Nonuniform Plasma Research Articles

Excitation of kinetic geodesic acoustic modes by drift waves in nonuniform plasmas

Effects of system nonuniformities and kinetic dispersiveness on the spontaneous excitation of Geodesic Acoustic Mode (GAM) by Drift Wave (DW) turbulence are investigated based on nonlinear gyrokinetic theory. The coupled nonlinear equations describing parametric decay of DW into GAM and DW lower sideband are derived and then solved both analytically and numerically to investigate the effects on the parametric decay process due to system nonuniformities, such as nonuniform diamagnetic frequency, finite radial envelope of DW pump, and kinetic dispersiveness. It is found that the parametric decay process is a convective instability for typical tokamak parameters when finite group velocities of DW and GAM associated with kinetic dispersiveness and finite radial envelope are taken into account. When, however, nonuniformity of diamagnetic frequency is taken into account, the parametric decay process becomes, time asymptotically, a quasi-exponentially growing absolute instability.

Ray-tracing WKB analysis of Whistler waves in non-uniform magnetic fields applied to space thrusters

Radiofrequency magnetized cylindrical plasma sources are proposed for the development of space thrusters, whose thrust efficiency and specific impulse depend on the power coupled into the plasma. At this stage of research, emphasis has been on the absorption of Whistler wave energy by non-uniform plasmas but not much on the role played by the magneto-static confinement field, considered uniform, constant and aligned with the axis of the source. We present RAYWh (RAY-tracing Whistler), a three-dimensional (3D) ray-tracing solver for electromagnetic propagation and power deposition in cylindrical plasma sources for space plasma thrusters, where actual magnetic confinement configurations along with plasma density profiles are included. The propagation and absorption of Whistler waves are investigated by solving the 3D Maxwell–Vlasov model equations by a Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) asymptotic expansion. The reduced set of equations for the wave phase and for the square amplitude of the electric field is solved numerically by means of a modified Runge–Kutta algorithm. Unexpected cut-offs, resonances, radial reflections, mode conversions and power deposition profile of the excited waves are found, when realistic confinement magnetic fields are considered. An analysis of the influence of axial wavenumbers and the axial length of the system on the power deposition is presented.

Partially transverse and partially longitudinal wave in non-uniform electron plasmas

It is pointed out that in the slow time scale perturbations the displacement current is ignored but it does not imply that the electron density fluctuations vanish. The dispersion relation of the low-frequency electromagnetic wave described within the framework of electron magnetohydrodynamics (EMHD) is modified by taking into account the longitudinal effects. This wave can couple with plasma lower hybrid oscillations if ion dynamics is also considered. The low-frequency wave discussed here can have many applications in plasma transport and plasma opening switches.

The Alfvén wave parallel electric field in non-uniform space plasmas

We suggest a two-step mechanism for the generation of the parallel electric field at the Alfven wave. At the first step, the coupling with the compressional mode due to the magnetic field non-uniformity and finite plasma pressure provides the parallel magnetic field of Alfven wave. At the second step, the compressional mode acquires the parallel electric field due to coupling with the electrostatic mode as required by the quasi-neutrality condition in kinetics. The parallel electric field acquired by the Alfven mode is considerably larger than that due to the single-step coupling between the Alfven and electrostatic modes in kinetics.

Bi-Directional Excitation of Radio Frequency Waves Using a Helical Antenna in Non-Uniform Plasmas towards a Compact Magnetoplasma Thruster

Magnetoplasma thruster is one of the attractive plasma engines for space propulsion in future manned deep space exploration. Usually two helical antennas are equipped to produce and heat plasmas with separate radio frequency sources. It is presented in this paper that a helical antenna, which is used to launch one wave mode in one direction so far, exhibits bi-directional nature, where the waves with different mode numbers are launched and couple with electrons and ions selectively in opposite directions. A two-dimensional numerical calculation is performed to predict wave propagation and power absorption in a non-uniform hydrogen plasma immersed in a non-uniform external static magnetic field, based on the hot plasma theory. It is confirmed that appropriate choice of the excitation condition of the antenna can select axial propagation direction of specific wave modes and consequently select a species that absorbs power from generated waves. A small-scale experiment is performed to confirm the prediction of the calculation. By measuring a change in electron and ion temperatures due to the wave launch from the helical antenna, it is found that both the production and heating at different axial positions are accomplished simultaneously by one antenna showing that another type of the radio frequency driven magnetoplasma thruster would be achieved.

