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When injected laser is coupled into optical fiber, emission instabilities arise because of optical feedback losses from fiber into laser. Coupling efficiencies as high as 80 percent, however, obtained by shaping end of multimode fiber into obtuse-angled wedge. Because slanted sides eliminate back reflection, such wedged fiber achieves high coupling efficiency.
ISEE particle and wave data are noted to furnish substantial support for the basic features of the velocity dispersed model at the foreshock boundary that was proposed by Filbert and Kellogg (1979). Among many remaining discrepancies between this model and observation, it is noted that unstable reduced velocity distributions have been discovered behind the thin boundary proposed by the model, and that these are at suprathermal energies lying far below those explainable in terms of an oscillating, two-stream instability. Although the long-theorized unstable beam of electrons has been found in the foreshock, there is still no ready explanation of the means by which it could have gotten there.
The ICE spacecraft observed in the vicinity of Comet Giacobini-Zinner electrostatic noise with burstlike features seemingly modulated by the relative orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind velocity. The adequacy of ion acousticlike instabilities stimulated by photoelectron or newborn ion beams to the interpretation of the electrostatic bursts is discussed. It is concluded that the mode fed by the photoelectrons exhibits characteristics compatible with the observations.
Simultaneous plasma wave, magnetic field, and energetic ion observations made by the ICE spacecraft in the extended ion pick-up region surrounding comet Giacobini-Zinner are examined to determine the conditions under which two characteristic wave emissions, electrostatic waves at a few kHz, and electromagnetic waves at a few tens of Hz, are generated. The data are consistent with the view that the kHz electrostatic emissions result from an instability of the pick-up photoelectron 'beam' produced when the angle alpha between the magnetic field and the solar wind velocity vector is less than about 60 deg, while the behavior of the tens of Hz electromagnetic waves suggests that they are generated by the pick-up ion 'ring' which is present when alpha exceeds about 60 deg.
Plasma waves are observed in the solar wind upstream of the Venus bow shock by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. These wave signatures occur during periods when the interplanetary magnetic field through the spacecraft position intersects the bow shock, thereby placing the spacecraft in the foreshock region. Wave intensity is analyzed as a function of distance along the electron foreshock boundary. It is found that the peak wave intensity may increase along the foreshock boundary from the tangent point to a maximum value at several Venus radii, then decrease in intensity with subsequent increase in distance. These observations could be associated with the instability process: the instability of the distribution function increasing with distance from the tangent point to saturation at the peak. Thermalization of the beam for distances beyond this point could reduce the distribution function instability resulting in weaker wave signatures.
The electromagnetic dispersion relation for two counterstreaming ion beams of arbitrary relative strength flowing parallel to a dc magnetic field is derived. The beams flow through a stationary electron background and the dispersion relation in the fluid approximation is unaffected by the electron thermal pressure. Magnetic effects on the ion beams are included, but the electrons are treated as a magnetized fluid. The dispersion relation is solved with a zero net current condition applied and the regions of instability in the k-U space (U is the relative velocity between the two ion beams) are presented. These results are extensions of Kovner's analysis for weak beams. The parameters are then chosen to be applicable for parallel shocks. It is found that unstable waves with zero group velocity in the shock frame can exist near the leading edge of the shock for upstream Alfven Mach numbers greater than 5.5.
Observation of electromagnetic waves in the low-altitude auroral zone at frequencies between the proton and helium gyrofrequencies suggests that Alfven-ion cyclotron waves modified by the presence of helium ions are being excited. Estimates of the growth rates for this mode indicate that the auroral electron beam can provide the free energy for the instability. The effect of the heavy ions is to decrease the group velocity of the waves, leading to larger convective growth. Theoretical wave spectra are computed in the local approximation, which assumes that the gradient scale lengths in density and magnetic field are constant over the ray paths. Narrow banded spectral peaks similar to observations may be produced when the thickness of the electron beam is small (200 m at 3000 km altitude). Narrow beams also limit growth of whistler mode waves, which compete for the free energy of the electron beam.
