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The E × B Electron Drift Instability (E × B EDI), also called Electron Cyclotron Drift Instability, has been observed in recent particle simulations of Hall thrusters and is a possible candidate to explain anomalous electron transport across the magnetic field in these devices. This instability is characterized by the development of an azimuthal wave with wavelength in the mm range and velocity on the order of the ion acoustic velocity, which enhances electron transport across the magnetic field. In this paper, we study the development and convection of the E × B EDI in the acceleration and near plume regions of a Hall thruster using a simplified 2D axial-azimuthal Particle-In-Cell simulation. The simulation is collisionless and the ionization profile is not-self-consistent but rather is given as an input parameter of the model. The aim is to study the development and properties of the instability for different values of the ionization rate (i.e., of the total ion production rate or current) and to compare the results with the theory. An important result is that the wavelength of the simulated azimuthal wave scales as the electron Debye length and that its frequency is on the order of the ion plasma frequency. This is consistent with the theory predicting destruction of electron cyclotron resonance of the E × B EDI in the non-linear regime resulting in the transition to an ion acoustic instability. The simulations also show that for plasma densities smaller than under nominal conditions of Hall thrusters the field fluctuations induced by the E × B EDI are no longer sufficient to significantly enhance electron transport across the magnetic field, and transit time instabilities develop in the axial direction. The conditions and results of the simulations are described in detail in this paper and they can serve as benchmarks for comparisons between different simulation codes. Such benchmarks would be very useful to study the role of numerical noise (numerical noise can also be responsible to the destruction of electron cyclotron resonance) or the influence of the period of the azimuthal domain, as well as to reach a better and consensual understanding of the physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a preceding paper [J. P. Goedbloed, Phys. Plasmas 16, 122110 (2009)] a new method was developed to compute the magnetohydrodynamic spectrum of waves and instabilities of stationary plasma flows by means of the construction of the solution paths, Ps and Pu, of stable waves and instabilities in the complex ω plane of an extended boundary value problem and the monotonicity of the alternator R≡ξ/Π (ratio of displacement and total pressure perturbation) along those paths to find the eigenvalues. This method is applied in this paper to explicitly construct the solution paths, and the eigenvalues on it, for a plane gravitating plasma slab with shear flow. The topology of the solution paths for Rayleigh–Taylor and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities that are constructed here for the first time exhibits a surprising complexity. This is not a mathematical artifact, but characteristic for the structure of the magnetohydrodynamic spectrum of plasmas with background flow. Hence, its construction is crucial for the success of magnetohydrodynamic spectroscopy, aimed at determining the internal equilibrium characteristics of astrophysical and laboratory fusion plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, Gaelzer et al. [Phys. Plasmas 22, 032310 (2015)] revisited the second-order nonlinear kinetic theory for turbulence propagating in directions parallel/anti-parallel to the ambient magnetic field. The original work was according to Yoon and Fang [Phys. Plasmas 15, 122312 (2008)], but Gaelzer et al. noted that the terms pertaining to discrete-particle effects in Yoon and Fang's theory did not enjoy proper dimensionality. The purpose of Gaelzer et al. was to restore the dimensional consistency associated with such terms. However, Gaelzer et al. was concerned only with linear wave-particle interaction terms. The present paper completes the analysis by considering the dimensional correction to nonlinear wave-particle interaction terms in the wave kinetic equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by taking advantage of a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation model, we study the structure of the out-of-plane magnetic field (Hall magnetic field) during asymmetric magnetic reconnection without a guide field, and the associated in-plane current system is also analyzed. The evolution of asymmetric reconnection has two stages. At the first stage, the electrons move toward the X line along the separatrix in the magnetosheath side, and depart from the X line along the separatrix in the magnetosphere side. Another electron flow toward the X line exists above the separatrix in the magnetosphere side. The resulted in-plane current system, which is mainly determined by electron dynamics, generates the quadrupolar structure of the Hall magnetic field, where the two quadrants in the magnetosheath side are much stronger than those in the magnetosphere side. At the second stage, besides these electron flows, an additional electron flow away from the X line is formed along the magnetic field below the separatrix in the magnetosheath side. A hexapolar structure of the Hall magnetic field is then generated by such a current system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using the electromagnetic Particle-In-Cell method, the multipactor of the dielectric window on the upstream side is observed directly even without presetting extra normal electric fields and compared to that on the downstream side. This paper shows: First, with the initial emission of electrons to provide extra normal electric fields, the secondary electron avalanche is much faster than that on the downstream side. Second, even without the initial emission of electron to provide extra normal electric fields, the secondary electron avalanche occurs on the upstream side, while it is nowhere to be found on the downstream side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are still many missing elements to complete the physical picture at the basis of the Hall thruster functioning. The origin of the anomalous electron cross-field transport often ascribed to azimuthal electron E × B drift instability remains decoupled from self-consistent ion axial acceleration and radial boundary conditions, at the same time. This study represents the first attempt to correlate the different mechanisms contributing to the electron transport by means of a fully kinetic three-dimensional Particle-in-Cell model. A geometrical scaling scheme has been used to make the simulation possible. This scheme irremediably changes what are some salient characteristics of the discharge, such as the wall interaction and the axial component of the electric field. For this reason, a