Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Crabtree, Chris

Publications and source records attributed to Crabtree, Chris.

Synchronization of dust acoustic waves in a forced Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers model

The synchronization of dust acoustic waves to an external periodic source is studied in the framework of a driven Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers equation that takes into account the appropriate nonlinear and dispersive nature of low-frequency waves in a dusty plasma medium. For a spatiotemporally varying source term, the system is shown to demonstrate harmonic (1:1) and superharmonic (1:2) synchronized states. Here, the existence domains of these states are delineated in the form of Arnold tongue diagrams in the parametric space of the forcing amplitude and forcing frequency and their resemblance to some past experimental results is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electromagnetic pinned solitons for space debris detection

Electromagnetic “pinned” solitons in the form of stationary nonlinear waves are studied within the framework of an inertial magneto-hydrodynamic model. These structures, that can arise when a charged source moves in a magnetized plasma, have a velocity that is equal to the source velocity and, hence, appear as “pinned” structures that envelope the source. We investigate the excitation of such solitons in the Low Earth Orbit region due to the passage of charged orbital debris objects. The spatial size of these electromagnetic solitons, typically of the order of a few ion skin depths, can be very large in this region. Such solitons can be detected using a variety of ground- or orbit-based radio sounding techniques and may provide a convenient additional means of tracking small sized orbital debris objects that are difficult to spot optically.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A forced Korteweg–de Vries model for nonlinear mixing of oscillations in a dusty plasma

Nonlinear mixing of oscillations in a dusty plasma due to the harmonic time varying modulation of a nonlinear compressional oscillation is analyzed using a simple mathematical model consisting of a forced Korteweg-de Vries equation. An exact analytic solution of this equation is found to exhibit nonlinear mixing in the system. Here, the model solution can be usefully employed to predict the existence of nonlinear mixing of oscillations in a two-dimensional dusty plasma system of a particular experimental configuration.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