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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

CATASTROPHIC QUENCHING IN {alpha}{Omega} DYNAMOS REVISITED

At large magnetic Reynolds numbers, magnetic helicity evolution plays an important role in astrophysical large-scale dynamos. The recognition of this fact led to the development of the dynamical {alpha} quenching formalism, which predicts catastrophically low mean fields in open systems. Here, we show that in oscillatory {alpha}{Omega} dynamos this formalism predicts an unphysical magnetic helicity transfer between scales. An alternative technique is proposed where this artifact is removed by using the evolution equation for the magnetic helicity of the total field in the shearing advective gauge. In the traditional dynamical {alpha} quenching formalism, this can be described by an additional magnetic helicity flux of small-scale fields that does not appear in homogeneous {alpha}{sup 2} dynamos. In {alpha}{Omega} dynamos, the alternative formalism is shown to lead to larger saturation fields than what has been obtained in some earlier models with the traditional formalism. We have compared the predictions of the two formalisms to results of direct numerical simulations, finding that the alternative formulation provides a better fit. This suggests that worries about catastrophic dynamo behavior in the limit of large magnetic Reynolds number are unfounded.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

How do magnetized HED flows transition to collimated plasma jets? (Final Report)

We present results from a pulsed-power experiment designed to generate accretion-like flows in the laboratory that may be used to study the dynamics of astrophysical accretion-driven outflows. To emulate systems like Young Stellar Object (YSO) outflows, we create radially converging plasma flows in a short disk that transition into much longer bipolar outflows. Our experiment uses a ~1 MA pulsed-power driver to generate plasma from an array of thin aluminum wires mounted to a 3D-printed current path that controls the angular momentum and magnetic field topology. In this paper, we show that experimental data scale favorably to observed properties of YSO jets. This set of experiments tests the simplest version of our possible plasma dynamics, where outflows are generated without rotation or axial magnetic field present. The temperature, velocity and density of the disk and outflows are characterized using interferometry, gated optical and ultraviolet imaging, and Thomson scattering diagnostics. We discuss the Reynolds number, magnetic Reynolds number and Mach numbers calculated in three different stages of the experiment, and compare our results to 3D numerical simulations in the PERSEUS magnetohydrodynamics code. This report is a summary of the work done by the graduate students who were supported by the project.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1978

Boundary-value problem for a counterrotating electrical discharge in an axial magnetic field

An electrical discharge between two ring electrodes embedded in the mantle of a cylindrical chamber is considered, in which the plasma in the anode and cathode regions rotates in opposite directions under the influence of an external axial magnetic field. The associated boundary-value problem for the coupled partial differential equations describing the azimuthal velocity and radial current-density fields is solved in closed form. The velocity, current density, induced magnetic induction, and electric fields are presented for typical Hartmann numbers, magnetic Reynolds numbers, and geometry parameters. The discharge is shown to produce anodic and cathodic plasma sections rotating at speeds of the order 1,000,000 cm/sec for conventional magnetic field intensities. Possible application of the magnetoactive discharge as a plasma centrifuge for isotope separation is discussed.

Hong, S. H.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Numerical simulation of laminar plasma dynamos in a cylindrical von Karman flow

The results of a numerical study of the magnetic dynamo effect in cylindrical von Karman plasma flow are presented with parameters relevant to the Madison Plasma Couette Experiment. This experiment is designed to investigate a broad class of phenomena in flowing plasmas. In a plasma, the magnetic Prandtl number Pm can be of order unity (i.e., the fluid Reynolds number Re is comparable to the magnetic Reynolds number Rm). This is in contrast to liquid metal experiments, where Pm is small (so, Re>>Rm) and the flows are always turbulent. We explore dynamo action through simulations using the extended magnetohydrodynamic NIMROD code for an isothermal and compressible plasma model. We also study two-fluid effects in simulations by including the Hall term in Ohm's law. We find that the counter-rotating von Karman flow results in sustained dynamo action and the self-generation of magnetic field when the magnetic Reynolds number exceeds a critical value. For the plasma parameters of the experiment, this field saturates at an amplitude corresponding to a new stable equilibrium (a laminar dynamo). We show that compressibility in the plasma results in an increase of the critical magnetic Reynolds number, while inclusion of the Hall term in Ohm's law changes the amplitude of the saturated dynamo field but not the critical value for the onset of dynamo action.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nonaxisymmetric MHD instabilities of Chandrasekhar states in Taylor-Couette geometry

