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At least 1,765 records · Page 98
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DOE OSTI2013

SELF-PERPETUATING SPIRAL ARMS IN DISK GALAXIES

The causes of spiral structure in galaxies remain uncertain. Leaving aside the grand bisymmetric spirals with their own well-known complications, here we consider the possibility that multi-armed spiral features originate from density inhomogeneities orbiting within disks. Using high-resolution N-body simulations, we follow the motions of stars under the influence of gravity, and show that mass concentrations with properties similar to those of giant molecular clouds can induce the development of spiral arms through a process termed swing amplification. However, unlike in earlier work, we demonstrate that the eventual response of the disk can be highly non-linear, significantly modifying the formation and longevity of the resulting patterns. Contrary to expectations, ragged spiral structures can thus survive at least in a statistical sense long after the original perturbing influence has been removed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF Z-PINCH EXPERIMENTS TO CREATE SUPERSONIC DIFFERENTIALLY ROTATING PLASMA FLOWS

The physics of accretion disks is of fundamental importance for understanding of a wide variety of astrophysical sources that includes protostars, X-ray binaries, and active galactic nuclei. The interplay between hydrodynamic flows and magnetic fields and the potential for turbulence-producing instabilities is a topic of active research that would benefit from the support of dedicated experimental studies. Such efforts are in their infancy, but in an effort to push the enterprise forward we propose an experimental configuration which employs a modified cylindrical wire array Z-pinch to produce a rotating plasma flow relevant to accretion disks. We present three-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations which show how this approach can be implemented. In the simulations, a rotating plasma cylinder or ring is formed, with typical rotation velocity {approx}30 km s{sup -1}, Mach number {approx}4, and Reynolds number in excess of 10{sup 7}. The plasma is also differentially rotating. Implementation of different external magnetic field configurations is discussed. It is found that a modest uniform vertical field of 1 T can affect the dynamics of the system and could be used to study magnetic field entrainment and amplification through differential rotation. A dipolar field potentially relevant to the study of accretion columns is also considered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

ANGULAR MOMENTUM TRANSPORT BY ACOUSTIC MODES GENERATED IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. II. MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS

We perform global unstratified three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of an astrophysical boundary layer (BL)-an interface region between an accretion disk and a weakly magnetized accreting object such as a white dwarf-with the goal of understanding the effects of magnetic field on the BL. We use cylindrical coordinates with an isothermal equation of state and investigate a number of initial field geometries including toroidal, vertical, and vertical with zero net flux. Our initial setup consists of a Keplerian disk attached to a non-rotating star. In a previous work, we found that in hydrodynamical simulations, sound waves excited by shear in the BL were able to efficiently transport angular momentum and drive mass accretion onto the star. Here we confirm that in MHD simulations, waves serve as an efficient means of angular momentum transport in the vicinity of the BL, despite the magnetorotational instability (MRI) operating in the disk. In particular, the angular momentum current due to waves is at times larger than the angular momentum current due to MRI. Our results suggest that angular momentum transport in the BL and its vicinity is a global phenomenon occurring through dissipation of waves and shocks. This point of view is quite different from the standard picture of transport by a local anomalous turbulent viscosity. In addition to angular momentum transport, we also study magnetic field amplification within the BL. We find that the field is indeed amplified in the BL, but only by a factor of a few, and remains subthermal.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SIMULATIONS OF PARTICLE ACCELERATION BEYOND THE CLASSICAL SYNCHROTRON BURNOFF LIMIT IN MAGNETIC RECONNECTION: AN EXPLANATION OF THE CRAB FLARES

