SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “cyclotrons”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1997

Multi-Species Test of Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating at High Altitudes

Observations of ion distributions and plasma waves obtained by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite in the high-altitude, nightside auroral zone are used to study ion energization for three ion species. A number of theoretical models have been proposed to account for the transverse heating of these ion populations. One of these, the ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) mechanism, explains ion conic formation through ion cyclotron resonance with broadband electromagnetic wave turbulence in the vicinity of the characteristic ion cyclotron frequency. The cyclotron resonant heating of the ions by low-frequency electromagnetic waves is an important energy source for the transport of ions from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere. In this paper we test the applicability of the ICRH mechanism to three simultaneously heated and accelerated ion species by modelling the ion conic formation in terms of a resonant wave-particle interaction in which the ions extract energy from the portion of the broadband electromagnetic wave spectrum which includes the ion cyclotron frequency. Using a Monte Carlo technique we evaluate the ion heating produced by the electromagnetic turbulence at low frequencies and find that the wave amplitudes near the ion cyclotron frequencies are sufficient to explain the observed ion energies.

Persoon, A. M.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Dependence of ion-cyclotron range of frequencies instabilities on species mix and fast-ion distribution: I. Stability

Ion cyclotron emission (ICE) driven by fast ions has the potential to be a reactor relevant diagnostic of confined and escaping fast ions; moreover, controlled experiments in magnetic fusion devices can shed light on similar magnetospheric instabilities below and above the ion cyclotron frequency f ci . Dedicated DIII-D experiments studied instabilities below f ci and at cyclotron harmonics l f ci by injecting thirteen different neutral beam populations into plasmas with different thermal compositions of H, D, and 3He at five different values of toroidal field. High-frequency magnetic loops diagnose mode properties. Each beam type is individually injected for an approximate slowing-down time (~100 ms), resulting in a database of 2529 conditions that are analyzed in frequency bands corresponding to ICE harmonics and < f ci global Alfvén eigenmodes. The sub-cyclotron modes are more unstable at low field and in plasmas with large H concentration. For D injection, first harmonic ICE at f cD is more unstable in hydrogen plasmas but, for H injection, the converse is true (ICE at f cH is more unstable in D), suggesting that thermal same-species ions damp fundamental ICE. ICE stability also depends upon the pitch-angle anisotropy gradient and upon the ‘bump-on-tail’ gradient ∂f/∂v. Although the frequency of unstable ICE in these plasmas always occurs near the central cyclotron frequency, the precise value also depends on the Alfvén speed and beam direction, consistent with the idea that instability occurs for modes that simultaneously satisfy ω ≃ 2πlf ci , the magnetosonic dispersion relation, and the Doppler-shifted resonance condition.

electromagnetic ion cyclotron instabilities↗

DOE OSTI2024

Larmor power limit for cyclotron radiation of relativistic particles in a waveguide

Cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy (CRES) is a modern technique for high-precision energy spectroscopy, in which the energy of a charged particle in a magnetic field is measured via the frequency of the emitted cyclotron radiation. The He6-CRES collaboration aims to use CRES to probe beyond the standard model physics at the TeV scale by performing high-resolution and low-background beta-decay spectroscopy of 6 He and 19 Ne. Having demonstrated the first observation of individual, high-energy (0.1–2.5 MeV) positrons and electrons via their cyclotron radiation, the experiment provides a novel window into the radiation of relativistic charged particles in a waveguide via the time-derivative (slope) of the cyclotron radiation frequency, df c /dt. We show that analytic predictions for the total cyclotron radiation power emitted by a charged particle in circular and rectangular waveguides are approximately consistent with the Larmor formula, each scaling with the Lorentz factor of the underlying e ± as γ 4 . This hypothesis is corroborated with experimental CRES slope data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2013

STEREO and Wind Observations of Intense Cyclotron Harmonic Waves at the Earth's Bow Shock and Inside the Magnetosheath

