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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 1,747 records · Page 97
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Electron heating in 2D: Combining Fermi–Ulam acceleration and magnetic-moment non-adiabaticity in a mirror-configuration plasma

We analyze a new mechanism for the creation and confinement of energetic electrons in a mirror-configuration plasma. A Fermi–Ulam-type process, driven by end-localized coherent electrostatic oscillations, provides axial acceleration, while a natural non-adiabaticity of μ provides phase decorrelation and energy isotropization. This novel 2D combination causes the electron energy distribution function, calculated with a diffusive-loss model, to assume a Maxwellian shape with the μ non-adiabaticity, reducing loss-cone escape and annulling the absolute-barrier energy-limiting Chirikov criterion of lower dimensional models. Here, the theoretical predictions are compared with data from an experiment.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of synthetic electron cyclotron emission from the high field side of HL-2M tokamak plasmas

A synthetic electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic is used to interpret ECE signals from preset plasma equilibrium profiles, including magnetic field, electron density, and electron temperature. According to the simulation results, the electron temperature (T e ) profile covering the harmonic overlap region can be obtained by receiving ECE signals at the high field side (HFS) of the HL-2M plasma. The third harmonic ECE at the low field side (LFS) cannot pass through the second harmonic resonance layer at the HFS unless the optical thickness (τ) of the second harmonic becomes gray (τ ≤ 2). In addition, the impact of the relativistic frequency down-shift has been evaluated and corrected. The measurable range of the HFS ECE has been calculated by scanning different parameters (electron density, temperature, and magnetic field). Higher plasma parameters allow a wider radial range of electron temperature measurements. The minimum inner measurable position can reach R = 120 cm (r/a = -0.89) when the product of core temperature (T e0 ) and density (n e0 ) is greater than 35 × 10 19 keV m -3 , which is extended by more than 30 cm inward compared with that of the LFS measurement. The HFS ECE will greatly improve the diagnostic ability of ECE systems on the HL-2M tokamak.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Linear stability analysis via simulated annealing and accelerated relaxation

Simulated annealing (SA) is a kind of relaxation method for finding equilibria of Hamiltonian systems. A set of evolution equations is solved with SA, which is derived from the original Hamiltonian system so that the energy of the system changes monotonically while preserving Casimir invariants inherent to noncanonical Hamiltonian systems. The energy extremum reached by SA is an equilibrium. Since SA searches for an energy extremum, it can also be used for stability analysis when initiated from a state where a perturbation is added to an equilibrium. The procedure of the stability analysis is explained, and some examples are shown. Because the time evolution is computationally time consuming, efficient relaxation is necessary for SA to be practically useful. An acceleration method is developed by introducing time dependence in the symmetric kernel used in the double bracket, which is part of the SA formulation described here. An explicit formulation for low-beta reduced magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) in cylindrical geometry is presented. In conclusion, since SA for low-beta reduced MHD has two advection fields that relax, it is important to balance the orders of magnitude of these advection fields.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Non-ideal MHD growth of current interchange tearing modes at plasma edge and response to externally-imposed flow

Current interchange tearing modes (CITMs) have been proposed to explain an intermittent eruption of electric current toward a divertor at an edge region of a tokamak device. Extended magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations combined with the Scrape-Off-Layer diffusion model, which has been developed by the authors [Miura et al., Phys. Plasmas 24, 092111 (2017)], are carried out in order to study the growth of a CITM under influences of two-fluid and gyro-viscous effects, or non-ideal MHD effects. Numerical simulations both with and without an externally imposed azimuthal flow show that the growth of a CITM is observed for a relatively small flow velocity, and that a CITM can be a candidate mechanism for the intermittent eruption of the current in a tokamak, whether the growth is under influences of non-ideal MHD effects or not. Here, the growth can be suppressed when an externally imposed azimuthal flow is sufficiently large to cause a finite radial displacement because such a displacement prevents a transition from an interchange to a tearing mode that is the key process of a CITM. Furthermore, it is also found that a stripe pattern similar to so-called streamers is formed in the course of the CITM growth. The basic nature of this streamer-like structure is also presented.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of dot-specific and tunable effective g factors in a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot single-hole device

