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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Scattering theory in noncanonical phase space: A Drift-Kinetic collision operator for weakly collisional plasmas

After developing a scattering theory for grazing collisions in general noncanonical phase spaces, we introduce a guiding center collision operator in five-dimensional phase space designed for plasma regimes characterized by long wavelengths (relative to the Larmor radius), low frequencies (relative to the cyclotron frequency), and weak collisionality (where repeated Coulomb collisions induce cumulatively small changes in particle magnetic moment). The collision operator is fully determined by the noncanonical Hamiltonian structure of guiding center dynamics and exhibits a metriplectic structure, ensuring the conservation of particle number, momentum, energy, and interior Casimir invariants. It also satisfies an H-theorem, allowing for deviations from an equilibrium Maxwellian distribution due to the nontrivial kernel of the noncanonical guiding center Poisson tensor, spanned by the magnetic moment. We propose that this collision operator and its underlying mathematical structure may offer valuable insight into the study of turbulence, transport, and self-organizing phenomena in both laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

Hamiltonian mechanics↗
DOE OSTI2016

A high-accuracy Eulerian gyrokinetic solver for collisional plasmas

We describe here a new approach to solve the electromagnetic gyrokinetic equations which is optimized for accurate treatment of multispecies Fokker–Planck collisions including both pitch-angle and energy diffusion. The new algorithm is spectral/pseudospectral in four of the five phase space dimensions, and in the fieldline direction a novel 5th-order conservative upwind scheme is used to permit high-accuracy electromagnetic simulation even in the limit of very high plasma β and vanishingly small perpendicular wavenumber, k ⊥ → 0 . To our knowledge, this is the first pseudospectral implementation of the collision operator in a gyrokinetic code. We show that the new solver agrees closely with GYRO in the limit of weak Lorentz collisions, but gives a significantly more realistic description of collisions at high collision frequency. The numerical methods are also designed to be efficient and scalable for multiscale simulations that treat ion-scale and electron–scale turbulence simultaneously.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

A flux-balanced fluid model for collisional plasma edge turbulence: Model derivation and basic physical features

We propose a new reduced fluid model for the study of the drift wave–zonal flow dynamics in magnetically confined plasmas. Our model can be viewed as an extension of the classic Hasegawa-Wakatani (HW) model and is based on an improved treatment of the electron dynamics parallel to the field lines, to guarantee a balanced electron flux on the magnetic surfaces. Our flux-balanced HW (bHW) model contains the same drift-wave instability as previous HW models, but unlike these models, it converges exactly to the modified Hasegawa-Mima model in the collisionless limit. We rely on direct numerical simulations to illustrate some of the key features of the bHW model, such as the enhanced variability in the turbulent fluctuations and the existence of stronger and more turbulent zonal jets than the jets observed in other HW models, especially for high plasma resistivity. Our simulations also highlight the crucial role of the feedback of the third-order statistical moments in achieving a statistical equilibrium with strong zonal structures. Finally, we investigate the changes in the observed dynamics when more general dissipation effects are included and, in particular, when we include the reduced model for ion Landau damping originally proposed by Wakatani and Hasegawa.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

A flux-balanced fluid model for collisional plasma edge turbulence: Numerical simulations with different aspect ratios

We investigate the drift wave–zonal flow dynamics in a shearless slab geometry with the new flux-balanced Hasegawa-Wakatani model. As in previous Hasegawa-Wakatani models, we observe a sharp transition from a turbulence dominated regime to a zonal jet dominated regime as we decrease the plasma resistivity. However, unlike previous models, zonal structures are always present in the flux-balanced model, even for high resistivity, and strongly reduce the level of particles and vorticity flux. The more robust zonal jets also have a higher variability than in previous models, which is further enhanced when the computational domain is chosen to be elongated in the radial direction. In these cases, we observe complex multiscale dynamics, with multiple jets interacting with one another, and intermittent bursts. We present a detailed statistical analysis which highlights how the changes in the aspect ratio of the computational domain affect the third-order statistical moments, and thus modify the turbulent dynamics. By changing the aspect ratio and extending either the radial or the binormal direction, the present model study offers a better approximation to mimic turbulence in flux tube simulations for either very low magnetic shear or very high magnetic shear systems.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evaluating a Contribution of the Knock-on Deuterons to the Neutron Yield in the Experiments with Weakly Collisional Plasma Jets (Part 1)

