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At least 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Hyperon polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions and axial U(1) symmetry breaking at high temperature

Experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider have measured the net polarization of $\text{Λ}$ and $\bar{Λ}$ hyperons and attributed it to a coupling between their spin and the vorticity of the fluid created in heavy ion collisions, but how the spin comes to equilibrium with vorticity is an open problem. Recently, we found that vorticity fluctuations and helicity flip of strange quarks in quark-gluon plasma through perturbative QCD processes resulted in equilibration times far too long to be relevant. Here, we consider the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with the inclusion of the six-quark Kobayashi-Maskawa–'t Hooft interaction which breaks axial U(1). In this work, using instanton inspired models for the temperature dependence of the axial symmetry breaking, we find that constituent strange quarks can reach spin equilibrium at temperatures below about 170 MeV, just before they hadronize to form hyperons.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Laser-heated capillary discharge plasma waveguides for electron acceleration to 8 GeV

A plasma channel created by the combination of a capillary discharge and inverse Bremsstrahlung laser heating enabled the generation of electron bunches with energy up to 7.8 GeV in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. The capillary discharge created an initial plasma channel and was used to tune the plasma temperature, which optimized laser heating. Although optimized colder initial plasma temperatures reduced the ionization degree, subsequent ionization from the heater pulse created a fully ionized plasma on-axis. The heater pulse duration was chosen to be longer than the hydrodynamic timescale of ≈ 1 ns, such that later temporal slices were more efficiently guided by the channel created by the front of the pulse. Here, simulations are presented which show that this thermal self-guiding of the heater pulse enabled channel formation over 20 cm. The post-heated channel had lower on-axis density and increased focusing strength compared to relying on the discharge alone, which allowed for guiding of relativistically intense laser pulses with a peak power of 0.85 PW and wakefield acceleration over 15 diffraction lengths. Electrons were injected into the wake in multiple buckets and times, leading to several electron bunches with different peak energies. To create single electron bunches with low energy spread, experiments using localized ionization injection inside a capillary discharge waveguide were performed. A single injected bunch with energy 1.6 GeV, charge 38 pC, divergence 1 mrad, and relative energy spread below 2% full-width half-maximum was produced in a 3.3 cm-long capillary discharge waveguide. This development shows promise for mitigation of energy spread and future high efficiency staged acceleration experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Chemical freeze-out parameters of net-kaons in heavy-ion collisions

In this work, we study chemical freeze-out parameters for heavy-ion collisions by performing two different thermal analyses. We analyze results from thermal fits for particle yields, as well as, net-charge fluctuations in order to characterize the chemical freeze-out. The Hadron Resonance Gas (HRG) model is employed for both methods. By separating the light hadrons from the strange hadrons in thermal fits, we study the proposed flavor hierarchy. For the net-charge fluctuations, we calculate the mean-over-variance ratio of the net-kaon fluctuations in the HRG model at the five highest energies of the RHIC Beam Energy Scan (BES) for different particle data lists. We compare these results with recent experimental data from the STAR collaboration in order to extract sets of chemical freeze-out parameters for each list. We focused on particle lists which differ largely in the number of resonant states. By doing so, our analysis determines the effect of the amount of resonances included in the HRG model on the freeze-out conditions. Our findings have potential impact on various other models in the field of relativistic heavy ion collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1975

High-order magnetic multipoles as a source of gross asymmetry in the distant Jovian magnetosphere

The longitudinal asymmetry of the surface magnetic-field strength at Jupiter causes a longitudinal asymmetry in the equatorial plasma mass density within the Jovian magnetosphere. The rotation of these density variations with the planet causes a diurnal variation of the radial distance on the night side at which the centrifugal stress of the magnetospheric plasma exceeds the local magnetic-field tension. This is approximately the distance at which the magnetic field opens to interplanetary space; we estimate that the opening distance can vary by as much as 14% as a result of the observed surface field asymmetry. Such a diurnal variation of the boundary of the particle trapping region can account for the observed ten-hour modulation of relativistic electrons emitted from Jupiter into interplanetary space.

