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Results for “magnetohydrodynamical simulations”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
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DOE OSTI2024

Numerical study of implosion instability mitigation in magnetically driven solid liner dynamic screw pinches

Magnetized liner inertial fusion experiments on the Z accelerator suffer from magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities (MRTI) that compromise integrity of the imploding cylindrical liner, limiting achievable fusion fuel conditions and ultimately reducing magneto-inertial fusion target performance. Dynamic screw pinches (DSP) provide a method to reduce MRTI in-flight via application of magnetic field line tension to the imploding liner outer surface. In contrast with z-pinches that drive implosions with an azimuthal magnetic field, dynamic screw pinches enforce an additional axial drive magnetic field component, making the overall drive magnetic field helical. As the liner implodes, cumulative MRTI development is reduced by dynamically shifting the orientation of the fastest growing instability modes. Three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations show that the DSP mechanism effectively stabilizes initially solid cylindrical liner implosions driven by Z-scale current pulses, indicating that MRTI mitigation increases with the ratio of axial to azimuthal drive magnetic field components (i.e., the drive field ratio). We also performed a spectral analysis of the simulated imploding density distributions, extracting wavelength and pitch angle of the simulated MRTI structures to study their dynamics during the implosion. Simulations of liners initially perturbed with drive-field-aligned sinusoidal structures indicate that MRTI mitigation in DSP implosions decreases with perturbation wavelength, once again suggestive of magnetic field line tension effects.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Plasma shape effects on the Alfvén eigenmode spectrum through Alfvén slow-magnetosonic wave coupling

In this report the effect of the plasma shaping (triangularity and elongation) on the continuous spectrum, frequency gaps, and number of eigenmodes is studied. The plasma shaping affects the coupling between Alfvén and slow magnetosonic waves via the geodesic magnetic curvature and the plasma pressure. The Alfvén-slow coupling creates a large number of new gaps in the continuous spectrum below the Alfvén frequency where discrete modes can reside. In ideal magnetohydrodynamic simulations a large number (a few hundred or more) of potential eigenmodes are found. The number of eigenmodes is correlated with the maximum geodesic curvature and a minimum number of possible discrete eigenmodes is found at a negative triangularity of -0.3. It is hypothesized that these possible eigenmodes form a low amplitude and dense discrete spectrum, which can be studied experimentally.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constraining magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium

ABSTRACT We study the properties of magnetic fields in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of z < 1 galaxies by correlating Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of ∼1000 high-redshift radio sources with the foreground galaxy number density estimated from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys. This method enables us to extract signals of RMs contributed by intervening gas around multiple galaxies. Our results show that there is no detectable correlation between the distribution of RMs and the number of foreground galaxies, contrary to several previous results. Utilizing the non-detection signals, we estimate 3σ upper limits to the RMs from the CGM of $\sim \!20 \rm \ rad\, m^{-2}$ within 50 kpc and $\sim \!10 \rm \ rad \, m^{-2}$ at separations of 100 kpc. By adopting a column density distribution of ionized gas obtained from absorption-line measurements, we further estimate the strengths of coherent magnetic fields parallel to the line of sight of $\lt \rm 2 \ \mu G$ in the CGM. We show that the estimated upper limits of RMs and magnetic field strengths are sufficient to constrain outputs of recent galaxy magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Finally, we discuss possible causes for the inconsistency between our results and previous works.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

The turbulence driving parameter of molecular clouds in disc galaxies

ABSTRACT Supersonic turbulence plays a pivotal role during the formation of molecular clouds and stars in galaxies. However, little is known about how the fraction of compressive and solenoidal modes in the velocity field evolves over time and how it depends on properties of the molecular cloud or the galactic environment. In this work, we carry out magnetohydrodynamical simulations of disc galaxies and study the time evolution of the turbulence driving parameter for an ensemble of clouds. We find that the time-averaged turbulence driving parameter is insensitive to the position of the cloud within the galaxy. The ensemble-averaged driving parameter is found to be rather compressive with b ∼ 0.5–0.7, indicating almost time-independent global star formation properties. However, each individual cloud shows a highly fluctuating driving parameter, which would strongly affect the cloud’s star formation rate. We find that the mode of turbulence driving can rapidly change within only a few Myr, both from solenoidal to compressive and vice versa. We attribute these changes to cloud collisions and to tidal interactions with clouds or overdensities in the environment. Last, we find no significant differences in the average driving parameter between hydrodynamic and initially strongly magnetized galaxies. However, the magnetic field tends to reduce the overall fluctuation of the driving parameter. The average driving and its uncertainty are seen to be in agreement with recent constraints on the turbulence driving mode for solar neighbourhood clouds.