It is generally accepted that astrophysical sources cannot emit synchrotron radiation above 160 MeV in their rest frame. This limit is given by the balance between the accelerating electric force and the radiation reaction force acting on the electrons. The discovery of synchrotron gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula, well above this limit, challenges this classical picture of particle acceleration. To overcome this limit, particles must accelerate in a region of high electric field and low magnetic field. This is possible only with a non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic process, like magnetic reconnection. We present the first numerical evidence of particle acceleration beyond the synchrotron burnoff limit, using a set of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of ultra-relativistic pair plasma reconnection. We use a new code, Zeltron, that includes self-consistently the radiation reaction force in the equation of motion of the particles. We demonstrate that the most energetic particles move back and forth across the reconnection layer, following relativistic Speiser orbits. These particles then radiate >160 MeV synchrotron radiation rapidly, within a fraction of a full gyration, after they exit the layer. Our analysis shows that the high-energy synchrotron flux is highly variable in time because of the strong anisotropy and inhomogeneity of the energetic particles. We discover a robust positive correlation between the flux and the cut-off energy of the emitted radiation, mimicking the effect of relativistic Doppler amplification. A strong guide field quenches the emission of >160 MeV synchrotron radiation. Our results are consistent with the observed properties of the Crab flares, supporting the reconnection scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE PROGENITOR OF SN 2011ja: CLUES FROM CIRCUMSTELLAR INTERACTION

Massive stars, possibly red supergiants, which retain extended hydrogen envelopes until core collapse, produce Type II plateau (IIP) supernovae. The ejecta from these explosions shocks the circumstellar matter originating from the mass loss of the progenitor during the final phases of its life. This interaction accelerates particles to relativistic energies which then lose energy via synchrotron radiation in the shock-amplified magnetic fields and inverse Compton scattering against optical photons from the supernova. These processes produce different signatures in the radio and X-ray parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Observed together, they allow us to break the degeneracy between shock acceleration and magnetic field amplification. In this work, we use X-rays observations from the Chandra and radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array to study the relative importance of processes which accelerate particles and those which amplify magnetic fields in producing the non-thermal radiation from SN 2011ja. We use radio observations to constrain the explosion date. Multiple Chandra observations allow us to probe the history of variable mass loss from the progenitor. The ejecta expands into a low-density bubble followed by interaction with a higher density wind from a red supergiant consistent with M{sub ZAMS} {approx}> 12 M{sub Sun }. Our results suggest that a fraction of Type IIP supernovae may interact with circumstellar media set up by non-steady winds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Simulations of ion acceleration at non-relativistic shocks. I. Acceleration efficiency

We use two-dimensional and three-dimensional hybrid (kinetic ions-fluid electrons) simulations to investigate particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification at non-relativistic astrophysical shocks. We show that diffusive shock acceleration operates for quasi-parallel configurations (i.e., when the background magnetic field is almost aligned with the shock normal) and, for large sonic and Alfvénic Mach numbers, produces universal power-law spectra ∝p {sup –4}, where p is the particle momentum. The maximum energy of accelerated ions increases with time, and it is only limited by finite box size and run time. Acceleration is mainly efficient for parallel and quasi-parallel strong shocks, where 10%-20% of the bulk kinetic energy can be converted to energetic particles and becomes ineffective for quasi-perpendicular shocks. Also, the generation of magnetic turbulence correlates with efficient ion acceleration and vanishes for quasi-perpendicular configurations. At very oblique shocks, ions can be accelerated via shock drift acceleration, but they only gain a factor of a few in momentum and their maximum energy does not increase with time. These findings are consistent with the degree of polarization and the morphology of the radio and X-ray synchrotron emission observed, for instance, in the remnant of SN 1006. We also discuss the transition from thermal to non-thermal particles in the ion spectrum (supra-thermal region) and we identify two dynamical signatures peculiar of efficient particle acceleration, namely, the formation of an upstream precursor and the alteration of standard shock jump conditions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Longitudinal magnetohydrodynamics oscillations in dissipative, cooling coronal loops