Propagation of guided modes in strongly non-uniform helicon-produced plasma

Theoretical as well as numerical analysis of the full set of Maxwell's equations was carried out to study axisymmetric (m = 0) as well as non-axisymmetric (m ≠ 0) guided modes in a helicon discharge (radius R). In detail, the propagation of various guided modes for conditions of strong radial inhomogeneity was treated. The m = 1 helicon dispersion exhibits for kzR≪1 a quadratic frequency dependence on the axial wavenumber, ω∝kz2, if the radial density gradient is steep enough. These modes reveal non-reciprocal behavior with respect to the azimuthal (θ) direction, that is, only modes with positive azimuthal mode numbers, m > 0, can propagate. This is in contrast to the linear dispersion relation, ω∝kz (kzR≪1), for common helicon mode propagation in weakly non-uniform plasma. The results agree reasonably with those obtained from the 2nd-order helicon wave equation derived for Ez = 0. Furthermore, guided electrostatic (ES) modes were analyzed using the 2nd-order wave equation and their eigen mode spectrum wa...

Accurate analysis of indium–zinc oxide thin films via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy based on plasma modeling

We report on accurate analysis of indium–zinc oxide thin films via laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) based on the calculation of the spectral radiance of the nonuniform laser-produced plasma. A thin film sample with variable elemental composition was irradiated with ultraviolet nanosecond laser pulses and the plasma emission spectra were characterized using time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. Thus, the spectrum recorded with an Echelle Spectrometer coupled to a gated detector was compared to the spectral radiance computed for a plasma in local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. The time evolution of the plasma was studied to find optimized recording conditions for which the self-absorption of spectral lines is minimized. In addition, the time-resolved measurements allowed us to determine the Stark broadening parameters of spectral lines used for the LIBS analysis. The metal fractions measured via LIBS were found to be in good agreement with the values obtained by complementary measurements using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The relative decay between fractions measured with both methods was smaller than 5% over the entire measurement range that implied the variation by a factor of four in the case of zinc. The present results show that LIBS measurement procedures based on plasma modeling could be used for fast quality control in the industrial production of thin films.

Current-driven drift wave instability in a collisional dusty negative ion plasma

AbstractThe excitation of drift waves by an electron current parallel to the magnetic field is investigated in a nonuniform plasma composed of electrons, positive ions, negative ions, and massive, negatively charged dust. Electrostatic drift waves with frequencies smaller than the ion gyrofrequencies and wavelengths larger than the ion gyroradii are considered. Linear kinetic theory is used, and collisions of charged particles with neutrals are taken into account. The present results may be relevant to laboratory collisional magnetoplasmas containing negative ions and dust.

Monte Carlo implementation of a guiding-center Fokker-Planck kinetic equation

A Monte Carlo method for the collisional guiding-center Fokker-Planck kinetic equation is derived in the five-dimensional guiding-center phase space, where the effects of magnetic drifts due to the background magnetic field nonuniformity are included. It is shown that, in the limit of a homogeneous magnetic field, our guiding-center Monte Carlo collision operator reduces to the guiding-center Monte Carlo Coulomb operator previously derived by Xu and Rosenbluth [Phys. Fluids B 3, 627 (1991)]. Applications of the present work will focus on the collisional transport of energetic ions in complex nonuniform magnetized plasmas in the large mean-free-path (collisionless) limit, where magnetic drifts must be retained.

Nonlinear structure of Gaussian laser beam in an axial non-uniform collisional plasma

Nonlinear structure of Gaussian laser beam in axial non-uniform underdense collisional plasma is investigated. Due to the combination effect of nonlinear ohmic heating and non-uniform of plasma, and which it modifies electrons temperature and density distribution. On the one hand, due to the effect of the nonlinear ohmic heating, electron temperature and electron density oscillations become highly peaked. On the other hand, due to add the influence of non-uniform of plasma, lead to the departure from sinusoidal shape of electrons temperature, electron density and electromagnetic fields distributions. With the increase of laser intensity, these nonlinear variations become more and more obvious, and their oscillations wavelength decrease.

