Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,459 records · Page 81

Fluid simulations of frequency effects on nonlinear harmonics in inductively coupled plasma

A fluid model is self-consistently established to investigate the harmonic effects in an inductively coupled plasma, where the electromagnetic field is solved by the finite difference time domain technique. The spatiotemporal distribution of harmonic current density, harmonic potential, and other plasma quantities, such as radio frequency power deposition, plasma density, and electron temperature, have been investigated. Distinct differences in current density have been observed when calculated with and without Lorentz force, which indicates that the nonlinear Lorentz force plays an important role in the harmonic effects, especially at low frequencies. Moreover, the even harmonics are larger than the odd harmonics both in the current density and the potential. Finally, the dependence of various plasma quantities with and without the Lorentz force on various driving frequencies is also examined. It is shown that the deposited power density decreases and the depth of penetration increases slightly because of the Lorentz force. The electron density increases distinctly while the electron temperature remains almost the same when the Lorentz force is taken into account.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Drifting localization of ionization runaway: Unraveling the nature of anomalous transport in high power impulse magnetron sputtering

The plasma over a magnetron's erosion ''racetrack'' is not azimuthally uniform but concentrated in distinct dense ionization zones which move in the ExB direction with about 10% of the electron ExB/B{sup 2} drift velocity. The ionization zones are investigated with a gated camera working in concert with a streak camera for Al, Nb, Cu, and W targets in Ar or Kr background gas. It is found that each ionization zone has a high plasma density edge, which is the origin of a plasma-generating electron jet leaving the target zone. Each region of strong azimuthal plasma density gradient generates an azimuthal electric field, which promotes the escape of magnetized electrons and the formation of electron jets and plasma flares. The phenomena are proposed to be caused by an ionization instability where each dense plasma zone exhibits a high stopping power for drifting high energy electrons, thereby enhancing itself.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

An air flow sensor for neonatal mechanical ventilation applications based on a novel fiber-optic sensing technique

In this work, a simple and low-cost air flow sensor, based on a novel fiber-optic sensing technique has been developed for monitoring air flows rates supplied by a neonatal ventilator to support infants in intensive care units. The device is based on a fiber optic sensing technique allowing (a) the immunity to light intensity variations independent by measurand and (b) the reduction of typical shortcomings affecting all biomedical fields (electromagnetic interference and patient electrical safety). The sensing principle is based on the measurement of transversal displacement of an emitting fiber-optic cantilever due to action of air flow acting on it; the fiber tip displacement is measured by means of a photodiode linear array, placed in front of the entrance face of the emitting optical fiber in order to detect its light intensity profile. As the measurement system is based on a detection of the illumination pattern, and not on an intensity modulation technique, it results less sensitive to light intensity fluctuation independent by measurand than intensity-based sensors. The considered technique is here adopted in order to develop two different configurations for an air flow sensor suitable for the measurement of air flow rates typically occurring during mechanical ventilation of newborns: a mono-directional and a bi-directional transducer have been proposed. A mathematical model for the air flow sensor is here proposed and a static calibration of two different arrangements has been performed: a measurement range up to 3.00 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} m{sup 3}/s (18.0 l/min) for the mono-directional sensor and a measurement range of {+-}3.00 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} m{sup 3}/s ({+-}18.0 l/min) for the bi-directional sensor are experimentally evaluated, according to the air flow rates normally encountered during tidal breathing of infants with a mass lower than 10 kg. Experimental data of static calibration result in accordance with the proposed theoretical model: for the mono-directional configuration, the coefficient of determination r{sup 2} is equal to 0.997; for the bi-directional configuration, the coefficient of determination r{sup 2} is equal to 0.990 for positive flows (inspiration) and 0.988 for negative flows (expiration). Measurement uncertainty {delta}Q of air flow rate has been evaluated by means of the propagation of distributions and the percentage error in the arrangement of bi-directional sensor ranges from a minimum of about 0.5% at -18.0 l/min to a maximum of about 9% at -12.0 l/min.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Towards an electro-magnetic field separation of deposited material implemented in an ion beam sputter process