Dessler, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Measurements on a shock wave generated by a solar flare

Shock waves generated by intense solar flares may be driven by a large amount of ejected mass, about 5 x 10 to the 16th g, and the total energy involved may be of the order of 10 to the 32nd erg. The shocks may have initial velocities of the order of 2,000 km/s and, in their exodus through the corona, may be accompanied by fast-moving optical transients, the emission of highly characteristic radio signatures and the acceleration of particles to quasi-relativistic velocities. Here, a review is presented of data on a high-velocity shock generated by a flare on 18 August 1979, 1400 UT, and comments are provided on some previously deduced velocities for the shock. Attention is given to a model, based on current computer programs to account for the overall characteristics of the shock as it propagated through the corona and the interplanetary plasma.

Maxwell, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Relativistic winds from pulsar and black hole magnetospheres

The present consideration of the extraction of the rotational energy stored in a Kerr black hole by a large-scale MHD wind as a possible source for AGN jet energy proceeds by viewing both the ingoing and outgoing winds as propagating toward asymptotic infinities and transporting the conserved mass, angular momentum, and energy fluxes established by the source region. It is judged that the field-line rotation rate or total voltage drop across the system must also be determined by the dissipative process that injects plasma onto the magnetospheric field lines.

Punsly, Brian↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulations of non-integer upconversion in resonant six-wave scattering

Resonant upconversion through a sixth order relativistic nonlinearity resulting in a unique resonance was recently proposed [Malkin and Fisch, Phys. Rev. E 108, 045208 (2023)]. The high order resonance is a unique non-integer multiple of a driving pump frequency resulting in a frequency upshift by a factor of ≈3.73. We demonstrate the presence, unique requirements, and growth of this mode numerically. Through tuning waves to high amplitude, in a mildly underdense plasma, the six-photon process may grow more than other non-resonant but lower order processes. The growth of the high frequency mode remains below the nonlinear growth regime. However, extending current numerical results to more strongly coupled resonances with longer pulse propagation distances suggests a pathway to significant upconversion.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1989

Cyclotron line features from neutron star atmospheres

Cyclotron line features from the polar cap plasmas of accreting magnetized neutron stars are modeled. The polar cap environment is modeled by a homogeneous isothermal plane-parallel slab threaded by a uniform superstrong magnetic field oriented orthogonal to the slab. Two physical cyclotron photon source functions are used. For conventional stopping depths, the emergent line spectra are fairly independent of the source functions. For hot atmospheres the details of the line transfer using relativistic kinematics differ substantially from those using nonrelativistic kinematics. Aside from finite recoil, both a finite natural linewidth and conventional stopping depths suppress the escape of photons blueward of line center and potential line features tend to be smeared out into the low-energy continuum. The formation of a line features is most favorable in low-field high-temperature atmospheres where cyclotron photon production is confined to a layer of small column density.

Wang, John C. L.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Relativistic Configuration-Interaction and Perturbation Theory Calculations of the Sn XV Emission Spectrum

Recently, there has been increased interest in developing advanced bright sources for lithography. Sn ions are particularly promising due to their bright emission spectrum in the required wavelength range. Cowan’s code has been used to model the emission; however, it has adjustable parameters, which limit its predictive power, and it has limited relativistic treatment. Here, we present calculations based on ab initio relativistic configuration-interaction many-body perturbation theory (CI-MBPT), with relativistic corrections included at the Dirac-Fock level and core-polarization effects with the second-order MBPT. As a proof of principle that the theory is generally applicable to other Sn ions with proper development, we focused on one ion where direct comparison with experimental observations is possible. The theory can also be used for ions of other elements to predict emissions for optimization of plasma-based bright sources.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Absolute laser energy absorption measurement of relativistic 0.7 ps laser pulses in nanowire arrays

Laser absorption is one of the most important parameters governing laser–matter interactions. The laser energy absorption on nanowire array targets is measured for the first time in the relativistic regime at intensities of 10 19 W=cm 2 and compared to foil targets. The results show that the laser energy absorption of 0.7 ps frequency doubled (527 nm) pulses on Au nanowire targets varies widely with nanowire parameters, reaching laser energy absorption values up to 71% of the incident energy, significantly exceeding those of solid flat targets obtained in similar irradiation conditions. The analysis shows that the increase in absorption strongly correlates with larger effective target surface area over a broad range of nanowire parameters explored. These direct absorption measurements provide valuable data to benchmark simulations of the relativistic laser pulse interactions with nanostructures.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Traces of nonequilibrium effects, initial condition, bulk dynamics, and elementary collisions in the charm observables