Difference in g factors in multidot structures can form the basis of dot-selective spin manipulation under global microwave irradiation. Here employing electric dipole spin resonance facilitated by strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI), we observe differences in the extracted values of the single-hole effective g factors of the constituent quantum dots of a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot device at the level of ~ 5 %–10%. We examine the continuous change in the hole g factor with electrical detuning over a wide range of interdot tunnel couplings and for different out-of-plane magnetic fields. The observed tendency of the quantum dot effective g factors to steadily increase on decreasing the interdot coupling or on increasing the magnetic field is attributed to the impact on the SOI of changing the dot confinement potential and heavy-hole light-hole mixing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fluctuation-induced shear flow and energy transfer in plasma interchange turbulence

Fluctuation-induced E × B shear flow and energy transfer for plasma interchange turbulence are examined in a flux-driven system with both closed and open magnetic field lines. The nonlinear evolution of interchange turbulence shows the presence of two confinement regimes characterized by low and high E × B flow shear. In the first regime, the large-scale turbulent convection is dominant and the mean E × B shear flow is at a relatively low level. By increasing the heat flux above a certain threshold, the increased turbulent intensity gives rise to the transfer of energy from fluctuations to mean E × B flows. As a result, a transition to the second regime occurs, in which a strong mean E × B shear flow is generated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnetized, radiofrequency-driven hollow cathode chemical-vapor deposition of ultrathick hydrogenated amorphous carbon

Amorphous carbon is an attractive material for next-generation inertial confinement fusion (ICF) ablators due to its amorphous structure, tunable density, compatibility with dopants, chemical inertness, and mechanical robustness. Ablators are typically deposited as ultrathick (10–200 μm) coatings on removable spherical templates. The deposition of such thick amorphous carbon films is challenging due to high intrinsic compressive stress, which causes film buckling and delamination. Here, we study the deposition of amorphous carbon films by magnetized, radiofrequency-driven hollow cathode chemical vapor deposition with a custom-designed source in Ne plasmas. Emphasis is on the hollow-cathode source design and effects of the plasma discharge power and the precursor flow rate on film properties. We demonstrate deposition rates of >1 μm/h for films with hydrogen content of ∼40 at. %, densities of 1.1–1.7 g/cm 3 , and trace quantities of oxygen impurities. In conclusion, we also demonstrate the feasibility of depositing thick hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (∼30 μm) for ICF applications.

Carbon based materials↗
DOE OSTI2020

Programmable chiral states in flocks of active magnetic rollers

Inspired by nature, active matter exemplified by self-organization of motile units into macroscopic structures holds great promise for advanced tunable materials capable of flocking, shape-shifting, and self-healing. Active particles driven by external fields have repeatedly demonstrated potential for complex self-organization and collective behavior, yet how to guide the direction of their collective motion largely remains unexplored. Here, we report a system of microscopic ferromagnetic rollers driven by an alternating magnetic field that demonstrates programmable control of the direction of a self-organized coherent vortical motion (i.e., chirality). Facilitated by a droplet confinement, the rollers get synchronized and display either right- or left-handed spontaneous vortical motion, such that their moving direction determines the vortex chirality. Here, we reveal that one can remotely command a flock of magnetic rollers to switch or maintain its chiral state by modulating a phase shift of the sinusoidal magnetic field powering the active rollers. Building on our findings, we realize a self-assembled remotely controlled micro-pump architecture capable of switching the fluid transport direction on demand. Our studies may stimulate new design strategies for directed transport and flocking robotics at the microscale based on active colloids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Heating of thermal non-equilibrium ions by Alfvén wave via nonresonant interaction