Nowadays, Ion Beam Sputter (IBS) processes are very well optimized on an empirical basis. To achieve further progresses, a modification of the IBS process by guiding the coating material using an axial magnetic field and an additional electrical field has been studied. The electro-magnetic (EM) field leads to a significant change in plasma properties and deposition rate distributions, whereas an increase in deposition rate along the centerline of the axial EM field around 150% was observed. These fundamental studies on the prototype are the basis for the development of an applicable and workable design of a separation device.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Control of light polarization using optically spin-injected vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers

We fabricated and characterized an optically pumped (100)-oriented InGaAs/GaAsP multiple quantum well Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VECSEL). The structure is designed to allow the integration of a Metal-Tunnel-Junction ferromagnetic spin-injector for future electrical injection. We report here the control at room temperature of the electromagnetic field polarization using optical spin injection in the active medium of the VECSEL. The switching between two highly circular polarization states had been demonstrated using an M-shaped extended cavity in multi-modes lasing. This result witnesses an efficient spin-injection in the active medium of the LASER.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Linear and nonlinear physics of the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability of fusion-born ions in relation to ion cyclotron emission

The magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI) probably underlies observations of ion cyclotron emission (ICE) from energetic ion populations in tokamak plasmas, including fusion-born alpha-particles in JET and TFTR [Dendy et al., Nucl. Fusion 35, 1733 (1995)]. ICE is a potential diagnostic for lost alpha-particles in ITER; furthermore, the MCI is representative of a class of collective instabilities, which may result in the partial channelling of the free energy of energetic ions into radiation, and away from collisional heating of the plasma. Deep understanding of the MCI is thus of substantial practical interest for fusion, and the hybrid approximation for the plasma, where ions are treated as particles and electrons as a neutralising massless fluid, offers an attractive way forward. The hybrid simulations presented here access MCI physics that arises on timescales longer than can be addressed by fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations and by analytical linear theory, which the present simulations largely corroborate. Our results go further than previous studies by entering into the nonlinear stage of the MCI, which shows novel features. These include stronger drive at low cyclotron harmonics, the re-energisation of the alpha-particle population, self-modulation of the phase shift between the electrostatic and electromagnetic components, and coupling between low and high frequency modes of the excited electromagnetic field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Dependence of electron trapping on bubble geometry in laser-plasma wakefield acceleration

The effect of bubble shape in laser-plasma electron acceleration was investigated. We showed the general existence of an ellipsoid bubble. The electromagnetic field in this bubble and its dependence on bubble shape were determined through theory. The electron-trapping cross-section for different bubble aspect ratios was studied in detail. When the shape of the bubble was close to spherical, the trapping cross-section reached to the maximum. When the bubble deviated from a spherical shape, the cross-section decreased until electron injection no longer occurred. These results were confirmed by particle-in-cell simulation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Quantitative resonant soft x-ray reflectivity of ultrathin anisotropic organic layers: Simulation and experiment of PTCDA on Au

Resonant soft X-ray reflectivity at the carbon K edge, with linearly polarized light, was used to derive quantitative information of film morphology, molecular arrangement, and electronic orbital anisotropies of an ultrathin 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) film on Au(111). The experimental spectra were simulated by computing the propagation of the electromagnetic field in a trilayer system (vacuum/PTCDA/Au), where the organic film was treated as an anisotropic medium. Optical constants were derived from the calculated (through density functional theory) absorption cross sections of the single molecule along the three principal molecular axes. These were used to construct the dielectric tensor of the film, assuming the molecules to be lying flat with respect to the substrate and with a herringbone arrangement parallel to the substrate plane. Resonant soft X-ray reflectivity proved to be extremely sensitive to film thickness, down to the single molecular layer. The best agreement between simulation and experiment was found for a film of 1.6 nm, with flat laying configuration of the molecules. The high sensitivity to experimental geometries in terms of beam incidence and light polarization was also clarified through simulations. The optical anisotropies of the organic film were experimentally determined and through the comparison with calculations, it was possible to relate them to the orbital symmetry of the empty electronic states.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A stretch/compress scheme for a high temporal resolution detector for the magnetic recoil spectrometer time (MRSt)

