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At least 19 records

Evaluation of magnetic flux distribution from magnetic domains in [Co/Pd] nanowires by magnetic domain scope method using contact-scanning of tunneling magnetoresistive sensor

Current-driven magnetic domain wall motions in magnetic nanowires have attracted great interests for physical studies and engineering applications. The magnetic force microscope (MFM) is widely used for indirect verification of domain locations in nanowires, where relative magnetic force between the local domains and the MFM probe is used for detection. However, there is an occasional problem that the magnetic moments of MFM probe influenced and/or rotated the magnetic states in the low-moment nanowires. To solve this issue, the “magnetic domain scope for wide area with nano-order resolution (nano-MDS)” method has been proposed recently that could detect the magnetic flux distribution from the specimen directly by scanning of tunneling magnetoresistive field sensor. In this study, magnetic domain structure in nanowires was investigated by both MFM and nano-MDS, and the leakage magnetic flux density from the nanowires was measured quantitatively by nano-MDS. Specimen nanowires consisted from [Co (0.3)/Pd (1.2)]{sub 21}/Ru(3) films (units in nm) with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy were fabricated onto Si substrates by dual ion beam sputtering and e-beam lithography. The length and the width of the fabricated nanowires are 20 μm and 150 nm. We have succeeded to obtain not only the remanent domain images with the detection of up and down magnetizations as similar as those by MFM but also magnetic flux density distribution from nanowires directly by nano-MDS. The obtained value of maximum leakage magnetic flux by nano-MDS is in good agreement with that of coercivity by magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy. By changing the protective diamond-like-carbon film thickness on tunneling magnetoresistive sensor, the three-dimensional spatial distribution of leakage magnetic flux could be evaluated.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Distortion of a Relativistic Jet Echoing a Magnetic Flux Eruption

Magnetized accretion onto spinning black holes (BHs) can accumulate a large magnetic flux across the event horizon and launch a pair of relativistic jets via the Blandford–Znajek mechanism. In the magnetically saturated (arrested) state, excess magnetic flux is ejected from the BH in episodic magnetic flux eruptions, which result in a significant yet temporary reduction of jet power. We analyze results of a high-resolution 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic numerical simulation of geometrically thick magnetically saturated accretion onto a high-spin Kerr BH for a single cycle of magnetic flux eruption and accumulation. We show that following an eruption, a weakened jet develops a strong helical distortion with a distinct structure of magnetic fields—the poloidal field along the jet core is unaffected by the eruption; while toroidal field lines, ejected from the BH during the eruption and later readvected onto it, form poloidal “bypasses” along the inner jet sheath. Such a distortion may appear in sources fed by geometrically thick accretion flows as an asymmetric superluminal knot, strongly interacting with the jet sheath along an oblique working surface. The jet section repowered by magnetic flux reaccumulated on the BH is tilted by a few degrees, implying significant variations in radiation boost towards observers of BL Lac blazars. The intrinsic structure of the jet spine is consistent with axisymmetric semi-analytical models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Magnetic flux studies in horizontally cooled elliptical superconducting cavities

Previous studies on magnetic flux expulsion as a function of cooldown procedures for elliptical superconducting radio frequency (SRF) niobium cavities showed that when the cavity beam axis is placed parallel to the helium cooling flow and sufficiently large thermal gradients are achieved, all magnetic flux could be expelled and very low residual resistance could be achieved. In this paper, we investigate flux trapping for the case of resonators positioned perpendicularly to the helium cooling flow, which is more representative of how SRF cavities are cooled in accelerators and for different directions of the applied magnetic field surrounding the resonator. We show that different field components have a different impact on the surface resistance, and several parameters have to be considered to fully understand the flux dynamics. A newly discovered phenomenon of concentration of flux lines at the cavity top leading to temperature rise at the cavity equator is presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes

