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NASA’s first ground-based Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator: Enabling a new era in space radiobiology research
With exciting new NASA plans for a sustainable return to the moon, astronauts will once again leave Earth’s protective magnetosphere only to endure higher levels of radiation from galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and the possibility of a large solar particle event (SPE). Gateway, lunar landers, and surface habitats will be designed to protect crew against SPEs with vehicle optimization, storm shelter concepts, and/or active dosimetry; however, the ever penetrating GCR will continue to pose the most significant health risks especially as lunar missions increase in duration and as NASA sets its aspirations on Mars. The primary risks of concern include carcinogenesis, central nervous system (CNS) effects resulting in potential in-mission cognitive or behavioral impairment and/or late neurological disorders, degenerative tissue effects including circulatory and heart disease, as well as potential immune system decrements impacting multiple aspects of crew health. Characterization and mitigation of these risks requires a significant reduction in the large biological uncertainties of chronic (low-dose rate) heavy-ion exposures and the validation of countermeasures in a relevant space environment. Historically, most research on understanding space radiation-induced health risks has been performed using acute exposures of monoenergetic single-ion beams. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species over a broad energy range. Using the fast beam switching and controls systems technology recently developed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a new era in radiobiological research is possible. NASA has developed the “GCR Simulator” to generate a spectrum of ion beams that approximates the primary and secondary GCR field experienced at human organ locations within a deep-space vehicle. The majority of the dose is delivered from protons (approximately 65%–75%) and helium ions (approximately 10%–20%) with heavier ions (Z ≥ 3) contributing the remainder. The GCR simulator exposes state-of-the art cellular and animal model systems to 33 sequential beams including 4 proton energies plus degrader, 4 helium energies plus degrader, and the 5 heavy ions of C, O, Si, Ti, and Fe. A polyethylene degrader system is used with the 100 MeV/n H and He beams to provide a nearly continuous distribution of low-energy particles. A 500 mGy exposure, delivering doses from each of the 33 beams, requires approximately 75 minutes. To more closely simulate the low-dose rates found in space, sequential field exposures can be divided into daily fractions over 2 to 6 weeks, with individual beam fractions as low as 0.1 to 0.2 mGy. In the large beam configuration (60 × 60 cm 2 ), 54 special housing cages can accommodate 2 to 3 mice each for an approximately 75 min duration or 15 individually housed rats. On June 15, 2018, the NSRL made a significant achievement by completing the first operational run using the new GCR simulator. This paper discusses NASA’s innovative technology solution for a ground-based GCR simulator at the NSRL to accelerate our understanding and mitigation of health risks faced by astronauts. Ultimately, the GCR simulator will require validation across multiple radiogenic risks, endpoints, doses, and dose rates.
Collaborative research: Dynamics of electrostatic solitary waves and their effects on current layers
The project has accomplished the following achievements including the goals outlined in the original proposal. Generation and measurements of Debye-scale electron holes in laboratory: We have generated by beam injections electron solitary waves in the LAPD experiments. The measurements were made possible by the fabrication of the state-of-the-art microprobes at UCLA to measure Debye-scale electric fields [Chiang et al., 2011]. We obtained a result that challenged the state of knowledge about electron hole generation. We found that the electron holes were not due to two-stream instability, but generated by a current-driven instability that also generated whistler-mode waves [Lefebvre et al., 2011, 2010b]. Most of the grant supported a young research scientist Bertrand Lefebvre who led the dissemination of the laboratory experimental results. In addition to two publications, our work relevant to the laboratory experiments on electron holes has resulted in 7 invited talks [Chen, 2007, 2009; Pickett et al., 2009a; Lefebvre et al., 2010a; Pickett et al., 2010; Chen et al., 2011c, b] (including those given by the co-I Jolene Pickett) and 2 contributed talks [Lefebvre et al., 2009b, a]. Discovery of elecctron phase-space-hole structure in the reconnection electron layer: Our theoretical analyses and simulations under this project led to the discovery of an inversion electric field layer whose phase-space signature is an electron hole within the electron diffusion layer in 2D anti-parallel reconnection [Chen et al., 2011a]. We carried out particle tracing studies to understand the electron orbits that result in the phase-space hole structure. Most importantly, we showed that the current density in the electron layer is limited in collisionless reconnection with negligible guide field by the cyclotron turning of meandering electrons. Comparison of electrostatic solitary waves in current layers observed by Cluster and in LAPD: We compared the ESWs observed in a supersubstorm by the Cluster spacecraft and those measured in LAPD. One of the similarities in the characteristics of ESWs observed in space and in LAPD is that the time duration tends to be approximately the inverse of the electron plasma frequency [Pickett et al., 2009b]. Discovery of suprathermal electron bursts inside a series of magnetic islands: Our effort in examining the roles of ESWs in reconnection current layers resulted in the serendipitous discovery that was published in Nature Physics. In earth’s magnetosphere, we observed through the measurements from the four Cluster spacecraft, a series of magnetic islands and suprathermal electron bursts within the islands. The islands were identified to be effectively acceleration sites for electrons [Chen et al., 2008, 2009].
