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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Electromagnetic Components of Auroral Hiss and Lower Hybrid Waves in the Polar Magnetosphere

DE-1 has frequently observed waves in the whistler and lower hybrid frequencies range. Besides the electrostatic components, these waves also exhibit electromagnetic components. It is generally believed that these waves are excited by the electron acoustic instability and the electron-beam-driven lower hybrid instability. Because the electron acoustic and the lower hybrid waves are predominately electrostatic waves, they cannot account for the observed electromagnetic components. In this work, it is suggested that these electromagnetic components can be explained by waves that are generated near the resonance cone and that propagate away from the source. The role that these electromagnetic waves can play in particle acceleration processes at low altitude is discussed.

Wong, H. K.↗
NASA NTRS2016

MMS Observations of Ion-Scale Magnetic Island in the Magnetosheath Turbulent Plasma

In this letter, first observations of ion-scale magnetic island from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in the magnetosheath turbulent plasma are presented. The magnetic island is characterized by bipolar variation of magnetic fields with magnetic field compression, strong core field, density depletion, and strong currents dominated by the parallel component to the local magnetic field. The estimated size of magnetic island is about 8 di, where di is the ion inertial length. Distinct particle behaviors and wave activities inside and at the edges of the magnetic island are observed: parallel electron beam accompanied with electrostatic solitary waves and strong electromagnetic lower hybrid drift waves inside the magnetic island and bidirectional electron beams, whistler waves, weak electromagnetic lower hybrid drift waves, and strong broadband electrostatic noise at the edges of the magnetic island. Our observations demonstrate that highly dynamical, strong wave activities and electron-scale physics occur within ion-scale magnetic islands in the magnetosheath turbulent plasma..

Huang, S. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The effect of small-wave modulation on the electromagnetic bias

The effect of the modulation of small ocean waves by large waves on the physical mechanism of the EM bias is examined by conducting a numerical scattering experiment which does not assume the applicability of geometric optics. The modulation effect of the large waves on the small waves is modeled using the principle of conservation of wave action and includes the modulation of gravity-capillary waves. The frequency dependence and magnitude of the EM bias is examined for a simplified ocean spectral model as a function of wind speed. These calculations make it possible to assess the validity of previous assumptions made in the theory of the EM bias, with respect to both scattering and hydrodynamic effects. It is found that the geometric optics approximation is inadequate for predictions of the EM bias at typical radar altimeter frequencies, while the improved scattering calculations provide a frequency dependence of the EM bias which is in qualitative agreement with observation. For typical wind speeds, the EM bias contribution due to small-wave modulation is of the same order as that due to modulation by the nonlinearities of the large-scale waves.

Rodriguez, Ernesto↗
NASA NTRS1972

Numerical study of strong plasma shock waves produced in an electromagnetic shock tube.

A set of two-fluid Navier-Stokes equations with classical physical transport coefficients is used to compute the evolution and structure of collisional plasma shock waves in an electromagnetic shock tube. Shock speeds up to 200 cm/microsec and shocked-plasma temperatures of the order of kilovolts are studied. A strong transverse bias magnetic field is employed, which significantly alters the size and shape of the shock profiles, when compared with the zero bias field case. The wave structure is different from that of a two-fluid gasdynamic shock without transverse magnetic field. Especially significant is the effect of the small ion Larmor radius in reducing the gasdynamic shock thickness by at least an order of magnitude in the transverse shock case, which permits collisional shocks to have thicknesses much smaller than the post-shock mean free path. These collisional shock waves produce very hot ions, the ion temperature increasing with shock speed, although the formation time and distances also increase substantially with shock speed.

Schneider, S. H.↗
NASA NTRS2014

The Role of Higher-Order Modes on the Electromagnetic Whistler-Cyclotron Wave Fluctuations of Thermal and Non-Thermal Plasmas

Two fundamental challenging problems of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas are the understanding of the relaxation of a collisionless plasmas with nearly isotropic velocity distribution functions and the resultant state of nearly equipartition energy density with electromagnetic plasma turbulence. Here, we present the results of a study which shows the role that higher-order-modes play in limiting the electromagnetic whistler-like fluctuations in a thermal and non-thermal plasma. Our main results show that for a thermal plasma the magnetic fluctuations are confined by regions that are bounded by the least-damped higher order modes. We further show that the zone where the whistler-cyclotron normal modes merges the electromagnetic fluctuations shifts to longer wavelengths as the beta(sub e) increases. This merging zone has been interpreted as the beginning of the region where the whistler-cyclotron waves losses their identity and become heavily damped while merging with the fluctuations. Our results further indicate that in the case of nonthermal plasmas, the higher-order modes do not confine the fluctuations due to the effective higher-temperature effects and the excess of suprathermal plasma particles. The analysis presented here considers the second-order theory of fluctuations and the dispersion relation of weakly transverse fluctuations, with wave vectors parallel to the uniform background magnetic field, in a finite temperature isotropic bi-Maxwellian and Tsallis-kappa-like magnetized electron-proton plasma. Our results indicate that the spontaneously emitted electromagnetic fluctuations are in fact enhanced over these quasi modes suggesting that such modes play an important role in the emission and absorption of electromagnetic fluctuations in thermal or quasi-thermal plasmas.