Magnetic flux ropes are commonly observed throughout the heliosphere, and recent studies suggest that interacting flux ropes are associated with some energetic particle events. In this work, we carry out 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to study the coalescence of two magnetic flux ropes (or magnetic islands), and the subsequent plasma energization processes. The simulations are initialized with two magnetic islands embedded in a reconnecting current sheet. The two islands collide and eventually merge into a single island. Particles are accelerated during this process as the magnetic energy is released and converted to the plasma energy, including bulk kinetic energy increase by the ideal electric field, and thermal energy increase by the fluid compression and the nonideal electric field. We find that contributions from these different energization mechanisms are all important and comparable with each other. Fluid shear and a nongyrotropic pressure tensor also contribute to the energy conversion process. For simulations with different box sizes ranging from $L_x$ ~ 25–100$d_i$ and ion-to-electron mass ratios $m_i /m_e$ = 25,100, and 400, we find that the general evolution is qualitatively the same for all runs, and the energization depends only weakly on either the system size or the mass ratio. The results may help us understand plasma energization in solar and heliospheric environments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A Kinetic Inductance Ammeter with Coplanar Waveguide Input Structure for Magnetic Flux Focusing

We propose a multiplexible kinetic inductance ammeter, which uses a high-quality-factor, superconducting, lumped-element, kinetic inductance resonator as a current sensor, a short, superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) for current input, and a CPW transmission line for the sensor readout. The resonator consists of an interdigitated capacitor and a superconducting loop that inductively couples to the input CPW. Current running through the central line of the input CPW generates magnetic fields which are focused into the gaps of the input CPW. These magnetic fields can be measured collectively as the magnetic flux through the superconducting loop. The kinetic inductance of the superconducting loop depends on the screening current for the magnetic flux, so the input current is converted to a change in the frequency of the resonator. We analyze the response and noise of a kinetic inductance ammeter with a high-resistivity NbN loop.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Helicity transformation under the collision and merging of two magnetic flux ropes

Magnetic helicity has become a useful tool in the analysis of astrophysical plasmas. Its conservation in the magnetohydrodynamic limit (and other fluid approaches) constrains the global behavior of large plasma structures. One such astrophysical structure is a magnetic flux rope: a tube-like, current-carrying plasma embedded in an external magnetic field. Bundles of these ropes are commonly observed in the near-earth environment and solar atmosphere. In this well-diagnosed experiment (three-dimensional measurements of n e , T e , V p , B, J, E, and u flow ), two magnetic flux ropes are generated in the Large Plasma Device at UCLA. These ropes are driven kink-unstable to trigger complex motion. As they interact, helicity conservation is examined in regions of reconnection. We examine (1) the transport of helicity and (2) the dissipation of the helicity. As the ropes move and the topology of the field lines diverge, a quasi-separatrix layer (QSL) is formed. As the QSL forms, magnetic helicity is dissipated within this region. Here, at the same time, there is an influx of canonical helicity into the region such that the temporal derivative of magnetic helicity is zero

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Self-induced magnetic flux structure in the magnetic superconductor RbEuFe 4 As 4

We report an unusual enhancement of the magnetic induction in single crystals of the magnetic superconductor RbEuFe 4 As 4 , highlighting the interplay between superconducting and magnetic subsystems in this material. Contrary to the conventional Meissner expulsion of magnetic flux below the superconducting transition temperature, we observe a substantial boost of the magnetic flux density upon approaching the magnetic transition temperature, T m . Direct imaging of the flux evolution with a magneto-optical technique, shows that the magnetic subsystem serves as an internal magnetic flux pump, drawing Abrikosov vortices from the surface, while the superconducting subsystem controls their conveyance into the bulk of the magnetic superconductor via a peculiar self-organized critical state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Observation of quenching-induced magnetic flux trapping using a magnetic field and temperature mapping system

Highly efficient superconducting radio-frequency cavities exhibit low heat loss and are used as components in accelerators and superconducting devices due to their high Q-values. The precise location of magnetic flux trapping in cavities is necessary to identify its effects on the performance of superconducting cavities. In this study, we report a new combined mapping system to measure the temperature and magnetic field on the equator. The proposed system comprehensively maps local magnetic field changes as magnetic flux trapping due to quenching. Our experimental results show that magnetic flux trapping due to quenching increases the local surface resistance of superconducting cavities at 2 K. Thus, the proposed system elucidates the relationship between local flux trapping due to quenching and surface resistance in superconducting cavities and highlights the effect of quenching on the surface resistance. This system can aid in the development of superconducting cavities with higher Q values.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

