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Results for “PLASMA WAVES”

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 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Development of a helicon-wave excited plasma facility with high magnetic field for plasma–wall interactions studies

Here, the high magnetic field helicon experiment system is a helicon wave plasma (HWP) source device in a high axial magnetic field ( B 0 ) developed for plasma–wall interactions studies for fusion reactors. This HWP was realized at low pressure (5 × 10 –3 – 10 Pa) and a RF (radio frequency, 13.56 MHz) power (maximum power of 2 kW) using an internal right helical antenna (5 cm in diameter by 18 cm long) with a maximum B 0 of 6300 G. Ar HWP with electron density ~10 18 –10 20 m –3 and electron temperature ~4–7 eV was produced at high B 0 of 5100 G, with an RF power of 1500 W. Maximum Ar+ ion flux of 7.8 × 10 23 m –2 s –1 with a bright blue core plasma was obtained at a high B 0 of 2700 G and an RF power of 1500 W without bias. Plasma energy and mass spectrometer studies indicate that Ar + ion-beams of 40.1 eV are formed, which are supersonic (~3.1c s ). The effect of Ar HWP discharge cleaning on the wall conditioning are investigated by using the mass spectrometry. And the consequent plasma parameters will result in favorable wall conditioning with a removal rate of 1.1 × 10 24 N 2 /m 2 h.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Laser-driven plasma beat-wave propagation in a density-modulated plasma

A laser-driven plasma beat wave, propagating through a plasma with a periodic density modulation, can generate two sideband plasma waves. One sideband moves with a smaller phase velocity than the pump plasma wave and the other propagates with a larger phase velocity. The plasma beat wave with a smaller phase velocity can accelerate modest-energy electrons to gain substantial energy and the electrons are further accelerated by the main plasma wave. The large phase velocity plasma wave can accelerate these electrons to higher energies. As a result, the electrons can attain high energies during the acceleration by the plasma waves in the presence of a periodic density modulation. The analytical results are compared with particle-in-cell simulations and are found to be in reasonable agreement.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
NASA NTRS1986

Wave and plasma observations during a compressional Pc 5 wave event August 10, 1982

Magnetometer and thermal plasma instruments on the polar-orbiting Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite observed a small-amplitude ultralow frequency pulsation event at the outer edge of the plasmapause near the geomagnetic equator in the midafternoon sector on August 10, 1982, during the recovery phase of a magnetic storm. Transverse pulsations of 30-50 s period were observed throughout the event, and a 270-s period, purely compressional Pc 5 pulsation with several shifts in phase occurred within + or - 5 deg of the geomagnetic equator. Electric fields and the motion of thermal ions appeared to be in quadrature with pulsations in magnetic field magnitude throughout the event. This suggests that the net Poynting flux for the compressional waves was zero, consistent with their being standing waves. Large fluxes of trapped 90 deg pitch angle 10-eV protons, also symmetric about the geomagnetic equator, were observed in conjunction with the waves. These may serve as a source of free energy for the pulsations. These observations lend support to recent studies suggesting that many dayside compressional wave events are related to localized field line resonance near plasmapauselike boundaries, but also include features that cannot be explained by existing theories.

Engebretson, M. J.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Study on longitudinal dispersion relation in one-dimensional relativistic plasma: Linear theory and Vlasov simulation

The dispersion relation of one-dimensional longitudinal plasma waves in relativistic homogeneous plasmas is investigated with both linear theory and Vlasov simulation in this paper. From the Vlasov-Poisson equations, the linear dispersion relation is derived for the proper one-dimensional Jüttner distribution. Numerically obtained linear dispersion relation as well as an approximate formula for plasma wave frequency in the long wavelength limit is given. The dispersion of longitudinal wave is also simulated with a relativistic Vlasov code. The real and imaginary parts of dispersion relation are well studied by varying wave number and plasma temperature. Simulation results are in agreement with established linear theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1985

Waves In Space Plasmas (WISP)

Waves in space plasmas (WISP) utilizes powerful radio transmitters and sensitive receivers to probe the secrets of the magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere. The scientific objective is to achieve a better understanding of the physical processes occurring in these regions. For example, audio frequency radio waves will be radiated from the long WISP antenna, will travel to the outer reaches of the magnetosphere, and will interact with Van Allen belt particles, releasing some of their energy which amplifies the waves. Study of this interaction will give us a better understanding of a major magnetospheric process, wave particle interactions. Radio waves from WISP at higher frequencies (AM radio and beyond) will be reflected by the ionosphere and will, for example, advance our understanding of bubbles in the equatorial ionosphere which affect satellite communications.

Taylor, W. W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Waves In Space Plasmas (WISP)

Waves in space plasmas (WISP) utilizes powerful radio transmitters and sensitive receivers to probe the secrets of the magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere. The scientific objective is to achieve a better understanding of the physical processes occurring in these regions. For example, audio frequency radio waves will be radiated from the long WISP antenna, will travel to the outer reaches of the magnetosphere, and will interact with Van Allen belt particles, releasing some of their energy which amplifies the waves. Study of this interaction will give a better understanding of a major magnetospheric process, wave-particle interactions. Radio waves from WISP at higher frequencies (AM radio and beyond) will be reflected by the ionosphere and will, for example, advance our understanding of bubbles in the equatorial ionosphere which affect satellite communications.

