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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

Anomalous current pinch of a toroidal axisymmetric plasma with stochastic magnetic field perturbations

Anomalous current pinch, in addition to the anomalous diffusion due to stochastic magnetic perturbations, is theoretically found, which may qualitatively explain the recent DIII-D experiment on resonant magnetic field perturbation. The anomalous current pinch, which may resolve the long-standing issue of seed current in a fully bootstrapped tokamak, is also discussed for the electrostatic turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Patterns of patterns of synchronization: Noise induced attractor switching in rings of coupled nonlinear oscillators

Following the long-lived qualitative-dynamics tradition of explaining behavior in complex systems via the architecture of their attractors and basins, we investigate the patterns of switching between distinct trajectories in a network of synchronized oscillators. Our system, consisting of nonlinear amplitude-phase oscillators arranged in a ring topology with reactive nearest-neighbor coupling, is simple and connects directly to experimental realizations. We seek to understand how the multiple stable synchronized states connect to each other in state space by applying Gaussian white noise to each of the oscillators' phases. To do this, we first analytically identify a set of locally stable limit cycles at any given coupling strength. For each of these attracting states, we analyze the effect of weak noise via the covariance matrix of deviations around those attractors. We then explore the noise-induced attractor switching behavior via numerical investigations. For a ring of three oscillators, we find that an attractor-switching event is always accompanied by the crossing of two adjacent oscillators' phases. For larger numbers of oscillators, we find that the distribution of times required to stochastically leave a given state falls off exponentially, and we build an attractor switching network out of the destination states as a coarse-grained description of the high-dimensional attractor-basin architecture.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Metal-ceramic materials. Study and prediction of effective mechanical properties

Mechanical behavior of stochastic metal-ceramic composite materials was numerically simulated on mesoscopic scale level. Deformation of mesoscopic volumes of composites, whose structure consists of a metal matrix and randomly distributed ceramic inclusions, was numerically simulated. The results of the numerical simulation were used for evaluation of the effective elastic and strength properties of metal-ceramic materials with different parameters of the structure. The values of the effective mechanical properties of investigated materials were obtained, and the character of the dependence of the effective elastic and strength properties on the structure parameters of composites was determined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-charge energetic ions generated by intersecting laser pulses

Ion acceleration from the interaction of two intersecting intense laser pulses with an overdense plasma is investigated using a three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. It is found that, comparing with the single-pulse case, the charge of the resulting energetic ion bunch can be increased by more than an order of magnitude without much loss of quality. Dependence of the ion charge on the interaction parameters, including separation distance and incidence angles of the lasers, is considered. It is shown that the charge of the accelerated ion bunch can be optimized by controlling the degree of laser overlapping. The improved performance can be attributed to the enhanced laser intensity as well as stochastic heating of the accelerated electrons. Since at present the intensity of readily available lasers is limited, the two pulse scheme should be useful for realizing higher laser intensity in order to achieve higher-energy target normal sheath acceleration ions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Response of MDOF strongly nonlinear systems to fractional Gaussian noises

In the present paper, multi-degree-of-freedom strongly nonlinear systems are modeled as quasi-Hamiltonian systems and the stochastic averaging method for quasi-Hamiltonian systems (including quasi-non-integrable, completely integrable and non-resonant, completely integrable and resonant, partially integrable and non-resonant, and partially integrable and resonant Hamiltonian systems) driven by fractional Gaussian noise is introduced. The averaged fractional stochastic differential equations (SDEs) are derived. The simulation results for some examples show that the averaged SDEs can be used to predict the response of the original systems and the simulation time for the averaged SDEs is less than that for the original systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Role of spin-transfer torques on synchronization and resonance phenomena in stochastic magnetic oscillators

A theoretical study on how synchronization and resonance-like phenomena in superparamagnetic tunnel junctions can be driven by spin-transfer torques is presented. We examine the magnetization of a superparamagnetic free layer that reverses randomly between two well-defined orientations due to thermal fluctuations, acting as a stochastic oscillator. When subject to an external ac forcing, this system can present stochastic resonance and noise-enhanced synchronization. We focus on the roles of the mutually perpendicular damping-like and field-like torques, showing that the response of the system is very different at low and high frequencies. We also demonstrate that the field-like torque can increase the efficiency of the current-driven forcing, especially at sub-threshold electric currents. These results can be useful for possible low-power, more energy efficient applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Internal additive noise effects in stochastic resonance using organic field effect transistor