We present the first observations of electron cyclotron harmonic waves at the Earth's bow shock from STEREO and Wind burst waveform captures. These waves are observed at magnetic field gradients at a variety of shock geometries ranging from quasi-parallel to nearly perpendicular along with whistler mode waves, ion acoustic waves, and electrostatic solitary waves. Large amplitude cyclotron harmonic waveforms are also observed in the magnetosheath in association with magnetic field gradients convected past the bow shock. Amplitudes of the cyclotron harmonic waves range from a few tens to more than 500 millivolts/meter peak-peak. A comparison between the short (15 meters) and long (100 meters) Wind spin plane antennas shows a similar response at low harmonics and a stronger response on the short antenna at higher harmonics. This indicates that wavelengths are not significantly larger than 100 meters, consistent with the electron cyclotron radius. Waveforms are broadband and polarizations are distinctively comma-shaped with significant power both perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. Harmonics tend to be more prominent in the perpendicular directions. These observations indicate that the waves consist of a combination of perpendicular Bernstein waves and field-aligned waves without harmonics. A likely source is the electron cyclotron drift instability which is a coupling between Bernstein and ion acoustic waves. These waves are the most common type of high-frequency wave seen by STEREO during bow shock crossings and magnetosheath traversals and our observations suggest that they are an important component of the high-frequency turbulent spectrum in these regions.

bow shock↗

DOE OSTI2024

Single radio frequency bucket injection in the 88-Inch Cyclotron using a pulsed high voltage chopper

A single radio frequency bucket of the 88-Inch Cyclotron is filled using a fast chopper located in the axial line. The bucket then accelerates until it reaches the deflector, at which point, it is extracted as a train of bunches. This phenomenon can be attributed to the characteristic multi-turn extraction of the cyclotron and, by simplifying the complex dynamics of a cyclotron, corresponds to the conceptual transfer function of the cyclotron. In conclusion, the confirmation of the single radio frequency bucket injection was achieved by operating the cyclotron in the third harmonic mode and observing the absence of intermediate bunches during the multiple-bunch extraction.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Ion cyclotron emission in Maxwellian plasmas

Destabilization of ion cyclotron waves—waves with frequencies close to ion cyclotron harmonics—in inhomogeneous plasmas with Maxwell velocity distribution is considered. A new mechanism of destabilization of these waves is found, whereas the known interaction between cyclotron waves and drift waves is shown to be hardly able to lead to instabilities in realistic tokamak plasmas. Our finding is that the resonance wave–particle interaction in the presence of temperature gradient can change the diamagnetic drift frequency in such a way that the destabilizing influence of the diamagnetic drift exceeds Landau damping. This occurs when the energy of resonance particles is sufficiently high, which is always the case due to the infinite tail of the Maxwell distribution. Particles with higher energies provide a larger ratio of drive to damping, but the number of resonance particles and, thus, instability growth rates are exponentially small when particle energy is very high. Therefore, only moderately suprathermal particles can lead to observable instabilities. A condition for instabilities driven by these particles is obtained. Destabilization of electrostatic cyclotron waves and ordinary cyclotron waves is studied.

Kolesnichenko, Ya. I. (ORCID:0000000323219681)↗

DOE OSTI2022

Novel internal measurements of ion cyclotron frequency range fast-ion driven modes

Abstract Novel internal measurements and analysis of ion cyclotron frequency range fast-ion driven modes in DIII-D are presented. Observations, including internal density fluctuation ( n ~ ) measurements obtained via Doppler backscattering, are presented for modes at low harmonics of the ion cyclotron frequency localized in the edge. The measurements indicate that these waves, identified as coherent ion cyclotron emission (ICE), have high wave number, k ⊥ ρ fast ≳ 1, consistent with the cyclotron harmonic wave branch of the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability, or electrostatic instability mechanisms. Measurements show extended spatial structure (at least ∼1/6 the minor radius). These edge ICE modes undergo amplitude modulation correlated with edge localized modes (ELM) that is qualitatively consistent with expectations for ELM-induced fast-ion transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Highly excited electron cyclotron for QCD axion and dark-photon detection