critical assessment of the effects of reducing dimensions has been addressed. The present paper deals with the physics of discharge channel. Results confirm the occurrence of E × B drift instability along the azimuthal direction. The modulation is almost standing wave: it moves back and forth travelling only a short distance before being axially convected away. In addition, the dielectric floating potential nature of the lateral walls gives to the azimuthal modulation an important radial component creating an oblique pattern in the radial-azimuthal plane. As a consequence, the azimuthal electric field presents a double alternating structure: two phase-opposing waves are present in the first and second half of the radial extension between the two lateral walls. Finally, the effect of secondary electron emission from walls is not sufficient to guarantee the right electron current to neutralize the ion beam, but rather it works as an auxiliary mechanism (together with ion heating and azimuthal rotation) to saturate the electron drift instability leading to smaller amplitude oscillations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparison is made between two reduced models for studying laser propagation in underdense plasma; namely, photon kinetic theory and the slowly varying envelope approximation. Photon kinetic theory is a wave-kinetic description of the electromagnetic field where the motion of quasiparticles in photon coordinate-wave number phase space is described by the ray-tracing equations. Numerically, the photon kinetic theory is implemented with standard particle-in-cell techniques, which results in a so-called photon-in-cell code. For all the examples presented in this paper, the slowly varying envelope approximation is accurate and therefore discrepancies indicate the failure of photon kinetic approximation for these cases. Possible remedies for this failure are discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task for the present study is to make an investigation of self-similarity in a self-focusing laser beam both theoretically and numerically using graphical user interface based interactive computer simulation model in MATLAB (matrix laboratory) software in the presence of saturating ponderomotive force based and relativistic electron quiver based plasma nonlinearities. The corresponding eigenvalue problem is solved analytically using the standard eikonal formalism and the underlying dynamics of self-focusing is dictated by the corrected paraxial theory for slow self-focusing. The results are also compared with computer simulation of self-focusing by the direct fast Fourier transform based spectral methods. It is found that the self-similar solution obtained analytically oscillates around the true numerical solution equating it at regular intervals. The simulation results are the main ones although a feasible semianalytical theory under many assumptions is given to understand the process. The self-similar profiles are called as self-organized profiles (not in a strict sense), which are found to be close to Laguerre–Gaussian curves for all the modes, the shape being conserved. This terminology is chosen because it has already been shown from a phase space analysis that the width of an initially Gaussian beam undergoes periodic oscillations that are damped when any absorption is added in the model, i.e., the beam width converges to a constant value. The research paper also tabulates the specific values of the normalized phase shift for solutions decaying to zero at large transverse distances for first three modes which can, however, be extended to higher order modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-oscillation obtained using a DC-only power supply under specific anode voltage conditions is investigated in a cylindrical system with thermal electrons using tungsten filaments. Analysis of the obtained oscillation profiles reveals that the experimental data are consistent with a model derived from the particle balance model. The self-oscillation period characteristics with respect to the pressure and gas species are also analyzed. As the physics and particle motion of self-oscillation near the plasma transition region are analyzed from different perspectives, this paper may advance the study of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, a design methodology of the gyroklystron amplifier has been described and subsequently used for the design of a typically selected 200 kW, Ka-band, four-cavity gyroklystron amplifier. This conceptual device design has been validated through the 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation and nonlinear analysis. Commercially available PIC simulation code "MAGIC" has been used for the electromagnetic study at the different location of the device RF interaction structure for the beam-absent case, i.e., eigenmode study as well as for the electron beam and RF wave interaction behaviour study in the beam present case of the gyroklystron. In addition, a practical problem of misalignment of the RF cavities with drift tubes within the tube has been also investigated and its effect on device performance studied. The analytical and simulation results confirmed the validity of the gyroklystron device design. The PIC simulation results of the present gyroklystron produced a stable RF output power of ~218kW for 0% velocity spread at 35 GHz, with ~45 dB gain, 37% efficiency, and a bandwidth of 0.3% for a 70 kV, 8.2A gyrating electron beam. The simulated values of RF output power have been found in agreement with the nonlinear analysis results within ~5%. Further, the PIC simulation has been extended to study a practical problem of misalignment of the cavities axis and drift tube axis of the gyroklystron amplifier and found that the RF output power is more sensitive to misalignments in comparison to the device bandwidth. The present paper, gyroklystron device design, nonlinear analysis, and 3D PIC simulation using commercially available code had been systematically described would be of use to the high-power gyro-amplifier tube designers and research scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver (Ag) wire arrays were recently introduced as efficient x-ray radiators and have been shown to create L-shell plasmas that have the highest electron temperature (>1.8 keV) observed on the Zebra generator so far and upwards of 30 kJ of energy output. In this paper, results of single planar wire arrays and double planar wire arrays of Ag and mixed Ag and Al that were tested on the UNR Zebra generator are presented and compared. To further understand how L-shell Ag plasma evolves in time, a time-gated x-ray spectrometer was designed and fielded, which has a spectral range of approximately 3.5-5.0Å . With this, L-shell Ag as well as cold Lα and Lβ Ag lines was captured and analyzed along with photoconducting diode (PCD) signals (>0.8 keV). Along with PCD signals, other signals, such as filtered XRD (>0.2 keV) and Si-diodes (SiD) (>9 