Stochastic resonance phenomenon was observed in organic field effect transistor using poly(3-hexylthiophene), which enhances performance of signal transmission with application of noise. The enhancement of correlation coefficient between the input and output signals was low, and the variation of correlation coefficient was not remarkable with respect to the intensity of external noise, which was due to the existence of internal additive noise following the nonlinear threshold response. In other words, internal additive noise plays a positive role on the capability of approximately constant signal transmission regardless of noise intensity, which can be said “homeostatic” behavior or “noise robustness” against external noise. Furthermore, internal additive noise causes emergence of the stochastic resonance effect even on the threshold unit without internal additive noise on which the correlation coefficient usually decreases monotonically.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A backward Monte-Carlo method for time-dependent runaway electron simulations

Kinetic descriptions of runaway electrons (REs) are usually based on Fokker-Planck models that determine the probability distribution function of REs in 2-dimensional momentum space. Despite the simplification involved, the Fokker-Planck equation can rarely be solved analytically and direct numerical approaches [e.g., continuum and particle-based Monte Carlo (MC)] can be time consuming, especially in the computation of asymptotic-type observables including the runaway probability, the slowing-down and runaway mean times, and the energy limit probability. In this study, we present a novel backward MC approach to these problems based on backward stochastic differential equations that describe the dynamics of the runaway probability by means of the Feynman-Kac theory. The key ingredient of the backward MC algorithm is to place all the particles in a runaway state and simulate them backward from the terminal time to the initial time. As such, our approach can provide much faster convergence than direct MC methods (by significantly reducing the number of particles required to achieve a prescribed accuracy) while at the same time maintaining the advantages of particle-based methods (compared to continuum approaches). The proposed algorithm is unconditionally stable and can be parallelized as easy as the direct MC method, and its extension to dimensions higher than two is straightforward, thus paving the way for conducting large-scale RE simulation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electron parallel closures for the 3 + 1 fluid model

Linear closures are obtained for arbitrary collisionality for the 3 + 1 fluid model which includes the evolution of density, flow velocity, and pressure both parallel and perpendicular to a preferred direction, usually a magnetic field. A large set of 6400 moment equations is solved to provide closures that are accurate in the collisional regime and well into the collisionless regime. The closures in the collisionless limit are determined by solving the kinetic equation with a model collision operator. Simple fits for the kernel functions that define the closures are obtained for arbitrary collisionality in wave number space. The results are linearly accurate to within 3% across the entire range of collisionality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Letter: Modeling reactive shock waves in heterogeneous solids at the continuum level with stochastic differential equations

In this paper, a new paradigm is introduced for modeling reactive shock waves in heterogeneous solids at the continuum level. Inspired by the probability density function methods from turbulent reactive flows, it is hypothesized that the unreacted material microstructures lead to a distribution of heat release rates from chemical reaction. Fluctuations in heat release, rather than velocity, are coupled to the reactive Euler equations which are then solved via the Riemann problem. Finally, a numerically efficient, one-dimensional hydrocode is used to demonstrate this new approach, and simulation results of a representative impact calculation (inert flyer into explosive target) are discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DNA molecules deviate from shortest trajectory when driven through hydrogel

Dynamic fluorescence-based single-molecule imaging of $λ$-DNA molecules driven through agarose hydrogels by DC electric fields reveals that passage through the hydrogel (98.5% water content) induces mobility orthogonal to the external field. Tortuous paths followed by the DNA molecules, which are heavily entangled in the hydrogel mesh as their contour length is nearly 100 times the hydrogel mesh size of 200 nm, cause them to appear to diffuse orthogonal to the driving force. The higher the driving field, from 2 to 16 V/cm, the higher the off-axis dispersion is, over the same time interval. In this work we measure the off-axis displacement distribution over 3 orders of magnitude of probability density and find a master curve after normalizing for time (t) elapsed, but the power of time for normalizing increases with the external field, from t 0.25 to t 0.6 with increasing field. Comparing trajectories over the same distance traveled in the electric field direction, we observe whereas for the highest field strengths DNA molecules come closest to taking the shortest trajectory between two points in space, deviations from the shortest trajectory grow larger and larger (up to 40% larger) as one approaches the case of small yet finite external field strength.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Collisional transport coefficients of dense high-temperature plasmas within the quantum Landau-Fokker-Planck framework