We propose using highly excited cyclotron states of a trapped electron to detect meV axion and dark-photon dark matter, marking a significant improvement over our previous proposal and demonstration [One-electron quantum cyclotron as a milli-ev dark-photon detector, .]. When the axion mass matches the cyclotron frequency ω c , the cyclotron state is resonantly excited, with a transition probability proportional to its initial quantum number, n c . The sensitivity is enhanced by taking n c ∼ 10 6 ( 0.1 meV ω c ) 2 . By optimizing key experimental parameters, we minimize the required averaging time for cyclotron detection to t ave ∼ 10 − 6 s, permitting detection of such a highly excited state before its decay. An open–end-cap trap design enables the external photon signal to be directed into the trap, rendering our background-free detector compatible with large focusing cavities, such as the BREAD proposal, while capitalizing on their strong magnetic fields. Furthermore, the axion conversion rate can be coherently enhanced by incorporating layers of dielectrics with alternating refractive indices within the cavity. Collectively, these optimizations enable us to probe the QCD axion parameter space from 0.1 to 2.3 meV (25–560 GHz), covering a substantial portion of the predicted postinflationary QCD axion mass range. This sensitivity corresponds to probing the kinetic mixing parameter of the dark photon down to ε ≈ 2 × 10 − 16 . Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Enhancing Radionuclide Production Capabilities at the Duke University Medical Center Cyclotron with a Focus on Astatine-211

Radionuclides play an important role in a diverse array of fields including physics, chemistry, agriculture, materials science, national security, medical research and patient care. Establishing a reliable domestic supply of key radionuclides is critical to our national competitiveness in these areas. Regarding medical applications, targeted alpha-particle therapy (TAT) has become of great interest to basic researchers and clinicians alike and is emerging as a valuable and cost-effective approach for cancer treatment. Unfortunately, progress in TAT, particularly with regard to its clinical translation, has been severely hampered by the limited availability of the most promising radionuclides at a reasonable cost, and with appropriate chemical and radiochemical purity. In this project, we have attempted to address this problem by focusing on production of the 7.2-h half-life α-particle emitter, 211 At, which has long been considered to be one of the most promising radionuclides for TAT. We note that he critical importance of improving the supply of 211 At in the United States was noted in the Funding Opportunity Announcement related to this project. At Duke University, we have a CS-30 cyclotron that is one of the few accelerators in the United States that has an alpha-particle beam that has enough energy to make useful quantities of 211 At. With this cyclotron, we have been able to produce more 211 At than anywhere else in the world because of our unique internal cyclotron target system. However, the CS-30 cyclotron is nearly 40 years old and was no longer reliable. In addition, its operation required considerable skill, largely because it had analog control systems, and vital parts including old-fashioned power supplies, were becoming unavailable. For these reasons, the current project was undertaken to evaluate all the subsystems of the CS-30 cyclotron and replace, repair, and update them. With help from our consultant, Ionetix, this has now been accomplished. We believe that because of this work, the CS-30 can reliably supply 211 At for basic research and clinical trials both at Duke and beyond.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

NASA NTRS1970

Spatial cyclotron damping

To examine spatial electron cyclotron damping in a uniform Vlasov plasma, it is noted that the plasma response to a steady-state transverse excitation consists of several terms (dielectric-pole, free-streaming, and branch-cut), but that the cyclotron-damped pole term is the dominant term for z l = c/w sub ce provided (w sub pe/w sub ce) squared (c/a) is much greater than 1. If the latter inequality does not hold, then the free-streaming and branch-cut terms persist well past z = c/w sub ce as w sub 1 approaches w sub ce, making experimental measurement of cyclotron damping essentially impossible. Considering only (w sub pe/w sub ce) squared (c/a) is much greater than 1, it is shown how collisional effects should be estimated and how a finite-width excitation usually has little effect on the cyclotron-damped part of the response. Criteria is established concerning collisional damping, measurable damping length sizes, and allowed uncertainty in the magnetic field Beta. Results of numerical calculations, showing the regions in the appropriate parameter spaces that meet these criteria, are presented. From these results, one can determine the feasibility of, or propose parameter values for, an experiment designed to measure spatial cyclotron damping. It is concluded that the electron temperature T sub e should be at least 1 ev., and preferably 10 ev. or higher, for a successful experiment.

