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Gekelman, W

Publications and source records attributed to Gekelman, W.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Morphology and dynamics of three interacting kink-unstable flux ropes in a laboratory magnetoplasma

Flux ropes are ubiquitous in space and solar plasmas. Multiple adjacent flux ropes are commonly observed both in the solar corona and in the earth's magnetotail. The interaction of adjacent flux ropes is often dynamic and can lead to magnetic reconnection. In this paper, the interaction of three flux ropes is studied in a low {beta} background laboratory magnetoplasma. The magnetic structure of the flux rope is produced by the poloidal field of a field-aligned finite sized current which adds to the guide magnetic field and creates the typical helical field line structure. Each rope produces magnetic fields on the order of a few percent of the guide field. Volumetric magnetic field data were acquired and the magnetic field structure and dynamics of the flux ropes can thus be reconstructed. The flux ropes are found to propagate at the Alfven speed. Merging and bouncing of the flux ropes have been observed. The ropes twist and writhe as they propagate through the plasma. They are line tied and clearly separate at the cathode end but further away they merge into one extended rope. The steady state of the flux ropes is characterized by a rotation of the three flux ropes as a whole. At the same time, the flux ropes are twisting around each other. Time resolved density and temperature measurements from Langmuir probe data exhibit the same dynamics as the magnetic field data.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONNECTION INVOLVING MAGNETIC FLUX ROPES

Two and three magnetic flux ropes are created and studied in a well-diagnosed laboratory experiment. The twisted helical bundles of field lines rotate and collide with each other over time. In the two rope case, reverse current layers indicative of reconnection are observed. Using a high spatial and temporal resolution three-dimensional volume data set in both cases, quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs) are identified in the magnetic field. Originally developed in the context of solar magnetic reconnection, QSLs are thought to be preferred sites for reconnection. This is verified in these studies. In the case of three flux ropes there are multiple QSLs, which come and go in time. The divergence of the field lines within the QSLs and the field line motion is presented. In all cases, it is observed that the reconnection is patchy in space and bursty in time. Although it occurs at localized positions it is the result of the nonlocal behavior of the flux ropes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Modeling the propagation of whistler-mode waves in the presence of field-aligned density irregularities

We present a numerical study of propagation of VLF whistler-mode waves in a laboratory plasma. Our goal is to understand whistler propagation in magnetic field-aligned irregularities (also called channels or ducts). Two cases are examined, that of a high-frequency ({omega}>{Omega}{sub ce}/2) whistler in a density depletion duct and that of a low-frequency ({omega}<{Omega}{sub ce}/2) whistler in a density enhancement. Results from a numerical simulation of whistler wave propagation are compared to data from the UCLA Los Angeles Physics Teachers Alliance Group plasma device and whistler propagation in pre-existing density depletion and density enhancement ducts is demonstrated.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Wave and transport studies utilizing dense plasma filaments generated with a lanthanum hexaboride cathode

A portable lanthanum hexaboride (LaB{sub 6}) cathode has been developed for use in the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The LaB{sub 6} cathode can be used as a tool for many different studies in experimental plasma physics. To date, the cathode has been used as a source of a plasma with a hot dense core for transport studies and diagnostics development, as a source of gradient driven modes, as a source of shear Alfven waves, and as a source of interacting current channels in reconnection experiments. The LaB{sub 6} cathode is capable of higher discharge current densities than the main barium oxide coated LAPD cathode and is therefore able to produce plasmas of higher densities and higher electron temperatures. The 8.25 cm diameter cathode can be introduced into the LAPD at different axial locations without the need to break vacuum. The cathode can be scaled up or down for use as a portable secondary plasma source in other machines.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Development of a radio-frequency ion beam source for fast-ion studies on the large plasma device

A helium ion beam source (23 kV/2.0 A) has been constructed for studying fast-ion physics in the cylindrical magnetized plasma of the large plasma device (LAPD). An inductive RF source produces a 10{sup 19} m{sup -3} density plasma in a ceramic dome. A multi-aperture, rectangular (8 cm x 8 cm) three-grid system extracts the ion beam from the RF plasma. The ion beam is injected at a variety of pitch angles with Alfvenic speeds in the LAPD. The beam current is intense enough to excite magnetic perturbations in the ambient plasma. Measurements of the ion beam profile were made to achieve an optimum beam performance and a reliable source operation was demonstrated on the LAPD.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Structure of an exploding laser-produced plasma