keV), are analyzed covering a broad range of energies from a few eV to greater than 53 keV. The observation and analysis of cold Lα and Lβ lines show possible correlations with electron beams and SiD signals. Recently, an interesting issue regarding these Ag plasmas is whether lasing occurs in the Ne-like soft x-ray range, and if so, at what gains? To help answer this question, a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) kinetic model was utilized to calculate theoretical lasing gains. It is shown that the Ag L-shell plasma conditions produced on the Zebra generator at 1.7 maximum current may be adequate to produce gains as high as 6cm-1 for various 3p → 3s transitions. Other potential lasing transitions, including higher Rydberg states, are also included in detail. The overall importance of Ag wire arrays and plasmas is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal design method of high-power microwave source using particle simulation and parallel genetic algorithms is presented in this paper. The output power, simulated by the fully electromagnetic particle simulation code UNIPIC, of the high-power microwave device is given as the fitness function, and the float-encoding genetic algorithms are used to optimize the high-power microwave devices. Using this method, we encode the heights of non-uniform slow wave structure in the relativistic backward wave oscillators (RBWO), and optimize the parameters on massively parallel processors. Simulation results demonstrate that we can obtain the optimal parameters of non-uniform slow wave structure in the RBWO, and the output microwave power enhances 52.6% after the device is optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the double-shell ignition target, the nonuniform preheat of the inner shell by high-energy x rays, especially the M-band line radiation and L-shell radiation from the Au hohlraum, aggravates the hydrodynamic instability that causes shell disruption. In this paper, for the first time, we propose another preheating mechanism due to the radiative shock formed in the CH foam, and also confirm and validate such preheat of radiative shock by numerical results. We also give an estimate of the improved double-shell in which the CH foam is replaced by the metallic foam to mitigate the hydrodynamic instabilities, and find that the radiative shock formed in the metallic foam produces a much stronger radiation field to preheat the inner shell, which plays a role in better controlling the instabilities. In double-shells, the preheat of radiative shock, as a potential effect on the instabilities, should be seriously realized and underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report experimental results on the parameters, structure, and evolution of high-Mach-number (M) argon plasma jets formed and launched by a pulsed-power-driven railgun. The nominal initial average jet parameters in the data set analyzed are density ≈2×1016 cm-3, electron temperature ≈1.4 eV, velocity ≈30 km/s, M≈14, ionization fraction ≈0.96, diameter ≈5 cm, and length ≈20 cm. These values approach the range needed by the Plasma Liner Experiment, which is designed to use merging plasma jets to form imploding spherical plasma liners that can reach peak pressures of 0.1-1 Mbar at stagnation. As these jets propagate a distance of approximately 40 cm, the average density drops by one order of magnitude, which is at the very low end of the 8-160 times drop predicted by ideal hydrodynamic theory of a constant-M jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusion reactivity is usually obtained using a Maxwellian distribution. However, energy-dependent radial diffusion can modify the energy distribution. Superbanana diffusion is energy-dependent and occurs in nonaxisymmetric magnetic confinement devices, such as stellarators, because of ripple-trapped particles which can take large steps between collisions. In this paper, the D-T fusion reactivity is calculated using a non-Maxwellian energy distribution obtained by solving the Fokker-Planck equation numerically, including radial superbanana diffusion as well as energy scattering. The ions in the tail of the distribution, with energies larger than thermal, which are most needed for fusion, are depleted by superbanana diffusion. In this paper, it is shown that the D-T fusion reactivity is reduced by tail ion depletion due to superbanana diffusion, by roughly a factor of 0.5 for the parameters used in the calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the first direct perturbed particle transport measurements in resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) H-mode plasmas. The perturbed particle transport increases as a result of application of RMP deep into the core. In the core, a large reduction in E × B shear to a value below the linear growth rate, in conjunction with increasing density fluctuations, is consistent with an increase in turbulent particle transport. In the edge, the changes in turbulent particle transport are less obvious. There is a clear correlation between the linear growth rates and the density fluctuations measured at different scales, but it is uncertain which is the cause and which is the consequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the influences of wide energy spectrum and emission angle of secondary electrons on electron bunching from a dc-biased single surface multipactor. In our previous study of the same system, an ideally narrow energy spread of secondary electrons without emission angle was used in the analysis of the electron trajectory [M. S. Hur, J.-I. Kim, G.-J. Kim, and S.-G. Jeon, Phys. Plasmas 18, 033103 (2011) and S.-G. Jeon, J.-I. Kim, S.-T. Han, S.-S. Jung, and J. U. Kim, Phys. Plasmas 16, 073101 (2009)]. In this paper, we investigated the cases with realistic energy spectrum, which is featured by a wide energy spread and significant emission angle. To theoretically approach the matter of emission angle, we employed a concept of effective longitudinal velocity distribution. The theoretical results are verified by particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. We also studied the electron bunching from a copper by PIC simulations, where we observed stable electron bunches with bunch width of approximately 80 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pedestal of a tokamak, the sharp radial gradients of density and temperature can give rise to poloidal variation in the density of impurities. At the same time, the flow of the impurity species is modified relative to the conventional neoclassical result. In this paper, these changes to the density and flow of a collisional impurity species are calculated for the case when the main ions are in the plateau regime. In this regime, it is found that the impurity density can be higher at either the inboard or outboard side. This finding differs from earlier results for banana- or Pfirsch-Schlüter-regime main ions, in which case the impurity density is always higher at the inboard