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At least 487 records · Page 27

Conservation laws for relativistic guiding-center plasma

A covariant relativistic formulation is used for self-consistent dynamics of a guiding-center plasma in an electromagnetic field. The reciprocal interactions appear as a magnetization in Maxwell's equations and as field gradient forces in the guiding-center dynamical equation. The ten local conservation laws corresponding to translational and rotational invariance of the Minkowski space are expressed in terms of a symmetric energy-momentum tensor.

Similon, P. L.↗

The Bearingless Electrical Machine

Electromagnetic bearings allow the suspension of solids. For rotary applications, the most important physical effect is the force of a magnetic circuit to a high permeable armature, called the MAXWELL force. Contrary to the commonly used MAXWELL bearings, the bearingless electrical machine will take advantage of the reaction force of a conductor carrying a current in a magnetic field. This kind of force, called Lorentz force, generates the torque in direct current, asynchronous and synchronous machines. The magnetic field, which already exists in electrical machines and helps to build up the torque, can also be used for the suspension of the rotor. Besides the normal winding of the stator, a special winding was added, which generates forces for levitation. So a radial bearing, which is integrated directly in the active part of the machine, and the motor use the laminated core simultaneously. The winding was constructed for the levitating forces in a special way so that commercially available standard ac inverters for drives can be used. Besides wholly magnetic suspended machines, there is a wide range of applications for normal drives with ball bearings. Resonances of the rotor, especially critical speeds, can be damped actively.

Bichsel, J.↗

Position Sensor Integral with a Linear Actuator

A noncontact position sensor has been designed for use with a specific two-dimensional linear electromagnetic actuator. To minimize the bulk and weight added by the sensor, the sensor has been made an integral part of the actuator: that is to say, parts of the actuator structure and circuitry are used for sensing as well as for varying position. The actuator (see Figure 1) includes a C-shaped permanent magnet and an armature that is approximately centered in the magnet gap. The intended function of the actuator is to cause the permanent magnet to translate to, and/or remain at, commanded x and y coordinates, relative to the armature. In addition, some incidental relative motion along the z axis is tolerated but not controlled. The sensor is required to measure the x and y displacements from a nominal central position and to be relatively insensitive to z displacement. The armature contains two sets of electromagnet windings oriented perpendicularly to each other and electrically excited in such a manner as to generate forces in the x,y plane to produce the required motion. Small sensor excitation coils are mounted on the pole tips of the permanent magnet. These coils are excited with a sine wave at a frequency of 20 kHz. This excitation is transformer-coupled to the armature windings. The geometric arrangement of the excitation coils and armature windings is such that the amplitudes of the 20-kHz voltages induced in the armature windings vary nearly linearly with x and y displacements and do not vary significantly with small z displacements. Because the frequency of 20 kHz is much greater than the maximum frequency characteristic of the actuation signals applied to the armature windings, there is no appreciable interference between actuator and sensor functions of the armature windings.

Howard, David E.↗

On the theory of the relativistic motion of a charged particle in the field of intense electromagnetic radiation

Averaged relativistic equations of motion of a charged particle in the field of intense electromagnetic radiation have been obtained in the geometrical optics approximation using the Bogoliubov method. Constraints are determined under which these equations are valid. Oscillating additions to the smoothed dynamical variables of the particle have been found; they are reduced to known expressions in the case of the circularly and linearly polarized plane waves. It has been shown that the expressions for the averaged relativistic force in both cases contain new additional small terms weakening its action. The known difference between the expressions for the ponderomotive force in the cases of circularly and linearly polarized waves has been confirmed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Experiments for electromagnetic levitation in microgravity

Containerless processing is a promising research tool for investigating the properties of undercooled melts and their solidification. For conducting samples RF-electromagnetic levitation offers the possibility to obtain large undercoolings by avoiding heterogeneous nucleation at container walls. On earth, however, strong magnetic fields are needed to compensate the gravitational force which imposes a lower limit on the available temperatures and on the accessible undercooling range. Under microgravity conditions the magnetic positioning fields can be minimized and hence, undercooling becomes feasible under ultra-high vacuum conditions and lower temperatures become accessible. In contrast to other undercooling and solidification techniques, electromagnetic levitation allows for diagnostic measurements during the early steps of nucleation and phase selection. Experiments cover a wide field of research topics: nucleation, directional solidification at high velocities, generation of metastable phases, evolution of microstructures, properties of undercooled liquids. Examples from these classes including experiments selected for the IML-2 mission are discussed with emphasis on technical requirements. An overview is given on the German TEMPUS (electromagnetic levitation facility) program.