This paper investigates the effect of cooling on standing slow magnetosonic waves in coronal magnetic loops. The damping mechanism taken into account is thermal conduction that is a viable candidate for dissipation of slow magnetosonic waves in coronal loops. In contrast to earlier studies, here we assume that the characteristic damping time due to thermal conduction is not small, but arbitrary, and can be of the order of the oscillation period, i.e., a temporally varying plasma is considered. The approximation of low-beta plasma enables us to neglect the magnetic field perturbation when studying longitudinal waves and consider, instead, a one-dimensional motion that allows a reliable first insight into the problem. The background plasma temperature is assumed to be decaying exponentially with time, with the characteristic cooling timescale much larger than the oscillation period. This assumption enables us to use the WKB method to study the evolution of the oscillation amplitude analytically. Using this method we obtain the equation governing the oscillation amplitude. The analytical expressions determining the wave properties are evaluated numerically to investigate the evolution of the oscillation frequency and amplitude with time. The results show that the oscillation period increases with time due to the effect of plasma cooling. The plasma cooling also amplifies the amplitude of oscillations in relatively cool coronal loops, whereas, for very hot coronal loop oscillations the damping rate is enhanced by the cooling. We find that the critical point for which the amplification becomes dominant over the damping is in the region of 4 MK. These theoretical results may serve as impetus for developing the tools of solar magneto-seismology in dynamic plasmas.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

NuSTAR study of hard X-ray morphology and spectroscopy of PWN G21.5–0.9

We present NuSTAR high-energy X-ray observations of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN)/supernova remnant G21.5–0.9. We detect integrated emission from the nebula up to ∼40 keV, and resolve individual spatial features over a broad X-ray band for the first time. The morphology seen by NuSTAR agrees well with that seen by XMM-Newton and Chandra below 10 keV. At high energies, NuSTAR clearly detects non-thermal emission up to ∼20 keV that extends along the eastern and northern rim of the supernova shell. The broadband images clearly demonstrate that X-ray emission from the North Spur and Eastern Limb results predominantly from non-thermal processes. We detect a break in the spatially integrated X-ray spectrum at ∼9 keV that cannot be reproduced by current spectral energy distribution models, implying either a more complex electron injection spectrum or an additional process such as diffusion compared to what has been considered in previous work. We use spatially resolved maps to derive an energy-dependent cooling length scale, L(E)∝E{sup m} with m = –0.21 ± 0.01. We find this to be inconsistent with the model for the morphological evolution with energy described by Kennel and Coroniti. This value, along with the observed steepening in power-law index between radio and X-ray, can be quantitatively explained as an energy-loss spectral break in the simple scaling model of Reynolds, assuming particle advection dominates over diffusion. This interpretation requires a substantial departure from spherical magnetohydrodynamic, magnetic-flux-conserving outflow, most plausibly in the form of turbulent magnetic-field amplification.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Simulations of ion acceleration at non-relativistic shocks. III. Particle diffusion

We use large hybrid (kinetic-protons-fluid-electrons) simulations to investigate the transport of energetic particles in self-consistent electromagnetic configurations of collisionless shocks. In previous papers of this series, we showed that ion acceleration may be very efficient (up to 10%-20% in energy), and outlined how the streaming of energetic particles amplifies the upstream magnetic field. Here, we measure particle diffusion around shocks with different strengths, finding that the mean free path for pitch-angle scattering of energetic ions is comparable with their gyroradii calculated in the self-generated turbulence. For moderately strong shocks, magnetic field amplification proceeds in the quasi-linear regime, and particles diffuse according to the self-generated diffusion coefficient, i.e., the scattering rate depends only on the amount of energy in modes with wavelengths comparable with the particle gyroradius. For very strong shocks, instead, the magnetic field is amplified up to non-linear levels, with most of the energy in modes with wavelengths comparable to the gyroradii of highest-energy ions, and energetic particles experience Bohm-like diffusion in the amplified field. We also show how enhanced diffusion facilitates the return of energetic particles to the shock, thereby determining the maximum energy that can be achieved in a given time via diffusive shock acceleration. The parameterization of the diffusion coefficient that we derive can be used to introduce self-consistent microphysics into large-scale models of cosmic ray acceleration in astrophysical sources, such as supernova remnants and clusters of galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES FROM MASSIVE MAGNETARS FORMED IN BINARY NEUTRON STAR MERGERS