Heavy quarks produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions are known to be sensitive probes of the hot and dense QCD matter they traverse. In this paper we study how their dynamics is affected by the nature of the bulk evolution of the QCD matter, the initial condition of the system, and the treatment of elementary interactions between heavy quarks and the surrounding medium. For the same initial condition and the same quark-gluon plasma (QGP) expansion scenario we discuss the consequences of the assumption of a local equilibrium by comparing the consequences for the nuclear modification factor $R_{AA}$ and the elliptic flows of charm quarks, scrutinizing the different components of the final distribution of charm quarks. For this purpose we employ the parton-hadron-string dynamics (PHSD) model, which is an off-shell microscopic transport approach, as well as the linearized-Boltzmann (LB) scheme obtained by coarse graining the PHSD bulk and assuming local equilibrium for the interactions of the charm quarks with the bulk. The $R_{AA}$ of charm quarks stemming from the later LB approach is also compared to a genuine fluid dynamics evolution initiated by the coarse grained PHSD, which allows us to further assess the consequences of reducing the full $\textit{n}$-body dynamics. We then proceed to a systematic comparison of PHSD (in its LB approximation) with MC@HQ, another transport model for heavy flavors which also relies on the LB approach. In particular, we investigate the consequences for the nuclear modification factor of charm quarks if we vary separately the initial heavy quark distribution function in matter, the expansion dynamics of the QGP, and the elementary interactions of heavy quarks of these models. We find that the results for both models vary significantly depending on the details of the calculation. However, both models achieve very similar predictions for key heavy quark observables for certain combinations of initial condition, bulk evolution, and interactions. In this work, we conclude that this ambiguity limits our ability to determine the different properties of the system based on the current set of observables.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Black Hole Flares: Ejection of Accreted Magnetic Flux through 3D Plasmoid-mediated Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection can power bright, rapid flares originating from the inner magnetosphere of accreting black holes. We conduct extremely high-resolution (5376 × 2304 × 2304 cells) general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations, capturing plasmoid-mediated reconnection in a 3D magnetically arrested disk for the first time. We show that an equatorial, plasmoid-unstable current sheet forms in a transient, nonaxisymmetric, low-density magnetosphere within the inner few Schwarzschild radii. Magnetic flux bundles escape from the event horizon through reconnection at the universal plasmoid-mediated rate in this current sheet. The reconnection feeds on the highly magnetized plasma in the jets and heats the plasma that ends up trapped in flux bundles to temperatures proportional to the jet's magnetization. The escaped flux bundles can complete a full orbit as low-density hot spots, consistent with Sgr A* observations by the GRAVITY interferometer. Reconnection near the horizon produces sufficiently energetic plasma to explain flares from accreting black holes, such as the TeV emission observed from M87. The drop in the mass accretion rate during the flare and the resulting low-density magnetosphere make it easier for very-high-energy photons produced by reconnection-accelerated particles to escape. The extreme-resolution results in a converged plasmoid-mediated reconnection rate that directly determines the timescales and properties of the flare.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1995

ROSAT observations of the unusual supernova remnant CTB 80 containing the pulsar PSR 1951 + 32