Existing, competing theories for coronal and interplanetary type III solar radio bursts appeal to one or more of modulational instability, electrostatic (ES) decay processes, or stochastic growth physics to preserve the electron beam, limit the levels of Langmuir-like waves driven by the beam, and produce wave spectra capable of coupling nonlinearly to generate the observed radio emission. Theoretical constraints exist on the wavenumbers and relative sizes of the wave bandwidth and nonlinear growth rate for which Langmuir waves are subject to modulational instability and the parametric and random phase versions of ES decay. A constraint also exists on whether stochastic growth theory (SGT) is appropriate. These constraints are evaluated here using the beam, plasma, and wave properties (1) observed in specific interplanetary type III sources, (2) predicted nominally for the corona, and (3) predicted at heliocentric distances greater than a few solar radii by power-law models based on interplanetary observations. It is found that the Langmuir waves driven directly by the beam have wavenumbers that are almost always too large for modulational instability but are appropriate to ES decay. Even for waves scattered to lower wavenumbers (by ES decay, for instance), the wave bandwidths are predicted to be too large and the nonlinear growth rates too small for modulational instability to occur for the specific interplanetary events studied or the great majority of Langmuir wave packets in type III sources at arbitrary heliocentric distances. Possible exceptions are for very rare, unusually intense, narrowband wave packets, predominantly close to the Sun, and for the front portion of very fast beams traveling through unusually dilute, cold solar wind plasmas. Similar arguments demonstrate that the ES decay should proceed almost always as a random phase process rather than a parametric process, with similar exceptions. These results imply that it is extremely rare for modulational instability or parametric decay to proceed in type III sources at any heliocentric distance: theories for type III bursts based on modulational instability or parametric decay are therefore not viable in general. In contrast, the constraint on SGT can be satisfied and random phase ES decay can proceed at all heliocentric distances under almost all circumstances. (The contrary circumstances involve unusually slow, broad beams moving through unusually hot regions of the Corona.) The analyses presented here strongly justify extending the existing SGT-based model for interplanetary type III bursts (which includes SGT physics, random phase ES decay, and specific electromagnetic emission mechanisms) into a general theory for type III bursts from the corona to beyond 1 AU. This extended theory enjoys strong theoretical support, explains the characteristics of specific interplanetary type III bursts very well, and can account for the detailed dynamic spectra of type III bursts from the lower corona and solar wind.
The generation of lower-hybrid waves in an inhomogeneous electron beam is examined. Wave amplitudes are invariably limited by the convective nature of the instability. The self-consistent shear of the magnetic-field geometry due to the beam current is limited to the role of dividing the general problem into separate cases according to the relative orientation of the wave vector and direction of inhomogeneity. Moreover, the limiting case of small shear is smoothly connected to the case where shear is altogether negligible. Estimates of the amplification of lower-hybrid waves propagating across the electron beam are made for the various cases.
We use audification of 0.092 seconds cadence magnetometer data from the Wind spacecraft to identify waves with amplitudes greater than 0.1 nanoteslas near the ion gyrofrequency (approximately 0.1 hertz) with duration longer than 1 hour during 2008. We present one of the most common types of event for a case study and find it to be a proton-cyclotron wave storm, coinciding with highly radial magnetic field and a suprathermal proton beam close in density to the core distribution itself. Using linear Vlasov analysis, we conclude that the long-duration, large-amplitude waves are generated by the instability of the proton distribution function. The origin of the beam is unknown, but the radial field period is found in the trailing edge of a fast solar wind stream and resembles other events thought to be caused by magnetic field footpoint motion or interchange reconnection between coronal holes and closed field lines in the corona.
The stability of the free-running hydrogen maser is limited by pulling of the unperturbed hydrogen transition frequency due to instability of the cavity resonance frequency. While automatic spin-exchange tuning is in principle the more basic and accurate method, the required beam intensity switching and the long servo time constant result in reduced stability for measuring intervals up to 10(exp 6) seconds. More importantly, the spin-exchange tuning method requires a second stable frequency source as a reference, ideally a second hydrogen maser, to get the best results. The cavity frequency switching servo, on the other hand, has very little effect on the maser short term stability, and is fast enough to correct for cavity drift while maintaining the cavity at the spin-exchange tuned offset required to minimize instability due to beam intensity fluctuations. Not only does the cavity frequency switching servo not require a second stable frequency source, but the frequency reference is the atomic hydrogen radiated beam signal, so that no extra RF connections need be made to the cavity, and externally generated signals that would perturb the hydrogen atom need not be transmitted through the cavity. The operation of the cavity frequency switching stabilization method is discussed and the transient response of the servo and certain other aspects of the technique that have potential for achieving improved basic accuracy are illustrated.
