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A global eigenvalue solver code is used to analyze the kinetic damping of radially localized kinetic toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes (KTAEs). By including the finite-Larmor-radius effects of ions, KTAEs are found in the Alfvén continuum well above the upper boundary of the TAE gap. The numerical calculations reveal that the real frequency and the kinetic damping of the KTAEs increase with increasing ion Larmor radius, with the ion-Larmor-radius effect intensifying for KTAEs with higher radial mode number. With increasing plasma β, the real frequency of the KTAEs increases whereas the damping rate remains almost constant. At an intermediate plasma β, the real frequencies, damping rates, and mode structures of each pair of KTAEs with radial mode numbers p and p + 1 merge into each other. The damping of KTAEs with lower radial mode number remains unchanged with the tokamak aspect ratio, whereas it increases for KTAEs with higher radial mode number. The KTAEs have lower kinetic damping and a broader mode structure near the core region of a tokamak having a flat core q equilibrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we elucidate how to accurately quantify glass-forming ability (GFA) by measuring effective volume relaxation of supercooled melt. We propose a new parameter, denoted as κ, for representing the relaxation, which is calculated by combining temperature-dependent changes of normalized specific volume reflecting relative volume relaxation with the normalized temperature range reflecting the relative position of the C curve in a Time-Temperature-Transformation (TTT) diagram. The interrelationship between the κ parameter and critical cooling rate is elaborated by measuring V-T diagrams and TTT diagrams of Zr55Co26Al19 and Zr46Cu30.14Al8Ag8.36Be7.5 glass-forming alloys and discussed in comparison with representative GFAparameters reported up to date. These results would give us a guideline on how to precisely evaluate GFA by linking volumetric aspect to thermodynamic and kinetic aspects for glass formation and help develop customized glass-forming alloys as well as a highly precise control of glass formation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have re-visited the existence criterion of the reverse shear Alfven eigenmodes (RSAEs) in the presence of the parallel equilibrium current by numerically solving the eigenvalue equation using a fast eigenvalue solver code KAES. The parallel equilibrium current can bring in the kink effect and is known to be strongly unfavorable for the RSAE. We have numerically estimated the critical value of the toroidicity factor Qtor in a circular tokamak plasma, above which RSAEs can exist, and compared it to the analytical one. The difference between the numerical and analytical critical values is small for low frequency RSAEs, but it increases as the frequency of the mode increases, becoming greater for higher poloidal harmonic modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is presented for the oblique propagation of ion acoustic cnoidal waves in a magnetized plasma consisting of cold ions and two temperature superthermal electrons modelled by kappa-type distributions. Using the reductive perturbation method, the nonlinear Korteweg de-Vries equation is derived, which further gives the solutions with a special type of cnoidal elliptical functions. Both compressive and rarefactive structures are found for these cnoidal waves. Nonlinear periodic cnoidal waves are explained in terms of plasma parameters depicting the Sagdeev potential and the phase curves. It is found that the density ratio of hot electrons to ions µ significantly modifies compressive/refractive wave structures. Furthermore, the combined effects of superthermality of cold and hot electrons c,h, cold to hot electron temperature ratio σ, angle of propagation and ion cyclotron frequency ωci have been studied in detail to analyze the height and width of compressive/refractive cnoidal waves. The findings in the present study could have important implications in understanding the physics of electrostatic wave structures in the Saturn's magnetosphere where two temperature superthermal electrons are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sagdeev's technique is used to study the large amplitude compressional Alfvenic double layers in a magnetohydrodynamic plasma taking into account the small plasma β and small values of kinematic viscosity. Dispersive effect raised by non-ideal electron inertia currents perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. The range of allowed values of the soliton speed, M (Mach number), plasma β (ratio of the plasma thermal pressure to the pressure in the confining magnetic field), and viscosity coefficient, wherein double layer may exist, are determined. In the absence of collisions, viscous dissipation modifies the Sagdeev potential and results in large amplitude compressional Alfvenic double layers. The depth of Sagdeev potential increases with the increasing Mach number and plasma β, however, decreases with the increasing viscosity. The double layer structure increases with the increasing plasma β, but decreases with increasing viscous dissipation μ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generation of compressional Alfvénic rogue and solitary waves in magnetohydrodynamic plasmas is investigated. Dispersive effect caused by non-ideal electron inertia currents perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field can balance the nonlinear steepening of waves leading to the formation of a soliton. The reductive perturbation method is used to obtain a Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation describing the evolution of the solitary wave. The height of a soliton is proportional to the soliton speed 'U' and inversely proportional to plasma 'β' (ratio of plasma thermal pressure to pressure of the confining magnetic field) and the width of soliton is proportional to the electron inertial length. KdV equation is used to study the nonlinear evolution of modulationally unstable compressional Alfvénic wavepackets via the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The characteristics of rogue wave influenced by plasma 'β' and the electron inertial length are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amplitude inertial compressional Alfvénic shock and solitary waves in magnetohydrodynamic plasmas are investigated. Dispersive effect caused by non-ideal electron inertia currents perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field can balance the nonlinear steepening of waves leading to the formation of a soliton. A Sagdeev-potential formalism is employed to derive an energy-balance like equation. The range of allowed values of the soliton speed, M (Mach number), plasma β (ratio of the plasma thermal pressure to the pressure in the confining magnetic field), and electron inertia, wherein solitary waves may exist, are determined. Depth of the potential increases with increasing the Mach number and plasma β, however decreases with the increasing electron inertia. The height of soliton increases with increasing in Mach number and decreases with plasma β. And with increasing electron inertial length, the width of soliton increases. The electron-ion collisional dissipation results a dissipative inertial compressional Alfvén wave, which