We consider axially periodic Taylor–Couette geometry with insulating boundary conditions. The imposed basic states are so-called Chandrasekhar states, where the azimuthal flow U {sub ϕ} and magnetic field B {sub ϕ} have the same radial profiles. Mainly three particular profiles are considered: the Rayleigh limit, quasi-Keplerian, and solid-body rotation. In each case we begin by computing linear instability curves and their dependence on the magnetic Prandtl number Pm. For the azimuthal wavenumber m = 1 modes, the instability curves always scale with the Reynolds number and the Hartmann number. For sufficiently small Pm these modes therefore only become unstable for magnetic Mach numbers less than unity, and are thus not relevant for most astrophysical applications. However, modes with m>1 can behave very differently. For sufficiently flat profiles, they scale with the magnetic Reynolds number and the Lundquist number, thereby allowing instability also for the large magnetic Mach numbers of astrophysical objects. We further compute fully nonlinear, three-dimensional equilibration of these instabilities, and investigate how the energy is distributed among the azimuthal (m) and axial (k) wavenumbers. In comparison spectra become steeper for large m, reflecting the smoothing action of shear. On the other hand kinetic and magnetic energy spectra exhibit similar behavior: if several azimuthal modes are already linearly unstable they are relatively flat, but for the rigidly rotating case where m = 1 is the only unstable mode they are so steep that neither Kolmogorov nor Iroshnikov–Kraichnan spectra fit the results. The total magnetic energy exceeds the kinetic energy only for large magnetic Reynolds numbers Rm>100.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Self-suppression of double tearing modes via Alfven resonance in rotating tokamak plasmas

Reversed magnetic shear configuration, a key method for improving plasma confinement in advanced tokamaks, is prone to exciting double tearing modes (DTMs) that can severely degrade the plasma confinement. In this letter, we reveal a new mechanism of suppressing the DTM instability due to the self-induced Alfven resonance in rotating tokamak plasmas. The linear growth rate is reduced from {approx}S{sub Hp}{sup -1/3} of the fast DTM regime to {approx}S{sub Hp}{sup -3/5} of the slow single tearing mode regime, where S{sub Hp} is magnetic Reynolds number. Instead of generating magnetic islands at the inner rational surface that can greatly enhance plasma transport in the core region, the formation of current sheets at resonance layers not only prevents the fast nonlinear DTM reconnection phase but also contributes to plasma heating.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2003

Magnetic Flux Compression Experiments Using Plasma Armatures

Magnetic flux compression reaction chambers offer considerable promise for controlling the plasma flow associated with various micronuclear/chemical pulse propulsion and power schemes, primarily because they avoid thermalization with wall structures and permit multicycle operation modes. The major physical effects of concern are the diffusion of magnetic flux into the rapidly expanding plasma cloud and the development of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities at the plasma surface, both of which can severely degrade reactor efficiency and lead to plasma-wall impact. A physical parameter of critical importance to these underlying magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes is the magnetic Reynolds number (R(sub m), the value of which depends upon the product of plasma electrical conductivity and velocity. Efficient flux compression requires R(sub m) less than 1, and a thorough understanding of MHD phenomena at high magnetic Reynolds numbers is essential to the reliable design and operation of practical reactors. As a means of improving this understanding, a simplified laboratory experiment has been constructed in which the plasma jet ejected from an ablative pulse plasma gun is used to investigate plasma armature interaction with magnetic fields. As a prelude to intensive study, exploratory experiments were carried out to quantify the magnetic Reynolds number characteristics of the plasma jet source. Jet velocity was deduced from time-of-flight measurements using optical probes, and electrical conductivity was measured using an inductive probing technique. Using air at 27-inHg vacuum, measured velocities approached 4.5 km/s and measured conductivities were in the range of 30 to 40 kS/m.

