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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 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

An Integrated Modeling Study for Coordinated Observations of H, O, OH, and H2O(+) Emissions in the Coma and Ion Tail of the Comet Hale-Bopp

This project has two overall objectives. One objective is to advance our general understanding of both the comet neutral atmosphere and the cometary plasma in the atmosphere and ion tall. The other objective is to obtain specific key information about comet Hale-Bopp that is generally important for Hale-Bopp studies. The primary emphasis in this project is to analyze, in a self-consistent manner, excellent quality high resolution image and line profile observations obtained by the University of Wisconsin for H, O, OH, and H2O+ emissions from the inner coma, outer coma, and ion tail of Hale-Bopp. The information on the spatial and velocity distributions of H2O neutral and ionized photo-products in the inner coma, outer coma, and in the H2O+ ion tail is of substantial and direct importance in the development of an integrated understanding of the complex structure and dynamics of the neutral and plasma species in the atmosphere of Hale-Bopp in particular and comets in general. The H2O production rate of Hale-Bopp is determined and, together with the other information related to the structure and dynamics of the neutral and plasma atmospheres obtained in this study, provide critical information important for a wide variety of research conducted by other groups.

Smyth, William H.↗
DOE OSTI2016

A novel technique for real-time estimation of edge pedestal density gradients via reflectometer time delay data

A new model-based technique for fast estimation of the pedestal electron density gradient has been developed. The technique uses ordinary mode polarization profile reflectometer time delay data and does not require direct profile inversion. Because of its simple data processing, the technique can be readily implemented via a Field-Programmable Gate Array, so as to provide a real-time density gradient estimate, suitable for use in plasma control systems such as envisioned for ITER, and possibly for DIII-D and Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. The method is based on a simple edge plasma model with a linear pedestal density gradient and low scrape-off-layer density. By measuring reflectometer time delays for three adjacent frequencies, the pedestal density gradient can be estimated analytically via the new approach. Using existing DIII-D profile reflectometer data, the estimated density gradients obtained from the new technique are found to be in good agreement with the actual density gradients for a number of dynamic DIII-D plasma conditions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

New helium bubble growth mode at a symmetric grain-boundary in tungsten: accelerated molecular dynamics study

This work, with an emphasis on helium irradiation rates appropriate for fusion-plasma conditions, advances the understanding of helium evolution at grain boundaries in W, an important consideration in the understanding of W as a plasma-facing component. Using accelerated molecular dynamics, helium bubble nucleation and growth at a symmetric Σ5[100](310) tilt grain-boundary in W is studied. The simulations reveal that the growth mode associated with bubble growth at the grain-boundary leads to a suppression of the helium supply to the bubble and hence to arrested growth. Such an unconventional bubble growth mode may dominate in materials with a high density of sinks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Threshold for plasma phase transition of aluminum single crystal induced by hypervelocity impact

Molecular dynamics method is used to study the threshold for plasma phase transition of aluminum single crystal induced by hypervelocity impact. Two effective simulation methods, piston-driven method and multi-scale shock technique, are used to simulate the shock wave. The simulation results from the two methods agree well with the experimental data, indicating that the shock wave velocity is linearly dependent on the particle velocity. The atom is considered to be ionized if the increase of its internal energy is larger than the first ionization energy. The critical impact velocity for plasma phase transition is about 13.0 km/s, corresponding to the threshold of pressure and temperature which is about 220 GPa and 11.0 × 10{sup 3 }K on the shock Hugoniot, respectively.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Customizable two-species kinetic equilibria for nonuniform low-beta plasmas

Here, two methods are developed for constructing self-consistent two-species kinetic equilibria for low-beta electrostatic plasmas, in which the magnetic field is uniform and fixed in time. The first method uses Taylor series approximations to construct distribution functions that can be specified analytically. The second method relies on numerically solving a nonlinear ordinary differential equation and produces exact—to numerical precision—equilibria. In both methods, the equilibrium distribution functions for ions and electrons are expressed in terms of constants of motion and satisfy the steady-state Vlasov-Poisson equation system. Provided that the ion drift speed does not exceed the ion thermal speed, the equilibria can be specified with customizable density and electrostatic potential profiles. The methods can thereby be tailored to different applications and are successfully applied to construct kinetic equilibria for cross-field plasmas with sheared flows, large density variations, and different levels of magnetization. The equilibria are used to initialize fourth-order finite-volume Vlasov-Poisson simulations in (x, v x , v y ) coordinates and the associated temporal evolution is used to assess the accuracy of each method. Lastly, the low-amplitude deviations observed in these simulations demonstrate that the kinetic equilibria are robust and that they provide a valuable means of studying the dynamics of nonuniform magnetized plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Detecting shearless phase-space transport barriers in global gyrokinetic turbulence simulations with test particle map models