Taylor, W. W. L.↗
DOE OSTI2012

Nonlocal, kinetic stimulated Raman scattering in nonuniform plasmas: Averaged variational approach

Excitation of continuously phase-locked (autoresonant) plasma waves in a nonuniform plasma via stimulated Raman backscattering is analyzed with a focus on the kinetic regime (k{lambda}{sub D}{approx}1). The dominant nonlinear effect in this regime is that of resonant particles, and the plasma wave excitation is a nonlocal process involving formation and transport of the electron phase space holes. Whitham's averaged variational principle is applied in studying the coupled plasma, laser pump, and seed waves dynamics. A flat-top electron velocity distribution is used as the simplest model allowing a variational formulation within the water bag theory. The corresponding Lagrangian, averaged over the fast phase variable, yields evolution equations for the slow field variables. The adiabatic multiple water bag extension of the theory for application to autoresonant plasma waves in nonuniform plasmas with more realistic initial distributions is also discussed. Numerical solutions of the system of slow variational equations are compared with Vlasov-Ampere simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2008

Millimeter Wave Communication through Plasma

Millimeter wave communication through plasma at frequencies of 35 GHz or higher shows promise in maintaining communications connectivity during rocket launch and re-entry, critical events which are typically plagued with communication dropouts. Extensive prior research into plasmas has characterized the plasma frequency at these events, and research at the Kennedy Space Center is investigating the feasibility of millimeter communication through these plasma frequencies.

Bastin, Gary L.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Decays of electron Bernstein waves near plasma edge

Nonlinear wave-wave couplings near the upper hybrid resonance are studied via particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that the decay of an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) depends on the ratio of the incident frequency and electron cyclotron frequency. For ratios less than two, parametric decay into a lower hybrid wave (or an ion Bernstein wave) and EBWs at a lower frequency is observed. For ratios larger than two, the daughter waves could be an electron cyclotron quasi-mode and another EBW or an ion wave and EBW. For sufficiently high incident power, the former process may dominate. Because of the electron cyclotron quasi-mode, electrons can be strongly heated by nonlinear Landau damping. As a result, the bulk of the incident power can be absorbed near plasma edge at high power. The increase in number of decay channels with frequency implies that the allowable power into the plasma must decrease with frequency.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2023

Magnetosonic ULF Waves With Anomalous Plasma–Magnetic Field Correlations: Standing Waves and Inhomogeneous Plasmas

Ultra-low frequency (ULF) wave observations across the heliosphere often rely on the sign of correlations between plasma (density/pressure) and magnetic field perturbations to distinguish between fast and slow magnetosonic modes. However, the assumptions behind this magnetohydrodynamic result are not always valid, particularly within the magnetosphere which is inhomogeneous and supports standing waves along the geomagnetic field. Through theory and a global simulation, we find both effects can result in anomalous plasma–magnetic field correlations. The interference pattern in standing waves can lead both body and surface magnetosonic waves to have different cross-phases than their constituent propagating waves. Furthermore, if the scale of gradients in the background are shorter than the wavelength or the waves are near-incompressible, then advection by the wave of inhomogeneities can overcome the wave's inherent sense of compression. These effects need to be allowed for and taken into account when applying the typical diagnostic to observations.

MHD Waves↗
DOE OSTI2025

Excitation of whistler and slow-X waves by runaway electrons in a collisional plasma

Runaway electrons are known to provide robust ideal or collisionless kinetic drive for plasma wave instabilities in both the whistler and slow-X branches, via the anomalous Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonances. In a cold and dense post-thermal-quench plasma, collisional damping of the plasma waves can compete with the collisionless drive. Previous studies have found that, due to their higher wavelength and frequency, slow-X waves suffer stronger collisional damping than the whistlers, while the ideal growth rate of slow-X modes is higher. Here, we study runaway avalanche distributions that maintain the same eigen distribution and increase only in magnitude over time. The distributions are computed from the relativistic Fokker–Planck–Boltzmann solver, upon which a linear dispersion analysis is performed to search for the most unstable or least damped slow-X and whistler modes. Taking into account the effect of plasma density, plasma temperature, and effective charge number, we find that the slow-X modes tend to be excited before the whistlers in a runaway current ramp-up. Furthermore, even when the runaway current density is sufficiently high that both branches are excited, the most unstable slow-X mode has a much higher growth rate than the most unstable whistler mode. The qualitative and quantitative trends uncovered in the current study indicate that even though past experiments and modeling efforts have concentrated on whistler modes, there is a compelling case that slow-X modes should also be a key area of focus in the runaway self-mediation through wave instabilities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photon acceleration in plasma wake wave

The photon acceleration effect in a laser wake field is investigated based on photon Hamiltonian dynamics. A test laser pulse is injected into a plasma wave at an incident angle θ{sub i}, which could slow down the photon velocity along the propagating direction of the wake wave so as to increase the acceleration distance for the photons. The photon trapping condition is analyzed in detail, and the maximum frequency shift of the trapped photon is obtained. The acceleration gradient and dephasing length are emphatically studied. The compression of the test laser pulse is examined and used to interpret the acceleration process. The limit of finite transverse width of the wake wave on photon acceleration is also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1985

Electromagnetic radiation and nonlinear energy flow in an electron beam-plasma system

It is shown that the unstable electron-plasma waves of a beam-plasma system can generate electromagnetic radiation in a uniform plasma. The generation mechanism is a scattering of the unstable electron plasma waves off ion-acoustic waves, producing electromagnetic waves whose frequency is near the local plasma frequency. The wave vector and frequency matching conditions of the three-wave mode coupling are experimentally verified. The electromagnetic radiation is observed to be polarized with the electric field parallel to the beam direction, and its source region is shown to be localized to the unstable plasma wave region. The frequency spectrum shows negligible intensity near the second harmonic of the plasma frequency. These results suggest that the observed electromagnetic radiation of type III solar bursts may be generated near the local plasma frequency and observed downstream where the wave frequency is near the harmonic of the plasma frequency.

Whelan, D. A.↗