Willnecker, R.↗

Control and data acquisition upgrades for NSTX-U

The extensive NSTX Upgrade (NSTX-U) Project includes major components which allow a doubling of the toroidal field strength to 1 T, of the Neutral Beam heating power to 12 MW, and the plasma current to 2 MA, and substantial structural enhancements to withstand the increased electromagnetic loads. The maximum pulse length will go from 1.5 to 5 s. The larger and more complex forces on the coils will be protected by a Digital Coil Protection System, which requires demanding real-time data input rates, calculations and responses. The amount of conventional digitized data for a given pulse is expected to increase from 2.5 to 5 GB per second of pulse. 2-D Fast Camera data is expected to go from 2.5 GB/pulse to 10, and another 2 GB/pulse is expected from new IR cameras. Our network capacity will be increased by a factor of 10, with 10 Gb/s fibers used for the major trunks. 32-core Linux systems will be used for several functions, including between-shot data processing, MDSplus data serving, between-shot EFIT analysis, real-time processing, and for a new capability, between-shot TRANSP. As a result, improvements to the MDSplus events subsystem will be made through the use of both UDP and TCP/IP based methods and the addition of a dedicated “event server”.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Hollow structure formation of intense ion beams with sharp edge in background plasmas

The transport of intense ion beams with sharp radial beam edge in plasmas has been studied with two-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulations. The initial solid beam evolves into a hollow beam due to the nonlinear sharp transverse force peak in the regions of beam edge. The magnitude and nonlinearity of this peak are enhanced as the ion beam travels further into the plasma, due to the self-consistent interactions between the beam ions and the plasma electrons. This structure formation is shown to be independent on the beam radius.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Using the moon to probe the geomagnetic tail lobe plasma

We have detected the presence of plasma in the lobes of the geomagnetic tail from observations of magnetic induction in the moon forced by time variations of the earth's magnetotail lobe field. The magnitude of the moon's tangential electromagnetic transfer function when the moon is in the lobes of the geomagnetic tail is less than that when the moon is in the solar wind or geomagnetic tail plasma sheet. The tangential transfer function when the moon is in the magnetotail lobes decreases at frequencies above about 8 mHz due to finite wavelength effects. This shows that the waves in the magnetotail lobes which drive the lunar magnetic induction must have speeds far less than the speed of light and wavelengths comparable to the size of the moon.

Schubert, G.↗

Development and testing of hermetic, laser-ignited pyrotechnic and explosive components

During the last decade there has been increasing interest in the use of lasers in place of electrical systems to ignite various pyrotechnic and explosive materials. The principal driving force for this work was the requirement for safer energetic components which would be insensitive to electrostatic and electromagnetic radiation. In the last few years this research has accelerated since the basic concepts have proven viable. At the present time it is appropriate to shift the research emphasis in laser initiation from the scientific arena--whether it can be done--to the engineering realm--how it can be put into actual practice in the field. Laser initiation research and development at EG&G Mound was in three principal areas: (1) laser/energetic material interactions; (2) development of novel processing techniques for fabricating hermetic (helium leak rate of less than 1 x 10(exp -8) cu cm/s) laser components; and (3) evaluation and testing of laser-ignited components. Research in these three areas has resulted in the development of high quality, hermetic, laser initiated components. Examples are presented which demonstrate the practicality of fabricating hermetic, laser initiated explosive or pyrotechnic components that can be used in the next generation of ignitors, actuators, and detonators.

Kramer, Daniel P.↗

Low Reynolds Number Droplet Combustion In CO2 Enriched Atmospheres In Microgravity

The effect of radiative feedback from the gas phase in micro-gravity combustion processes has been of increasing concern because of the implications in the selection and evaluation of appropriate fire suppressants. The use of CO2, an optically thick gas in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, has garnered widespread acceptance as an effective fire suppressant for most ground based applications. Since buoyant forces often dominate the flow field in 1-g environments the temperature field between the flame front and the fuel surface is not significantly affected by gas phase radiative absorption and re-emission as these hot gases are quickly swept downstream. However, in reduced gravity environments where buoyant-driven convective flows are negligible and where low-speed forced convective flows may be present at levels where gas phase radiation becomes important, then changes in environment that enhance gas phase radiative effects need to be better understood. This is particularly true in assessments of flammability limits and selection of appropriate fire suppressants for future space applications. In recognition of this, a ground-based investigation has been established that uses a droplet combustion configuration to systematically study the effects of enhanced gas phase radiation on droplet burn rates, flame structure, and radiative output from the flame zone.