Here we present a time-resolved detector concept for the magnetic recoil spectrometer for time-resolved measurements of the NIF neutron spectrum. The measurement is challenging due to the time spreading of the recoil protons (or deuterons) as they transit an energy dispersing magnet system. Ions arrive at the focal plane of the magnetic spectrometer over an interval of tens of nanoseconds. We seek to measure the time-resolved neutron spectrum with 20 ps precision by manipulating an electron signal derived from the ions. A stretch-compress scheme is employed to remove transit time skewing while simultaneously reducing the bandwidth requirements for signal recording. Simulation results are presented along with design concepts for structures capable of establishing the required electromagnetic fields.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Computational studies on scattering of radio frequency waves by density filaments in fusion plasmas

In modern magnetic fusion devices, such as tokamaks and stellarators, radio frequency (RF) waves are commonly used for plasma heating and current profile control, as well as for certain diagnostics. The frequencies of the RF waves range from ion cyclotron frequency to the electron cyclotron frequency. The RF waves are launched from structures, like waveguides and current straps, placed near the wall in a very low density, tenuous plasma region of a fusion device. The RF electromagnetic fields have to propagate through this scrape-off layer before coupling power to the core of the plasma. The scrape-off layer is characterized by turbulent plasmas fluctuations and by blobs and filaments. The variations in the edge density due to these fluctuations and filaments can affect the propagation characteristics of the RF waves—changes in density leading to regions with differing plasma permittivity. Analytical full-wave theories have shown that scattering by blobs and filaments can alter the RF power flow into the core of the plasma in a variety of ways, such as through reflection, refraction, diffraction, and shadowing [see, for example, Ram and Hizanidis, Phys. Plasmas 23, 022504 (2016), and references therein]. There are changes in the wave vectors and the distribution of power–scattering leading to coupling of the incident RF wave to other plasma waves, side-scattering, surface waves, and fragmentation of the Poynting flux in the direction towards the core. However, these theoretical models are somewhat idealized. In particular, it is assumed that there is step-function discontinuity in the density between the plasma inside the filament and the background plasma. In this paper, results from numerical simulations of RF scattering by filaments using a commercial full-wave code are described. The filaments are taken to be cylindrical with the axis of the cylinder aligned along the direction of the ambient magnetic field. The plasma inside and outside the filament is assumed to be cold. There are three primary objectives of these studies. The first objective is to validate the numerical simulations by comparing with the analytical results for the same plasma description—a step-function discontinuity in density. A detailed comparison of the Poynting flux shows that numerical simulations lead to the same results as those from the theoretical model. The second objective is to extend the simulations to take into account a smooth transition in density from the background plasma to the interior of the filament. The ensuing comparison shows that the deviations from the results of the theoretical model are quite small. The third objective is to consider the scattering process for situations well beyond a reasonable theoretical analysis. This includes scattering off multiple filaments with different densities and sizes. In conclusion, simulations for these complex arrangements of filaments show that, in spite of the obvious limitations, the essential physics of RF scattering is captured by the analytical theory for a single filament

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Charged particle reflection by a planar artificially structured boundary with electrostatic plugging

A classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation is used to investigate an artificially structured boundary for confinement and control of charged particles. The artificially structured boundary considered here incorporates a planar sequence of conducting wires, where adjacent wires carry current in opposite directions. Such a configuration creates a sequence of magnetic cusps and was studied previously [C. A. Ordonez, J. Appl. Phys. 106, 024905 (2009)]. The effect of introducing a sequence of electrodes for electrostatic plugging of the cusps is investigated. The results of the simulations are used to identify regions of parameter space in which particle losses through the cusps may be negligible in the single particle limit. A trap based on a cylindrical generalization of the artificially structured boundary presented here may lead to a method for confining non-neutral and partially neutralized plasmas along the edge, such that the bulk of a confined plasma is effectively free of externally applied electromagnetic fields.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Ehrenfest+R dynamics. II. A semiclassical QED framework for Raman scattering

In Paper I [Chen et al., J. Chem. Phys. 150, 044102 (2019)], we introduced Ehrenfest+R dynamics for a two-level system and showed how spontaneous emission can be heuristically included such that, after averaging over an ensemble of Ehrenfest+R trajectories, one can recover both coherent and incoherent electromagnetic fields. In the present paper, we now show that Ehrenfest+R dynamics can also correctly describe Raman scattering, whose features are completely absent from standard Ehrenfest dynamics. Ehrenfest+R dynamics appear to be quantitatively accurate both for resonant and off-resonant Raman signals, as compared with Kramers–Heisenberg–Dirac theory.

