Plasma Structures Research Articles

Nonlinear structure and growth rate of solitary waves for extended Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation in plasma having (r, q) distribution electrons

The Reductive Perturbation Technique (RPT) is used to investigate ion acoustic waves (IAWs) in magnetized plasmas made up of electrons obeying the generalized form of ( r,q ) distribution. The analysis makes use of the Extended Zakharov-Kuznetsov (EZK) equation and the hydrodynamic theory of plasmas. The study investigates the effects of electron flatness ( r ) at low energy and superthermal ( q ) at high energy on the characteristics of IAWs, and the solutions to the EZK equation are plotted for different values of the plasma characteristics, such as the total ion cyclotron frequency, the ion to electron temperature ratio, and the ion-specific heat. The research goes into great detail to estimate the instability threshold and growth rate of these waves by applying a small-k perturbation technique. Overall, this investigation contributes to the better understanding of ion acoustic structures in space plasmas.

Investigation of Ionospheric Small‐Scale Plasma Structures Associated With Particle Precipitation

AbstractWe investigate the role of auroral particle precipitation in small‐scale (below hundreds of meters) plasma structuring in the auroral ionosphere over the Arctic. In this scope, we analyze together data recorded by an Ionospheric Scintillation Monitor Receiver (ISMR) of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and by an All‐Sky Imager located in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Norway). We leverage on the raw GNSS samples provided at 50 Hz by the ISMR to evaluate amplitude and phase scintillation indices at 1 s time resolution and the Ionosphere‐Free Linear Combination at 20 ms time resolution. The simultaneous use of the 1 s GNSS‐based scintillation indices allows identifying the scale size of the irregularities involved in plasma structuring in the range of small (up to few hundreds of meters) and medium‐scale size ranges (up to few kilometers) for GNSS frequencies and observational geometry. Additionally, they allow identifying the diffractive and refractive nature of fluctuations on the recorded GNSS signals. Six strong auroral events and their effects on plasma structuring are studied. Plasma structuring down to scales of hundreds of meters is seen when strong gradients in auroral emissions at 557.7 nm cross the line of sight between the GNSS satellite and receiver. Local magnetic field measurements confirm small‐scale structuring processes coinciding with intensification of ionospheric currents. Since 557.7 nm emissions primarily originate from the ionospheric E‐region, plasma instabilities from particle precipitation at E‐region altitudes are considered to be responsible for the signatures of small‐scale plasma structuring highlighted in the GNSS scintillation data.

Model of Ambipolar Processes in Cumulative- Dissipative Self-Focusing Structures in Plasma—Part 2: Classification of Ambipolar Drifts With Current in the Zeroth Approximation According to the Vysikaylo’s Perturbation Theory

Model of Ambipolar Processes in Cumulative- Dissipative Self-Focusing Structures in Plasma—Part 2: Classification of Ambipolar Drifts With Current in the Zeroth Approximation According to the Vysikaylo’s Perturbation Theory

A Scalable, High-Efficiency, Low-Energy-Spread Laser Wakefield Accelerator Using a Tri-Plateau Plasma Channel.

The emergence of multi-petawatt laser facilities is expected to push forward the maximum energy gain that can be achieved in a single stage of a laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) to tens of giga-electron volts, which begs the question-is it likely to impact particle physics by providing a truly compact particle collider? Colliders have very stringent requirements on beam energy, acceleration efficiency, and beam quality. In this article, we propose an LWFA scheme that can for the first time simultaneously achieve hitherto unrealized acceleration efficiency from the laser to the electron beam of >20% and a sub-1% energy spread using a stepwise plasma structure and a nonlinearly chirped laser pulse. Three-dimensional high-fidelity simulations show that the nonlinear chirp can effectively mitigate the laser waveform distortion and lengthen the acceleration distance. This, combined with an interstage rephasing process in the stepwise plasma, can triple the beam energy gain compared to that in a uniform plasma for a fixed laser energy, thereby dramatically increasing the efficiency. A dynamic beam loading effect can almost perfectly cancel the energy chirp that arises during the acceleration, leading to the sub-percent energy spread. This scheme is highly scalable and can be applied to petawatt LWFA scenarios. Scaling laws are obtained, which suggest that electron beams with parameters relevant for a Higgs factory could be reached with the proposed high-efficiency, low-energy-spread scheme.