Fifty-one years of Los Alamos Spacecraft
From 1963 to 2014, the Los Alamos National Laboratory was involved in at least 233 spacecraft. There are probably only one or two institutions in the world that have been involved in so many spacecraft. Los Alamos space exploration started with the Vela satellites for nuclear test detection, but soon expanded to ionospheric research (mostly barium releases), radioisotope thermoelectric generators, solar physics, solar wind, magnetospheres, astrophysics, national security, planetary physics, earth resources, radio propagation in the ionosphere, and cubesats. Here, we present a list of the spacecraft, their purpose, and their launch dates for use during RocketFest
Particle Production under External Fields and Its Applications
The thesis presents studies of vacuum pair productions and its applications in early universe cosmology and high energy astrophysics. Vacuum often becomes unstable and spontaneously decays into pairs of particles in rapidly expanding universes or under strong external electromagnetic fields. Theoretically, spontaneous pair productions due to such non-trivial backgrounds of spacetimes or electromagnetic fields are well-understood. However, the effect of particle productions has not been observed so far because of experiemtal difficulties in obtaining large curvatures of space-times or strong electric fields. Although it may be impossible to observe the pair productions directly via laboratory experiments, there are still powerful sources of space-time curvatures or electric fields in cosmology and astrophysics, which result in observations. In Part I, we explore the inflationary models in early universe utilizing pair productions through gravity. We study observable signatures on the cosmic microwave background, such as isocurvature perturbations and non-Gaussianities, generated from the particle production of WIMPzillas and axions during or after inflation. In Part II, we investigate the electron-positron pair production in the magnetosphere of pulsars whose electromagnetic fields are expected to close to or even greater than the pair production threshold. In particular, we demonstrate that the pair production may be responsible for giant pulses from the Crab pulsar.
Nonlinear Modeling of Macroscopic Plasma Dynamics Final Scientific Report May 1, 2006 – April 30, 2018
The project entitled, "Nonlinear Modeling of Macroscopic Plasma Dynamics," applied numerical computation to solve mathematical models of plasma behavior in laboratory systems. Plasma is the state of matter with sufficiently large internal energy density such that electrons dissociate from atoms to form gas of electrically charged particles. It occurs naturally in stars, planetary magnetospheres, and interstellar and intergalactic media. It is also used for industrial purposes and in lighting. Fusion energy science seeks to create and sustain plasma conditions where atomic nuclei fuse to create energy that can be captured for power production. Many laboratory experiments for this effort use magnetic field to contain plasma and to thermally insulate it from its surroundings. Possible plasma dynamics in magnetized systems include collective behavior over spatial scales that are comparable to the configuration size, and these dynamics often include evolution of the magnetic field that is used for confinement. Solving the mathematical models that describe these dynamics in specific experiments often requires computer simulations, as done in this project. This project analyzed plasma magnetic relaxation dynamics in the laboratory configurations known as the reversed-field pinch (RFP), the spheromak, and the spherical torus (ST). It also developed capabilities for modeling disruptive plasma dynamics in the tokamak, which has achieved the highest performance for magnetized plasma and is the design of the large international ITER experiment (https://www.iter.org) that is under construction and is expected to be the first to achieve self-heating conditions. Dynamic evolution to states of low energy, the aforementioned magnetic relaxation, is known to be important for generating the RFP and spheromak configurations. Nonlinear computational modeling with the Non-Ideal Magnetohydrodynamics with Rotation, Open Discussion code (NIMROD, https://nimrodteam.org) was applied to understand specific aspects of magnetic relaxation in RFPs, spheromaks, and STs. The RFP study considered how the nonlinear transfer of power among different fluctuation harmonics is altered due to the application of pulses of electric field, as done experimentally in the Madison Symmetric Torus RFP device at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It also investigated the separation of electron and ion dynamics, known as two-fluid effects, including effects on the evolution of the plasma flow profile. The spheromak study considered the influence of these two-fluid effects in conditions relevant to the Sustained Spheromak Experiment (SSPX), formerly at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Our study found that two-fluid effects enhance stability with respect to interchange in SSPX-relevant conditions, but having a complete model with two-fluid effects in separate electron and ion temperature equations is important. The study for STs focused on plasma startup in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment at UW-Madison, which uses DC voltage applied through a small plasma gun. The simulations show how the resulting helical current stream relaxes through repetitive merging, forming current rings that accumulate into a tokamak-like configuration. Analytical theory was also developed to help explain behavior that was observed in the RFP and spheromak computations. Although the tokamak configuration has outperformed other magnetic confinement configurations, it has a tendency to undergo discharge-terminating dynamics that release energy onto plasma-facing surfaces and exert electromechanical forces on magnetic coils and structures. Our efforts have improved NIMROD's capabilities to model tokamak disruption by incorporating a resistive wall model that can be applied to axisymmetric, as well as asymmetric, distortions of the magnetic field configuration. Computations addressed whether mathematical conditions applied to plasma flow at the wall influence disruptive dynamics.