Binary neutron star (NS) mergers are among the most promising sources of gravitational waves (GWs), as well as candidate progenitors for short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs). Depending on the total initial mass of the system and the NS equation of state (EOS), the post-merger phase can be characterized by a prompt collapse to a black hole or by the formation of a supramassive NS, or even a stable NS. In the latter cases of post-merger NS (PMNS) formation, magnetic field amplification during the merger will produce a magnetar and induce a mass quadrupole moment in the newly formed NS. If the timescale for orthogonalization of the magnetic symmetry axis with the spin axis is smaller than the spindown time, the NS will radiate its spin down energy primarily via GWs. Here we study this scenario for the various outcomes of NS formation: we generalize the set of equilibrium states for a twisted torus magnetic configuration to include solutions that, for the same external dipolar field, carry a larger magnetic energy reservoir; we hence compute the magnetic ellipticity for such configurations, and the corresponding strength of the expected GW signal as a function of the relative magnitude of the dipolar and toroidal field components. The relative number of GW detections from PMNSs and from binary NSs is a very strong function of the NS EOS, being higher (∼1%) for the stiffest EOSs and negligibly small for the softest ones. For intermediate-stiffness EOSs, such as the n = 4/7 polytrope recently used by Giacomazzo and Perna or the GM1 used by Lasky et al., the relative fraction is ∼0.3%; correspondingly, we estimate a GW detection rate from stable PMNSs of ∼0.1-1 yr{sup –1} with advanced detectors, and of ∼100-1000 yr{sup –1} with detectors of third generation such as the Einstein Telescope. Measurement of such GW signals would provide constraints on the NS EOS and, in connection with an SGRB, on the nature of the binary progenitors giving rise to these events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

LANGMUIR WAVE DECAY IN INHOMOGENEOUS SOLAR WIND PLASMAS: SIMULATION RESULTS

Langmuir turbulence excited by electron flows in solar wind plasmas is studied on the basis of numerical simulations. In particular, nonlinear wave decay processes involving ion-sound (IS) waves are considered in order to understand their dependence on external long-wavelength plasma density fluctuations. In the presence of inhomogeneities, it is shown that the decay processes are localized in space and, due to the differences between the group velocities of Langmuir and IS waves, their duration is limited so that a full nonlinear saturation cannot be achieved. The reflection and the scattering of Langmuir wave packets on the ambient and randomly varying density fluctuations lead to crucial effects impacting the development of the IS wave spectrum. Notably, beatings between forward propagating Langmuir waves and reflected ones result in the parametric generation of waves of noticeable amplitudes and in the amplification of IS waves. These processes, repeated at different space locations, form a series of cascades of wave energy transfer, similar to those studied in the frame of weak turbulence theory. The dynamics of such a cascading mechanism and its influence on the acceleration of the most energetic part of the electron beam are studied. Finally, the role of the decay processes in the shaping of the profiles of the Langmuir wave packets is discussed, and the waveforms calculated are compared with those observed recently on board the spacecraft Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory and WIND.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Vorticity, shocks, and magnetic fields in subsonic, ICM-like turbulence

We analyze data from high resolution simulations of the generation of compressible, MHD turbulence with properties chosen to resemble conditions in galaxy clusters. In particular, the flow is driven to have turbulence Mach number M{sub t}∼1/2 in an isothermal medium with an initially very weak, uniform seed magnetic field (β=P{sub g}/P{sub B}=10{sup 6}). Since cluster turbulence is likely to result from a mix of sheared (solenoidal) and compressive forcing processes, we examine the distinct turbulence properties for both cases. In one set of simulations velocity forcing is entirely solenoidal (∇⋅δu=0), while in the other it is entirely compressive (∇×δu=0). Both cases develop a mixture of solenoidal and compressive turbulent motions, since each generates the other. The development of compressive turbulent motions leads to shocks, even when the turbulence is solenoidally forced and subsonic. Shocks, in turn, produce and amplify vorticity, which is especially important in compressively forced turbulence. To clarify those processes we include a pair of appendices that look in detail at vorticity evolution in association with shocks. From our simulation analyses we find that magnetic fields amplified to near saturation levels in predominantly solenoidal turbulence can actually enhance vorticity on small scales by concentrating and stabilizing shear. The properties, evolution rates, and relative contributions of the kinetic and magnetic turbulent elements depend strongly on the character of the forcing. Specifically, shocks are stronger, but vorticity evolution and magnetic field amplification are slower and weaker when the turbulence is compressively forced. We identify a simple relation to estimate characteristic shock strengths in terms of the turbulence Mach number and the character of the forcing. Our results will be helpful in understanding flow motions in galaxy clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Diffusive shock acceleration and reconnection acceleration processes