The unusal supernova remnant CTB, 80 containing the 39.5 ms pulsar PSR 1951 + 32, has been observed with the Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC) and the High Resolution Imager (HRI) aboard ROSAT. The HRI image, centered on the pulsar, is composed of a bright compact core of approximately 1 arcminute radius containing the pulsar and a compact nebula, as well as a diffuse nebula extending approximately 5 arcminutes eastward of the pulsar. The PSPC allowed us to model the spectra of the point source, the compact nebula and the 5 arcminute diffuse nebula. For a power-law spectrum with photon index Gamma approximately 2 and an interstellar column density of N(sub H) approximately 3 x 10(exp 21)/cm(exp 21) the derived luminosities are approximately 2.3 x 10(exp 33) d(sub 2.5)(exp 2) ergs/s from the pointlike source, approximately 3.9 x 10(exp 33) d(sup 2.5)(exp 2) ergs/s from the compact nebula, and approximately 1.8 x 10(exp 33) d(sub 2.5)(exp 2) ergs/s from the 5 arcminutes diffuse nebula. In addition, the 2 deg diameter circular field of view of the PSPC reveals a hard emission feature southeast of the pulsar with a conical geometry extending out to the edge of the detector. The spectrum from this region is well described by a two-temperature Raymond-Smith thermal plasma with an average temperature of approximately 10(exp 7) K and a luminosity of approximately 10(exp 34)d(sub 2.5)(exp 2) ergs/s. Pulsations from the 39.5 ms puslar, PSR 1951 + 32, are detected at the 99% confidence level. The implied pulsed fration is approximately 35% with a complicated energy-dependent behavior. The compact core and the extended diffuse nebula can be explained as synchrotron radiation from the relativistic pulsar wind confined by the ram pressure of the surrounding inhomgeneous medium. The conelike feature detected southeast of PSR 1951 + 32 is consistent with emission from an optically thin SNR in the radiative cooling phase of its evolution.

Safi-Harb, Samar↗
NASA NTRS2001

A Realistic Accretion Disk Model for AGNs

We present a new relativistic accretion disk model of AGNs, based on alpha modified accretion disk theory, where alpha is a parameter that characterizes the efficiency of the mechanism of angular momentum transport. In this model we have considered a geometrically-thin, high-luminosity (alpha-accretion disk, around a supermassive black hole. The geometrically thin limit assumes a local energy balance within the accretion disk, which has been used to derive the plasma temperature of the disk. The energy balance equation has three solutions: low, medium and high temperature, depending on the heating rate of the accretion disk. We predict that the inner part of a high luminosity accretion disk is in the high- temperature (10(exp 7) to 10(exp 9) K) state and for this we obtain the high temperature solution of the energy balance equation using a Comptonization process. We find the local spectrum of each ring of the disk (we have divided the high temperature region of the disk into 50 rings) to be a diluted Wien spectrum. However, the emergent integral spectrum of the high temperature region is a power-law with a high-energy cutoff that depends on the basic parameters of AGNs (the accretion rate, the incidence angle, and the mass and the angular momentum of the central black hole). We have fitted the observed spectra of 28 AGNs using the present model and have derived the values of the basic parameters of these AGNs. Results of these spectral fittings have been discussed in the framework of the unification model of AGNs.

Suleimanov, V.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dissertation Proposal: Innovations in Pulsed Power and Plasma Science Theory Simulation and Experiment

Pulsed power and plasma physics are topics of great study at both Sandia National Laboratories (SNL or Sandia) and the University of New Mexico (UNM). The goal of this research is to further knowledge and understanding of these fields using the resources of both SNL and UNM in three ways. The first way is through the comprehension, application, and testing of theory. Reading and analytically deriving theoretical solutions of problems both real-world and simplified will allow for a fresh perspective and the furthering of the theory. One such theory is Ottinger's generalized theory for voltage measurement in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs). By working through the math, a deeper understanding of the theory is gained from which one may add more physically accurate and/or more detailed physics into the theory. Additionally, understanding the theory lays a good foundation from which one can analyze, test, and compare results to the theory in the following two ways that will advance the fields of pulsed power and plasma physics. The second way is through the modeling and simulation of real-world and simplified problems that utilize and test the afore mentioned theories. Theory can be applied to a simulation domain by using the unstructured time-domain electromagnetic (UTDEM) codes EMPHASIS and EMPIRE as well as the physical modeling software CUBIT, all of which were developed at SNL. Problems such as the modeling and design of the extended MITL on HERMES III, the understanding of space-charge-limited emission from vacuum cathodes, and the interaction between a relativistic electron beam and an ideal gas can all be modeled, simulated, and analyzed with this set of codes. Here the advantage is three-fold. Firstly, theory that describes our understanding of these problems can be put to the test and advanced through iterative simulation and analysis. Secondly, the understanding of these problems will have a positive impact on national security through the advancement of the technological capability of the United States of America. Thirdly, and not unrelated to the prior advantage, is the validation and verification of EMPIRE and EMPHASIS. This segues into the third way, which is through experiment and the comparison of experiment to simulated and theoretical results. Performing experimental comparisons completes the scientific method and grounds all of the work in reality. Being able to physically test theory and simulation is necessary for any real conclusions to be drawn. Another advantage for carrying out experimental work is to advance the physical testing capabilities of SNL. Several systems will be developed and tested through the course of this work that positively impact technological advancement of Sandia National Labs. Lastly, all of the above work will converge to yield a well-rounded perspective that ties the three categories of research together.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electron Heating in the Transrelativistic Perpendicular Shocks of Tilted Accretion Flows