Laser-generated interpenetrating plasma jets are widely used in the studies of collisionless interaction of counter-streaming plasmas in conjunction with possible formation of collisionless shocks. In a number of experiments of this type the plasma is formed on plastic targets made of CH or CD. The study of the DD neutron production from the interaction between two CD jets on the one hand and between a CD jet and a CH jet could serve as a qualitative indicator of the collisionless shock formation. The purpose of this memo is a discussion of the effect of collisions on the neutron generation in the interpenetrating CH and CD jets. First, the kinematics of the large-deflection collisions of the deuterons and carbon are discussed. Then the scattering angles are related with the corresponding Rutherford cross-section. After that expression for the number of the backscattered deuterons is provided, and their contribution to the neutron yield is evaluated. The results may be of some significance to the kinetic codes benchmarking and developing the neutron diagnostic.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Evaluating a Contribution of the Knock-on Deuterons to the Neutron Yield in the Experiments with Weakly Collisional Plasma Jets (Part 2)

Part 1 of this note considered the kinematics of large-angle scattering (LAS) of the deuterons on the counter-streaming carbon ions, with both flows having the same velocity V. Due to a large mass ratio m C /m D , the backscattered deuterons have high velocity of up to (24/7)V. This significantly increases the cross-section for the neutron production in the collisions between the back-scattered and incoming deuterons and may provide significant contribution to the total neutron yield, despite the smallness of a large-angle Coulomb cross-section. This effect becomes particularly important when only one of the colliding streams is made of CD, whereas the other stream is made of CH. Part 1 evaluated the neutron yield produced by this mechanism and have found that its relative role increases for higher plasma densities and lower velocities. Part 2 discusses signatures of this effect which can be used to identify it experimentally and also discusses in some more detail its spatio-temporal characteristics. It goes without saying that a complete quantitative assessment should be based on numerical simulations accounting for the large-angle scattering.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of wave mode content in fully turbulent, moderately collisional plasma laboratory experiment and kinetic simulation. Final Report

A final report of the activities of Bryn Mawr College for award DE-SC0018258. The major goal for the project is to make magnetic and Langmuir-probe-based density fluctuations measurements using identical diagnostic and acquisition setups on two different laboratory-based turbulent plasma devices: SSX at Swarthmore College and a new plasma source in development at Bryn Mawr College (BMX). We propose to generate single-point correlation and k-filtering metrics using these experimental measurements. These metrics will be compared directly to kinetic simulations of the experimental environments in order to determine wave mode content of the laboratory turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Collaborative Research: Analysis of wave mode content in fully turbulent, moderately collisional plasma laboratory experiment and kinetic simulation

Our major goal for the project is to make magnetic and Langmuir-probe-based density fluctuations measurements using identical diagnostic and acquisition setups on two different laboratory-based turbulent plasma devices: SSX at Swarthmore College and a new plasma source in development at Bryn Mawr College (BMX). We propose to generate single-point correlation and k-filtering metrics using these experimental measurements. These metrics will be compared directly to kinetic simulations of the experimental environments in order to determine wave mode content of the laboratory turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of wave mode content in fully turbulent, moderately collisional plasma laboratory experiment and kinetic simulation

Our major goal for the project was to make magnetic field and plasma density fluctuation measurements using identical diagnostic and acquisition setups on two different laboratory-based turbulent plasma devices: SSX at Swarthmore College and a new plasma source in development at Bryn Mawr College (BMX). We used single-point correlation and k-filtering metrics using these experimental measurements. These metrics were compared to kinetic simulations of the experimental environments in order to determine wave mode content of the laboratory turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1991

Nonlinear penetration of whistler pulses into collisional plasmas via conductivity modifications

A strong electromagnetic impulse (about 0.2 microsec) with central frequency in the whistler-wave regime is applied to a large laboratory plasma dominated by Coulomb collisions. Local electron heating at the antenna and transport along B0 create a channel of high conductivity along which the whistler pulse penetrates with little damping. Because of its rapid temporal evolution, this new form of modulational instability does not involve ducting by density gradients which require ion time scales to develop.

Urrutia, J. M.↗