Shock waves, as shown by simulations and observations, can generate high levels of downstream vortical turbulence, including magnetic islands. We consider a combination of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) and downstream magnetic-island-reconnection-related processes as an energization mechanism for charged particles. Observations of electron and ion distributions downstream of interplanetary shocks and the heliospheric termination shock (HTS) are frequently inconsistent with the predictions of classical DSA. We utilize a recently developed transport theory for charged particles propagating diffusively in a turbulent region filled with contracting and reconnecting plasmoids and small-scale current sheets. Particle energization associated with the anti-reconnection electric field, a consequence of magnetic island merging, and magnetic island contraction, are considered. For the former only, we find that (i) the spectrum is a hard power law in particle speed, and (ii) the downstream solution is constant. For downstream plasmoid contraction only, (i) the accelerated spectrum is a hard power law in particle speed; (ii) the particle intensity for a given energy peaks downstream of the shock, and the distance to the peak location increases with increasing particle energy, and (iii) the particle intensity amplification for a particular particle energy, f(x,c/c{sub 0})/f(0,c/c{sub 0}), is not 1, as predicted by DSA, but increases with increasing particle energy. The general solution combines both the reconnection-induced electric field and plasmoid contraction. The observed energetic particle intensity profile observed by Voyager 2 downstream of the HTS appears to support a particle acceleration mechanism that combines both DSA and magnetic-island-reconnection-related processes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comparison of the numerical modelling and experimental measurements of DIII-D separatrix displacements during H-modes with resonant magnetic perturbations

In this paper, numerical modelling of the plasma boundary position and its displacement due to external magnetic perturbations in DIII-D low-collisionality H-mode discharges is presented. The results of the vacuum model are compared to the experimental measurements for boundary displacements including Thomson scattering electron temperature T e , charge exchange recombination spectroscopy, beam emission spectroscopy, soft x-ray, and divertor Langmuir probe measurements. Magnetically perturbed discharges with toroidal mode number n = 2 and n = 3 are studied. It is shown that the vacuum model predictions agree well with the measurements above and below the midplane, and disagree at the outer midplane in discharges where significant kink amplification is present. Finally, the role of the plasma response is studied using the two-fluid MHD code M3D-C 1 , and the results are compared to the vacuum model showing that the plasma response model underestimates the boundary displacements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Indirect drive ignition at the National Ignition Facility

This paper reviews scientific results from the pursuit of indirect drive ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and describes the program's forward looking research directions. In indirect drive on the NIF, laser beams heat an x-ray enclosure called a hohlraum that surrounds a spherical pellet. X-ray radiation ablates the surface of the pellet, imploding a thin shell of deuterium/tritium (DT) that must accelerate to high velocity (v > 350 km s –1 ) and compress by a factor of several thousand. Since 2009, substantial progress has been made in understanding the major challenges to ignition: Rayleigh Taylor (RT) instability seeded by target imperfections; and low-mode asymmetries in the hohlraum x-ray drive, exacerbated by laser-plasma instabilities (LPI). Requirements on velocity, symmetry, and compression have been demonstrated separately on the NIF but have not been achieved simultaneously. We now know that the RT instability, seeded mainly by the capsule support tent, severely degraded DT implosions from 2009–2012. Experiments using a 'high-foot' drive with demonstrated lower RT growth improved the thermonuclear yield by a factor of 10, resulting in yield amplification due to alpha particle heating by more than a factor of 2. Furthermore, large time dependent drive asymmetry in the LPI-dominated hohlraums remains unchanged, preventing further improvements. High fidelity 3D hydrodynamic calculations explain these results. Future research efforts focus on improved capsule mounting techniques and on hohlraums with little LPI and controllable symmetry. In parallel, we are pursuing improvements to the basic physics models used in the design codes through focused physics experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Impact of ideal MHD stability limits on high-beta hybrid operation