Pickup of thermal non-equilibrium ions by Alfvén wave via nonresonant wave-particle interaction is investigated by means of analytical test-particle theory. Some interesting and new results are found. No matter what the initial velocity distribution is, if the background magnetic field, the Alfvén speed, and the Alfvén magnetic field are fixed, the average parallel velocity never changes when t→∞. Heating effects in the perpendicular and parallel direction just depend on the initial temperature, and the perpendicular temperature increase is more prominent. It is noted that the heating effect of thermal non-equilibrium ions (Kappa ions) is weaker than that of the Maxwellian. This phenomenon may be relative to the heating of ions in the solar corona as well as in some toroidal confinement fusion devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Helicon thruster plasma modeling: Two-dimensional fluid-dynamics and propulsive performances

An axisymmetric macroscopic model of the magnetized plasma flow inside the helicon thruster chamber is derived, assuming that the power absorbed from the helicon antenna emission is known. Ionization, confinement, subsonic flows, and production efficiency are discussed in terms of design and operation parameters. Analytical solutions and simple scaling laws for ideal plasma conditions are obtained. The chamber model is then matched with a model of the external magnetic nozzle in order to characterize the whole plasma flow and assess thruster performances. Thermal, electric, and magnetic contributions to thrust are evaluated. The energy balance provides the power conversion between ions and electrons in chamber and nozzle, and the power distribution among beam power, ionization losses, and wall losses. Thruster efficiency is assessed, and the main causes of inefficiency are identified. The thermodynamic behavior of the collisionless electron population in the nozzle is acknowledged to be poorly known and crucial for a complete plasma expansion and good thrust efficiency.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Towards enhancing two-dimensional electron gas quantum confinement effects in perovskite oxide heterostructures

We explore the possibility of achieving highly confined two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) within one single atomic layer through a comprehensive comparison study on three prototypical perovskite heterostructures, LaAlO{sub 3}/ATiO{sub 3} (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba), using first-principles electronic structure calculations. We predict that the heterostructure LaAlO{sub 3}/BaTiO{sub 3} has a highly confined 2DEG within a single atomic layer of the substrate BaTiO{sub 3}, and exhibits relatively higher interfacial charge carrier density and larger magnetic moments than the well-known LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3} system. The long Ti-O bond length in the ab-plane of the LaAlO{sub 3}/BaTiO{sub 3} heterostructure is responsible for the superior charge confinement. We propose BaTiO{sub 3} as an exceptional substrate material for 2DEG systems with potentially superior properties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantify Plasma Response to Non-Axisymmetric (3D) Magnetic Fields in Tokamaks, Final Report for FES (Fusion Energy Sciences) FY2014 Joint Research Target

The goal of the 2014 Joint Research Target (JRT) has been to conduct experiments and analysis to investigate and quantify the response of tokamak plasmas to non-axisymmetric (3D) magnetic fields. Although tokamaks are conceptually axisymmetric devices, small asymmetries often result from inaccuracies in the manufacture and assembly of the magnet coils, or from nearby magnetized objects. In addition, non-axisymmetric fields may be deliberately applied for various purposes. Even at small amplitudes of order 10 -4 of the main axisymmetric field, such “3D” fields can have profound impacts on the plasma performance. The effects are often detrimental (reduction of stabilizing plasma rotation, degradation of energy confinement, localized heat flux to the divertor, or excitation of instabilities) but may in some case be beneficial (maintenance of rotation, or suppression of instabilities). In general, the magnetic response of the plasma alters the 3D field, so that the magnetic field configuration within the plasma is not simply the sum of the external 3D field and the original axisymmetric field. Typically the plasma response consists of a mixture of local screening of the external field by currents induced at resonant surfaces in the plasma, and amplification of the external field by stable kink modes. Thus, validated magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models of the plasma response to 3D fields are crucial to the interpretation of existing experiments and the prediction of plasma performance in future devices. The non-axisymmetric coil sets available at each facility allow well-controlled studies of the response to external 3D fields. The work performed in support of the 2014 Joint Research Target has included joint modeling and analysis of existing experimental data, and collaboration on new experiments designed to address the goals of the JRT. A major focus of the work was validation of numerical models through quantitative comparison to experimental data, in order to gain confidence in their ability to predict the performance of ITER and other burning plasmas. An important element of this effort was also to verify experimentally the limits of validity of the models. The rest of this overview will summarize the key results of the work.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Unravelling Magnetic Nanochain Formation in Dispersion for In Vivo Applications