Vinas, Adolfo F.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Current driven electrostatic and electromagnetic ion cyclotron instabilities

Growth rates and parameter dependences are calculated for the current driven instabilities of electrostatic (with finite-beta corrections) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. For 0.25 (T sub e)/(T sub i) 2.5, ion cyclotron waves have large growth rates, while ion acoustic waves are still stable. In fusion devices, where electrostatic waves may be stable, electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves are unstable for beta sub i 0.001.

Forslund, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Plasma wave observations at comet Giacobini-Zinner

The plasma wave instrument on the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) detected strong ion acoustic waves together with electromagnetic whistlers and low-level electron plasma oscillations when the spacecraft was within two million km of the nucleus of comet Giacobini-Zinner. As ICE approached the anticipated bow-shock location, electromagnetic and electrostatic wave levels increased significantly, but even amidst this turbulence, the wave instrument detected structures with familiar bow shock characteristics that were correlated with observations of localized electron heating phenomena. Just beyond the visible coma, high-amplitude broadband waves were detected accounting for the significant electron heating observed in this region. Near closest approach, broadband electrostatic noise was detected together with a changing pattern of weak electron plasma oscillations that yielded a density profile for the outer layers of the cold plasma tail. Near the tail axis, the plasma wave instrument also detected a nonuniform flux of dust impacts, and a preliminary profile of the Giacobini-Zinner dust distribution for micrometer-sized particles is presented.

Scarf, F. L.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Roles of Transport and Wave-Particle Interactions on Radiation Belt Dynamics

Particle fluxes in the radiation belts can vary dramatically during geomagnetic active periods. Transport and wave-particle interactions are believed to be the two main types of mechanisms that control the radiation belt dynamics. Major transport processes include substorm dipolarization and injection, radial diffusion, convection, adiabatic acceleration and deceleration, and magnetopause shadowing. Energetic electrons and ions are also subjected to pitch-angle and energy diffusion when interact with plasma waves in the radiation belts. Important wave modes include whistler mode chorus waves, plasmaspheric hiss, electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves, and magnetosonic waves. We investigate the relative roles of transport and wave associated processes in radiation belt variations. Energetic electron fluxes during several storms are simulated using our Radiation Belt Environment (RBE) model. The model includes important transport and wave processes such as substorm dipolarization in global MHD fields, chorus waves, and plasmaspheric hiss. We discuss the effects of these competing processes at different phases of the storms and validate the results by comparison with satellite and ground-based observations. Keywords: Radiation Belts, Space Weather, Wave-Particle Interaction, Storm and Substorm

Fok, Mei-Ching↗
NASA NTRS1987

Effect of wave localization on plasma instabilities

The Anderson model of wave localization in random media is involved to study the effect of solar wind density turbulence on plasma processes associated with the solar type III radio burst. ISEE-3 satellite data indicate that a possible model for the type III process is the parametric decay of Langmuir waves excited by solar flare electron streams into daughter electromagnetic and ion acoustic waves. The threshold for this instability, however, is much higher than observed Langmuir wave levels because of rapid wave convection of the transverse electromagnetic daughter wave in the case where the solar wind is assumed homogeneous. Langmuir and transverse waves near critical density satisfy the Ioffe-Reigel criteria for wave localization in the solar wind with observed density fluctuations -1 percent. Numerical simulations of wave propagation in random media confirm the localization length predictions of Escande and Souillard for stationary density fluctations. For mobile density fluctuations localized wave packets spread at the propagation velocity of the density fluctuations rather than the group velocity of the waves. Computer simulations using a linearized hybrid code show that an electron beam will excite localized Langmuir waves in a plasma with density turbulence. An action principle approach is used to develop a theory of non-linear wave processes when waves are localized. A theory of resonant particles diffusion by localized waves is developed to explain the saturation of the beam-plasma instability. It is argued that localization of electromagnetic waves will allow the instability threshold to be exceeded for the parametric decay discussed above.

Levedahl, William Kirk↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the generation of plasma waves in Saturn's inner magnetosphere

Voyager 1 plasma wave measurements of Saturn's inner magnetosphere are reviewed with regard to interpretative aspects of the wave spectrum. A comparison of the wave emission profile with the electron plasma frequency obtained from in situ measurements of the thermal ion density shows good agreement with various features in the wave data identified as electrostatic modes and electromagnetic radio waves. Theoretical calculations of the critical flux of superthermal electrons able to generate whistler-mode waves and electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves through a loss-cone instability are presented. The comparison of model results with electron measurements shows excellent agreement, thereby lending support to the conclusion that a moderate perpendicular anisotropy in the hot electron distribution is present in the equatorial region of L = 5-8.

Barbosa, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Electromagnetic noise and radio wave propagation below 100 kHz in the Jovian atmosphere. I - The equatorial region

The Galileo satellite program includes the delivery of an entry probe to the Jovian equatorial atmosphere in mid-1985. Optical and RF sensors for a lightning detection system are included as a part of the probe experimental payload. In this paper, calculations of the RF wave propagation and reflection characteristics of the equatorial Jovian atmosphere and ionosphere for frequencies less than 100 kHz are presented. It is shown that wave propagation is limited to line-of-sight and one-hop from the ionosphere. Results are also presented of a statistical treatment of the RF wave power densities for the case of a finite number of events and for the case of a uniformly distributed source. The results can be applied to specific RF experiment configurations concerned with establishing the statistical characteristics of Jovian lightning.

Rinnert, K.↗