oscillating spatial displacements, observed in coronal loops. A number of observations of long-period oscillations in arcade loops are interpreted on the basis of the developed theory.

High Gain Fan-Beam Pattern Antenna Based on the Utilization of Diffracted Fields From Dielectric Slabs Edges for IoT and Sensing Applications

A high gain, low-cost antenna structure is designed for a smart car parking system. The antenna uses Printed Ridge Gap Waveguide (PRGW) technology, which is fully shielded, and suppresses any parasitic radiation from the feed, and minimizes back-lobe radiation. The proposed antenna uses a single MSL feed point, which eliminates the need for any complex feeding network design, and allows the antenna to be integrated easily with PCB transceiver circuitry. A novel technique for the design procedure is proposed, the technique provides a generalization of using either electric or magnetic excitations with dielectric or magnetic rectangular slabs. A unique physical insight accompanied with a thorough analysis of the propagation mechanism is provided. The technique has a significant impact on reducing the complexity of the feeding network. The realized structure is compact, low profile, and low cost. The beam pattern of the antenna is a Fan-Beam (Elliptical) pattern which is well suited for various sensing and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Antiferromagnetic ordering and signatures of enhanced spin-frustration in honeycomb-layered tellurates with Ag bilayers

We report the magnetic and spin frustration properties of Ag-based honeycomb layered tellurates with magnetic honeycomb slabs separated by Ag bilayers.

FAST AND SLOW MHD WAVES IN THERMALLY ACTIVE PLASMA SLAB

We considered the combined influence of the thermal activity and the magnetic structuring on properties of the compressional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. To model MHD waves we use the single magnetic slab geometry. To derive dispersion equations for the symmetric (sausage) and anti-symmetric (kink) waves, we apply the assumption of strong magnetic structuring. In our calculations we use parameters corresponding to the highly magnetized coronal loop. The thermal activity leads to the changes in the phase velocity and in the wave increment/decrement. We show that the spatial scales where the dispersion effects caused by the thermal activity is most pronounced are longer than the geometry dispersion spatial scale. The thermal activity and wave-guide geometry have comparable effect on the slow-waves phase velocity dispersion. However, the main source of the phase velocity dispersion for the fast MHD waves remains the wave-guide geometry. We also show that the damping of slow MHD waves caused by the thermal activity is greater than the damping of fast MHD waves.

Investigation of modal electromagnetic propagation across magnetic chiral interfaces without and with dielectric loss

Fresnel coefficients (FCs) corresponding to a lossless magnetic achiral/chiral (ACC) interface under variable angles of incidence (of s-polarized light) and permittivity/permeability ratios are derived including the nonmagnetic-magnetic case, examining possible anomalous Brewster and critical angle conditions. Bimodal and single-mode propagation (including also cases where both characteristic modes (right- and left-circular) in the chiral region enter evanescence) across a magnetic chiral/achiral (CAC) interface are then examined for possible anomalies. Simulation results are presented along with interpretations, supported extensively by verified tabular data. Finally, the concepts behind examining magnetic chiral interfaces in the presence of realistic dielectric loss are introduced for the ACC interface, indicating how the Snell’s laws are modified for each mode, and the decay behavior of the fields has to be rederived to accommodate the effect of loss. To introduce possible application areas, the characteristics of lossy, magnetic, and chiral slab resonators are presented, specifically relative to transverse resonances. Finally, a magnetic, chiral Fresnel zone plate is introduced via a methodology for examining its imaging and tuning properties relative to the two circular modes.

Oblique Quasi-kink Modes in Solar Coronal Slabs Embedded in an Asymmetric Magnetic Environment: Resonant Damping, Phase and Group Diagrams