RECONCILING MODELS OF LUMINOUS BLAZARS WITH MAGNETIC FLUXES DETERMINED BY RADIO CORE-SHIFT MEASUREMENTS

Estimates of magnetic field strength in relativistic jets of active galactic nuclei, obtained by measuring the frequency-dependent radio core location, imply that the total magnetic fluxes in those jets are consistent with the predictions of the magnetically arrested disk (MAD) scenario of jet formation. On the other hand, the magnetic field strength determines the luminosity of the synchrotron radiation, which forms the low-energy bump of the observed blazar spectral energy distribution (SED). The SEDs of the most powerful blazars are strongly dominated by the high-energy bump, which is most likely due to the external radiation Compton mechanism. This high Compton dominance may be difficult to reconcile with the MAD scenario, unless (1) the geometry of external radiation sources (broad-line region, hot-dust torus) is quasi-spherical rather than flat, or (2) most gamma-ray radiation is produced in jet regions of low magnetization, e.g., in magnetic reconnection layers or in fast jet spines.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Efficient expulsion of magnetic flux in superconducting radiofrequency cavities for high Q{sub 0} applications

Even when cooled through its transition temperature in the presence of an external magnetic field, a superconductor can expel nearly all external magnetic flux. This paper presents an experimental study to identify the parameters that most strongly influence flux trapping in high purity niobium during cooldown. This is critical to the operation of superconducting radiofrequency cavities, in which trapped flux degrades the quality factor and therefore cryogenic efficiency. Flux expulsion was measured on a large survey of 1.3 GHz cavities prepared in various ways. It is shown that both spatial thermal gradient and high temperature treatment are critical to expelling external magnetic fields, while surface treatment has minimal effect. For the first time, it is shown that a cavity can be converted from poor expulsion behavior to strong expulsion behavior after furnace treatment, resulting in a substantial improvement in quality factor. Microscopic investigations are performed to study the relevant changes in the material from this treatment. Future plans are described to build on this result in order to optimize treatment for future cavities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Coil current and vacuum magnetic flux calculation for axisymmetric equilibria

In fixed-boundary axisymmetric equilibrium calculations the plasma shape is assigned from input. In several circumstances, the plasma shape may not be known a priori, or one may desire to also compute the magnetic field in the volume surrounding the plasma through the calculation of a free-boundary equilibrium. This requires either the coil currents or the magnetic poloidal flux on a curve in the vacuum region to be assigned as input for the free-boundary equilibrium calculation. The FREE-FIX code presented in this article is a general tool for calculating coil currents being given a fixed-boundary calculation. Finally, a new formulation is presented, which considerably reduces the computational cost of the calculation. FREE-FIX performs well for different geometries and experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Axisymmetric modes in magnetic flux tubes with internal and external magnetic twist

Observations suggest that twisted magnetic flux tubes are ubiquitous in the Sun's atmosphere. The main aim of this work is to advance the study of axisymmetric modes of magnetic flux tubes by modeling both twisted internal and external magnetic fields, when the magnetic twist is weak. In this work, we solve the derived wave equations numerically assuming that the twist outside the tube is inversely proportional to the distance from its boundary. We also study the case of a constant magnetic twist outside the tube and solve these equations analytically. We show that the solution for a constant twist outside the tube is a good approximation for the case where the magnetic twist is proportional to 1/r, namely, the error is in all cases less than 5.4%. The solution is in excellent agreement with solutions to simpler models of twisted magnetic flux tubes, i.e., without external magnetic twist. It is shown that axisymmetric Alfvén waves are naturally coupled with magnetic twist as the azimuthal component of the velocity perturbation is nonzero. We compared our theoretical results with observations and comment on what the Doppler signature of these modes is expected to be. Lastly, we argue that the character of axisymmetric waves in twisted magnetic flux tubes can lead to false positives in identifying observations with axisymmetric Alfvén waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multi-scale dynamics of magnetic flux tubes and inverse magnetic energy transfer

Here, we report on an analytical and numerical study of the dynamics of a three-dimensional array of identical magnetic flux tubes in the reduced-magnetohydrodynamic description of the plasma. We propose that the long-time evolution of this system is dictated by flux-tube mergers, and that such mergers are dynamically constrained by the conservation of the pertinent (ideal) invariants, viz. the magnetic potential and axial fluxes of each tube. We also propose that in the direction perpendicular to the merging plane, flux tubes evolve in a critically balanced fashion. These notions allow us to construct an analytical model for how quantities such as the magnetic energy and the energy-containing scale evolve as functions of time. Of particular importance is the conclusion that, like its two-dimensional counterpart, this system exhibits an inverse transfer of magnetic energy that terminates only at the system scale. We perform direct numerical simulations that confirm these predictions and reveal other interesting aspects of the evolution of the system. We find, for example, that the early time evolution is characterized by a sharp decay of the initial magnetic energy, which we attribute to the ubiquitous formation of current sheets. We also show that a quantitatively similar inverse transfer of magnetic energy is observed when the initial condition is a random, small-scale magnetic seed field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Three-dimensional prominence-hosting magnetic configurations: Creating a helical magnetic flux rope