side in the absence of rotation. Finally, the modifications to the impurity flow are also given for the other regimes of main-ion collisionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the trapped particle diocotron mode, the trapped particles undergo E × B drift motion in a uniform B field. Since such a flow is incompressible one is tempted to assume that the trapped particle density is constant along a fluid element. However, this is not the case since there is interchange of trapped and passing particles through the separatrix. This paper shows that a corrected fluid analysis, taking into account the particle flux through the separatrix, reproduces the same trapped particle density perturbation as obtained from the kinetic theory, thereby resolving confusion in earlier papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell simulations are performed to investigate the structures of the out-of-plane magnetic field in magnetic island, which is produced during anti-parallel collisionless magnetic reconnection. Regular structures with alternate positive and negative values of the out-of-plane magnetic field along the x direction are formed in magnetic island. The generation mechanism of such structures is also proposed in this paper, which is due to the Weibel instability excited by the temperature anisotropy in magnetic island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength and stability of simulated double layers at the ionosphere-auroral cavity boundary have been studied as a function of cold ionospheric electron temperature and density. The simulations are performed with an open boundary one-dimensional particle-in- cell (PIC) simulation and are initialized by imposing a density cavity within the simulation domain. The PIC simulation includes H+ and O+ ion beams, a hot H+ background population, cold ionospheric electrons, and a hot electron population. It is shown that a double layer remains quasistable for a variety of initial conditions and plasma parameters. The average potential drop of the double layer is found to increase as the cold electron temperature decreases. However, in terms of cold electron density, the average potential drop of the double layer is found to increase up to some critical cold electron density and decreases above this value. Comparisons with FAST observations are made and agreement is found between simulation results and observations in the shape and width of the double layer. This study helps put a constraint on the plasma conditions in which a DL can be expected to form and remain quasistable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lie’s technique of computing symmetries of differential equations is applied to a specific case of the Grad–Shafranov equation. The case considered contains the majority of exact solutions from literature. The full symmetry group is computed and new group-invariant solutions are obtained from these symmetries. The basic results and methods behind this technique are given to allow the reader who is unfamiliar with the subject to use the results given in this paper. Several plots of the level sets or flux surfaces of the new solutions are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the two-dimensional high-current vacuum arc (HCVA) model under the combined action of axial magnetic field (AMF) and external magnetic field from bus bar (EMFBB) is established. Based on this model, the influence of AMF and EMFBB on HCVA characteristics can be simulated and analyzed. Simulation results show that the HCVA column will be deflected by the Lorentz force generated by EMFBB and higher arc current. Moreover, the deflection level will be increased with the increase in external EMFBB strength. For HCVA, due to the smaller axial velocity near cathode side, the deflection of plasma parameters (such as ion number density, ion temperature, electron temperature, plasma pressure, and so on) near cathode side is more significant than that near anode side. The current deflection near cathode side toward direction of Lorentz force is more significant than that near anode side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plasma, the Boltzmann relation is often used to connect the electron density to the plasma potential because it is not easy to calculate electric potentials on the basis of the Poisson equation due to the quasineutrality. From the Boltzmann relation, the electric potential can be simply obtained from the electron density or vice versa. However, the Boltzmann relation assumes that electrons are in thermal equilibrium and have a Maxwellian distribution, so it cannot be applied to non-Maxwellian distributions. In this paper, the Boltzmann relation for bi-Maxwellian distributions was newly derived from fluid equations and the comparison with the experimental results was given by measuring electron energy probability functions in an inductively coupled plasma. It was found that the spatial distribution of the electron density in bulk plasma is governed by the effective electron temperature, while that of the cold and hot electrons are governed by each electron temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vishik’s anti-dynamo theorem is applied to a nonstretched twisted magnetic flux tube in Riemannian space. Marginal or slow dynamos along curved (folded), torsioned (twisted), and nonstretching flux tubes plasma flows are obtained. Riemannian curvature of the twisted magnetic flux tube is computed in terms of the Frenet curvature in the thin tube limit. It is shown that, for nonstretched filaments, fast dynamo action in the diffusive case cannot be obtained, in agreement with Vishik’s argument that fast dynamos cannot be obtained in nonstretched flows. Instead of a fast dynamo, a nonuniform stretching slow dynamo is obtained. An example is given, which generalizes plasma dynamo laminar flows, recently presented by Wang et al. [Phys Plasmas 9, 1491 (2002)], in the case of low magnetic Reynolds number Rem>=210. Curved and twisting Riemannian heliotrons, where nondynamo modes are found even when stretching is present, shows that the simple presence of stretching is not enough for the existence of dynamo action. In this paper, folding plays the role of Riemannian curvature and can be used to cancel magnetic fields, not enhancing the dynamo action. Nondynamo modes are found for certain values of torsion, or Frenet curvature (folding) in the spirit of the anti-dynamo theorem. It is also shown that curvature and stretching are fundamental for the existence of fast dynamos in plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the study of the deceleration phase of inertial confinement capsules. The purpose is to obtain a zero-dimensional model that has the form of a closed system of ordinary differential equations for the main hydrodynamic quantities. The model takes into account the energy released by nuclear reactions, a nonlocal model for the α-particle energy deposition process, and radiation loss by electron