Turner, M. W.↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE DECAY OF A WEAK LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC FIELD IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL TURBULENCE

We investigate the decay of a large-scale magnetic field in the context of incompressible, two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. It is well established that a very weak mean field, of strength significantly below equipartition value, induces a small-scale field strong enough to inhibit the process of turbulent magnetic diffusion. In light of ever-increasing computer power, we revisit this problem to investigate fluids and magnetic Reynolds numbers that were previously inaccessible. Furthermore, by exploiting the relation between the turbulent diffusion of the magnetic potential and that of the magnetic field, we are able to calculate the turbulent magnetic diffusivity extremely accurately through the imposition of a uniform mean magnetic field. We confirm the strong dependence of the turbulent diffusivity on the product of the magnetic Reynolds number and the energy of the large-scale magnetic field. We compare our findings with various theoretical descriptions of this process.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

COHERENT NONHELICAL SHEAR DYNAMOS DRIVEN BY MAGNETIC FLUCTUATIONS AT LOW REYNOLDS NUMBERS

Nonhelical shear dynamos are studied with a particular focus on the possibility of coherent dynamo action. The primary results—serving as a follow up to the results of Squire and Bhattacharjee—pertain to the “magnetic shear-current effect” as a viable mechanism to drive large-scale magnetic field generation. This effect raises the interesting possibility that the saturated state of the small-scale dynamo could drive large-scale dynamo action, and is likely to be important in the unstratified regions of accretion disk turbulence. In this paper, the effect is studied at low Reynolds numbers, removing the complications of small-scale dynamo excitation and aiding analysis by enabling the use of quasi-linear statistical simulation methods. In addition to the magnetically driven dynamo, new results on the kinematic nonhelical shear dynamo are presented. These illustrate the relationship between coherent and incoherent driving in such dynamos, demonstrating the importance of rotation in determining the relative dominance of each mechanism.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dynamo Effect and Turbulence in Hydrodynamic Weyl Metals

The dynamo effect is a class of macroscopic phenomena responsible for generating and maintaining magnetic fields in astrophysical bodies. It hinges on the hydrodynamic three-dimensional motion of conducting gases and plasmas that achieve high hydrodynamic and/or magnetic Reynolds numbers due to the large length scales involved. The existing laboratory experiments modeling dynamos are challenging and involve large apparatuses containing conducting fluids subject to fast helical flows. Here we propose that electronic solid-state materials—in particular, hydrodynamic metals—may serve as an alternative platform to observe some aspects of the dynamo effect. Motivated by recent experimental developments, this Letter focuses on hydrodynamic Weyl semimetals, where the dominant scattering mechanism is due to interactions. We derive Navier-Stokes equations along with equations of magnetohydrodynamics that describe the transport of a Weyl electron-hole plasma appropriate in this regime. We estimate the hydrodynamic and magnetic Reynolds numbers for this system. The latter is a key figure of merit of the dynamo mechanism. We show that it can be relatively large to enable observation of the dynamo-induced magnetic field bootstrap in an experiment. Lastly, we generalize the simplest dynamo instability model—the Ponomarenko dynamo—to the case of a hydrodynamic Weyl semimetal and show that the chiral anomaly term reduces the threshold magnetic Reynolds number for the dynamo instability.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Stochastic flux freezing and magnetic dynamo

Magnetic flux conservation in turbulent plasmas at high magnetic Reynolds numbers is argued neither to hold in the conventional sense nor to be entirely broken, but instead to be valid in a statistical sense associated to the ''spontaneous stochasticity'' of Lagrangian particle trajectories. The latter phenomenon is due to the explosive separation of particles undergoing turbulent Richardson diffusion, which leads to a breakdown of Laplacian determinism for classical dynamics. Empirical evidence is presented for spontaneous stochasticity, including numerical results. A Lagrangian path-integral approach is then exploited to establish stochastic flux freezing for resistive hydromagnetic equations and to argue, based on the properties of Richardson diffusion, that flux conservation must remain stochastic at infinite magnetic Reynolds number. An important application of these results is the kinematic, fluctuation dynamo in nonhelical, incompressible turbulence at magnetic Prandtl number (Pr{sub m}) equal to unity. Numerical results on the Lagrangian dynamo mechanisms by a stochastic particle method demonstrate a strong similarity between the Pr{sub m}=1 and 0 dynamos. Stochasticity of field-line motion is an essential ingredient of both. Finally, some consequences for nonlinear magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, dynamo, and reconnection are briefly considered.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