There has been considerable interest in magnetoacoustic waves in static, straight, field-aligned, 1D equilibria where the exteriors of a magnetic slab are different between the two sides. We focus on trapped, transverse fundamental, oblique quasi-kink modes in pressureless setups, where the density varies continuously from a uniform interior (with density ρ i) to a uniform exterior on either side (with density ρ L or ρ R), assuming ρ L ≤ ρ R ≤ ρ i. The continuous structuring and oblique propagation make our study new, relative to pertinent studies, and lead to wave damping via the Alfvén resonance. We compute resonantly damped quasi-kink modes as resistive eigenmodes, and isolate the effects of system asymmetry by varying ρ i/ρ R from the “Fully Symmetric” (ρ i/ρ R = ρ i/ρ L) to the “Fully Asymmetric” limit (ρ i/ρ R = 1). We find that the damping rates possess a nonmonotonic ρ i/ρ R-dependence as a result of the difference between the two Alfvén continua, and resonant absorption occurs only in one continuum when ρ i/ρ R is below some threshold. We also find that the system asymmetry results in two qualitatively different regimes for the phase and group diagrams. The phase and group trajectories lie essentially on the same side (different sides) relative to the equilibrium magnetic field when the configuration is not far from a “Fully Asymmetric” (“Fully Symmetric”) one. Our numerical results are understood by making analytical progress in the thin-boundary limit, and discussed for imaging observations of axial standing modes and impulsively excited wavetrains.

Magnetohydrodynamic Waves in an Asymmetric Magnetic Slab with Different External Flows

Building on recent studies of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI) in the solar atmosphere, we investigate a simple analytical model that can further our understanding of how the presence of bulk flows influences the propagation of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. Our model builds on a series of recent works on stationary MHD waveguides and looks at a magnetic slab with a density asymmetry, as well as asymmetric background steady flows present in its environment. We obtained approximate solutions to the dispersion relation for the important and applicable limiting cases of a thin or a wide slab, as well as low- and high-β plasmas. We also explored the relation between the angular frequency of trapped MHD waves, the limit for the onset of the KHI, and small parameters describing the flow and density asymmetries. Our analytical investigation is complemented by a numerical analysis for various bulk flow speeds and slab widths. Both these avenues of study reveal that the flow field asymmetry has an important effect on both the cutoff frequencies and the stability of trapped MHD waves in the slab configuration.

MHD Wave Propagation and the Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability in an Asymmetric Magnetic Slab System

Magnetohydrodynamic waves are ubiquitously detected in the finely structured solar atmosphere. At the same time, our Sun is a highly dynamic plasma environment, giving rise to flows of various magnitudes, which can lead to the instability of waveguides. Recent studies have employed the method of introducing waveguide asymmetry to generalize “classical” symmetric descriptions of the fine structuring within the solar atmosphere, with some of them introducing steady flows as well. Building on these recent studies, here we investigate the magnetoacoustic waves guided by a magnetic slab within an asymmetric magnetic environment, in which the slab is under the effect of a steady flow. We provide an analytical investigation of how the phase speeds of the guided waves are changed, and where possible, determine the limiting flow speeds required for the onset of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Furthermore, we complement the study with initial numerical results, which allows us to demonstrate the validity of our approximations and extend the investigation to a wider parameter regime. This configuration is part of a series of studies aimed to generalize, step-by-step, well-known symmetric waveguide models and understand the additional physics stemming from introducing further sources of asymmetry.

Solar Magneto-seismology of a Magnetic Slab in an Asymmetric Magnetic Environment

Diagnosing the solar atmospheric plasma remains one of the major challenges in solar physics. In recent years, new methods have been developed to apply the powerful concept of solar magneto-seismology (SMS) to obtain information about plasma parameters in solar structures guiding magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves that would otherwise be difficult to measure. This paper uses the Cartesian model of a magnetic slab placed in an asymmetric magnetic environment to generalize recently discovered SMS techniques. Utilizing the fact that the asymmetric environment changes the character of the classical kink and sausage eigenmodes, we describe two spatial seismology methods built upon this mixed character of quasi-sausage and quasi-kink modes. First, we present the amplitude ratio technique, which compares the oscillation amplitudes measured at the two boundaries of the slab, and we provide expressions to estimate the internal Alfvén speed in the thin slab and in the incompressible plasma approximations. The second main technique relies on the changed distribution of wave power throughout the slab under the effect of waveguide asymmetry. This minimum perturbation shift technique is then also utilized to provide Alfvén speed estimates that depend on the plasma and magnetic parameters of the environment, as well as the measured slab width and oscillation frequency. Finally, we perform a brief investigation of how the amplitude ratio and the minimum perturbation shift depend on the different sources of waveguide asymmetry, and illustrate our findings with numerical results.