bremsstrahlung. The asymptotic analysis is performed in the case of a strong temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity. We finally study the beginning of the expansion phase after stagnation to derive an ignition criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drift instabilities in current sheets with or without the guide field are investigated with a newly developed improved electrostatic dispersion relation. Traditional (local) theories of lower-hybrid drift instability typically assumes small electron drift speed, and expand the electron distribution function in Taylor series. This approximate treatment is removed in this paper. The resulting formalism is uniformly valid for an arbitrary magnitude of relative ion and electron drift speeds, and is valid for an arbitrary strength of the guide field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of one-dimensional Vlasov simulations [Newman et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 072902 (2008), this issue] show that a sufficiently dense and hot suprathermal electron population can stabilize strong laminar double layers over long periods while regulating their strength and velocity. When suprathermals are less dense or absent, the double layers tend to be sporadic and turbulent. A detailed comparison of the laminar and turbulent regimes reveals that the disruption of the laminar state can be triggered by kinetically modified Buneman instabilities on the low-potential side of the double layer, and by density perturbations that develop into nonlinear coherent shocklike structures on the high-potential side. These findings suggest that the suprathermal electrons may be responsible for suppressing both of these routes to disruption of the laminar state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the space-charge-limited (SCL) electron flows in a drift space is studied by including the effect of finite electron pulse length, which is smaller than the gap transit time. Analytical formulas are derived to calculate the maximum SCL current density that can be transported across a drift space under the short-pulse injection condition. For a given voltage or injection energy, the maximum current density that can be transported is enhanced by a large factor (as compared to the long-pulse or steady-state case), and the enhancement is inversely proportional to the electron pulse length. In drift space, the effect of pulse expansion is important at very short-pulse length, and the short-pulse enhancement factor is smaller as compared to a diode. The enhancement factor will be suppressed when the injection energy is larger than the electron rest mass, and effect of pulse expansion is less critical at relativistic energy. The analytical formulas have been verified by performing a particle-in-cell simulation in the electrostatic mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the numerical issues related to the modeling of beams or plasmas crossing at relativistic velocity using the particle-in-cell method. Issues related to the use of the standard Boris particle pusher are identified and a novel pusher which circumvents them is proposed, whose effectiveness is demonstrated on single particle tests. A procedure for solving the fields is proposed, which retains electrostatic, magnetostatic, and inductive field effects in the direction of the mean velocity of the species, is fully explicit and simpler than the full Darwin approximation. Finally, results are given, from a calculation using the novel features, of an ultrarelativistic beam interacting with a background of electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effect of Coulomb collisions on the stability of Bernstein–Greene–Kruskal (BGK) modes [I. B. Bernstein, J. M. Greene, and M. D. Krukal, Phys. Rev. 108, 546 (1957)] is analyzed by comparing the numerical results of collisional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with the theoretical predictions by Zakharov and Karpman [V. E. Zakharov and V. I. Karpman, Sov. Phys. JETP 16, 351 (1963)], for the collisional damping of nonlinear plasma waves. In the absence of collisions, BGK modes are undamped nonlinear electrostatic oscillations, solutions of the Vlasov–Poisson equations; in these structures nonlinearity manifests as the formation of a plateau in the resonant region of the particle distribution function, due to trapping of resonant particles, thus preventing linear Landau damping. When particle-particle Coulomb collisions are effective, this plateau is smoothed out since collisions drive the velocity distribution towards the Maxwellian shape, thus destroying the BGK structure. As shown by Zakharov and Karpman in 1963, under certain assumptions, an exponential time decay with constant damping rate is predicted for the electric field amplitude and a linear dependence of the damping rate on the collision frequency is found. In this paper, the theory by Zakharov and Karpman is revisited and the effects of collisions on the stability of BGK modes and on the long time evolution of nonlinear Landau damping are numerically investigated. The numerical results are obtained through a collisional PIC code that reproduces a physical phenomenology also observed in recent experiments with trapped pure electron plasmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main physical processes responsible for plasma ablation in multiwire Z pinches are considered via eigensolutions to one-dimensional steady state magnetohydrodynamics. A double scale-length structure of the plasma accelerating layer is demonstrated. The width of the resistive scale-length that defines the current layer structure is significantly larger than the thermal scale-length, where transport of energy toward the cores and plasma pressure play important roles. The transport of energy is provided mainly by radiation, though electron thermal conduction is also important very close to the plasma-core interface. Another type of solution of the steady state problem is revealed, when local Ohmic heating is important down to the interface. Selection between these two types of solutions is considered from multiple points of view. Although the one-dimensional problem is mainly considered in this paper, it is shown how the one-dimensional results may help to understand results of two-dimensional models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Euler similarity criteria for laboratory experiments and time-dependent mixing transition are important concepts introduced recently for application to prediction and analysis of astrophysical phenomena. However, Euler scaling by itself provides no information on the distinctive spectral range of high Reynolds number turbulent flows found in astrophysics situations. On the other hand, time-dependent mixing transition gives no indication on whether a flow that just passed the mixing transition is sufficient to capture all of the significant dynamics of the complete astrophysical spectral range. In this