The magnetic configuration hosting prominences and their surrounding coronal structure is a key research topic in solar physics. Recent theoretical and observational studies strongly suggest that a helical magnetic flux rope is an essential ingredient to fulfill most of the theoretical and observational requirements for hosting prominences. To understand flux rope formation details and obtain magnetic configurations suitable for future prominence formation studies, we here report on three-dimensional isothermal magnetohydrodynamic simulations including finite gas pressure and gravity. Starting from a magnetohydrostatic corona with a linear force-free bipolar magnetic field, we follow its evolution when introducing vortex flows around the main polarities and converging flows toward the polarity inversion line near the bottom of the corona. The converging flows bring the feet of different loops together at the polarity inversion line, where magnetic reconnection and flux cancellation happen. Inflow and outflow signatures of the magnetic reconnection process are identified, and thereby the newly formed helical loops wind around preexisting ones so that a complete flux rope grows and ascends. When a macroscopic flux rope is formed, we switch off the driving flows and find that the system relaxes to a stable state containing a helical magnetic flux rope embedded in an overlying arcade structure. A major part of the formed flux rope is threaded by dipped field lines that can stably support prominence matter, while the total mass of the flux rope is in the order of 4-5× 10{sup 14} g.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The solar internetwork. I. Contribution to the network magnetic flux

The magnetic network (NE) observed on the solar surface harbors a sizable fraction of the total quiet Sun flux. However, its origin and maintenance are not well known. Here we investigate the contribution of internetwork (IN) magnetic fields to the NE flux. IN fields permeate the interior of supergranular cells and show large emergence rates. We use long-duration sequences of magnetograms acquired by Hinode and an automatic feature tracking algorithm to follow the evolution of NE and IN flux elements. We find that 14% of the quiet Sun (QS) flux is in the form of IN fields with little temporal variations. IN elements interact with NE patches and modify the flux budget of the NE either by adding flux (through merging processes) or by removing it (through cancellation events). Mergings appear to be dominant, so the net flux contribution of the IN is positive. The observed rate of flux transfer to the NE is 1.5 × 10{sup 24} Mx day{sup –1} over the entire solar surface. Thus, the IN supplies as much flux as is present in the NE in only 9-13 hr. Taking into account that not all the transferred flux is incorporated into the NE, we find that the IN would be able to replace the entire NE flux in approximately 18-24 hr. This renders the IN the most important contributor to the NE, challenging the view that ephemeral regions are the main source of flux in the QS. About 40% of the total IN flux eventually ends up in the NE.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

MAGNETIC FLUX CONSERVATION IN THE HELIOSHEATH INCLUDING SOLAR CYCLE VARIATIONS OF MAGNETIC FIELD INTENSITY

In the heliosheath (HS), Voyager 2 has observed a flow with constant radial velocity and magnetic flux conservation. Voyager 1, however, has observed a decrease in the flow’s radial velocity and an order of magnitude decrease in magnetic flux. We investigate the role of the 11 yr solar cycle variation of the magnetic field strength on the magnetic flux within the HS using a global 3D magnetohydrodynamic model of the heliosphere. We use time and latitude-dependent solar wind velocity and density inferred from Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/SWAN and interplanetary scintillations data and implemented solar cycle variations of the magnetic field derived from 27 day averages of the field magnitude average of the magnetic field at 1 AU from the OMNI database. With the inclusion of the solar cycle time-dependent magnetic field intensity, the model matches the observed intensity of the magnetic field in the HS along both Voyager 1 and 2. This is a significant improvement from the same model without magnetic field solar cycle variations, which was over a factor of two larger. The model accurately predicts the radial velocity observed by Voyager 2; however, the model predicts a flow speed ∼100 km s{sup −1} larger than that derived from LECP measurements at Voyager 1. In the model, magnetic flux is conserved along both Voyager trajectories, contrary to observations. This implies that the solar cycle variations in solar wind magnetic field observed at 1 AU does not cause the order of magnitude decrease in magnetic flux observed in the Voyager 1 data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