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Results for “HOT PLASMA”

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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Hot plasma environment at Jupiter - Voyager 2 results

Preliminary results are reported from measurements made with the low-energy charged particle (LECP) instrument on Voyager 2 as it approached and traversed the Jovian magnetosphere. The primary objectives of the LECP instrument were to make measurements of the hot plasma (no less than about 20 keV and no less than about 28 keV for electrons and ions, respectively), to characterize the composition of the hot plasma and energetic-particle population, and to determine the particle flows and spatial distributions. In addition, the effects associated with the possible wake of Ganymede are discussed. Attention is given to inbound and outbound passes, along with Jovian plasma characteristics. The results suggest that the Jovian magnetosphere is confined by a plasma boundary rather than a conventional magnetopause. Inside the plasma boundary there exists a discontinuity at about 50-60 Jupiter radii, and the region inside this discontinuity is termed the 'inner plasmasphere'.

Krimigis, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The magnetosphere of Neptune - Hot plasmas and energetic particles

An overview is presented of the hot plasmas and energetic (not less than 20 keV) particles observed in the vicinity of Neptune by the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) experiment aboard the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The LECP findings are presented on the shock, the magnetosheath, the magnetopause, and the cusp of the Neptune's magnetosphere; the middle magnetosphere; the inner magnetosphere and material interactions; the magnetotail and the substorms; and the characteristics of Triton's plasma. It is shown that, in sharp contrast to the Uranian magnetotail, the Neptunian magnetotail shows no evidence of substorm processes.

Mauk, B. H.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Very Oblique Whistler Mode Propagation in the Radiation Belts: Effects of Hot Plasma and Landau Damping

We present that satellite observations of a significant population of very oblique chorus waves in the outer radiation belt have fueled considerable interest in the effects of these waves on energetic electron scattering and acceleration. However, corresponding diffusion rates are extremely sensitive to the refractive index N, controlled by hot plasma effects including Landau damping and wave dispersion modifications by suprathermal (15–100 eV) electrons. A combined investigation of wave and electron distribution characteristics obtained from the Van Allen Probes shows that peculiarities of the measured electron distribution significantly reduce Landau damping, allowing wave propagation with high N ~ 100–200. Further comparing measured refractive indexes with theoretical estimates incorporating hot plasma corrections to the wave dispersion, we provide the first experimental demonstration that suprathermal electrons indeed control the upper limit of the refractive index of highly oblique whistler mode waves. In conclusion, such results further support the importance of incorporating very oblique waves into radiation belt models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Laser driven terahertz generation in hot plasma with step density profile

An analytical formalism of terahertz (THz) radiation generation by beating of two lasers in a hot plasma with step density profile is developed. The lasers propagate obliquely to plasma surface normal, and the nonlinearity arises through the ponderomotive force. The THz is emitted in the specular reflection direction, and the yield is enhanced due to coupling with the Langmuir wave when the plasma frequency is close to THz frequency. The power conversion efficiency maximizes at an optimum angle of incidence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

A fast model for spreading of neutral particles injected locally into hot plasma

A fast model for calculation of non-stationary 3-D profiles of the density for neutral particles locally released into a hot plasma is elaborated. The approach reduces non-stationary three-dimensional transport equations to a set of one-dimensional ones describing the time evolution of the radial profiles for several parameters characterizing adequately the three-dimensional structure. The method is applied to model the spreading process of carbon atoms released by laser desorption in an experimental device and the local injection of working gas into a fusion reactor. The associated heat loads onto the first wall are assessed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

A PHYSICAL LINK BETWEEN JET FORMATION AND HOT PLASMA IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

Recent observations suggest that in black hole X-ray binaries jet/outflow formation is related to the hot plasma in the vicinity of the black hole, either in the form of an advection-dominated accretion flow at low accretion rates or in a disk corona at high accretion rates. We test the viability of this scenario for supermassive black holes using two samples of active galactic nuclei distinguished by the presence (radio-strong) and absence (radio-weak) of well-collimated, relativistic jets. Each is centered on a narrow range of black hole mass but spans a very broad range of Eddington ratios, effectively simulating in a statistical manner the behavior of a single black hole evolving across a wide spread in accretion states. Unlike the relationship between the radio and optical luminosity, which shows an abrupt break between high- and low-luminosity sources at an Eddington ratio of {approx}1%, the radio emission-a measure of the jet power-varies continuously with the hard X-ray (2-10 keV) luminosity, roughly as L{sub R} {proportional_to} L{sub X}{sup 0.6-0.75}. This relation, which holds for both radio-weak and radio-strong active galaxies, is similar to the one seen in X-ray binaries. Jet/outflow formation appears to be closely linked to the conditions that give rise to the hot, optically thin coronal emission associated with accretion flows, both in the regime of low and high accretion rates.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