Self-assembly of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) into 1D chains is appealing, because of their biocompatibility and higher mobility compared to 2D/3D assemblies while traversing the circulatory passages and blood vessels for in vivo biomedical applications. In this work, parameters such as size, concentration, composition, and magnetic field, responsible for chain formation of IONPs in a dispersion as opposed to spatially confining substrates, are examined. In particular, the monodisperse 27 nm IONPs synthesized by an extended LaMer mechanism are shown to form chains at 4 mT, which are lengthened with applied field reaching 270 nm at 2.2 T. The chain lengths are completely reversible in field. Using a combination of scattering methods and reverse Monte Carlo simulations the formation of chains is directly visualized. The visualization of real-space IONPs assemblies formed in dispersions presents a novel tool for biomedical researchers. This allows for rapid exploration of the behavior of IONPs in solution in a broad parameter space and unambiguous extraction of the parameters of the equilibrium structures. Additionally, it can be extended to study novel assemblies formed by more complex geometries of IONPs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-temperature and high-pressure NMR investigations of low viscous fluids confined in mesoporous systems

Abstract In this contribution, the relaxation and diffusional behaviors of low viscous fluids, water and methanol confined into mesoporous silica and controlled size pore glass were investigated. The engineered porous systems are relevant to geologically important subsurface energy materials. The engineered porous proxies were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analyzer, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and electron microscopy (EM) to determine surface area, pore-wall protonation and morphology of these materials, respectively. The confined behavior of the low viscous fluids was studied by varying pore diameter, fluid-to-solid ratio, temperature, and pressure, and then compared to bulk liquid state. Both relaxation and diffusion behaviors for the confined fluids showed increasing deviation from pure bulk fluids as the fluid-to-solid ratio was decreased, and surface-to-volume ratio ( S / V ) was varied. Variable pressure deuteron NMR relaxation of confined D 2 O and confined methanol, deuterated at the hydroxyl or methyl positions, were performed to exploit the sensitivity of the deuteron quadrupole moment to molecular rotation. The methanol results demonstrated greater pressure dependence than those for water only in bulk. The deviations from bulk liquid behavior arise from different reasons such as confinement and the interactions between confined fluid and the nano-pore wall. The results of the present report give insight into the behavior of low viscosity fluid in nano-confined geometries under different state conditions.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2016

GAMMA-RAY BURSTS FROM MAGNETIC RECONNECTION: VARIABILITY AND ROBUSTNESS OF LIGHT CURVES

The dissipation mechanism that powers gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) remains uncertain almost half a century after their discovery. The two main competing mechanisms are the extensively studied internal shocks and the less studied magnetic reconnection. Here we consider GRB emission from magnetic reconnection accounting for the relativistic bulk motions that it produces in the jet's bulk rest frame. Far from the source the magnetic field is almost exactly normal to the radial direction, suggesting locally quasi-spherical thin reconnection layers between regions of oppositely directed magnetic field. We show that if the relativistic motions in the jet's frame are confined to such a quasi-spherical uniform layer, then the resulting GRB light curves are independent of their direction distribution within this layer. This renders previous results for a delta-function velocity-direction distribution applicable to a much more general class of reconnection models, which are suggested by numerical simulations. Such models that vary in their velocity-direction distribution differ mainly in the size of the bright region that contributes most of the observed flux at a given emission radius or observed time. The more sharply peaked this distribution, the smaller this bright region, and the stronger the light curve variability that may be induced by deviations from a uniform emission over the thin reconnection layer, which may be expected in a realistic GRB outflow. This is reflected both in the observed image at a given observed time and in the observer-frame emissivity map at a given emission radius, which are calculated here for three simple velocity-direction distributions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