paper, a new approach, based on additional insight gained from review of Navier-Stokes turbulence theory, is developed. It allows for revelations about the distinctive spectral scale dynamics associated with high Reynolds number astrophysical flows. From this perspective, the energy-containing range of the turbulent flow measured in a laboratory setting must not be unintentionally contaminated in such a way that the interactive influences of this spectral scale range in the corresponding astrophysical situation cannot be faithfully represented. In this paper, the concept of a minimum state is introduced as the lowest Reynolds number turbulent flow that a time-dependent mixing transition must achieve to fulfill this objective. Later in the paper, the Reynolds number of the minimum state is determined as 1.6×105. The temporal criterion for the minimum state is also obtained. The efforts here can be viewed as a unification and extension of the concepts of both similarity scaling and transient mixing transition concepts. Finally, the implications of our approach in planning future intensive laser experiments or massively parallel numerical simulations are discussed. A systematic procedure is outlined so that as the capabilities of the laser interaction experiments and supporting results from detailed numerical simulations performed in recently advanced supercomputing facilities increase progressively, a strategy is developed so that a progressively increasing range of dynamic structures and their statistical influences on evolving astrophysical flows can be attained in laboratory investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a computational study of the impact of preheating, in advance of shock heating, on a structured interface and on the subsequent postshock instability evolution. The study was performed by applying a method, described previously, of evaluating radiative effects using a multidimensional, front-tracking hydrodynamic code with input from a one-dimensional, radiation-hydrodynamic code. The method is general and could be applied to a range of laser-driven shock experiments. Results of simulations are shown for both high and low levels of preheat, conducted using a robust front-tracking algorithm in the presence of a radiation energy source. In the low-preheat case, which represents the minimum to be anticipated in laboratory experiments, some impact of preheat on both preshock conditions and postshock evolution are observed. In the high-preheat case, which represents one potential result of preheating by increased radiation and/or energetic electrons, the preheat alters the spectral content of the interface structure. In this case, before the shock reaches the interface, higher-order harmonic modes are induced, the interface position is shifted, and the perturbation amplitude is reduced. Furthermore, the postshock evolution of the interface is affected by the amount of preheat and by whether radiative heating after the laser pulse is also included. Such a numerical assessment of preheating can be important to the design and analysis of laboratory experiments. The initial conditions for the interaction of any shock wave with structures in the target may be altered by the presence of preheating. This poses a challenge to the laser experimental study of fluid mixing. Numerical simulations can serve as a useful tool to guide decisions regarding control and/or measurement of this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nonuniform radiofrequency fields are analyzed for a cylindrical coaxial transmission line using a particle-in-cell code. The behavior predicted by the analytical analysis is confirmed by this study. In addition, by including an initial velocity spread and different maximum secondary electron yields, a more elaborate analysis is performed. It is found that in the case of high secondary emission, an increase in the spread of initial velocities results in an overlapping of the multipactor zones for both double and single sided multipactor. In the other case, when the secondary emission is low, a large enough initial velocity spread can lead to total suppression of the electron avalanche for the higher order modes. Comparison with available experimental data shows good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the envelope dynamics of magnetically focused, high-intensity charged particle beams. As known, mismatched envelopes decay into equilibrium with simultaneous emittance growth. To describe the emittance growth we develop a simplified self-consistent macroscopic model: emittance is evaluated in a partially analytical way which invokes the beam profile, with self-consistency resulting from the inclusion of the emittance growth into the envelope equation. The model is then compared with full N-particle beam simulations and the agreement is shown to be quite reasonable. The model helps to understand the physics of the problem and is computationally faster than full simulations. Other aspects are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some relevant simulation results on the interaction between electrostatic waves and suprathermal electron fluxes at anomalous cyclotron and Landau resonances. In particular, the case of a dense and continuous wave spectrum is studied. It is shown that, after the waves excited by the fan instability at anomalous cyclotron resonances have reached a first saturation stage due to particle trapping, the process of “dynamical resonance merging” takes place, which leads to a strong amplification of the waves’ amplitudes. The Landau resonances do not play an essential role in the total energy exchange between the particles and the waves, as they mainly help to smooth the peaks rising during the evolution of the electron parallel velocity distribution and contribute to damping. Moreover, the paper shows that at the asymptotic stage of the interaction, when the waves’ amplitudes are saturated and the electron flux is relaxed, some physical features clearly do not fit the predictions of the well-known quasilinear theory. The careful examination of a huge number of trajectories of particles moving in the effective field of the wave packet allows to state that most of the particles involved in the resonant interactions are trapped by several waves simultaneously. In this so-called “multitrapping” process, the particles perform complex oscillatory motions which are far from what is expected from the quasilinear theory, where the diffusive behavior of the particles in the velocity space results from small successive random steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first approach for analyzing the influence of κ-distributed particles on the modified two-stream instability (MTSI). It is assumed that the plasma consists of a magnetized Maxwellian electron contribution and unmagnetized κ-distributed ions drifting across the electrons. Within an electrostatic approximation, the influence of the κ parameter on the maximum growth