In magnetically confined fusion plasmas, the role played by zonal 𝐸 x 𝐵 flow shear layers in the suppression of turbulent transport is relatively well understood. However, less is understood about the role played by the weak shear regions that arise in the non-monotonic radial electric field profiles often associated with these shear layers. In electrostatic simulations from the global total-𝑓 gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code XGC, we demonstrate how shearless regions with non-zero flow curvature form zonal ‘jets’ that, in conjunction with neighbouring regions of shear, can act as robust barriers to particle transport and turbulence spreading. By isolating quasi-coherent fluctuations radially localised to the zonal jets, we construct a map model for the Lagrangian dynamics of gyrokinetic test particles in the presence of drift waves. We identify the presence of shearless invariant tori in this model and verify that these tori act as partial phase-space transport barriers in the simulations. We also demonstrate how avalanches impinging on these shearless tori cause eddy detachment events that form ‘cold/warm core ring’ structures analogous to those found in oceanic jets, facilitating transport across the barriers without destroying them completely. We discuss how shearless tori may generically arise from tertiary instabilities or other types of discrete eigenmodes, suggesting their potential relevance to broader classes of turbulent fluctuations.

fusion plasma↗
DOE OSTI2017

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Properties of Shocks in Two-Dimensional Yukawa Systems [Thermodynamic and Kinetic Properties of Shocks in 2D Yukawa Systems]

Particle-level simulations of shocked plasmas are carried out to examine kinetic properties not captured by hydrodynamic models. In particular, molecular dynamics simulations of 2D Yukawa plasmas with variable couplings and screening lengths are used to examine shock features unique to plasmas, including the presence of dispersive shock structures for weak shocks. A phase-space analysis reveals several kinetic properties, including anisotropic velocity distributions, non-Maxwellian tails, and the presence of fast particles ahead of the shock, even for moderately low Mach numbers. As a result, we also examine the thermodynamics (Rankine-Hugoniot relations) of recent experiments and find no anomalies in their equations of state.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ion fluxes and memory effects in an Ar–O 2 modulated radiofrequency-driven atmospheric pressure plasma jet

In this work we used molecular beam mass spectrometry to characterize ion fluxes produced by a modulated radiofrequency (RF)-driven atmospheric pressure plasma jet operating in a homogeneous gas environment (Ar + 1% O 2 ). The influence of the RF modulation frequency (100 Hz to 20 kHz) on the ion fluxes was investigated by time-resolved measurements, and the lifetimes of the dominant ions, O 2 + , NO + , O − , O 2 − and O 3 − , were found to be 28 ± 2, 117 ± 8, 7.3 ± 0.4, 17 ± 1 and 23 ± 2 μs, respectively. The absolute ion densities in the near afterglow region were found to be of the order of 1011 cm−3. Significant differences in the dynamics of the positive and negative ions were found; these are explained by the presence of electrons at similar densities in the afterglow produced by electron detachment reactions from negative ions due to the large concentrations of atomic oxygen and singlet delta oxygen. Transitions in ion flux dynamics for different modulation frequencies and at the startup of the plasma were analyzed together with intensified charge coupled device images recording the plasma propagation in order to assess the dynamics of plasma plume propagation and how it is impacted by ‘memory effects’. Quantitative measurements of the ion densities enabling these memory effects are reported. The results in this paper highlight the tremendous impact of memory effects on plasma propagation and the corresponding pre-ionization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1978

A three-dimensional model of corotating streams in the solar wind. 1: Theoretical foundations

The theoretical and mathematical background pertinent to the study of steady, corotating solar wind structure in all three spatial dimensions (3-D) is discussed. The dynamical evolution of the plasma in interplanetary space (defined as the region beyond roughly 35 solar radii where the flow is supersonic) is approximately described by the nonlinear, single fluid, polytropic (magneto-) hydrodynamic equations. Efficient numerical techniques for solving this complex system of coupled, hyperbolic partial differential equations are outlined. The formulation is inviscid and nonmagnetic, but methods allow for the potential inclusion of both features with only modest modifications. One simple, highly idealized, hydrodynamic model stream is examined to illustrate the fundamental processes involved in the 3-D dynamics of stream evolution. Spatial variations in the rotational stream interaction mechanism were found to produce small nonradial flows on a global scale that lead to the transport of mass, energy, and momentum away from regions of relative compression and into regions of relative rarefaction.