On the thermodynamics and other constitutive properties of a class of strongly magnetized matter observed in astrophysics

It is shown that the occurrence of magnetization work is a consistent thermodynamic explanation of the property of anti-correlation between temperature and density of the electrons gas in a class of magnetic-field-dominated structures observed in the interplanetary medium. In this model, a 7/4 scaling ratio for magnetization work to electron-gas work explains the often observed anomalous adiabatic polytropic exponent γ{sub a}=1/2. This interpretation is built on the theoretical conjecture of a matter state having spatial confinement of most hadronic elements of matter, i.e., matter held in place by the action of what is here denominated as a “super-strong” magnetic field, which together with the plasma it contains satisfies—on medium to large spatial-temporal scales—ideal magnetohydrodynamics. Several elements of the interpretation are tested for a case study, the flux-rope (FR) structure passing Wind SC on 1998 June 2. This allows us to extract, for a 185 s sample interval inside the FR, the following constitutive properties of this diamagnetic state of matter: (i) sound speed, (ii) thermal temperature, (iii) magnetic permeability, and (iv) a low limit to its dielectric permittivity. The intervals of coherence, i.e., thermodynamic homogeneity, extend from a few to many 10{sup 4} km for plasma and magnetic field average with a sampling rate of 3s per value. We point out that this state of matter, which we identify to be an amorphous three-dimensional Langmuir lattice, differs from other materials studied in the laboratory at extreme low temperatures and is well described as BCS-superconductors because in our case we understand that (a) the magnetic permeability is non-zero, and (b) substantial field-aligned, convected-current density exists.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evolutionary sheath structure in magnetized collisionless plasma with electron inertia

A classical hydrodynamic model is methodologically formulated to see the equilibrium properties of a planar plasma sheath in two-component magnetized bounded plasma. It incorporates the weak but finite electron inertia instead of asymptotically inertialess electrons. The effects of the externally applied oblique (relative to the bulk plasma flow) magnetic field are judiciously accented. It is, for the sake of simplicity, assumed that the relevant physical parameters (plasma density, electrostatic potential, and flow velocity) vary only in a direction normal to the confining wall boundary. It is noticed for the first time that the derived Bohm condition for sheath formation is modified conjointly by the electron inertia, magnetic field, and field orientation. It is manifested that the electron inertia in the presence of plasma gyrokinetic effects slightly enhances the ion Mach threshold value (typically, M{sub i0} ≥ 1.139) toward the sheath entrance. This flow supercriticality is in contrast with the heuristic formalism (M{sub i0} ≥ 1) for the zero-inertia electrons. A numerical illustrative scheme on the parametric sheath features on diverse nontrivial apposite arguments is constructed alongside ameliorative scope.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE OF SAUSAGE-PINCH INSTABILITY IN SOLAR CORONA BY SDO/AIA

We present the first observational evidence of the evolution of sausage-pinch instability in active region 11295 during a prominence eruption using data recorded on 2011 September 12 by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We have identified a magnetic flux tube visible in AIA 304 A that shows curvatures on its surface with variable cross-sections as well as enhanced brightness. These curvatures evolved and thereafter smoothed out within a timescale of a minute. The curved locations on the flux tube exhibit a radial outward enhancement of the surface of about 1-2 Mm (a factor of two larger than the original thickness of the flux tube) from the equilibrium position. AIA 193 A snapshots also show the formation of bright knots and narrow regions in-between at the four locations as that of 304 A along the flux tube where plasma emission is larger compared to the background. The formation of bright knots over an entire flux tube as well as the narrow regions in <60 s may be the morphological signature of the sausage instability. We also find the flows of confined plasma (propagation of brightness) in these bright knots along the field lines, which indicates the dynamicity of the flux tube that probably causes the dominance of the longitudinal field component over short temporal scales. The observed longitudinal motion of the plasma frozen in the magnetic field lines further vanishes the formed curvatures and plasma confinements as well as growth of instability to stabilize the flux tube.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