Final Report for Large Scale Laboratory Experiments on Kinetic Magnetic Reconnection
Magnetic reconnection plays a fundamental role in nearly all magnetized plasmas as it enables magnetic energy to be converted into high speed flows, and thermal energy. It allows the magnetic field lines to change topology in collisionless plasmas, and it thereby controls the spatial and temporal evolution of explosive phenomena such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and internal disruptions in fusion devices. Because of its strong impact on the plasma dynamics, understanding the physics of magnetic reconnection is one of the most important topics in plasma physics. New frontiers have now emerged in reconnection research with an emphasis on particle energization, reconnection with multiple X-lines in large systems, and the role of kinetic effects in collisionless reconnection. These research topics are closely linked and large scale computer simulations show that 3D effects are likely important to explain the detailed observations of reconnection in solar, interplanetary and magnetospheric plasmas. For experiments to remain relevant in this maturing field of research and help push forward the new frontiers, new devices are needed which access the regimes of large system size and low normalized collisionallity. To address this need, the project the new Terrestrial Reconnection EXperiment (TREX), which is spatially the largest dedicated reconnection experiment constructed to date. With the use of the 3m diameter spherical vacuum vessel of the Madison Plasma Dynamo Experiment (MPDX), the TREX is highly leveraged by earlier NSF investments. MPDX was constructed with funds from NSF's MRI program and is now being operated as a multi-investigator facility, which we name the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory (WiPPL). The project was carried out mainly by two UW-Madison graduate students, for reconnection in parameter regimes and configurations in TREX not attainable by previous experiments. The implementation of TREX within WiPPL renders the upgraded facility unique in its capabilities to extend the frontiers of experimental reconnection research, including access to reconnection in the collisionless regime at large system sizes and compatible with three-dimensional configurations. The theoretical teams in reconnection research have been given full access to the experimental results. Our experimental results havel allowed us to test existing theoretical models, provide resolution to controversy, and stimulate new understanding of magnetic reconnection. The WiPPAL, with its large basic plasma physics device, is largely operated by graduate and undergraduate students. It has proven an ideal facility for students to become immersed in state of the art research while learning the fundamental principles of plasma physics. The program has also proven effective in attracting new outstanding students into plasma physics and providing them with exciting learning experiences. While our research program and experimental results successfully compete with those of professional scientists at national labs, the most important legacy of our research is, perhaps, the broad training in experimental plasma physics of the large number of students affiliated with our program.
SHIELDS
Los Alamos National Lab has developed SHIELDS, a comprehensive software platform that incorporates satellite observational data to determine the near-Earth surface charging environment (SCE) with high accuracy. SHIELDS is an effective line of defense for communication, navigation, and scientific satellites located in the Earth’s magnetosphere by predicting hazards resulting from solar storms. Advance warning of solar storms enables satellite operators to place onboard electronics or instruments in a safe mode until the danger has passed. The platform also supports design of more robust satellites. SHIELDS leverages the Lab’s 50 years designing and building spacebased sensors and studying space weather, and it has won a R&D 100 Award.