can produce a shock like structure and can efficiently accelerate ions to the order of the local Alfvén velocity. The shock height increases with the increasing collision frequency, but shock height decreases with increasing plasma β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle simulations and a pseudopotential method were used to study ion-acoustic solitary waves in a plasma composed of Boltzmann electrons and kinetic beam ions. Pseudopotential theory was first applied to determine how ion-acoustic solitary waves can exist in a two-component plasma. Then, particle simulations were carried out, wherein ion-acoustic solitary waves were excited by modulating the bias grid voltage in a double plasma model. For the modulation, the potential of the grid bias was rapidly decreased, such that hump-type ion-acoustic solitary waves with good Gaussian shape were excited one after another, forming a train of waves. The simulation also showed that the phase velocities of ions decrease sharply when the solitary wave occurs, which indicates that the solitary ion-acoustic wave is excited via the inverse Landau damping process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence condition for bump and dip type, as well as double layer (DL), solutions of electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) in a nonthermal electron plasma with heavy ions is investigated by a pseudopotential method. It is found that the nonthermality of electrons determines the existence of the DL solution and that the amplitude of ESWs is enhanced by the density of heavy ions. When the heavy ion density is beyond a certain critical value, ESWs and DLs cannot exist. It is also found that both the lower and upper critical Mach numbers are reduced by the presence of heavy ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obliquely propagating solitary kinetic Alfven wave in a low beta dusty plasma (βNd, where lz is the directional cosine and Nd is the dust particle charge density. In the collisional case, the same upper limit of the Mach velocity is found, and the solitary wave turns into an oscillating double layer. The damping scale and the size of the oscillation structure increase with increasing dust particle charge density. The damping scale and the size of the oscillation structure are estimated by using the virial theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coulombic expansion of an atomic cluster can significantly affect the growth of stimulated Raman backscattering in cluster embedded plasmas. The pulse attenuation and the collisional absorption occur during the early phase of cluster expansion, competing against each other in determining the Raman threshold intensity in a cluster plasma. The threshold laser intensities estimated for various wave numbers of the electron plasma waves are found to be consistent with the previous result [P. K. Tiwari et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 103101 (2007)]: Collisional threshold intensities are to be of 1∼105 W/cm2 at the electron-ion collisional frequency ≈1013 s-1, and the pulse attenuated threshold intensities are to be of ∼1013 W/cm2 for short pulse length ∼20 fs. The pulse attenuation and collisional absorption of Raman threshold intensities are found to be inversely proportional to both the pulse duration and attenuation length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper it was suggested on the basis of weak turbulence theory that the collisionality of a plasma, coupled with nonlinear wave-particle interaction, is crucial for the acceleration of electrons by Langmuir turbulence to a superthermal energy level. In this Letter, fully nonlinear Vlasov and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation techniques are employed to further verify this potentially important finding. The previous conclusion is fully confirmed by observing the expected difference between the Vlasov and PIC simulation results in the weak beam regime. However, in the strong beam regime, both the Vlasov and PIC simulations are found to produce a high-energy tail population, which indicates that there may be other mechanisms in the high beam speed situation, that are responsible for the generation the superthermal electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high intensity laser short pulse causes rapid tunnel ionization of an inhomogeneous gas. The tunnel ionization of the gas causes a defocusing of the laser pulse. The electron experiences an unequal ponderomotive force due to the trailing and rising part of the laser pulse, hence, gains net energy. The net acquired electron energy is reduced due to the inhomogeneity in gas density. If the accelerated electrons are targeted to a low-Z material nucleus, the electron-positron pair will be created via a trident process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equations of resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) are recast in a form that is useful for studying the evolution of those toroidal systems where the fast magnetosonic wave plays no important role. The equations are exact and have ∇ · B=0 satisfied explicitly. From this set of equations it is a simple matter to derive the equations of reduced MHD to any order in the inverse aspect ratio ε of the torus and for β∼ε or smaller. This is demonstrated by deriving a reduced set of MHD equations that are correct to fifth order in ε. These equations contain the exact equilibrium relation and, as such, can be used to find three-dimensional stellarator equilibria. In addition, if a subsidiary ordering in η, the resistivity, is made, the equations of Glasser, Greene, and Johnson [Phys. Fluids 8, 875 (1967); 19, 567 (1967)] are recovered. This set of reduced equations has been coded by extending the initial value code hilo [Phys. Fluids 26, 3066 (1983)]. Results obtained for both ideal and resistive linear stability from the reduced equations are compared with those obtained by solving the full set of MHD equations in a cylinder. Good agreement is shown for both zero and finite-beta calculations. Comparisons are also made with analytic theory illuminating the present limitations of the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the evolution of consecutive electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) generated upon injection of a finite-sized blob into plasmas using one-dimensional electrostatic particle-in-cell simulations. Strong charge separation developed at the leading edge of the blob, producing a huge electrostatic potential in which electrons were trapped and heated. Ions were reflected from the boundaries of the blob, forming fast, cold ion beams in the forward and backward directions. The forward ion beams interacted with the hot electrons, which were escaping from the potential developed at the leading edge of the blob, to produce successive ESWs. On the other hand, the backward ion beams formed ion phase space holes as a result of the ion two-stream instability. The present study demonstrates that localized density perturbations in plasmas can be a viable source of consecutive ESWs observed in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the electron viscosity on the kinetic Alfven solitary wave is investigated. It is found that small electron viscosity changes the electron motion along the magnetic field producing a boundary layer, and thus that in a low beta electron-ion plasma(β