Electron acoustic waves present in a two temperature electron plasma can be driven unstable when ion beams propagate along the magnetic field. Both linear theory and numerical simulations indicate that this instability contributes to the generation of broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) in the geomagnetic tail.
Two whistler instabilities are investigated by means of the linear Vlasov dispersion equation. They are called the electron/ion parallel and oblique whistler instabilities, and are driven by electron/ion relative drifts along the magnetic field. It is demonstrated that the enhanced fluctuations from these instabilities can explain several properties of magnetic noise bursts in and near the plasma sheet in the presence of ion beams and/or field-aligned currents. At sufficiently high plasma beta, these instabilities may affect the current system in the magnetotail.
The dependence between static instability and kinetic instability (flutter) on autoparameteric resonance is studied by taking compressibility into account in a model of a cantilever beam under the action of a follower force. It is shown that both instabilities are formally special cases of instabilities known as subharmonic and combination resonances.
The electromagnetic dispersion relation for two counterstreaming ion beams of arbitrary relative strength flowing parallel to a dc magnetic field is derived. The beams flow through a stationary electron background and the dispersion relation in the fluid approximation is unaffected by the electron thermal pressure. The dispersion relation is solved with a zero net current condition applied and the regions of instability in the k-U space (U is the relative velocity between the two ion beams) are presented. The parameters are then chosen to be applicable for parallel shocks. It was found that unstable waves with zero group velocity in the shock frame can exist near the leading edge of the shock for upstream Alfven Mach numbers greater than 5.5. It is suggested that this mechanism could generate sufficient turbulence within the shock layer to scatter the incoming ions and create the required dissipation for intermediate strength shocks.
During the last six months, our efforts concentrated on studying the excitation of electromagnetic waves in the whistler frequency range by an anisotropic electron beam. A paper entitled 'Electron Cyclotron Wave Generation by Relativistic Electrons' was submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research and was accepted for publication. This paper is in collaboration with Dr. M. L. Goldstein at Goddard Space Flight Center. It was shown that an anisotropic electron beam (or gyrating electron beam) is capable of generating electron cyclotron waves with frequency from above to below the electron plasma frequency in a low density plasma. This instability may account for the observed Z mode and the electromagnetic component of auroral hiss in the Earth's polar region. The abstract of this paper is enclosed. For a high density plasma in which the electron plasma frequency is considerably higher than the electron cyclotron frequency, a new left-hand electromagnetic wave at whistler frequencies, which is also driven unstable by an anisotropic electron beam, was found. The basic notion of this new instability is the significant change of the dispersion equation due to the contribution of the beam component, which can shift the usual right hand whistler waves into left hand waves.
Examination of the S3-3 and DE ion composition data spread over a solar cycle indicates that some characteristics of energetic upflowing terrestrial ion beams above the auroral zone show dependence on solar cycle. At solar maximum the different ion beam mass components have comparable mean energies, and O(+) dominates the beam composition. The ion energies are consistent with having been acquired from the potential drop below the satellite inferred from the electron loss cone distributions. At solar minimum the beam composition is dominated by H(+), but the O(+) has a higher mean energy and is hotter than the H(+) component. Also, the O(+) has more energy than it could itself have acquired from the potential drop. These observations are qualitatively consistent with the ion beams having acquired their energies from a parallel electric field and being partially thermalized through the two-stream instability between the two ion species, with this effect being modulated by the beam composition.
Upflowing beams of hydrogen, oxygen, and minor ion species, and downward accelerated electrons have been observed above several thousand kilometers altitude on evening auroral field lines. The mechanism for electron and ion acceleration is generally accepted to be the presence of a quasi-static electric field with a component parallel to the earth's magnetic field. The thermal energy of the observed beams is much larger than ionospheric ion temperatures indicating that the beams have been heated as they are accelerated upward. This heating is probably due to a two-stream interaction between beams of different mass ions. The beams gain equal energy in the potential drop and so have different average velocities. Their relative streaming initiates an ion-ion two-stream interaction which then mediates a transfer of energy and momentum between the beams and causes thermalization of each beam. The qualitative evidence that supports this scenario is reviewed. Properties of the two-stream instability are presented in order to demonstrate that a calculation of the evolution of ion beams requires a model that includes field-aligned spatial structure.