rate of the MTSI is evaluated for the special case of parallel drift velocity and wave propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of short and intense laser pulses with plasmas or solids is a very efficient source of high-energy ions. This paper reports the detailed study, with particle-in-cell simulations, of the interaction of such a laser pulse with thin, dense targets, and the resulting proton acceleration. Depending on the laser intensity and pulse duration, the most energetic protons are found to come from the front, the core, or the back of the target. The main accelerating mechanisms discussed in this paper are plasma expansion acceleration, where proton acceleration is driven by the hot electron population, and shock acceleration, originating from the laser ponderomotive potential imposed at the front target surface. Three main regimes of proton acceleration are defined and the parameters for which each regime is dominant are obtained. For irradiances close to 1020 W/cm2, the highest proton energies are obtained from thin foils efficiently heated by relativistic transparency. At larger intensities, a complex interplay between collisionless shock acceleration and plasma expansion acceleration is evidenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low-impedance coaxial split-cavity oscillator (SCO) for high output power is proposed and studied by simulation in this paper. By using the coaxial structure, the space-charge limiting current can be improved markedly, and thus more intense electron beams can be used for microwave generation. Compared with the conventional SCO, the modulation and extraction cavities are combined into one split cavity with an output window, whose quality factor Q is very low. And the cavity length of each section is not equal. Simulations have verified that the output power is high at medium beam voltage, the time for saturation is relatively short (about 12 ns), and the efficiency stays at almost the same level as a conventional SCO. By using an annular electron beam of 400 kV and 25 kA, the rms efficiency can reach 19% at an output power of 1.9 GW at 1.235 GHz. Simulations also show that the efficiency is insensitive to the beam power and the operating frequency is determined mainly by the structure parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of industrial plasma processing is conducted with glow discharges at pressures below 10 Torr. This tends to limit such applications to high value workpieces, as a result of the high capital cost of vacuum systems and the production constraints of batch processing. It has long been recognized that glow discharges would play a much larger industrial role if they could be generated at 1 atm and in air. The one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma (OAUGDP®) has these capabilities. As a normal glow discharge, the OAUGDP® can operate with maximum electrical efficiency at the Stoletow point, where the energy input per ion-electron pair is a minimum. This paper will survey exploratory investigations at the University of Tennessee’s Plasma Sciences Laboratory of seven potential industrial applications of the OAUGDP® which can be conducted at 1 atm and at room temperature with air as the working gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination of analytical theory and particle-in-cell simulations are employed in order to investigate the electron dynamics near and at the site of guide field magnetic reconnection. A detailed analysis of the contributions to the reconnection electric field shows that both bulk inertia and pressure-based quasiviscous processes are important for the electrons. Analytic scaling demonstrates that conventional approximations for the electron pressure tensor behavior in the dissipation region fail, and that heat flux contributions need to be accounted for. Based on the evolution equation of the heat flux three tensor, which is derived in this paper, an approximate form of the relevant heat flux contributions to the pressure tensor is developed, which reproduces the numerical modeling result reasonably well. Based on this approximation, it is possible to develop a scaling of the electron current layer in the central dissipation region. It is shown that the pressure tensor contributions become important at the scale length defined by the electron Larmor radius in the guide magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by comparing the timescales associated with the velocity relaxation and correlation time of the random force due to dust charge fluctuations, memory effects in the velocity relaxation of an isolated dust particle exposed to the random force due to dust charge fluctuations are considered, and the velocity relaxation process of the dust particle is considered as a non-Markovian stochastic process. Considering memory effects in the velocity relaxation process of the dust particle yields a retarded friction force, which is introduced by a memory kernel in the fractional Langevin equation. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem for the dust grain is derived from this equation. The mean-square displacement and the velocity autocorrelation function of the dust particle are obtained, and their asymptotic behavior, the dust particle temperature due to charge fluctuations, and the diffusion coefficient are studied in the long-time limit. As an interesting feature, it is found that by considering memory effects in the velocity relaxation process of the dust particle, fluctuating force on the dust particle can cause an anomalous diffusion in a dusty plasma. In this case, the mean-square displacement of the dust grain increases slower than linearly with time, and the velocity autocorrelation function decays as a power-law instead of the exponential decay. Finally, in the Markov limit, these results are in good agreement with those obtained from previous works on the Markov (memoryless) process of the velocity relaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hamiltonian and action principle (HAP) formulations of plasma physics are reviewed for the purpose of explaining structure preserving numerical algorithms. Geometric structures associated with and emergent from HAP formulations are discussed. These include conservative integration, which exactly conserves invariants, symplectic integration, which exactly preserves the Hamiltonian geometric structure, and other Hamiltonian integration techniques. Basic ideas of variational integration and Poisson integration, which can preserve the noncanonical Hamiltonian structure, are discussed. Metriplectic integration, which preserves the structure of conservative systems with both Hamiltonian and dissipative parts, is proposed. Two kinds of simulated annealing, a relaxation technique for obtaining equilibrium states, are reviewed: one that uses metriplectic dynamics, which maximizes an entropy at fixed energy, and the other that uses double bracket dynamics, which preserves Casimir