Hicks, M. C.↗

An Overview of the Materials Science Research at the Marshall Space Flight Center Electrostatic Levitator Facility and Recent CDDF Efforts

Containerless processing is an important tool for materials research. The freedom from a crucible allows processing of liquid materials in a metastable undercooled state, as well as allowing processing of high temperature and highly reactive melts. Electrostatic levitation (ESL) is a containerless method which provides a number of unique advantages, including the ability to process non-conducting materials, the ability to operate in ultra-high vacuum or at moderate gas pressure (approx. = 5 atm), and the decoupling of positioning force from sample heating. ESL also has the potential to reduce internal flow velocities below those possible with electromagnetic, acoustic, or aero-acoustic techniques. In electrostatic levitation, the acceleration of gravity (or residual acceleration in reduced gravity) is opposed by the action of an applied electric field on a charged sample. Microgravity allows electrostatic levitation to work even more effectively. The ESL facility at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center is in use for materials research and thermophysical property measurement by a number of different internal and external investigators. Results from the recent CDDF studies on the high energy X-ray beamline at the Advanced Photon Source of Argonne National Laboratory will be presented. The Microgravity Research Program supports the facility.

Source record↗

The effect of inertia on the Dirac electron, the spin Hall current and the momentum space Berry curvature

We have studied the spin dependent force and the associated momentum space Berry curvature in an accelerating system. The results are derived by taking into consideration the non-relativistic limit of a generally covariant Dirac equation with an electromagnetic field present, where the methodology of the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation is applied to achieve the non-relativistic limit. Spin currents appear due to the combined action of the external electric field, the crystal field and the induced inertial electric field via the total effective spin-orbit interaction. In an accelerating frame, the crucial role of momentum space Berry curvature in the spin dynamics has also been addressed from the perspective of spin Hall conductivity. For time dependent acceleration, the expression for the spin polarization has been derived. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We study the effect of acceleration on the Dirac electron in the presence of an electromagnetic field, where the acceleration induces an electric field. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spin currents appear due to the total effective electric field via the total spin-orbit interaction. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We derive the expression for the spin dependent force and the spin Hall current, which is zero for a particular acceleration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The role of the momentum space Berry curvature in an accelerating system is discussed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An expression for the spin polarization for time dependent acceleration is derived.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Planar Rotary Piezoelectric Motor Using Ultrasonic Horns

A motor involves a simple design that can be embedded into a plate structure by incorporating ultrasonic horn actuators into the plate. The piezoelectric material that is integrated into the horns is pre-stressed with flexures. Piezoelectric actuators are attractive for their ability to generate precision high strokes, torques, and forces while operating under relatively harsh conditions (temperatures at single-digit K to as high as 1,273 K). Electromagnetic motors (EM) typically have high rotational speed and low torque. In order to produce a useful torque, these motors are geared down to reduce the speed and increase the torque. This gearing adds mass and reduces the efficiency of the EM. Piezoelectric motors can be designed with high torques and lower speeds directly without the need for gears. Designs were developed for producing rotary motion based on the Barth concept of an ultrasonic horn driving a rotor. This idea was extended to a linear motor design by having the horns drive a slider. The unique feature of these motors is that they can be designed in a monolithic planar structure. The design is a unidirectional motor, which is driven by eight horn actuators, that rotates in the clockwise direction. There are two sets of flexures. The flexures around the piezoelectric material are pre-stress flexures and they pre-load the piezoelectric disks to maintain their being operated under compression when electric field is applied. The other set of flexures is a mounting flexure that attaches to the horn at the nodal point and can be designed to generate a normal force between the horn tip and the rotor so that to first order it operates independently and compensates for the wear between the horn and the rotor.

Sherrit, Stewart↗

Low Power Magnetic Bearing Design for High Speed Rotating Machinery

Magnetic suspension technology has advanced to the point of being able to offer a number of advantages to a variety of applications in the rotating machinery and aerospace fields. One strong advantage is the decrease in power consumption. The design and construction of a set of permanent magnet biased, actively controlled magnetic bearing for a flexible rotor are presented. Both permanent magnets and electromagnets are used in a configuration which effectively provides the necessary fluxes in the appropriate air gaps, while simultaneously keeping the undesirable destabilizing forces to a minimum. The design includes two radial bearings and a thrust bearing. The theoretical development behind the design is briefly discussed. Experimental performance results for a set of operating prototype bearings is presented. The results include measurements of load capacity, bearing stiffness and damping, and the dynamic response of the rotor. With few exceptions, the experimental results matched very well with the predicted performance. The power consumption of these bearings was found to be significantly reduced from that for a comparable set of all electromagnetic bearings.