Design and operation of a dual vircator HPM source

To use two separate vircators simultaneously for two-frequency multipulse testing, we designed and constructed a versatile modulator which drives two vircators in parallel. We present details of the design, including vircator design with particle-in-cell simulations using CST Particle Studio® and MAGIC. The system operates as planned. Microwave output of the vircators under various operating conditions fits frequency varying inversely with the anode-cathode gap, although there is considerable scatter at larger gaps, likely due to cathode plasma non-uniformity.

Effect of plasma channel non-uniformity on resonant third harmonic generation

AbstractWe study the generation of resonant third harmonic laser radiation in a density non-uniform rippled plasma channel. An introduction of plasma channel non-uniformity strongly enhances the self-focusing and compression of main laser pulse at lower powers. In a deeper plasma channel, self-focusing is less sensitive to laser amplitude variation but increases compression. Plasma density ripple ‘nq’ leading to resonant third harmonic generation when kq = 4ω2p/3meω0cγ0, where ‘ω’p is electron plasma frequency, ‘ω0’ is laser frequency, and ‘γ0’ is the electron Lorentz factor. Third harmonic is produced through the beating of ponderomotive force induced second harmonic density oscillations and the oscillatory velocity of electrons at main laser frequency. The self-focusing and compression of the fundamental pulse periodically enhances the intensity of the third-harmonic pulse at lower powers of main laser. In a deeper plasma channel, the third harmonic power is less effective by self-focusing and the compression of main laser, and increase with main laser pulse power.

Global stability of the ballooning mode in a cylindrical model

Ballooning disturbances in a finite-pressure plasma in a curvilinear magnetic field are described by the system of coupled equations for the Alfven and slow magnetosonic modes. In contrast to most previous works that locally analyzed the stability of small-scale disturbances using the dispersion relationship, a global analysis outside a WKB approximation but within a simple cylindrical geometry, when magnetic field lines are circles with constant curvature, is performed in the present work. This model is relatively simple; nevertheless, it has the singularities necessary for the formation of the ballooning mode: field curvature and non-uniform thermal plasma pressure. If the disturbance finite radial extent is taken into account, the instability threshold increases as compared to a WKB approximation. The simplified model used in this work made it possible to consider the pattern of unstable disturbances at arbitrary values of the azimuthal wavenumber (ky). Azimuthally large-scale disturbances can also be unstable, although the increment increases with decreasing azimuthal scale and reaches saturation when the scales are of the order of the pressure nonuniformity dimension.

Simulation of X-ray scattering diagnostics in multi-dimensional plasma

X-ray scattering is a powerful diagnostic technique that has been used in a variety of experimental settings to determine the temperature, density, and ionization state of warm dense matter. In order to maximize the intensity of the scattered signal, the x-ray source is often placed in close proximity to the target plasma. Therefore, the interpretation of the experimental data can become complicated by the fact that the detector records photons scattered at different angles from points within the plasma volume. In addition, the target plasma that is scattering the x-rays can have significant temperature and density gradients. To address these issues, we have developed the capability to simulate x-ray scattering for realistic experimental configurations where the effects of plasma non-uniformities and a range of x-ray scattering angles are included. We will discuss the implementation details and show results relevant to previous and ongoing experimental investigations.

Ultra-intense attosecond pulses emitted from laser wakefields in non-uniform plasmas

AbstractA scheme of generating ultra-intense attosecond pulses in ultra-relativistic laser interaction with under-dense plasmas is proposed. The attosecond pulse emission is caused by an oscillating transverse current sheet formed by an electron density spike composed of trapped electrons in the laser wakefield and the residual transverse momentum of electrons left behind the laser pulse when its front is strongly modulated. As soon as the attosecond pulse emerges, it tends to feed back to further enhance the transverse electron momentum and the transverse current. Consequently, the attosecond pulse is enhanced and developed into a few cycles later until the density spike is depleted out due to the pump laser depletion. To control the formation of the transverse current sheet, a non-uniform plasma slab with an up-ramp density profile in front of a uniform region is adopted, which enables one to obtain attosecond pulses with higher amplitudes than that in a uniform plasma slab.