Statistical models of the variability of plasma in the topside ionosphere: 1. Development and optimisation

This work presents statistical models of the variability of plasma in the topside ionosphere based on observations made by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Swarm satellites. The models were developed in the “Swarm Variability of Ionospheric Plasma” (Swarm-VIP) project within the European Space Agency’s Swarm+4D-Ionosphere framework. The configuration of the Swarm satellites, their near-polar orbits and the data products developed, enable studies of the spatial variability of the ionosphere at multiple scale sizes. The statistical modelling technique of Generalised Linear Modelling (GLM) was used to create models of both the electron density and measures of the variability of the plasma structures at horizontal spatial scales between 20 km and 100 km. Despite being developed using the Swarm data, the models provide predictions that are independent of these data. Separate models were created for low, middle, auroral and polar latitudes. The models make predictions based on heliogeophysical variables, which act as proxies for the solar and geomagnetic processes. The first and most significant term in the majority of the models was a proxy for solar activity. The most common second term varied with the latitudinal region. This was the Solar Zenith Angle (SZA) in the polar region, a measure of latitude in the auroral region, solar time in the mid-latitude region and a measure of latitude in the equatorial region. Other, less significant terms in the models covered a range of proxies for the solar wind, geomagnetic activity and location. In this paper, the formulation, optimisation and evaluation of these models are discussed. The models show very little bias, with a mean error of zero to two decimal places in 14 out of 20 cases. The models capture some, but not all, of the trends present in the data, with Pearson correlation coefficients of up to 0.75 between the observations and the model predictions. The models also capture some, but not all, of the variability of the ionospheric plasma, as indicated by the precision, which ranged between 0.20 and 0.83. The addition of the thermospheric density as an explanatory variable in the models improved the precision in the polar and auroral regions. It is suggested that, if the thermosphere could be observed at a higher spatial resolution, then even more of the variability of the plasma structures could be captured by statistical models. The formulation and optimisation of the models are presented in this paper. The capability of the model in reproducing the expected climatological features of the topside ionosphere, in supporting GNSS-based ionospheric observations and the performance of the model against the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM), are provided in a companion paper (Spogli L et al. 2024. J Space Weather Space Clim https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2024003).

Solar Plasma Structures and Solar Wind Plasma Turbulences in Relation with Geomagnetic Disturbances during Decline Phase of Solar Cycle 24 and Rising Phase of Solar Cycle 25

Solar Plasma Structures and Solar Wind Plasma Turbulences in Relation with Geomagnetic Disturbances during Decline Phase of Solar Cycle 24 and Rising Phase of Solar Cycle 25

Solar Plasma Structures and Solar Wind Plasma Turbulences in Relation with Geomagnetic Disturbances during Decline Phase of Solar Cycle 24 and Rising Phase of Solar Cycle 25

We have studied the effect of solar structures and turbulences in solar wind plasma on the Earth's magnetosphere during the decline phase of solar cycle 24 and the rising phase of solar cycle 25. Most CMEs are geoeffective, cause geomagnetic storms, and are associated with C-class and M-class solar flares (S.F.s). It is also observed that these geomagnetic storms are associated with disturbances in solar wind plasma parameters. We have determined a large positive correlation with a correlation coefficient of 0.68, 0.58, 0.65, and 0.63 between the magnitude of the extensive geomagnetic storms and the peak value of IMF Btotal, the magnitude of IMF Btotal, the peak value of disturbances in the southward component of interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF Bz), and magnitude of disturbances in the southward component of interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF Bz). The correlation coefficient of 0.61 is higher between the magnitude of Dst and the magnitude of SWPT, as compared with the magnitude of flow pressure (0.39). From the present work, we have concluded that solar plasma structures and solar wind turbulences are mainly responsible for generating extensive geomagnetic storms.

Aptamer-aided plasmonic nano-urchins for reporter-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy analysis of cortisol.