EBIT spectroscopy of highly charged heavy ions relevant to hot plasmas

We present spectra of highly charged iron, gadolinium, and tungsten ions obtained with electron beam ion traps. Spectroscopic studies of these ions are important to diagnose and control hot plasmas in several areas. For iron ions, the electron density dependence of the line intensity ratio in extreme ultraviolet spectra is investigated for testing the model calculation used in solar corona diagnostics. Soft x-ray spectra of gadolinium are studied to obtain atomic data required in light source development for future lithography. Tungsten is considered to be the main impurity in the ITER plasma, and thus visible and soft x-ray spectra of tungsten have been observed to explore the emission lines useful for the spectroscopic diagnostics of the ITER plasma.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Generation of low-frequency radiation by dense hot plasma under pondermotive action of a short laser pulse

The theory of the generation of low-frequency radiation under the pondermotive action of a femtosecond laser pulse on dense hot plasma is developed. It is shown that, at fairly high plasma temperatures, when electron-electron collisions are rare and the low-frequency field is excited under conditions of the anomalous skin effect, the generation efficiency can be close to maximal. The optimal generation conditions are achieved if the carrier frequency of the laser pulse is close to the plasma frequency and the pulse is tightly focused. Under irradiation by pulses with durations of tens to hundreds femtoseconds, terahertz radiation is generated in a broad angular range.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Second sum rule for the hot plasma permittivity

Based on linear response theory, Kramers-Kronig relations, and diagram techniques of perturbation theory, it is shown that the second sum rule is satisfied for hot plasma permittivity. An explicit analytical expression for the second sum rule in the limit of weak nonideality is derived.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Spectroscopy of Very Hot Plasma in Non-flaring Parts of a Solar Limb Active Region: Spatial and Temporal Properties

In this work we investigate the thermal structure of an off-limb active region (AR) in various non-flaring areas, as it provides key information on the way these structures are heated. In particular, we concentrate on the very hot component (>3 MK) as it is a crucial element to distinguish between different heating mechanisms. We present an analysis using Fe and Ca emission lines from both the Solar Ultraviolet Measurement of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode. A data set covering all ionization stages from Fe x to Fe xix has been used for the thermal analysis (both differential emission measure and emission measure, EM). Ca xiv is used for the SUMER-EIS radiometric cross calibration. We show that the very hot plasma is present and persistent almost everywhere in the core of the limb AR. The off-limb AR is clearly structured in Fe xviii. Almost everywhere, the EM analysis reveals plasma at 10 MK (visible in Fe xix emission), which is down to 0.1% of EM of the main 3 MK plasma. We estimate the power-law index of the hot tail of the EM to be between −8.5 and −4.4. However, the question about the possible existence of a small minor peak at around 10 MK remains open. The absence in some part of the AR of the Fe xix and Fe xxiii lines (which fall into our spectral range) enables us to determine an upper limit on the EM at these temperatures. Our results include a new Ca xiv 943.59 Å atomic model.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

UNIVERSALITY AND INTERMITTENCY IN RELATIVISTIC TURBULENT FLOWS OF A HOT PLASMA

With the aim of determining the statistical properties of relativistic turbulence and unveiling novel and non-classical features, we present the results of direct numerical simulations of driven turbulence in an ultrarelativistic hot plasma using high-order numerical schemes. We study the statistical properties of flows with average Mach numbers ranging from {approx}0.4 to {approx}1.7 and with average Lorentz factors up to {approx}1.7. We find that flow quantities, such as the energy density or the local Lorentz factor, show large spatial variance even in the subsonic case as compressibility is enhanced by relativistic effects. The velocity field is highly intermittent, but its power spectrum is found to be in good agreement with the predictions of the classical theory of Kolmogorov. Overall, our results indicate that relativistic effects are able to significantly enhance the intermittency of the flow and affect the high-order statistics of the velocity field, while leaving unchanged the low-order statistics, which instead appear to be universal and in good agreement with the classical Kolmogorov theory. To the best of our knowledge, these are the most accurate simulations of driven relativistic turbulence to date.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Io's hot plasma torus - A synoptic view from Voyager

A study of the morphology of Io's hot plasma torus has encompassed hundreds of Voyager UVS measurements of torus intensity. The long-term average state of the torus can be characterized by an axial asymmetry in the brightness of the prominent S III 685-A feature manifested as an enhancement in brightness whose peak is fixed near 1900 local time. No long-term correlation of brightness with magnetic longitude is present. On time scales of a few Jupiter rotations, the torus can differ markedly from its average axial asymmetry, and its brightness is correlated with magnetic longitude for short times.