Collaborative Research: Explosive reconnection in relativistic magnetically-dominated plasmas (Final Report)
Magnetic fields can be the dominant component of astrophysical plasmas, so that the magnetic energy density might exceed even the rest-mass energy density of matter. In this extreme (and largely unexplored) regime the magnetic field controls the overall plasma evolution, dissipation, and acceleration of non-thermal particles. This plasma regime, applicable to a variety of astrophysical sources - magnetars, pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and Gamma-Ray Bursters (GRBs) - is dramatically different from laboratory plasmas, the magnetospheres of planets, and the interplanetary plasma. Relativistic astrophysical sources then provide an unique opportunity to study the fundamental plasma physics of magnetically-dominated plasmas; a novel and fast-evolving field of theoretical research which, by investigating energy conversion and particle energization processes in plasmas, is of vital importance to the Fusion Energy Sciences DoE program. Data coming from astrophysical high-energy missions, especially the Crab Nebula flares recently observed by the Fermi and AGILE satellites, suggest that the acceleration of non-thermal particles to the highest energies occurs in magnetic reconnection events - a major change of paradigm in high-energy astrophysics. Most importantly, observations demand that particle acceleration should proceed extremely fast (with accelerating electric field of the order of the magnetic field) and on macroscopic scales (much larger, e.g., than the microscopic plasma skin depth). We are conducting studies of the microphysics of magnetically-dominated plasmas focussing in particular on the highly dynamic regime of explosive reconnection and associated particle acceleration in relativistic plasmas. We are studying the stability and explosive plasma dynamics, particle acceleration and radiation production in a number of idealized plasma configurations that approximate relevant astrophysical sources (like the magnetic ABC structures and interacting flux tubes, as well as generalizations of analytical models of X-point collapse to relativistic plasmas). The well-studied case of the Crab Nebula is taken as a prototypical example for the application of the model. We are combining analytical studies of explosive magnetic dynamics and dissipation in relativistic plasmas with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and fluid simulations. The theoretical model, fluid and particle-in-cell simulations are cross-checked for agreement and convergence.
Kinetic characterization of 3D magnetic reconnection: A transformative step (Final Report)
We investigated magnetic reconnection in the Earth’s magnetopause, magnetotail, and the bow shock, by means of fully kinetic simulations and analysis of space data obtained by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. We elucidated signatures of particle energization in particle distribution functions in the vicinity of reconnection X-line, properties of reconnection in shock-driven turbulence, and wave excitations and nonlinear structures. We advanced the understanding of magnetic reconnection from the viewpoint of particle kinetics in the diffusion region.
A Medium Frequency RF Sensor for Detection of Magnetized Quark Nuggets
It is hypothesized that dark matter is composed of particles called quark nuggets, and further that these particles have a permanent magnetic dipole moment. If this hypothesis is true, calculations predict that a magnetized quark nugget (MQN) will oscillate when encountering the Earth's magnetosphere, and emit RF radiation between 30kHz and 30MHz. To support testing this hypothesis, a loop antenna sensor was designed and developed, which is described in this report. This sensor operates between 300kHz and 3MHz and achieves about -11dBfT/vHz sensitivity at 1.5MHz.
Collaborative Research: Explosive reconnection in relativistic magnetically-dominated plasmas
Magnetic fields can be the dominant component of astrophysical plasmas, so that the magnetic energy density might exceed even the rest-mass energy density of matter. In this extreme (and largely unexplored) regime the magnetic field controls the overall plasma evolution, dissipation, and acceleration of non-thermal particles. This plasma regime, applicable to a variety of astrophysical sources --- magnetars, pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), jets of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) and Gamma-Ray Bursters (GRBs) --- is dramatically different from laboratory plasmas, the magnetospheres of planets, and the interplanetary plasma. Relativistic astrophysical sources then provide an unique opportunity to study the fundamental plasma physics of magnetically-dominated plasmas; a novel and quickly evolving field of theoretical research which, by investigating energy conversion and particle energization processes in plasmas, is of vital importance to the Fusion Energy Sciences DoE program.
Dynamics and Instabilities of a Plasma Blob in Curved Magnetic Geometries [Slides]
Blobs are filament-like structures within a bulk plasma. They move radially outward in curved magnetic fields, across magnetic field lines. They account for significant amount of transport at plasma edge in tokamaks and are found in tokamaks, solar coronal filaments, planetary magnetospheres, and high altitude nuclear explosions. MHD offers some analytical descriptions of blob dynamics. In a curved geometry such as our cases of interest charged particles are subject to curvature drift, grad B drift, and E x B drifts.
A Brief Overview of VPIC [Slides]
VPIC 2.0 is an open source, fully kinetic, fully relativistic, general purpose particle-in-cell (PIC) code for modeling a broad range of plasmas—from micron-scale short-pulse laser-plasma interactions to Earth-scale magnetospheric plasmas, including laser-plasma instability, magnetic flux ropes, and magnetic reconnection.