Cortisol is a vital glucocorticoid hormone reflecting stress levels and related disease processes. In this study, we report an aptamer-functionalized plasmonic nano-urchin (α-FeOOH@Au-aptamer)-aided cortisol-capturing and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) analysis approach. The designed α-FeOOH@Au-aptamer exhibits a well-patterned plasma structure, which combines the good SERS enhancement ability of reduced nanogaps between the Au plasma and the hot spot-favored structure of anisotropic tips from α-FeOOH urchins, with the high affinity of the aptamer towards cortisol molecules. The α-FeOOH@Au-aptamer achieved reporter-free SERS quantification for cortisol with good sensitivity (limit of detection <0.28 μmol L-1), robust salt (1.0 mol per L NaCl) and protein (5.0 mg per mL bovine serum protein) tolerance, favorable reproducibility, as well as good reusability. We further demonstrated the good cortisol-capturing ability and SERS efficacy of the α-FeOOH@Au-aptamer profiling in the serum and urine samples. Our approach provides an alternative tool for cortisol analysis and a reference strategy for report-free SERS detection of small molecules.

Impact of plasma operating conditions on the ion energy and angular distributions in dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma reactors using CF4 chemistry

A two-dimensional hybrid model is used to simulate an industrial dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma reactor working at closely spaced frequencies (13.56–40.68 MHz) in pure CF4 chemistry. The goal is to understand how plasma operating conditions (pressure, low-frequency and high-frequency RF powers, and chamber wall conditions) influence critical etching parameters such as the ion energy and angular distribution (IEAD) and the ion flux at the wafer. In base case conditions, the ionic and radical composition at the center of the plasma is analyzed, revealing CF3+ and F− as the primary ions, and F, CF, CF3, CF2, and F2 as the predominant radicals (by decreasing density). The impact of the surface recombination coefficient of F radicals into F2 at the reactor walls, γ(rec,F &amp;gt; F2), is then explored; it is found that increasing γ(rec,F &amp;gt; F2) has a strong impact on the final plasma composition, decreasing CF and F densities while increasing CF3, CF2, and F densities, which highlights the importance of properly considering wall conditions in CF-based plasmas simulation. The IEAD at the wafer is then characterized, showing that the total IEAD shape is affected by the plasma ion composition: heavy ions such as CF3+ (69 amu) form the core of the distribution while lighter species such as F+ (19 amu) form the wing of the distribution due to their lower mass. The low frequency (LF) power (100–900 W) is shown to substantially modify the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) owing to sheath voltage changes, but to also marginally increase the ion flux at the wafer. Conversely, the high-frequency (HF) power (100–1500 W) strongly impacts the ion flux at the wafer due to HF voltage fluctuations, while the IEDF remains mostly unaffected. This study also reveals some coupling between the effects of the LF (13.56 MHz) and HF (40.68 MHz) power, a phenomenon attributable to their proximity in frequency which should not be neglected. Finally, increasing the pressure from 30 to 200 mTorr is found to increase the electronegativity by a factor 4 and to strongly impact the plasma structure, primarily due to variations in ion mobility; it also widens the ion angular spread, potentially influencing etch uniformity. Notably, higher pressures exceeding 100 mTorr result in a decrease in the average ion density and the emergence of a low-energy peak in the ion energy distribution, attributed to charge exchange collisions.

Wave field structure and power coupling features of blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antenna geometries and frequencies

This paper deals with wave propagation and power coupling in blue-core helicon plasma driven by various antennas and frequencies. It is found that compared to non-blue-core mode, for blue-core mode, the wave can propagate in the core region, and it decays sharply outside the core. The power absorption is lower and steeper in radius for blue-core mode. Regarding the effects of antenna geometry for blue-core mode, it shows that half helix antenna yields the strongest wave field and power absorption, while loop antenna yields the lowest. Moreover, near axis, for antennas with m = +1, the wave field increases with axial distance. In the core region, the wave number approaches to a saturation value at much lower frequency for non-blue-core mode compared to blue-core mode. The total loading resistance is much lower for blue-core mode. These findings are valuable to understanding the physics of blue-core helicon discharge and optimizing the experimental performance of blue-core helicon plasma sources for applications such as space propulsion and material treatment.