Körtgen, Bastian↗
DOE OSTI2020

Kink-driven magnetic reconnection in relativistic jets: consequences for X-ray polarimetry of BL Lacs

ABSTRACT We investigate with relativistic MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) simulations the dissipation physics of BL Lac jets, by studying the synchrotron polarization signatures of particles accelerated by the kink instability in a magnetically dominated plasma column. The non-linear stage of the kink instability generates current sheets, where particles can be efficiently accelerated via magnetic reconnection. We identify current sheets as regions where s = Jδ/B is above some predefined threshold (where B is the field strength, J is the current density, and δ is the grid scale), and assume that the particle injection efficiency scales as ∝J2. X-ray emitting particles have short cooling times, so they only probe the field geometry of their injection sites. In contrast, particles emitting in the optical band, which we follow self-consistently as they propagate away from their injection sites while cooling, sample a larger volume, and so they may be expected to produce different polarimetric signatures. We find that the degree of polarization is roughly the same between X-ray and optical bands, because even the optical emitting particles do not travel far from the current sheet where they were injected, due to lack of sufficient kink-generated turbulence. The polarization angle shows a different temporal evolution between the two bands, due to the different regions probed by X-ray and optical emitting particles. In view of the upcoming IXPE satellite, our results can help constrain whether kink-induced reconnection (as opposed to shocks) can be the source of multiwavelength emission from BL Lacs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

On the influence of halo mass accretion history on galaxy properties and assembly bias

Halo assembly bias is the secondary dependence of the clustering of dark matter haloes on their assembly histories at fixed halo mass. This established dependence is expected to manifest itself on galaxy clustering, a potential effect commonly known as galaxy assembly bias. Using the IllustrisTNG300 magnetohydrodynamical simulation, in this work we analyse the dependence of the properties and clustering of galaxies on the specific mass accretion history of their hosting haloes (sMAH). We first show that several halo and galaxy properties strongly correlate with the slope of the sMAH (β) at fixed halo mass. Haloes with increasingly steeper β increment their masses faster early on, and their hosted galaxies present larger stellar-to-halo mass ratios, lose their gas faster, reach the peak of their star formation histories at higher redshift, and become quenched earlier. We also demonstrate that β provides a more stable link to these key galaxy formation properties than other broadly employed halo proxies, such as formation time. Finally, we measure the secondary dependence of galaxy clustering on β at fixed halo mass. By tracing back the evolution of individual haloes, we show that the amplitude of the galaxy assembly bias signal for the progenitors of z = 0 galaxies increases with redshift, reaching a factor of 2 at z = 1 for haloes of Mhalo = 10 11.5 –10 12 h –1 M ⊙ . The measurement of the evolution of assembly bias along the merger tree provides a new theoretical perspective to the study of secondary bias. Our findings have also important implications for the generation of mock catalogues for upcoming cosmological surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

The impact of r -process heating on the dynamics of neutron star merger accretion disc winds and their electromagnetic radiation

Neutron star merger accretion discs can launch neutron-rich winds of >10 -2 M⊙. This ejecta is a prime site for r-process nucleosynthesis, which will produce a range of radioactive heavy nuclei. The decay of these nuclei releases enough energy to accelerate portions of the wind by ~0.1c. Here, we investigate the effect of r-process heating on the dynamical evolution of disc winds. We extract the wind from a 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a disc from a post-merger system. This is used to create inner boundary conditions for 2D hydrodynamic simulations that continue the original 3D simulation. We perform two such simulations: one that includes the r-process heating, and another one that does not. We follow the hydrodynamic simulations until the winds reach homology (60 s). Using time-dependent multifrequency multidimensional Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations, we then calculate the kilonova light curves from the winds with and without dynamical r-process heating. We find that the r-process heating can substantially alter the velocity distribution of the wind, shifting the mass-weighted median velocity from 0.06c to 0.12c. The inclusion of the dynamical r-process heating makes the light curve brighter and bluer at $\sim 1\, \mathrm{d}$ post-merger. However, the high-velocity tail of the ejecta distribution and the early ($\lesssim 1\, \mathrm{d}$) light curves are largely unaffected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Emission from hadronic and leptonic processes in galactic jet-driven bubbles