HELICITY CONSERVATION IN NONLINEAR MEAN-FIELD SOLAR DYNAMO

It is believed that magnetic helicity conservation is an important constraint on large-scale astrophysical dynamos. In this paper, we study a mean-field solar dynamo model that employs two different formulations of the magnetic helicity conservation. In the first approach, the evolution of the averaged small-scale magnetic helicity is largely determined by the local induction effects due to the large-scale magnetic field, turbulent motions, and the turbulent diffusive loss of helicity. In this case, the dynamo model shows that the typical strength of the large-scale magnetic field generated by the dynamo is much smaller than the equipartition value for the magnetic Reynolds number 10{sup 6}. This is the so-called catastrophic quenching (CQ) phenomenon. In the literature, this is considered to be typical for various kinds of solar dynamo models, including the distributed-type and the Babcock-Leighton-type dynamos. The problem can be resolved by the second formulation, which is derived from the integral conservation of the total magnetic helicity. In this case, the dynamo model shows that magnetic helicity propagates with the dynamo wave from the bottom of the convection zone to the surface. This prevents CQ because of the local balance between the large-scale and small-scale magnetic helicities. Thus, the solar dynamo can operate in a wide range of magnetic Reynolds numbers up to 10{sup 6}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Insensitivity of a turbulent laser-plasma dynamo to initial conditions

It has recently been demonstrated experimentally that a turbulent plasma created by the collision of two inhomogeneous, asymmetric, weakly magnetized, laser-produced plasma jets can generate strong stochastic magnetic fields via the small-scale turbulent dynamo mechanism, provided the magnetic Reynolds number of the plasma is sufficiently large. In this paper, we compare such a plasma with one arising from two pre-magnetized plasma jets whose creation is identical save for the addition of a strong external magnetic field imposed by a pulsed magnetic field generator. We investigate the differences between the two turbulent systems using a Thomson-scattering diagnostic, x-ray self-emission imaging, and proton radiography. The Thomson-scattering spectra and x-ray images suggest that the external magnetic field has a limited effect on the plasma dynamics in the experiment. Although the external magnetic field induces collimation of the flows in the colliding plasma jets and although the initial strengths of the magnetic fields arising from the interaction between the colliding jets are significantly larger as a result of the external field, the energies and morphologies of the stochastic magnetic fields post-amplification are indistinguishable. We conclude that, for turbulent laser-plasmas with supercritical magnetic Reynolds numbers, the dynamo-amplified magnetic fields are determined by the turbulent dynamics rather than the seed fields or modest changes in the initial flow dynamics of the plasma, a finding consistent with theoretical expectations and simulations of turbulent dynamos.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2011

High Magnetic Shear Gain in a Liquid Sodium Stable Couette Flow Experiment: A Prelude to an {alpha}-{Omega} Dynamo

The {Omega} phase of the liquid sodium {alpha}-{Omega} dynamo experiment at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in cooperation with Los Alamos National Laboratory has demonstrated a high toroidal field B{sub {phi}} that is {approx_equal}8xB{sub r}, where B{sub r} is the radial component of an applied poloidal magnetic field. This enhanced toroidal field is produced by the rotational shear in stable Couette flow within liquid sodium at a magnetic Reynolds number Rm{approx_equal}120. Small turbulence in stable Taylor-Couette flow is caused by Ekman flow at the end walls, which causes an estimated turbulence energy fraction of ({delta}v/v){sup 2{approx}}10{sup -3}.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Optimized boundary driven flows for dynamos in a sphere