Allaire, P. E.↗

Manipulating Neutral Atoms in Chip-Based Magnetic Traps

Several techniques for manipulating neutral atoms (more precisely, ultracold clouds of neutral atoms) in chip-based magnetic traps and atomic waveguides have been demonstrated. Such traps and waveguides are promising components of future quantum sensors that would offer sensitivities much greater than those of conventional sensors. Potential applications include gyroscopy and basic research in physical phenomena that involve gravitational and/or electromagnetic fields. The developed techniques make it possible to control atoms with greater versatility and dexterity than were previously possible and, hence, can be expected to contribute to the value of chip-based magnetic traps and atomic waveguides. The basic principle of these techniques is to control gradient magnetic fields with suitable timing so as to alter a trap to exert position-, velocity-, and/or time-dependent forces on atoms in the trap to obtain desired effects. The trap magnetic fields are generated by controlled electric currents flowing in both macroscopic off-chip electromagnet coils and microscopic wires on the surface of the chip. The methods are best explained in terms of examples. Rather than simply allowing atoms to expand freely into an atomic waveguide, one can give them a controllable push by switching on an externally generated or a chip-based gradient magnetic field. This push can increase the speed of the atoms, typically from about 5 to about 20 cm/s. Applying a non-linear magnetic-field gradient exerts different forces on atoms in different positions a phenomenon that one can exploit by introducing a delay between releasing atoms into the waveguide and turning on the magnetic field.

Aveline, David↗

Nonlinear self-focusing in strongly magnetized pair plasma

An intense radiation field can modify plasma properties and the corresponding refractive index and lead to nonlinear propagation effects such as self-focusing. In this work, we estimate the corresponding effects in pair plasmas for circularly polarized waves, in both unmagnetized and strongly magnetically dominated cases. First, in the unmagnetized pair plasma the ponderomotive force does not lead to charge separation but to density depletion. Second, for astrophysically relevant plasmas of pulsar magnetospheres [and possible loci of fast radio bursts (FRBs)], where the cyclotron frequency $ω_B$ dominates over the plasma frequency $ω_p$ and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave $ω_B \gg ω_p, ω$, we show that (i) there is virtually no nonlinearity due to changing effective mass in the field of the wave; (ii) the ponderomotive force is $F^{(B)}_p = –m_ec^2/4B^2_0∇E^2$, which is reduced by a factor $(ω/ω_B)^2$ if compared to the unmagnetized case ($B_0$ is the external magnetic field and $\textit{E}$ is the electric field of the wave); and (iii) for a radiation beam propagating along a constant magnetic field in the pair plasma with density $n_±$, the ponderomotive force leads to the appearance of circular currents that lead to a decrease of the field within the beam by a factor $ΔB/B_0 = 2πn_±m_ec^2E^2 /B^4_0$. Applications to the physics of FRBs are discussed; we conclude that for the parameters of FRBs, the dominant magnetic field completely suppresses nonlinear self-focusing or filamentation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Group velocity of extraordinary waves in superdense magnetized quantum plasma with spin-1/2 effects

Based on the one component plasma model, a new dispersion relation and group velocity of elliptically polarized extraordinary electromagnetic waves in a superdense quantum magnetoplasma are derived. The group velocity of the extraordinary wave is modified due to the quantum forces and magnetization effects within a certain range of wave numbers. It means that the quantum spin-1/2 effects can reduce the transport of energy in such quantum plasma systems. Our work should be of relevance for the dense astrophysical environments and the condensed matter physics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Evolutions of the Micro- and Macrostructure and Tensile Property of Cu-15Ni-8Sn Alloy During Electromagnetic Stirring-Assisted Horizontal Continuous Casting

The present study investigates the evolution of the micro- and macrostructure and tensile property of the Cu-15Ni-8Sn (weight percent) alloy prepared by horizontal continuous casting and electromagnetic stirring (EMS). The results show that the application of EMS is beneficial for grain refinement and for microstructure transformation from the dendrite to the rosette structure and that it leads to a significant improvement in the tensile property. The forced flow induced by EMS homogenizes the temperature field ahead of the solid-liquid interface, disturbing the heat flow direction and resulting in the columnar to equiaxed transition. The grain refinement under different electromagnetic stirring frequencies is mainly derived from the homogenization of the temperature and the remelting of dendritic arms. In addition, the evolution of the tensile property with and without EMS is discussed from the perspective of fracture mode and fine-grain strengthening.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