ABSTRACT We investigate the multiwavelength emission from hadronic and leptonic cosmic rays (CRs) in bubbles around galaxies, analogous to the Fermi bubbles of the Milky Way. The bubbles are modelled using 3D magnetohydrodynamical simulations, and are driven by a 0.3 Myr intense explosive outburst from the nucleus of Milky Way-like galaxies. We compute their non-thermal emission properties at different stages throughout their evolution, up to 7 Myr, by post-processing the simulations. We compare the spectral and spatial signatures of bubbles with hadronic, leptonic, and hybrid hadro-leptonic CR compositions. These each show broadly similar emission spectra, comprised of radio synchrotron, inverse Compton, and non-thermal bremsstrahlung components. However, hadronic and hybrid bubbles were found to be brighter than leptonic bubbles in X-rays, and marginally less bright at radio frequencies, and in γ-rays between ∼0.1 and a few 10s of GeV, with a large part of their emission being driven by secondary electrons formed in hadronic interactions. Hadronic systems were also found to be slightly brighter in high-energy γ-rays than their leptonic counterparts, owing to the π0 decay emission that dominates their emission between energies of 100s of GeV and a few TeV.

Owen, Ellis R. (ORCID:0000000310526439)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evolution and feedback of AGN jets of different cosmic ray composition

Jet feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) is one of the most promising mechanisms for suppressing cooling flows in cool-core clusters. However, the composition of AGN jets and bubbles remains uncertain; they could be thermally dominated, or dominated by cosmic ray proton (CRp), cosmic ray electron (CRe), or magnetic energy. In this work, we investigate the evolution and feedback effects of CRp and CRe dominated jets by conducting 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations of AGN jet-inflated bubbles in the intracluster medium using the FLASH code. We present the evolution of their energies, dynamics, and heating, and model their expected cavity-power versus radio-luminosity relation (P cav –L R ). We find that bubbles inflated by CRe dominated jets follow a very similar dynamical evolution to CRp dominated bubbles even though CRe within bubbles suffer significantly stronger synchrotron and inverse-Compton cooling. This is because, as CRe lose their energy, the jet-inflated bubbles quickly become thermally dominated within ∼30 Myr. Their total energy stops decreasing with CR energy and evolves similarly to CRp dominated bubbles. The ability of CRe and CRp dominated bubbles to heat the intracluster medium is also comparable; the cold gas formed via local thermal instabilities is well suppressed in both cases. The CRp and CRe bubbles follow different evolutionary trajectories on the P cav –L R plane, but the values are broadly consistent with observed ranges for FR-I sources. We also discuss observational techniques that have potential for constraining the composition of AGN jets and bubbles.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Relative alignment between magnetic fields and molecular gas structure in molecular clouds

Here, we compare the structure of synthetic dust polarization with synthetic molecular line emission from radiative transfer calculations using a three-dimensional, turbulent collapsing-cloud magnetohydrodynamics simulation. The histogram of relative orientation (HRO) technique and the projected Rayleigh statistic (PRS) are considered. In our trans-Alfvénic (more strongly magnetized) simulation, there is a transition to perpendicular alignment at densities above ~4 × 10 3 cm –3 . This transition is recovered in most of our synthetic observations of optically thin molecular tracers; however, for 12 CO it does not occur and the PRS remains in parallel alignment across the whole observer space. We calculate the physical depth of the optical depth τ = 1 surface and find that for 12 CO it is largely located in front of the cloud mid-plane, suggesting that 12 CO is too optically thick and instead mainly probes low-volume density gas. In our super-Alfvénic simulation, the magnetic field becomes significantly more tangled, and all observed tracers tend towards no preference for perpendicular or parallel alignment. An observable difference in alignment between optically thin and optically thick tracers may indicate the presence of a dynamically important magnetic field, though there is some degeneracy with viewing angle. We convolve our data with a Gaussian beam and compare it with HRO results of the Vela C molecular cloud. We find good agreement between these results and our sub-Alfvénic simulations when viewed with the magnetic field in the plane of the sky (especially when sensitivity limitations are considered), though the observations are also consistent with an intermediately inclined magnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The three-dimensional structure of black hole accretion flows within the plunging region