Mixed quantum/classical theory↗

A THz driven split-ring resonator based ultrafast relativistic electron streak camera

The use of sub-wavelength metal structures to locally enhance high frequency electromagnetic fields, generally known as plasmonics, enables breakthrough opportunities across diverse fields of research such as nonlinear optics, biosensing, photovoltaics and others. Here we study the application of sub-wavelength metallic resonators tuned in the THz frequency range for manipulation and diagnostics of relativistic electron beams. In this work, we report on the use of a double-sided split-ring structure driven by a near single cycle THz field generated by optical rectification to impart a time-dependent angular deviation (streak) on a 4.5 MeV electron beam. Electrons passing through the small gap reveal field enhancement factors larger than 10, in good agreement with finite difference time domain simulations. This work paves the way for further application of high frequency metallic structures in compact particle accelerators such as for THz-based relativistic electron streaking at fs and sub-fs temporal resolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Photonic thermal conduction by infrared plasmonic resonators in semiconductor nanowires

Photons typically do not contribute to thermal transport within a solid due to their low energy density and tendency to be absorbed quickly. In this article, we propose a practical material system—infrared plasmonic resonators embedded in a semiconductor nanowire—that leverages near-field electromagnetic coupling to achieve photonic thermal transport comparable to the electronic and phononic contributions. We analytically show photonic thermal conductivities up to about 1 W m -1 K -1 for 10 nm diameter Si and InAs nanowires containing repeated resonators at 500 K. Finally, the nanowire system outperforms plasmonic particles in isotropic environments and presents a pathway for photonic thermal transport to exceed that of phonons and electrons.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Study of a magnetically driven reconnection platform using ultrafast proton radiography

A novel magnetically driven reconnection platform was created by a pair of U-shaped Cu coils that connect two parallel Cu plates irradiated at a focused laser intensity of ~3 × 10 16 W/cm 2 and characterized using ultrafast proton radiography. The proton data show two prolate voids, each corresponding to the coil current, with an inferred maximum magnitude of 57 ± 4 kA. A center “flasklike” feature was also observed in the proton radiographs. By prescribing electromagnetic fields associated with magnetic reconnection in proton ray tracing simulations, characteristics of this center feature were reproduced. Finally, these results demonstrate the robustness of the laser-driven capacitor coils for generating strong magnetic fields and provide promise of using such coils as a viable platform for studying magnetically driven reconnection in the laboratory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

MPRAD: A Monte Carlo and ray-tracing code for the proton radiography in high-energy-density plasma experiments

Proton radiography is used in various high-energy-density (HED) plasma experiments. In this paper, we describe a Monte Carlo and raytracing simulation tool called multimegaelectronvolt proton radiography (MPRAD) that can be used for modeling the deflection of proton beams in arbitrary three dimensional electromagnetic fields as well as the diffusion of the proton beams by Coulomb scattering and stopping power. Specifically, the Coulomb scattering and stopping power models in cold matter and fully ionized plasma are combined using interpolation. We discuss the application of MPRAD in a few setups relevant to HED plasma experiments where the plasma density can play a role in diffusing the proton beams and affecting the prediction and interpretation of the proton images. It is shown how the diffusion due to plasma density can affect the resolution and dynamical range of the proton radiography.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Saturn-ring proton backlighters for the National Ignition Facility

Proton radiography is a well-established technique for measuring electromagnetic fields in high-energy-density plasmas. Fusion reactions producing monoenergetic particles, such as D 3 He, are commonly used as a source, produced by a capsule implosion. Using smaller capsules for radiography applications is advantageous as the source size decreases, but on the National Ignition Facility (NIF), this can introduce complications from increasing blow-by light, since the phase plate focal spot size is much larger than the capsules. In this article, we report a demonstration of backlighter targets where a “Saturn” ring is placed around the capsule to block this light. The nuclear performance of the backlighters is unperturbed by the addition of a ring. We also test a ring with an equatorial cutout, which severely affects the proton emission and is not viable for radiography applications. These results demonstrate the general viability of Saturn ring backlighter targets for use on the NIF.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