Local bow shock environment during magnetosheath jet formation: results from a hybrid-Vlasov simulation

Abstract. Magnetosheath jets are plasma structures that are characterised by enhanced dynamic pressure and/or plasma velocity. In this study, we investigate the formation of magnetosheath jets in four two-dimensional simulation runs of the global magnetospheric hybrid-Vlasov model Vlasiator. We focus on jets whose origins were not clearly determined in a previous study using the same simulations (Suni et al., 2021) to have been associated with foreshock structures of enhanced dynamic pressure and magnetic field. We find that these jets can be divided into two categories based on their direction of propagation, either predominantly antisunward or predominantly toward the flanks of the magnetosphere. As antisunward-propagating jets can potentially impact the magnetopause and have effects on the magnetosphere, understanding which foreshock and bow shock phenomena are associated with them is important. The antisunward-propagating jets have properties indistinguishable from those of the jets found in the previous study. This indicates that the antisunward jets investigated in this paper belong to the same continuum as the jets previously found to be caused by foreshock structures; however, due to the criteria used in the previous study, they did not appear in this category before. These jets together make up 86 % of all jets in this study. The flankward-propagating jets make up 14 % of all jets and are different, showing no clear association with foreshock structures and exhibiting temperature anisotropy unlike the other jets. We suggest that they could consist of quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath plasma, indicating that these jets could be associated with local turning of the shock geometry from quasi-parallel to quasi-perpendicular. This turning could be due to bow shock reformation at the oblique shock caused by foreshock ultralow-frequency (ULF) wave activity.

Formation and evolution of multiple-core structures in laser-sustained plasmas

We report on the formation of multiple-core structures in laser-sustained plasmas (LSPs) through the utilization of an improved two-dimensional laser-thermal-hydrodynamically coupled fluid model. Our findings reveal that steady-state LSPs exhibit various temperature structures, including single, double, and triple cores, as the input laser power increases incrementally. The spatiotemporal distributions of these multiple-core structures are demonstrated, and the presence of an LSP core is identified when the rate of enthalpy change becomes positive. This behavior is predominantly influenced by factors such as laser power absorption, radiation, and diffusion along the laser path. The obtained results provide explicit insights into the temperature structures within LSPs, thereby potentially contributing to the advancement of LSP-based light sources for optical wafer defect inspection in the semiconductor industry.

Numerical simulation of the equatorial plasma bubble: the effect of seeding by the vertical winds and random background noise perturbations

A wide variety of small-amplitude waves widely exist in the ionosphere and have significant effects on the evolution of equatorial plasma bubbles. In this paper, we simulated equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB) seeded by vertical neutral wind perturbations with wavelengths of 125 km and 250 km, and compared the morphology characteristics of plasma bubble structures with those under random noise perturbations in the background density. The numerical results showed that both vertical winds and random background noise perturbations can contribute to the growth of plasma bubbles, and the perturbations under additional random background noise can promote the growth of the plasma bubble structures faster. Additionally, several processes of the nonlinear behavior of bifurcated EPB structures, including bifurcation, pinching, and small-scale turbulent structures, were successfully obtained. Our simulation captured supersonic flows within the low-density plasma structures characterized by vertical velocities of about 1.5 km/s, which is consistent with experimental studies found in the literature.

Analysis of the E-Region Low-Altitude Quasi-Periodic Event in Low-Latitudes of China

The low-altitude quasi-periodic (LQP) E-region echoes observed with the upgraded Hainan COherent scatter Phased Array Radar (HCOPAR) located in Hainan Island of China (19.5°N, 109.1°E) are presented. With the interferometry technique, interferometry equations were developed to investigate the structures of the irregularities. The results show that the plasma structures of the LQP echoes with a negative slope mainly drifted southwestward almost horizontally, but they also drifted southeastward in some striations. According to the movement of the plasma structures, we found strong wind shear in the region in which the LQP echoes were produced. Meanwhile, the periodicity of the LQP echoes may have been related to the strength of the wind shear. It is proposed that the plasma structures were most likely produced by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability (KHI).