Abstract General relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of black hole tilted disks—where the angular momentum of the accretion flow at large distances is misaligned with respect to the black hole spin—commonly display standing shocks within a few to tens of gravitational radii from the black hole. In GRMHD simulations of geometrically thick, optically thin accretion flows, applicable to low-luminosity sources like Sgr A* and M87*, the shocks have transrelativistic speed, moderate plasma beta (the ratio of ion thermal pressure to magnetic pressure is β pi1 ∼ 1–8), and low sonic Mach number (the ratio of shock speed to sound speed is M s ∼ 1–6). We study such shocks with 2D particle-in-cell simulations, and we quantify the efficiency and mechanisms of electron heating for the special case of preshock magnetic fields perpendicular to the shock direction of propagation. We find that the postshock electron temperature T e2 exceeds the adiabatic expectation T e2,ad by an amount T e 2 / T e 2 , ad − 1 ≃ 0.0016 M s 3.6 , nearly independent of the plasma beta and of the preshock electron-to-ion temperature ratio T e1 / T i1 , which we vary from 0.1 to unity. We investigate the heating physics for M s ∼ 5–6 and find that electron superadiabatic heating is governed by magnetic pumping at T e1 / T i1 = 1, whereas heating by B -parallel electric fields (i.e., parallel to the local magnetic field) dominates at T e1 / T i1 = 0.1. Our results provide physically motivated subgrid prescriptions for electron heating at the collisionless shocks seen in GRMHD simulations of black hole accretion flows.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bottomonium suppression in pNRQCD and open quantum system approach

By employing the potential non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics (pNRQCD) effective field theory within an open quantum system framework, we derive a Lindblad equation governing the evolution of the heavy-quarkonium reduced density matrix, accurate to next-to-leading order (NLO) in the ratio of the state's binding energy to the medium's temperature [1]. The derived NLO Lindblad equation provides a more reliable description of heavy-quarkonium evolution in the quark-gluon plasma at low temperatures compared to the leading-order truncation. For phenomenological applications, we numerically solve this equation using the quantum trajectories algorithm. By averaging over Monte Carlo-sampled quantum jumps, we obtain solutions without truncation in the angular momentum quantum number of the considered states. Our analysis highlights the importance of quantum jumps in the nonequilibrium evolution of bottomonium states within the quark-gluon plasma [2]. Additionally, we demonstrate that the quantum regeneration of singlet states from octet configurations is essential to explain experimental observations of bottomonium suppression. The heavy-quarkonium transport coefficients used in our study align with recent lattice QCD determinations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Stimulated Compton conversion of Langmuir waves by relativistic electron beams

The scattering of a Langmuir wave by a relativistic electron to produce a transversely polarized high-frequency EM wave by an inverse Compton process is investigated theoretically. The results of numerical computations are presented in diagrams and graphs, and it is shown that although net growth rates are predicted for several classes of Langmuir spectra, they are at least several orders of magnitude too small to account for the intense high-frequency emission seen in recent beam-plasma experiments (Benford et al., 1980; Kato et al., 1983) unless some unknown coherence mechanism is focusing the inverse-Compton emission. The implications of the mechanism for astrophysical beam-plasma systems such as quasars and radio galaxies are indicated.

Newman, D. L.↗