Dynamics of fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves in plasma slabs with thermal misbalance

ABSTRACT The non-uniformity of the solar atmosphere along with the presence of non-adiabatic processes such as radiation cooling and unspecified heating can significantly affect the dynamics and properties of magnetoacoustic (MA) waves. To address the co-influence of these factors on the dispersion properties of MA waves, we considered a single magnetic slab composed of thermally active plasma. Using perturbation theory, we obtained a differential equation that determines the dynamics of the two-dimensional perturbations. Applying the assumption of strong magnetic structuring, we derived the dispersion relations for the sausage and kink MA modes. A numerical solution of the dispersion relations for coronal conditions was obtained to investigate the interplay between the non-uniformity and the thermal misbalance. For the heating scenario considered, it was found that the phase speed of both the sausage and the kink slow MA waves is strongly affected by the thermal misbalance in the long-wavelength limit. The obtained characteristic time-scales of the slow-wave dissipation coincide with the periods of waves observed in the corona. The phase speed of the fast waves, however, is not affected by the thermal misbalance. The geometry of the magnetic structure remains the main dispersion mechanism for the fast waves. Our analysis reveals that the dissipation of the fast waves is weaker than the dissipation of the slow waves under coronal conditions. The obtained results are of importance for the use of MA waves as a tool for estimating not only plasma parameters but also non-adiabatic processes.

Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov instabilities in the presence of an inclined magnetic field

A unified and analytical model is developed to study the effects of an inclined magnetic field on magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) and magneto-Richtmyer–Meshkov (MRM) instabilities in ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Unlike either a horizontal or a vertical magnetic field is present, the decay modes possess decaying and oscillation behaviors together. The vorticity transportation is analyzed. The dispersion relations are derived, and some interesting phenomena are observed. For a small R that represents the ratio of the magnetic field strength, or equivalently, the inclination θ, the growth rate of MRT instabilities resembles the case when a vertical magnetic field is present. For a large R, the growth rate resembles to the case when a horizontal magnetic field exists. The maximum growth rate becomes strongly dependent on At instead of on R. Furthermore, analytical expression is obtained for the MRM instability by using the impulsive accelerated model. The decaying and oscillating rates of the perturbed amplitude are explicitly related to θ. For two limiting cases, with either the vertical or the horizontal magnetic field existing, our results retrieve previous one of the theoretical analyses and numerical simulations. Generally, the asymptotic amplitude becomes independent of the wave number of the initial perturbation in the MRM instability. These findings regarding magneto-hydrodynamic interfacial instabilities in an inclined magnetic field could provide physical insights for magnetically driven targets and astrophysical observations. This analytical model is easily expanded to investigate the effects of finite thickness of magnetic slab and sheared magnetic field in relevant to high-energy-density physics and to astrophysics.

Transmission characteristics of terahertz Bessel vortex beams through a multi-layered anisotropic magnetized plasma slab

The transmission of terahertz (THz) Bessel vortex beams through a multi-layered anisotropic magnetized plasma slab is investigated by using a hybrid method of cylindrical vector wave functions (CVWFs) and Fourier transform. On the basis of the electromagnetic boundary conditions on each interface, a cascade form of expansion coefficients of the reflected and transmitted fields is obtained. Taking a double Gaussian distribution of the plasma density as an example, the influences of the applied magnetic field, the incident angle and polarization mode of the incident beams on the magnitude, OAM mode and polarization of the transmitted beams are analyzed in detail. The results indicate that the applied magnetic field has a major effect upon the polarization state of the transmitted fields but not upon the transmitted OAM spectrum. The incident angle has a powerful influence upon both the amplitude profile and the OAM spectrum of the transmitted beam. Furthermore, for multiple coaxial vortex beams, an increase of the maximum value of the plasma density causes more remarkable distortion of both the profile and OAM spectrum of the transmitted beam. This research makes a stable foundation for the THz OAM multiplexing/demultiplexing technology in a magnetized plasma environment.