Here, the hybrid scenario is a candidate for stationary high-fusion gain tokamak operation in ITER and DEMO. To obtain such performance, the energy confinement and the normalized pressure ${{\beta}_{N}}$ must be maximized, which requires operating near or above ideal MHD no-wall limits. New experimental findings show how these limits can affect hybrid operation. Even if hybrids are mainly limited by tearing modes, proximity to the no-wall limit leads to 3D field amplification that affects plasma profiles, e.g. rotation braking is observed in ASDEX Upgrade throughout the plasma and peaks in the core. As a result, even the small ASDEX Upgrade error fields are amplified and their effects become visible. To quantify such effects, ASDEX Upgrade measured the response to 3D fields applied by $8\times 2$ non-axisymmetric coils as ${{\beta}_{N}}$ approaches the no-wall limit. The full n = 1 response profile and poloidal structure were measured by a suite of diagnostics and compared with linear MHD simulations, revealing a characteristic feature of hybrids: the n = 1 response is due to a global, marginally-stable n = 1 kink characterized by a large m = 1, n = 1 core harmonic due to q min being just above 1. A helical core distortion of a few cm forms and affects various core quantities, including plasma rotation, electron and ion temperature, and intrinsic W density. In similar experiments, DIII-D also measured the effect of this helical core on the internal current profile, providing information useful to understanding of the physics of magnetic flux pumping, i.e. anomalous current redistribution by MHD modes that keeps ${{q}_{\text{min}}}>1$ . Thanks to flux pumping, a broad current profile is maintained in DIII-D even with large on-axis current drive, enabling fully non-inductive operation at high ${{\beta}_{N}}$ up to 3.5–4.

3D equilibrium↗
DOE OSTI2015

Strongly aligned gas-phase molecules at free-electron lasers

Here, we demonstrate a novel experimental implementation to strongly align molecules at full repetition rates of free-electron lasers. We utilized the available in-house laser system at the coherent x-ray imaging beamline at the linac coherent light source. Chirped laser pulses, i.e., the direct output from the regenerative amplifier of the Ti:Sa chirped pulse amplification laser system, were used to strongly align 2, 5-diiodothiophene molecules in a molecular beam. The alignment laser pulses had pulse energies of a few mJ and a pulse duration of 94 ps. A degree of alignment of $\langle {\mathrm{cos}}^{2}{\theta }_{2{\rm{D}}}\rangle =0.85$ was measured, limited by the intrinsic temperature of the molecular beam rather than by the available laser system. With the general availability of synchronized chirped-pulse-amplified near-infrared laser systems at short-wavelength laser facilities, our approach allows for the universal preparation of molecules tightly fixed in space for experiments with x-ray pulses.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

A nanosecond pulsed discharge circuit model for engine applications

Non-equilibrium plasma discharges in spark gaps have been an increasingly studied method for alleviating cycle to cycle variation in lean and dilute combustion environments. However, ignition models that account for streamer propagation, cathode fall, and transmission line amplification over nanosecond time scales have so far not been developed. The present study develops such a model, with emphasis on the energy delivered from circuit to cylinder. Here, key pieces of the relevant physics and chemistry are summarized, simplified, and systematically coupled to one another. The set of parameters is limited to a handful of key observables and modeled using Modelica. Results show non-trivial behavior in the energy delivery characteristics of such discharges with important implications for ignition.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