Pizzo, V. J.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Global flow structure and exact formal transseries of the Gubser flow in kinetic theory

In this work we introduce the generic conditions for the existence of a non-equilibrium attractor that is an invariant manifold determined by the long-wavelength modes of the physical system. We investigate the topological properties of the global flow structure of the Gubser flow for the Israel-Stewart theory and a kinetic model for the Boltzmann equation by employing Morse-Smale theory. We present a complete classification of the invariant submanifolds of the flow and determine all the possible flow lines connecting any pair of UV/IR fixed points. The formal transseries solutions to the Gubser dynamical system around the early-time (UV) and late-time (IR) fixed points are constructed and analyzed. It is proven that these solutions are purely perturbative (or power-law asymptotic) series with a finite radius of convergence. Based on these analyses, we find that Gubser-like expanding kinetic systems do not hydrodynamize owing to the failure of the hydrodynamization process which heavily relies on the classification of (non)hydrodynamic modes in the IR regime. This is in contrast to longitudinal boost-invariant plasmas where the asymptotic dynamics is described by a few terms of the hydrodynamic gradient expansion. We finally compare our results for both Bjorken and Gubser conformal kinetic models.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Recent studies on nanosecond-timescale pressurized gas discharges

The results of recent experimental and numerical studies of nanosecond high-voltage discharges in pressurized gases are reviewed. The discharges were ignited in a diode filled by different gases within a wide range of pressures by an applied pulsed voltage or by a laser pulse in the gas-filled charged resonant microwave cavity. Fast-framing imaging of light emission, optical emission spectroscopy, X-ray foil spectrometry and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering were used to study temporal and spatial evolution of the discharge plasma density and temperature, energy distribution function of runaway electrons and dynamics of the electric field in the plasma channel. The results obtained allow a deeper understanding of discharge dynamical properties in the nanosecond timescale, which is important for various applications of these types of discharges in pressurized gases.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1978

A three-dimensional model of corotating streams in the solar wind. I - Theoretical foundations

The paper is concerned with the development of the theoretical and mathematical background pertinent to the study of steady, corotating solar wind structure in all three spatial dimensions. The dynamical evolution of the plasma in interplanetary space (defined as the region beyond roughly 35 Rs where the flow is supersonic) is approximately described by the nonlinear, single-fluid, polytropic magnetohydrodynamic or hydrodynamic equations. Efficient numerical techniques are outlined for solving this complex system of coupled, hyperbolic partial differential equations. The present formulation is inviscid and nonmagnetic, but the methods used allow for the potential inclusion of both features with only modest modifications. A simple, highly idealized hydrodynamic model stream is examined to illustrate the fundamental processes involved in the three-dimensional dynamics of stream evolution. It is found that spatial variations in the rotational stream interaction mechanism produce small nonradial flows on a global scale that lead to the transport of mass, energy, and momentum away from regions of relative compression and into regions of relative rarefaction. Comparison with simpler models demonstrates the essential nonlinear, multidimensional nature of the interplanetary dynamics.

Pizzo, V.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Mosaic CCD method: A new technique for observing dynamics of cometary magnetospheres

On April 29, 1990, the plasma tail of Comet Austin was observed with a CCD camera on the 105-cm Schmidt telescope at the Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. The area of the CCD used in this observation is only about 1 sq cm. When this CCD is used on the 105-cm Schmidt telescope at the Kiso Observatory, the area corresponds to a narrow square view of 12 ft x 12 ft. By comparison with the photograph of Comet Austin taken by Numazawa (personal communication) on the same night, we see that only a small part of the plasma tail can be photographed at one time with the CCD. However, by shifting the view on the CCD after each exposure, we succeeded in imaging the entire length of the cometary magnetosphere of 1.6 x 10(exp 6) km. This new technique is called 'the mosaic CCD method'. In order to study the dynamics of cometary plasma tails, seven frames of the comet from the head to the tail region were twice imaged with the mosaic CCD method and two sets of images were obtained. Six microstructures, including arcade structures, were identified in both the images. Sketches of the plasma tail including microstructures are included.

Saito, T.↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Dynamics of Very High Alfvén Mach Number Shocks in Space Plasmas

Astrophysical shocks, such as planetary bow shocks or supernova remnant shocks, are often in the high or very-high Mach number regime, and the structure of such shocks is crucial for understanding particle acceleration and plasma heating, as well inherently interesting. Recent magnetic field observations at Saturn’s bow shock, for Alfvén Mach numbers greater than about 25, have provided evidence for periodic non-stationarity, although the details of the ion- and electron-scale processes remain unclear due to limited plasma data. High-resolution, multi-spacecraft data are available for the terrestrial bow shock, but here the very high Mach number regime is only attained on extremely rare occasions. Here we present magnetic field and particle data from three such quasi-perpendicular shock crossings observed by the four-spacecraft Cluster mission. Although both ion reflection and the shock profile are modulated at the upstream ion gyroperiod timescale, the dominant wave growth in the foot takes place at sub-proton length scales and is consistent with being driven by the ion Weibel instability. The observed large-scale behavior depends strongly on cross-scale coupling between ion and electron processes, with ion reflection never fully suppressed, and this suggests a model of the shock dynamics that is in conflict with previous models of non-stationarity. Thus, the observations offer insight into the conditions prevalent in many inaccessible astrophysical environments, and provide important constraints for acceleration processes at such shocks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