invariants. Throughout, applications to plasma systems are emphasized. The paper culminates with a discussion of geometric electromagnetic particle-in-cell [Kraus et al., J. Plasma Phys. (to be published); e-print arXiv:1609.03053v1 [math.NA]], a particle in cell code that incorporates Hamiltonian and geometrical structure preserving properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our prime objective of this paper is to examine the parametric regimes for the existence and polarity of dust acoustic double layers (DADLs) and its solitary structures arising from a magnetized self-gravitating opposite polarity dust-plasma (OPDP) model. The constituents of the OPDP model are two species of positively and negatively charged dust grains, Maxwellian electrons and kappa distributed ions. Contributions of gravitational force only on dust grains are taken into account. For weakly nonlinear analysis, the multiple time scale technique has been used to construct the extended Korteweg-de Vries (E-KdV) and modified Korteweg-de Vries (M-KdV) equations. They pinpoint the evolution of DADLs and solitary structures associated with dust acoustic (DA) mode, respectively. The relevant configurational parameters in our study include the superthermality of ions (κ), obliqueness of propagation (ϑ), ion concentration (δi), static magnetic field B0 (via ωcp, ωcn), and self-gravitational field (via γ), as well as the density (μ0), charge (α), and mass (β) ratio of positive to negative dust species. The proposed OPDP model permits positive and negative double layer polarities, while higher order nonlinear equation dictates us only positive polarity solitary structures. The main modification due to an increase in self-gravitational field (via γ) is an enhancement in the spatial width of double layers, yet leaving their amplitude, phase speed, and polarity practically unaffected. With enhanced superthermality and other intrinsic parameters in OPDP model, there is an opposite trend in both amplitude and width of double layers, while the amplitude and the width of solitary waves (via M-KdV equation) undergo the identical behaviors. In particular, the amplitude of solitary waves manifests monotonic behavior for permissible range of obliqueness ϑ, whereas this scenario is acceptable to only width of double layers. The results are discussed in the context of laboratory and astrophysical plasma environments (e.g., cometary tails, Earth's mesosphere, etc.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear simulation model for radio frequency waves in fusion plasmas has been developed and verified using fully kinetic ion and drift kinetic electron. Ion cyclotron motion in the toroidal geometry is implemented using Boris push in the Boozer coordinates. Linear dispersion relation and nonlinear particle trapping are verified for the lower hybrid wave and ion Bernstein wave (IBW). Parametric decay instability is observed where a large amplitude pump wave decays into an IBW sideband and an ion cyclotron quasimode (ICQM). The ICQM induces an ion perpendicular heating, with a heating rate proportional to the pump wave intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of zonal flows generated by trapped-electron mode and trapped-ion mode micro turbulence as a function of two plasma parameters--banana width and electron temperature. For this purpose, a gyrokinetic code considering only trapped particles is used. First, an analytical equation giving the predicted level of zonal flows is derived from the quasi-neutrality equation of our model, as a function of the density fluctuation levels and the banana widths. Then, the influence of the banana width on the number of zonal flows occurring in the system is studied using the gyrokinetic code. Finally, the impact of the temperature ratio Te/Ti on the reduction of zonal flows is shown and a close link is highlighted between reduction and different gyro-andbounce- average ion and electron density fluctuation levels. This reduction is found to be due to the amplitudes of gyro-and-bounce-average density perturbations ne and ni gradually becoming closer, which is in agreement with the analytical results given by the quasi-neutrality equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emission threshold of explosive emission cathodes (EECs) is an important factor for beam quality. It can affect the explosive emission delay time, the plasma expansion process on the cathode surface, and even the current amplitude when the current is not fully space-charge-limited. This paper researches the influence of the emission threshold of an annular EEC on the current waveform in a foilless diode when the current is measured by a Rogowski coil. The particle-in-cell simulation which is performed under some tolerable and necessary simplifications shows that the long explosive emission delay time of high-threshold cathodes may leave an apparent peak of displacement current on the rise edge of the current waveform, and this will occur only when the electron emission starts after this peak. The experimental researches, which are performed under a diode voltage of 1 MV and a repetitive frequency of 20 Hz, demonstrate that the graphite cathode has a lower emission threshold and a longer lifetime than the stainless steel cathode according to the variation of the peak of displacement current on the rise edge of the current waveform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the effect of rotation on microinstabilities under experimentally relevant conditions in the spherical tokamak National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The focus is specifically on the centrifugal force effects on the impurity and momentum transport in the core (r/a = 0:7) of an H-mode plasma. Due to relatively high beta, the linear simulations predict the presence of both microtearing mode (MTM) and hybrid ion temperature gradient-kinetic ballooning mode (ITG-KBM) electromagnetic instabilities. Rotation effects on both MTM and ITG-KBM growth rates and mode frequencies are found to be small for the experimental values. However, they do influence the quasi-linear particle and momentum fluxes predicted by ITG-KBM (MTM contributes only to electron heat flux). The gradient of the intrinsic carbon impurity in the sourcefree core region is predicted to be locally hollow, strengthened by centrifugal effects. This result is consistent with experimental measurements and contradicts neoclassical theory that typically provides a reasonable explanation of the impurity profiles in NSTX. The diffusive and Coriolis pinch contributions to momentum transport are found to be relatively weak. Surprisingly, the strongest contribution derives from a centrifugal effect proportional to the product of rotation and rotation shear, which predicts an inward momentum flux roughly three times bigger than the Coriolis pinch, suggesting it should be considered when interpreting previous experimental pinch measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]