Olson, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS1973

The effect of a metallic reflector upon cyclotron radiation.

A careful study of the effect of a metallic reflector upon cyclotron radiation emanating from a uniform plasma is made in which the angular polarization and frequency dependence of both the cyclotron radiation and the metallic reflector is taken into account. The properties of the metallic reflector then enter in a natural way and share equal status with the properties of the plasma. The radiation coefficient, the ratio of the cyclotron radiation absorbed by the reflector to that generated by the plasma, becomes a function of the electron temperature and the plasma depth to cyclotron radiation (or simply plasma depth). The radiation coefficient is determined for both slab and cylindrical geometries for electron temperatures from 20 to 120 keV and plasma depths from 10 to the 19th to 10 to the 27th MKS. A simple analytic approximation is given for the radiation coefficient for each geometry, and the results are then applied to a low-beta thermonuclear device based on the D-D reaction. For beta of the order of 1 to 2%, and for devices of moderate size, the metallic reflector is incapable of reducing the cyclotron radiation loss below that required for a self-sustained D-D reaction.

Krajcik, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Helium cyclotron resonance within the earth's magnetosphere

A histogram of electromagnetic Alfven/ion cyclotron wave frequencies, sampled within the geostationary environment and normalized by the equatorial proton cyclotron frequency, shows a dramatic gap centered near the helium (He +) cyclotron frequency. Also, strongly cyclotron phase bunched helium ions (20-200 eV) have been observed directly within the vicinity of wave environments. These observations are interpreted as resulting from the absorption of the waves through cyclotron resonance by cool ambient populations of helium ions.

Mauk, B. H.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Cyclotron resonance effects on stochastic acceleration of light ionospheric ions

The production of energetic ions with conical pitch angle distributions along the auroral field lines is a subject of considerable current interest. There are several theoretical treatments showing the acceleration (heating) of the ions by ion cyclotron waves. The quasi-linear theory predicts no acceleration when the ions are nonresonant. In the present investigation, it is demonstrated that the cyclotron resonances are not crucial for the transverse acceleration of ions by ion cyclotron waves. It is found that transverse energization of ionospheric ions, such as He(+), He(++), O(++), and O(+), is possible by an Electrostatic Hydrogen Cyclotron (EHC) wave even in the absence of cyclotron resonance. The mechanism of acceleration is the nonresonant stochastic heating. However, when there are resonant ions both the total energy gain and the number of accelerated ions increase with increasing parallel wave number.

Singh, N.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Evolution of the axial electron cyclotron maser instability, with applications to solar microwave spikes

The nonlinear evolution of cyclotron radiation from streaming and gyrating electrons in an external magnetic field is analyzed. The nonlinear dynamics of both the fields and the particles are treated fully relativistically and self-consistently. The model includes a background plasma and electrostatic effects. The analytical and numerical results show that a substantial portion of the beam particle energy can be converted to electromagnetic wave energy at frequencies far above the electron cyclotron frequency. In general, the excited radiation can propagate parallel to the magnetic field and, hence, escape gyrothermal absorption at higher cyclotron harmonics. The high-frequency Doppler-shifted cyclotron instability can have saturation efficiencies far higher than those associated with well-known instabilities of the electron cyclotron maser type. Although the analysis is general, the possibility of using this model to explain the intense radio emission observed from the sun is explored in detail.

Vlahos, Loukas↗

NASA NTRS2002

Discovery of Cyclotron Resonance Features in the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20

We report evidence for cyclotron resonance features from the Soft Gamma Repeater SCR 1806-20 in outburst, detected with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in the spectrum of a long, complex precursor that preceded a strong burst. The features consist of a narrow 5.0 keV absorption line with modulation near its second and third harmonics (at 11.2 keV and 17.5 keV respectively). The line features are transient and are detected in the harder part of the precursor. The 5.0 keV feature is strong, with an equivalent width of approx. 500 eV, and a narrow width of < 0.4 keV. Interpreting the features as electron cyclotron lines in the context of accretion models leads to a large mass-radius ratio (M/R > 0.3 Solar Mass/km) that is inconsistent with neutron stars, or requires a low (5 - 7) x 10(exp 11) G magnetic field that is unlikely for SGRs. The line widths are also narrow compared to those of electron cyclotron resonances observed so far in X-ray pulsars. In the magnetar picture, the features are plausibly explained as ion cyclotron resonances in an ultra-strong magnetic field, which have recently been predicted from magnetar candidates. In this view, the 5.0 keV feature is consistent with a proton cyclotron fundamental whose energy and width are close to model predictions. The line energy would correspond to a surface magnetic field of 1.0 x 10(exp 15) G for SGR 1806-20, in good agreement with that inferred from the spin-down measure in the source.