Sandel, B. R.↗
DOE OSTI2013

PROBING OF THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE HOT PLASMAS AND GALAXIES IN CLUSTERS FROM z = 0.1 TO 0.9

Based on optical and X-ray data for a sample of 34 relaxed rich clusters of galaxies with redshifts of 0.1-0.9, we studied relative spatial distributions of the two major baryon contents, the cluster galaxies and the hot plasmas. Using multi-band photometric data taken with the UH88 telescope, we determined the integrated (two-dimensional) radial light profiles of member galaxies in each cluster using two independent approaches, i.e., the background subtraction and the color-magnitude filtering. The intracluster medium (ICM) mass profile of each cluster in our sample, also integrated in two dimensions, was derived from a spatially resolved spectral analysis using XMM-Newton and Chandra data. Then, the radially integrated light profile of each cluster was divided by its ICM mass profile, to obtain a profile of ''galaxy light versus ICM mass ratio''. When the sample is divided into three subsamples with redshift intervals of z = 0.11-0.22, 0.22-0.45, and 0.45-0.89, the ratio profiles over the central 0.65 R{sub 500} regions were found to steepen from the higher- to lower-redshift subsamples, meaning that the galaxies become more concentrated in the ICM sphere toward lower redshifts. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicates that this evolution in the cluster structure is significant on {>=}94% confidence level. A range of systematic uncertainties in the galaxy light measurements, as well as many radius-/redshift-dependent biases to the galaxy versus ICM profiles, have been assessed, but none of them are significant against the observed evolution. Besides, the galaxy light versus total mass ratio profiles also exhibit gradual concentration toward lower redshift. We interpret that the galaxies, the ICM, and the dark matter components followed a similar spatial distribution in the early phase (z > 0.5), while the galaxies have fallen toward the center relative to the others. Such galaxy infall is likely to be caused by the drag exerted from the ICM to the galaxies as they move through the ICM and interact with it, while gravitational drag can enhance the infall of the most massive galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hot plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection

We analyze coordinated observations from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) and X-Ray Telescope (XRT) on board Hinode of an X-ray Plasma Ejection (XPE) that occurred during the coronal mass ejection (CME) event of 2008 April 9. The XPE was trailing the CME core from behind, following the same trajectory, and could be identified both in EIS and XRT observations. Using the EIS spectrometer, we have determined the XPE plasma parameters, measuring the electron density, thermal distribution, and elemental composition. We have found that the XPE composition and electron density were very similar to those of the pre-event active region plasma. The XPE temperature was higher, and its thermal distribution peaked at around 3 MK; also, typical flare lines were absent from EIS spectra, indicating that any XPE component with temperatures in excess of 5 MK was likely either faint or absent. We used XRT data to investigate the presence of hotter plasma components in the XPE that could have gone undetected by EIS and found that—if at all present—these components have small emission measure values and their temperature is in the 8-12.5 MK range. The very hot plasma found in earlier XPE observations obtained by Yohkoh seems to be largely absent in this CME, although plasma ionization timescales may lead to non-equilibrium ionization effects that could make bright lines from ions formed in a 10 MK plasma not detectable by EIS. Our results supersede the XPE findings of Landi et al., who studied the same event with older response functions for the XRT Al-poly filter; the differences in the results stress the importance of using accurate filter response functions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Axisymmetric global gravitational equilibrium for magnetized, rotating hot plasma

In this work, we present analytic solutions for three-dimensional magnetized axisymmetric equilibria confining rotating hot plasma in a gravitational field. Our up–down symmetric solution to the full Grad–Shafranov equation can exhibit equatorial plane localization of the plasma density and current, resulting in disk equilibria for the plasma density. For very weak magnetic fields and high plasma pressure, we find strongly rotating thin plasma disk gravitational equilibria that satisfy strict Keplerian motion provided the gravitational energy is much larger than the plasma pressure, which must be large compared to the magnetic energy of the poloidal magnetic field. When the rotational energy exceeds the gravitational energy and it is larger than the plasma pressure, diffuse disk equilibrium solutions continue to exist provided the poloidal magnetic energy remains small. For stronger magnetic fields and lower plasma pressure and rotation, we can also find gravitational equilibria with strong localization to the equatorial plane. However, a toroidal magnetic field is almost always necessary to numerically verify these equilibria are valid solutions in the presence of gravity for the cases considered in Catto & Krasheninnikov (J. Plasma Phys., vol. 81, 2015, 105810301). In all cases both analytic and numerical results are presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