On the fractal pattern of the current structure at ion scales in turbulent space plasmas

The recent ability to investigate the features of magnetic field fluctuations at ion/sub-ion scales employing both measurements and simulations has clearly demonstrated how, at these scales, the current has a filamentary structure, i.e., it is not a compact structure. This points toward the idea that the current and the dissipation field may have a fractal structure. An intriguing question immediately arises: is there a relationship between the fractal topology of currents at ion/sub-ion scales and the observed spectral features at the same scales? The goal of this work is to investigate the fractal topology of currents at the Low-end of MHD inertial domain and at ion scales using Hall-MagnetoHydroDynamics and Hybrid Vlasov-Maxwell simulations. The results show a clear relationship between the fractal dimension of the current pattern and the spectral features at ion scales. The relevance of this link is discussed in connection with the dynamics of coherent plasma structures at these scales.

Interplay among turbulence, flow and impurities for sustaining magnetic island

As ubiquitous structures in magnetized fusion plasmas, magnetic islands (MIs) would short-circuit adjacent magnetic flux surfaces and result in a reduced pressure gradient and fluctuations inside the island; it is widely accepted that due to the stabilizing of drift wave instability, the turbulence intensity inside MIs is much lower for larger islands. Here, we provide the first observations that strong turbulence could be generated inside a large radiation MI, which is probably driven by the electron temperature dip due to strongly localized impurity radiation. Moreover, the flow velocity inside the MI is strongly correlated with the turbulence intensity, and the impurity concentration rate suddenly increases as the flow velocity reaches a threshold value, strongly suggesting that turbulence and flow inside the island play important roles in trapping heavy impurities and sustaining radiative MIs.

Observational evidence of accelerating electron holes and their effects on passing ions

As a universal structure in space plasma, electron holes represent an obvious signature of nonlinear process. Although the theory has a 60-year history, whether electron hole can finally accelerate ambient electrons (or ions) is quite controversial. Previous theory for one-dimensional holes predicts that net velocity change of passing electrons (or ions) occurs only if the holes have non-zero acceleration. However, the prediction has not yet been demonstrated in observations. Here, we report four electron holes whose acceleration/deceleration is obtained by fitting the spatial separations and detection time delays between different Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft. We find that electron hole acceleration/deceleration is related to the ion velocity distribution gradient at the hole’s velocity. We observe net velocity changes of ions passing through the accelerating/decelerating holes, in accordance with theoretical predictions. Therefore, we show that electron holes with non-zero acceleration can cause the velocity of passing ions to increase in the acceleration direction.

Lagrangian coherent structures in space plasmas

Lagrangian coherent structures in space plasmas

Self-consistent coupling of JOREK and CARIDDI: On the electromagnetic interaction of 3D tokamak plasmas with 3D volumetric conductors

The self-consistent electromagnetic integration of tokamak plasma magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models with external conductors is considered in this manuscript. We integrate the extended MHD code JOREK and the eddy current code CARIDDI, via a scheme based on the virtual casing principle enabling two-way coupled fully implicit simulations. The robustness of this new integrated tool is validated against JOREK-STARWALL and CarMa0NL simulations for vertical displacement events in a simplified ASDEX Upgrade-like geometry and for n = 1 tearing modes in a circular high-aspect-ratio tokamak. The impact of 3D wall structures on the plasma evolution is highlighted introducing ports at different locations of a simplified axisymmetric wall and characterizing its effect on the plasma evolution. In addition to realistically capturing the 3D interactions between plasma and wall structures, the coupled codes will allow in the future 1:1 comparisons to experiments using virtual magnetic diagnostics that capture screening effects accurately.

Non-equilibrium aerodynamics between ionization-wave and shock-wave fronts in millimetre-wave supported detonation

A shock wave driven by discharge plasma propagating in a high-power millimetre-wave beam was investigated both experimentally and numerically. A shadowgraph experiment was used to visualize the shock wave and plasma. The ionization wave front of the plasma preceded the shock wave by 2.0–4.0 mm under conditions of 170 GHz beam frequency, atmospheric pressure, and 1.1 GW m−2 peak power density (power density at the beam axis). Furthermore, a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation considering non-equilibrium temperatures and filamentary plasma structures revealed that an ionization-wave front precedes a shock wave front because the energy relaxation requires a few micro-seconds from vibrational excitation at a plasma front to translational excitation for the shock wave formation. Consequently, the distance between an ionization wave front and shock wave front is 3.8 mm in the two-dimensional CFD simulation, which agreed with the experimental results.