Ibrahim, A. I.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Discovery of Cyclotron Resonance Features in the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20

We report evidence of cyclotron resonance features from the Soft Gamma Repeater SGR 1806-20 in outburst, detected with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer in the spectrum of a long, complex precursor that preceded a strong burst. The features consist of a narrow 5.0 keV absorption line with modulation near its second and third harmonics (at 11.2 keV and 17.5 keV respectively). The line features are transient and are detected in the harder part of the precursor. The 5.0 keV feature is strong, with an equivalent width of approx. 500 eV and a narrow width of less than 0.4 keV. Interpreting the features as electron cyclotron lines in the context of accretion models leads to a large mass-radius ratio (M/R greater than 0.3 solar mass/km) that is inconsistent with neutron stars or that requires a low (5-7) x 10(exp 11) G magnetic field that is unlikely for SGRs. The line widths are also narrow compared with those of electron cyclotron resonances observed so far in X-ray pulsars. In the magnetar picture, the features are plausibly explained as ion cyclotron resonances in an ultra-strong magnetic field that have recently been predicted from magnetar candidates. In this view, the 5.0 keV feature is consistent with a proton cyclotron fundamental whose energy and width are close to model predictions. The line energy would correspond to a surface magnetic field of 1.0 x 10(exp 15) G for SGR 1806-20, in good agreement with that inferred from the spin-down measure in the source.

Ibrahim, Alaa I.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Measurements of Cyclotron Features and Pulse Periods in the High-Mass X-Ray Binaries 4U 1538-522 and 4U 1907+09 with the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory

We present a spectral and timing analysis of International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) observations of two high-mass X-ray binaries, 4U 1538−522 and 4U 1907+09. Our timing measurements for 4U 1538−522 find the pulse period to have exhibited a spin-up trend until approximately 2009, after which there is evidence for a torque reversal, with the source beginning to spin down to the most recently measured period of 525.407 plus or minus 0.001 seconds. The most recent INTEGRAL observations of 4U 1907+09 are not found to yield statistically significant pulse periods due to the significantly lower flux from the source compared with 4U 1538−522. A spectral model consisting of a power-law continuum with an exponential cutoff and modified by two cyclotron resonance scattering features is found to fit both sources well, with the cyclotron scattering features detected at approximately 22 and approximately 49 kiloelectronvolts for 4U 1538−522 and at approximately 18 and approximately 36 kiloelectronvolts for 4U 1907+09. The spectral parameters of 4U 1538−522 are generally not found to vary significantly with flux and there is little to no variation across the torque reversal. Examining our results in conjunction with previous work, we find no evidence for a correlation between cyclotron line energy and luminosity for 4U 1538−522. 4U 1907+09 shows evidence for a positive correlation between cyclotron line energy and luminosity, which would make it the fourth, and lowest luminosity, cyclotron line source to exhibit this relationship.

stars: magnetic field↗

NASA NTRS2016

Electromagnetic Cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind: Wind Observation and Wave Dispersion Analysis

Wind observed long-lasting electromagnetic cyclotron waves near the proton cyclotron frequency on 11 March 2005, in the descending part of a fast wind stream. Bi-Maxwellian velocity distributions are fitted for core protons, beam protons, and alpha-particles. Using the fitted plasma parameters we conduct kinetic linear dispersion analysis and find ion cyclotron and/or firehose instabilities grow in six of 10 wave intervals. After Doppler shift, some of the waves have frequency and polarization consistent with observation, thus may be correspondence to the cyclotron waves observed.

cyclotron↗