ABSTRACT We analyse, using new analytical models and numerical general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations, the three-dimensional properties of accretion flows inside the plunging region of black hole spacetimes (i.e. at radii smaller than the innermost stable circular orbit). These simulations are of thick discs, with aspect ratios of order unity $h/r \sim 1$, and with a magnetic field geometry given by the standard low-magnetization ‘SANE’ configuration. This work represents the first step in a wider analysis of this highly relativistic region. We show that analytical expressions derived in the ‘thin disc’ limit describe the numerical results remarkably well, despite the large aspect ratio of the flow. We further demonstrate that accretion within this region is typically mediated via spiral arms, and that the geometric properties of these spiral structures can be understood with a simple analytical model. These results highlight how accretion within the plunging region is fundamentally two-dimensional in character, which may have a number of observational implications. We derive a modified theoretical description of the pressure within the plunging region which accounts for turbulent heating and may be of use to black hole image modelling.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

The influence of the cloud virial parameter on the initial mass function

ABSTRACT Crucial for star formation is the interplay between gravity and turbulence. The observed cloud virial parameter, $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$, which is the ratio of twice the turbulent kinetic energy to the gravitational energy, is found to vary significantly in different environments, where the scatter among individual star-forming clouds can exceed an order of magnitude. Therefore, a strong dependence of the initial mass function (IMF) on $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$ may challenge the notion of a universal IMF. To determine the role of $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$ on the IMF, we compare the star-particle mass functions obtained in high-resolution magnetohydrodynamical simulations including jet and heating feedback, with $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}=0.0625$, 0.125, and 0.5. We find that varying $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$ from $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}\sim 0.5$ to $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}< 0.1$ shifts the peak of the IMF to lower masses by a factor of $\sim 2$ and increases the star formation rate by a similar factor. The dependence of the IMF and star formation rate on $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$ is non-linear, with the dependence subsiding at $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}< 0.1$. Our study shows a systematic dependence of the IMF on $\alpha _{\mathrm{vir}}$. Yet, it may not be measurable easily in observations, considering the uncertainties, and the relatively weak dependence found in this study.

Mathew, Sajay Sunny (ORCID:0000000283818195)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Collapse of magnetized white dwarfs as site of heavy-element formation and kilonova signal

We present the first end-to-end calculation connecting the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of a magnetized, rapidly rotating white dwarf to observable kilonova signatures, combining two-dimensional (2D) general-relativistic neutrino-magnetohydrodynamic simulations, followed by radiation hydrodynamics with in-situ nuclear network and 2D Monte Carlo radiative transfer with spatially resolved heating rates. Unlike all previous unmagnetized AIC models – which predicted proton-rich, $^{56}$Ni-dominated ejecta – strong magnetic fields eject ${\approx }\, 0.2\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$ of neutron-rich material ($\langle Y_e \rangle \sim 0.24$) on dynamical time-scales, before neutrino irradiation can raise the electron fraction, enabling strong r-process nucleosynthesis up to and beyond the third peak. The resulting kilonova is lanthanide-rich ($X_{\rm lan} \approx 8~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$) and dominated by near-infrared emission. We compute synthetic light curves in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and J ames Webb Space Telescope bands and find striking agreement, without parameter tuning, between the observations of AT 2023vfi/GRB 230307A and our broadband light curves for polar viewing angles. These results establish magnetized AIC as a viable channel for heavy r-process element production and a compelling progenitor candidate for long-duration gamma-ray bursts with kilonova signatures.

MHD↗
DOE OSTI2026

Probing the axion-electron coupling with NuSTAR observations of galaxies

We search for the existence of ultralight axions coupling to electrons and photons using data from the NuSTAR telescope directed toward the galaxies M82, M87, and M31. We focus on electron bremsstrahlung and Compton scattering for axion production in stars, summing over the stellar populations found in the target galaxies when computing the axion luminosity. We then compute the hard x-ray signal that arises from the conversion of these axions to photons in each galaxy’s magnetic fields, inferred from analog galaxies in cosmological magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Analyzing NuSTAR data toward these galaxies between roughly 20 to 70 keV, we find no evidence for axions and set leading constraints on the combined axion-electron and axion-photon coupling at the level of |𝑔 𝑎⁢𝑒⁢𝑒 ×𝑔 𝑎⁢𝛾⁢𝛾 | ≲ 8.3 ×10 −27 GeV −1 for 𝑚 𝑎 ≲ 10 −10 eV at 95% confidence, with M82 providing the most stringent constraints.