On nonlinear physics of shear Alfvén waves

Shear Alfvén waves (SAW) are electromagnetic oscillations prevalent in laboratory and nature magnetized plasmas. Due to their anisotropic nature, it is well known that the linear wave propagation and dispersiveness of SAW are fundamentally affected by plasma nonuniformities and magnetic field geometries, such as the existence of continuous spectrum, spectral gaps, and discrete eigenmodes in toroidal plasmas. This work discusses the pure Alfvénic state and demonstrates the crucial roles that finite ion compressibility, non-ideal kinetic effects, and geometry play in breaking it and, thereby, the nonlinear physics of SAW wave-wave interactions.

Absolute parametric instability in a nonuniform plane plasma waveguide

The paper reports an analysis of the effect of spatial plasma nonuniformity on absolute parametric instability (API) of electrostatic waves in magnetized plane waveguides subjected to an intense high-frequency (HF) electric field using the separation method. In this case the effect of strong static magnetic field is considered. The problem of strong magnetic field is solved in 1D nonuniform plane plasma waveguide. The equation describing the spatial part of the electric potential is obtained. Also, the growth rates and conditions of the parametric instability for periodic and aperiodic cases are obtained. It is found that the spatial nonuniformity of the plasma exerts a stabilizing effect on the API. It is shown that the growth rates of periodic and aperiodic API in nonuniform plasma are less compared to that of uniform plasma.

Dust drift shock waves with non-Maxwellian ion population in nonuniform collisional dusty plasmas in planetary environments

Linear and nonlinear propagation of dust drift waves are investigated in the presence of Cairns and Kappa distributed ion population and Boltzmannian electrons. It is found the frequency of the dust drift wave is greatest for the Cairns, intermediate for Kappa and the least for the Maxwellian distributed ions. Using the drift approximation, a nonlinear equation is derived for the dust drift shock waves which reduces to a Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers (KdVB)-like equation in the comoving frame of reference. The solution of the KdVB-like equation is obtained using the tanh method. It is found that the non-Maxwellian ion population, dust neutral collision frequency as well as the inverse dust density scale length inhomogeneity alter the propagation characteristics of the nonlinear dust drift shock waves. Interestingly, it is found that the non-Maxwellian ion population modifies the scale lengths over which the nonlinear structures are formed. The work presented here may be useful to understand the low frequency electrostatic shock waves in inhomogeneous dusty plasmas such as those found in planetary environments.

Simulation of the conditions of wave excitation for the optimization of the lower hybrid current drive in the Globus-M spherical tokamak

At present, the method of current drive by means of lower hybrid waves is not applied to low-aspect-ratio tokamaks, because, in the traditional approach, it would be necessary to use waves with a very high slowing-down factor. However, studies of new transparency regions for waves in a nonuniform magnetized plasma, performed earlier at the Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, made it possible to develop an approach in which slow waves are excited in the poloidal (rather than toroidal) direction. In this approach, moderately slowed-down waves first propagate in the poloidal direction, but then turn in the toroidalal direction and get into the dense plasma. In this work, this approach is further developed using numerical methods. In particular, the influence of the density profile in the edge plasma on the efficiency of wave excitation for given antenna parameters is studied in detail.

Navigation antenna performance degradation caused by plasma sheath

A plasma sheath generated around a hypersonic vehicle can be a serious obstacle to fixed-frequency communications, especially navigation systems. This paper studies the effects of a plasma sheath on a Beidou navigation circular microstrip patch antenna. The dynamic stratified medium model method, which is based on the gradient of electron density profile curve, is employed to model the nonuniform plasma sheath. Using the algorithm calculation of the time-domain finite integration, the navigation antenna radiation pattern property is obtained, along with the changes in the reflection coefficient and input impedance properties. Results show that antenna pattern distortion, resonant frequency shift, and impedance mismatch caused by plasma are proportional to the electron density. The process of reentry blackout is also reproduced from the perspective of the antenna performance degradation. The inductor L and capacitor C (LC tuning circuit) impedance mismatch compensation scheme proposed is demonstrated to be effective and it can decrease return loss by 19.4 dB under the most serious plasma environment, thus reducing signal reflection and enhancing navigation system performance.