In this paper, we extend the long-established formulas for the transport coefficients of classical plasmas inside the dense plasma regime for temperatures and densities where the classical Landau equation breaks down but its quantum extension that includes quantum degeneracy effects is valid. To this end, the quantum Landau kinetic equation is solved by the Chapman-Enskog method. The mathematical derivation is done in full generality, i.e., for multicomponent systems and to all orders of the polynomials expansion used to approximate the distribution functions. We apply the general results to two important examples, the electron gas model and an electron-ion plasma model consisting of one type of ions of any charge. We discuss the combined effects of the Pauli exclusion principle, of the electron-electron, and of the electron-ion collisions on the transport coefficients and on the convergence of the Chapman-Enskog method. For the electron gas model, the effect of the Pauli exclusion principle on the transport coefficients rapidly becomes non-negligible outside the domain of validity of the classical Landau equation. For the electron-ion plasmas, the effect of the Pauli exclusion principle depends sensitively on the ion charge Z and varies non-monotonically with Θ. For instance, for ion charge Z = 1, the electrical conductivity is increased by up to ~30% compared to its classical value over the range of degeneracy parameters studied, the thermal conductivity is reduced by up to ~9%, and the shear viscosity coefficient is increased by up to ~13%. Finally, in the Lorentz gas ( Z → ∞ ) limit, the electrical conductivity is reduced by up to ~14% compared to its classical value over the range of degeneracy parameters studied, the thermal conductivity is reduced by up to ~39%, and the shear viscosity coefficient is not affected.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Elucidating plasma dynamics in Hasegawa–Wakatani turbulence by information geometry

In this work, the impact of adiabatic electrons on drift-wave turbulence, modeled by the Hasegawa–Wakatani equations, is studied using information length. Information length is a novel theoretical method for measuring distances between statistical states represented by different probability distribution functions (PDFs) along the path of a system and represents the total number of statistically different states that a system evolves through in time. Specifically, the time-dependent PDFs of turbulent fluctuations for a given adiabatic index $A$ are computed. The changes in fluctuation statistics are then quantified in time by using information length. The numerical results provide time traces exhibiting intermittent plasma dynamics, and such behavior is identified by a rapid change in the information length. The effects of $A$ are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Stochastic self-tuning hybrid algorithm for reaction-diffusion systems

Many biochemical phenomena involve reactants with vastly different concentrations, some of which are amenable to continuum-level descriptions, while the others are not. We present a hybrid self-tuning algorithm to model such systems. The method combines microscopic (Brownian) dynamics for diffusion with mesoscopic (Gillespie-type) methods for reactions and remains efficient in a wide range of regimes and scenarios with large variations of concentrations. Furthermore, its accuracy, robustness, and versatility are balanced by redefining propensities and optimizing the mesh size and time step. We use a bimolecular reaction to demonstrate the potential of our method in a broad spectrum of scenarios: from almost completely reaction-dominated systems to cases where reactions rarely occur or take place very slowly. The simulation results show that the number of particles present in the system does not degrade the performance of our method. This makes it an accurate and computationally efficient tool to model complex multireaction systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Gyrokinetic particle simulations of interactions between energetic particles and magnetic islands induced by neoclassical tearing modes

Interactions between energetic particles (EPs) and neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) islands in the DIII-D tokamak are studied using the global gyrokinetic toroidal code (GTC). GTC simulations find that the EP radial profile is partially flattened within the magnetic island regions and that there are stochastic regions in the particle phase space. Radial particle flux is induced mainly around the magnetic island regions and decreases with time to almost zero when the initial EP distribution achieves a new steady-state in the absence of EP sources. Stochastic regions of magnetic field lines induced by the superposition of multiple islands have weak effects on the particle flux when the width of stochastic regions is smaller than the EP drift orbit width. In conclusion, the perturbed parallel EP current induced by the magnetic islands has weak stabilizing effects on the linear growth rate of the NTM instability in this DIII-D experiment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Non-Hermitian approach for quantum plasmonics

Herein, we examine the limits of applicability of a simple non-Hermitian model for exciton/plasmon interactions in the presence of dissipation and dephasing. The model can be used as an alternative to the more complete Lindblad density matrix approach and is computationally and conceptually simpler. We find that optical spectra in the linear regime can be adequately described by this approach. The model can fail, however, under continuous optical driving in some circumstances. In the case of two quantum dots or excitons interacting with a plasmon, the model can also describe coherences and entanglement qualitatively when both dissipation and dephasing are present and quantitatively in the limit with no dephasing. The approach, within a single excitation manifold, is also applied to assess the role of disorder for 50 quantum dots interacting with a plasmon, where we find that, on average, large enough disorder can help stabilize the ensemble average of the open quantum system toward a dark quasi-steady-state much faster than without disorder. Furthermore, while such single excitation manifold calculations in this size limit can readily be done with either the non-Hermitian or Lindblad forms, as one goes to larger Hilbert space sizes, the computational and storage advantages of the non-Hermitian approach can become more useful. Published under license by AIP Publishing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