Axion-like particles↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gamma-ray signatures of 𝑟-process radioactivity from the collapse of magnetized white dwarfs

We predict the gamma-ray line emission from 𝑟-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta of the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) of a magnetized, rapidly rotating white dwarf. Using ejecta from a two-dimensional general-relativistic neutrino-magnetohydrodynamic simulation, further evolved with a radiation-hydrodynamics code coupled to an in situ nuclear reaction network, we construct angle-dependent gamma-ray spectra in the 0.01–10 MeV band via composition-dependent ray tracing through the ejecta. The emission between ∼1 and 10 d is dominated by 132 I (𝑡 1/2 = 2.3 h), continuously replenished by the decay of its parent 132 Te (𝑡 1/2 = 3.2 d), with additional contributions from 131 I, 133 Xe, and 132 Te . At 𝑡 ≳ 20 d, 56 Co (from 56 Ni decay) becomes the primary emitter. The simultaneous presence of 𝑟 process and iron-peak gamma-ray lines is distinctive of AIC ejecta and absent in binary neutron star mergers, where iron-peak nuclei are generally not synthesized. Comparing with the 3⁢𝜎 continuum sensitivities of planned MeV gamma-ray telescopes (COSI, AMEGO-X, e-ASTROGAM, GRAMS, GammaTPC), we find the brightest 𝑟-process lines detectable to ∼10 Mpc by GammaTPC and GRAMS, with the signal approaching their sensitivity threshold at 30 Mpc. As a result, the 𝑟-process spectral features survive time integration over ∼30 d exposures, demonstrating robustness against the long observation times required by gamma-ray detectors.

Nuclear reactions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrical conductivity of a warm neutron star crust in magnetic fields: Neutron-drip regime

We compute the anisotropic electrical conductivity tensor of the inner crust of a compact star at nonzero temperature by extending a previous work on the conductivity of the outer crust. The physical scenarios, where such crust is formed, involve protoneutron stars born in supernova explosions, binary neutron star mergers, and accreting neutron stars. The temperature-density range studied covers the transition from a semidegenerate to a highly degenerate electron gas and assumes that the nuclei form a liquid, i.e., the temperature is above the melting temperature of the lattice of nuclei. The electronic transition probabilities include (i) the screening of electron-ion interaction in the hard-thermal-loop approximation for the QED plasma, (ii) the correlations of the ionic component in a one-component plasma, and (iii) finite nuclear size effects. The conductivity tensor is obtained from the Boltzmann kinetic equation in relaxation time approximation accounting for the anisotropy introduced by a magnetic field. The sensitivity of the results towards the matter composition of the inner crust is explored by using several compositions of the inner crust, which were obtained using different nuclear interactions and methods of solving the many-body problem. The standard deviations of relaxation time and components of the conductivity tensor from the average are below ≤25% except close to crust-core transition, where nonspherical nuclear structures are expected. Finally, our results can be used in dissipative magnetohydrodynamics simulations of warm compact stars.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Influence of neutrino-electron scattering and neutrino-pair annihilation on hypermassive neutron star

Here, we investigate the influence of inelastic neutrino microphysics in general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of a hypermassive neutron star. In particular, we include species/energy groups coupled neutrino-matter interactions, such as inelastic neutrino-electron scattering and electron-positron annihilation kernels, into simulations up to 50 ms. Neutrino-electron inelastic scattering is known to have effective neutrino-matter energy exchange. We show that, with neutrino-electron inelastic scattering, simulations predict 75% higher disc mass with slightly different mass-averaged compositions, and 18% more ejected mass with similar distributions. The enhancement of the mass of the disc and the ejecta results in stronger baryon pollution, leading to less favorable jet launching environments. Furthermore, neutrino luminosities are about 50%, 40%, and 30% higher for electron neutrino, electron antineutrino, and heavy-lepton neutrinos. In contrast, we do not see any significant impacts due to electron-positron annihilation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic Signatures of Radiation-Driven Double Ablation Fronts

In experiments performed with the OMEGA EP laser system, magnetic field generation in double ablation fronts was observed. Proton radiography measured the strength, spatial profile, and temporal dynamics of self-generated magnetic fields as the target material was varied between plastic (CH), aluminum, copper, and gold. Two distinct regions of magnetic field are generated in mid-Z targets -- one produced by gradients from electron thermal transport and the second from radiation-driven gradients. Extended magnetohydrodynamic simulations including radiation transport reproduced key aspects of the experiment, including field generation and double ablation front formation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