When should PIC simulations be applied to atmospheric pressure plasmas? Impact of correlation heating

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations are used to test when the particle-in-cell (PIC) method applies to atmospheric pressure plasmas. It is found that PIC applies only when the plasma density and macroparticle weight are sufficiently small because of two effects associated with correlation heating. The first is the physical effect of disorder-induced heating (DIH). This occurs if the plasma density is large enough that a species (typically ions) is strongly correlated in the sense that the Coulomb coupling parameter exceeds one. In this situation, DIH causes ions to rapidly heat following ionization. PIC is not well suited to capture DIH because doing so requires using a macroparticle weight of one and a grid that well resolves the physical interparticle spacing. These criteria render PIC intractable for macroscale domains. The second effect is a numerical error due to artificial correlation heating (ACH). ACH is like DIH in that it is caused by the Coulomb repulsion between particles, but differs in that it is a numerical effect caused by a macroparticle weight larger than one. Like DIH, it is associated with strong correlations. However, here the macroparticle coupling strength is found to scale as Γ w 2 / 3 , where Γ is the physical coupling strength and w is the macroparticle weight. So even if the physical coupling strength of a species is small, as is expected for electrons in atmospheric pressure plasmas, a sufficiently large macroparticle weight can cause the macroparticles to be strongly coupled and therefore heat due to ACH. Furthermore, it is shown that simulations in reduced dimensions exacerbate these issues.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anomalous transport of multi-species edge plasma with the generalized Hasegawa–Wakatani model and the FLR effects

Anomalous transport of multi-species plasma is considered with the generalized Hasegawa–Wakatani model [A. R. Knyazev and S. I. Krasheninnikov, Phys. Plasmas 31, 012502 (2024)] further extended to incorporate the Finite Larmor Radius (FLR) effects. By introducing the “associated” enstrophy, it is shown that with no FLR effects (where anomalous transport of all ion species is described as a transport of passive scalars in the turbulent fields of the electrostatic potential and electron density fluctuations) the fluctuating densities of ion species converge to the state where they are linearly proportional to electron density and vorticity fluctuations, which confirm previous numerical findings of [A. R. Knyazev and S. I. Krasheninnikov, Phys. Plasmas 31, 012502 (2024)]. However, in contrast to the “cold” ion approximation, with the FLR effects included, both the plasma turbulence and the dynamics of all ion species become interconnected. Therefore, for simplicity, the FLR effects in this work were considered only for a small “trace” impurity fraction. It is found that for light (neon) “trace” impurity, the FLR effects reduce both anomalous flux and density fluctuations. However, for heavy (tungsten) “trace” impurity, the FLR effects exhibit non-monotonic impact on anomalous transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Avalanches driven by pressure gradients in a magnetized plasma

The results are presented for a basic heat transport experiment involving an off-axis heat source in which avalanche events occur. The configuration consists of a long, hollow, cylindrical region of elevated electron temperature embedded in a colder plasma, and far from the device walls [Van Compernolle et al. Phys. Rev. E 91, 031102(R) (2015)]. The avalanche events are identified as sudden rearrangements of the pressure profile following the growth of fluctuations from ambient noise. The intermittent collapses of the plasma pressure profile are associated with unstable drift-Alfvén waves and exhibit both radial and poloidal dynamics. After each collapse, the plasma enters a quiescent phase in which the pressure profile slowly recovers and steepens until a threshold is exceeded, and the process repeats. The use of reference probes as time markers allows for the visualization of the 2D spatio-temporal evolution of the avalanche events. Avalanches are observed only for a limited combination of heating powers and magnetic fields. At higher heating powers, the system transits from the avalanche regime into a regime dominated by sustained drift-Alfvén wave activity. Here, this manuscript focuses on new results that illustrate the individual contributions to the avalanche process from density and temperature gradients in the presence of zero-order, sheared flows.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spatial relationships between region 2 field-aligned currents and electron and ion precipitation in the evening sector

The equatorward cutoff of ion and electron precipitation in relation to the evening region 2 field-aligned current during isolated substorms has been investigated using the magnetic field and plasma data obtained from the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite. The equatorward boundaries of the region 2 currents relative to those of central plasma sheet (CPS) electron precipitation are determined predominantly by magnetic local time and subsequently change with substorm phases. With approaching midnight, the equatorward boundary of CPS electron precipitation extends toward and eventually equatorward of that of the region 2 current. On the other hand, the equatorward boundary of the region 2 current coincides well with that of 10-20 keV ion precipitation during the whole course of substorms. It is proposed that these ions originate in the so-called Alfven layer and that the location of this inner boundary determines the lower latitude boundary of the region 2 current.

Fujii, R.↗