Nonlinear Interactions of Alfven Waves in Multi-ion Plasmas (Final Report)
Alfven waves are of fundamental importance in magnetized plasmas, such as the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere. When the wave amplitude is large, nonlinear interactions among waves, such as three wave resonance, dominate the dynamics. The nonlinear process can be used as a diagnosis of the plasma composition because the composition affects the dispersion relation of Alfven waves, especially when the wave frequency is close to ion cyclotron frequencies. Previous experiments on the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) had demonstrated that the relative density of two ion species can be determined by examining nonlinear interaction of two counter-propagating Alfven waves. In this project we extended the study to a plasma with three ion species, where multiple wave bands exist, and more nonlinear interactions are possible. We also investigated the feasibility of launching two co-propagating waves to measure the ion composition. The findings of this study have implication in developing new technology to measure cold ion populations in space plasmas.
Geomagnetic Storm Effects on Ionospheric Irregularities: Insights from SuperDARN, Madrigal GPS TEC, and ISR Data [Slides]
Geomagnetic disturbances trigger an influx of electrons from the magnetosphere, leading to an increase electron density (even in lower altitudes), amplified ionospheric currents, and subsequently, increased conductance. A surge in the AE index, indicating heightened auroral currents, correlates with a rise in precipitated charged particles, including electrons, into the polar ionosphere. This correlation is detectable through increased parameter values measured by SuperDARN. The downward flow of electron density towards lower altitudes, as observed in PFISR data, potentially obstructs the transmission frequency from radar stations passing through the PFISR location (just like we saw in the KOD station). During the geomagnetic storm, there is increased backscatter power (increased amount of ionospheric irregularities), and the plasma flow draws closer to the radar, suggesting a possible southward shift in the auroral oval as a result of the heightened auroral activity. Increased geomagnetic activity correlates with an elevation in average TEC and induces the occurrence of SED (Storm Enhanced Density).
Collaborative Research: Vlasov–Maxwell Simulations to resolve electron heating and dissipation, in quasiperpendicular shocks (Final Technical Report)
The project is to study electron heating at quasi-perpendicular shocks. We have analyzed measurements from the Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft and particle-in-cell simulations to address the question. One key discovery is that waves and are excited in the shock transition region, which further develop into complicated structures and thin current layers, which contribute to accelerate and heat electrons. We further investigated the excitation and evolution of these waves and structures, and their association with ion and electron dynamics. In addition, the analysis technique of Vlasov equation terms is further applied to study electron dynamics at the dayside magnetopause, to understand the effect of density, velocity and temperature variations on electron distributions and kinetics.
Collaborative Research: Vlasov-Maxwell Simulations to Resolve Electron Heating and Dissipation, in Quasi-Perpendicular Shocks (Final Report)
Collisionless shocks are a grand challenge problem in plasma physics and have been the subject of study for more than six decades. Shocks are ubiquitous phenomena in the universe and are responsible for transforming high energy and momentum flows into thermal energy and energetic particles. Understanding how shocks operate is of primary importance to understand the sun-earth coupling, protecting manned missions and spacecrafts from high energy particles, inertial confinement fusion, and radiation observed from astrophysical plasmas, such as supernova remnants and astrophysical jets. A major unanswered question on this frontier is, how does a collisionless plasma transform flow energy and momentum into electron thermal energy? Many potential mechanisms have been proposed to perform the conversion between flow and thermal energy in a collisionless plasma, but the answer has been elusive. To solve the mystery, non-relativistic perpendicular and quasi-perpendicular shocks are studied via a coordinated approach employing cutting-edge numerical simulations with the continuum kinetic code Gkeyll and spacecraft observations supplied by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. In both sets of data, we employ novel techniques to identify how and where energy is exchanged between electromagnetic fields and plasma particles. By combining cutting-edge spacecraft data and numerical simulations with these diagnostics, we have been able to identify some of the primary mechanisms responsible electron heating and dissipation in heliospheric shocks. In addition to electron dynamics, we have complete access to proton simulation and in situ data, enabling us to characterize proton heating and acceleration in quasi-perpendicular shocks. Many astrophysical quasi-perpendicular shocks have similar parameters to those in this study, including supernova remnants and shocks in galaxy clusters. Additionally, the simulation code, Gkeyll, and associated analysis scripts are openly available for community use. This award has supported a collaborative effort between Princeton University, the University of Arizona - Tucson, and the University of Maryland - College Park. The award funded three early career scientists, including the funding and training of one female postdoctoral researcher, who was involved in all aspects of the MMS data analysis and some portions of the simulation analysis.