Currents and instabilities associated with an expanding dense plasma embedded in a magnetized background plasma are investigated by direct volumetric probe measurements of the magnetic field and floating potential. A diamagnetic cavity is formed and found to collapse rapidly compared to the expected magnetic diffusion time. The three-dimensional current density within the expanding plasma includes currents along the background magnetic field, in addition to the diamagnetic current. Correlation measurements reveal that flutelike structures at the plasma surface translate with the expanding plasma across the magnetic field and extend into the current system that sustains the diamagnetic cavity, possibly contributing to its collapse.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Temporally resolved ion velocity distribution measurements in a radio-frequency plasma sheath

The ion velocity distribution function (IVDF) above and within a radio-frequency (RF) biased plasma sheath is studied experimentally with a pulsed laser-induced fluorescence diagnostic in an industrial plasma etch tool. Temporally resolved measurements taken at eight different phases of the 2.2 MHz bias waveform show that the ion dynamics vary dramatically throughout the RF cycle (the ratio of the average ion transit time through the sheath to the RF period is {tau}{sub ion}/{tau}{sub RF} = 0.3). The position of the presheath/sheath edge is constant throughout the RF cycle and the time-averaged ion flux is conserved within the sheath region. The characteristic bimodal structure of the time-averaged ion distributions found in previous experiments is observed to arise from the time-dependent ion dynamics, in accord with existing theory. The large temporal variation of the IVDF has implications for the plasma chemistry and etching quality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

The many faces of shear Alfven waves

One of the fundamental waves in magnetized plasmas is the shear Alfven wave. This wave is responsible for rearranging current systems and, in fact all low frequency currents in magnetized plasmas are shear waves. It has become apparent that Alfven waves are important in a wide variety of physical environments. Shear waves of various forms have been a topic of experimental research for more than fifteen years in the large plasma device (LAPD) at UCLA. The waves were first studied in both the kinetic and inertial regimes when excited by fluctuating currents with transverse dimension on the order of the collisionless skin depth. Theory and experiment on wave propagation in these regimes is presented, and the morphology of the wave is illustrated to be dependent on the generation mechanism. Three-dimensional currents associated with the waves have been mapped. The ion motion, which closes the current across the magnetic field, has been studied using laser induced fluorescence. The wave propagation in inhomogeneous magnetic fields and density gradients is presented as well as effects of collisions and reflections from boundaries. Reflections may result in Alfvenic field line resonances and in the right conditions maser action. The waves occur spontaneously on temperature and density gradients as hybrids with drift waves. These have been seen to affect cross-field heat and plasma transport. Although the waves are easily launched with antennas, they may also be generated by secondary processes, such as Cherenkov radiation. This is the case when intense shear Alfven waves in a background magnetoplasma are produced by an exploding laser-produced plasma. Time varying magnetic flux ropes can be considered to be low frequency shear waves. Studies of the interaction of multiple ropes and the link between magnetic field line reconnection and rope dynamics are revealed. This manuscript gives us an overview of the major results from these experiments and provides a modern prospective for the earlier studies of shear Alfven waves.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Generation of shear Alfven waves by a rotating magnetic field source: Three-dimensional simulations

The paper discusses the generation of polarized shear Alfven waves radiated from a rotating magnetic field source created via a phased orthogonal two-loop antenna. A semianalytical three-dimensional cold two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics model was developed and compared with recent experiments in the University of California, Los Angeles large plasma device. Comparison of the simulation results with the experimental measurements and the linear shear Alfven wave properties, namely, spatiotemporal wave structure, a dispersion relation with nonzero transverse wave number, the magnitude of the wave dependences on the wave frequency, show good agreement. From the simulations it was found that the energy of the Alfven wave generated by the rotating magnetic field source is distributed between the kinetic energy of ions and electrons and the electromagnetic energy of the wave as: {approx}1/2 is the energy of the electromagnetic field, {approx}1/2 is the kinetic energy of the ion fluid, and {approx}2.5% is the kinetic energy of electron fluid for the experiment. The wave magnetic field power calculated from the experimental data and using a fluid model differ by {approx}1% and is {approx}250 W for the experimental parameters. In both the experiment and the three-dimensional two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics simulations the rotating magnetic field source was found to be very efficient for generating shear Alfven waves.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