We perform numerical optimization of the axisymmetric flows in a sphere to minimize the critical magnetic Reynolds number Rm{sub cr} required for dynamo onset. The optimization is done for the class of laminar incompressible flows of von Karman type satisfying the steady-state Navier-Stokes equation. Such flows are determined by equatorially antisymmetric profiles of driving azimuthal (toroidal) velocity specified at the spherical boundary. The model is relevant to the Madison plasma dynamo experiment, whose spherical boundary is capable of differential driving of plasma in the azimuthal direction. We show that the dynamo onset in this system depends strongly on details of the driving velocity profile and the fluid Reynolds number Re. It is found that the overall lowest Rm{sub cr} Almost-Equal-To 200 is achieved at Re Almost-Equal-To 240 for the flow, which is hydrodynamically marginally stable. We also show that the optimized flows can sustain dynamos only in the range Rm{sub cr}<Rm<Rm{sub cr2}, where Rm{sub cr2} is the second critical magnetic Reynolds number, above which the dynamo is quenched. Samples of the optimized flows and the corresponding dynamo fields are presented.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2001

Inductive Measurement of Plasma Jet Electrical Conductivity (MSFC Center Director's discretionary Fund)

Measurement of plasma jet electrical conductivity has utility in the development of explosively driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy converters as well as magnetic flux compression reaction chambers for nuclear/chemical pulse propulsion and power. Within these types of reactors, the physical parameter of critical importance to underlying MHD processes is the magnetic Reynolds number, the value of which depends upon the product of plasma electrical conductivity and velocity. Therefore, a thorough understanding of MHD phenomena at high magnetic Reynolds number is essential, and methods are needed for the accurate and reliable measurement of electrical conductivity in high-speed plasma jets. It is well known that direct measurements using electrodes suffer from large surface resistance, and an electrodeless technique is desired. To address this need, an inductive probing scheme, originally developed for shock tube studies, has been adapted. In this method, the perturbation of an applied magnetic field by a plasma jet induces a voltage in a search coil, which, in turn, can be used to infer electrical conductivity through the inversion of a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. A 1-in.-diameter probe using a light-gas gun. Exploratory laboratory experiments were carried out using plasma jets expelled from 15-g shaped charges. Measured conductivities were in the range of 4 kS/m for unseeded octol charges and 26 kS/m for seeded octol charges containing 2-percent potassium carbonate by mass.

Turner, M. W.↗
DOE OSTI2011

A SHELL MODEL TURBULENT DYNAMO

Turbulent dynamo phenomena, observed almost everywhere in astrophysical objects and also in the laboratory in the recent VKS2 experiment, are investigated using a shell model technique to describe magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. Detailed numerical simulations at very high Rossby numbers ({alpha}{sup 2} dynamo) show that as the magnetic Reynolds number increases, the dynamo action starts working and different regimes are observed. The model, which displays different large-scale coherent behaviors corresponding to different regimes, is able to reproduce the magnetic field reversals observed both in a geomagnetic dynamo and in the VKS2 experiment. While rough quantitative estimates of typical times associated with the reversal phenomenon are consistent with paleomagnetic data, the analysis of the transition from oscillating intermittent through reversal and finally to stationary behavior shows that the nature of the reversals we observe is typical of {alpha}{sup 2} dynamos and completely different from VKS2 reversals. Finally, the model shows that coherent behaviors can also be naturally generated inside the many-mode dynamical chaotic model, which reproduces the complexity of fluid turbulence, as described by the shell technique.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1983

The growth of the tearing mode - Boundary and scaling effects

A numerical model of resistive magnetic tearing is developed in order to verify and relate the results of the principal approximations used in analytic analyses and to investigate the solutions and their growth-rate scalings over a large range of primary parameters which include parametric values applicable to the solar atmosphere. The computations cover the linear behavior for a variety of boundary conditions, emphasizing effects which differentiate magnetic tearing in astrophysical situations from that in laboratory devices. Eigenfunction profiles for long and short wavelengths are computed and the applicability of the 'constant psi' approximation is investigated. The growth rate is computed for values of the magnetic Reynolds number up to a trillion and of the dimensionless wavelength parameter down to 0.001. The analysis predicts significant effects due to differing values of the magnetic Reynolds number.

Steinolfson, R. S.↗