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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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Numerical investigation of pulse-modulated atmospheric radio frequency discharges in helium under different duty cycles

Experiments observed that the pulse duty cycle has effects on the plasma homogeneity in pulse-modulated radio frequency (rf) discharges. In this paper, pulse-modulated rf (13.56 MHz) helium discharges are theoretically investigated using a two dimensional fluid model. With the pulse period being fixed to 15 {mu}s, it is found that when the pulse-on duration is over 4 {mu}s, i.e., the duty cycle is larger than approximately 27%, the discharge transits from an inhomogeneous to a homogeneous mode in every specific part of each pulse cycle under currently-used simulation parameters. More quantitative analysis shows that the discharge becomes more homogeneous as the duty cycle is increased but does not reach complete homogeneity. Possible reasons for the homogeneity improvement are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Nonlinear lower hybrid oscillations in a cold viscous plasma

An analytical description of nonlinear lower hybrid oscillations in a cold quasi-neutral plasma in the presence of viscosity is presented in one spatial dimension by using Lagrangian variables. By treating viscosity coefficients of the electron and ion fluids as inversely proportional to their respective densities, an exact solution is obtained. It is found that the damping rate of such oscillations is directly proportional to the effective viscosity coefficients of electron and ion fluids. A possible implication of such solutions is briefly outlined.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Study of the effects of guide field on Hall reconnection

The results from guide field studies on the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) are compared with results from Hall magnetohydrodynamic (HMHD) reconnection simulation with guide field. The quadrupole field, a signature of two-fluid reconnection at zero guide field, is modified by the presence of a finite guide field in a manner consistent with HMHD simulation. The modified Hall current profile contains reduced electron flows in the reconnection plane, which quantitatively explains the observed reduction of the reconnection rate. The present results are consistent with the hypothesis that the local reconnection dynamics is dominated by Hall effects in the collisionless regime of the MRX plasmas. While very good agreement is seen between experiment and simulations, we note that an important global feature of the experiments, a compression of the guide field by the reconnecting plasma, is not represented in the simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

The microphysics and macrophysics of cosmic rays

This review paper commemorates a century of cosmic ray research, with emphasis on the plasma physics aspects. Cosmic rays comprise only ∼10{sup −9} of interstellar particles by number, but collectively their energy density is about equal to that of the thermal particles. They are confined by the Galactic magnetic field and well scattered by small scale magnetic fluctuations, which couple them to the local rest frame of the thermal fluid. Scattering isotropizes the cosmic rays and allows them to exchange momentum and energy with the background medium. I will review a theory for how the fluctuations which scatter the cosmic rays can be generated by the cosmic rays themselves through a microinstability excited by their streaming. A quasilinear treatment of the cosmic ray–wave interaction then leads to a fluid model of cosmic rays with both advection and diffusion by the background medium and momentum and energy deposition by the cosmic rays. This fluid model admits cosmic ray modified shocks, large scale cosmic ray driven instabilities, cosmic ray heating of the thermal gas, and cosmic ray driven galactic winds. If the fluctuations were extrinsic turbulence driven by some other mechanism, the cosmic ray background coupling would be entirely different. Which picture holds depends largely on the nature of turbulence in the background medium.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

The transition mechanism from a symmetric single period discharge to a period-doubling discharge in atmospheric helium dielectric-barrier discharge

Period-doubling and chaos phenomenon have been frequently observed in atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier discharges. However, how a normal single period discharge bifurcates into period-doubling state is still unclear. In this paper, by changing the driving frequency, we study numerically the transition mechanisms from a normal single period discharge to a period-doubling state using a one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model. The results show that before a discharge bifurcates into a period-doubling state, it first deviates from its normal operation and transforms into an asymmetric single period discharge mode. Then the weaker discharge in this asymmetric discharge will be enhanced gradually with increasing of the frequency until it makes the subsequent discharge weaken and results in the discharge entering a period-doubling state. In the whole transition process, the spatial distribution of the charged particle density and the electric field plays a definitive role. The conclusions are further confirmed by changing the gap width and the amplitude of the applied voltage.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Full-F gyrofluid model

A global electromagnetic gyrofluid model based on the full-F gyrokinetic model is derived. The gyrofluid moment variables are not split into fluctuating and equilibrium parts. Profiles are evolved freely, and gyro-averaging operators are not parametrized, but are functions of the gyrofluid moment variables. The fluid moment hierarchy is closed by approximating the gyrokinetic distribution function as a finite order Hermite-Laguerre polynomial and by determining closure approximations for terms involving the gyrokinetic gyro-averaging operator. The model exactly conserves the gyrokinetic full-F energy invariant evaluated using the Hermite-Laguerre decomposition. The model is suited for qualitative studies of the interplay between turbulence, flows, and dynamically evolving profiles in magnetically confined plasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Influence of driving frequency on discharge modes in a dielectric-barrier discharge with multiple current pulses

A one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model was employed to investigate the effect of the driving frequency on the discharge modes in atmospheric-pressure argon discharge with multiple current pulses. The discharge mode was discussed in detail not only at current peaks but also between two adjacent peaks. The simulation results show that different transitions between the Townsend and glow modes during the discharge take place with the driving frequency increased. A complicated transition from the Townsend mode, through glow, Townsend, and glow, and finally back to the Townsend one is found in the discharge with the driving frequency of 8 kHz. There is a tendency of transition from the Townsend to glow mode for the discharge both at the current peaks and troughs with the increasing frequency. The discharge in the half period can all along operate in the glow mode with the driving frequency high enough. This is resulted from the preservation of more electrons in the gas gap and acquisition of more electron energy from the swiftly varying electric field with the increase in driving frequency. Comparison of the spatial and temporal evolutions of the electron density at different driving frequencies indicates that the increment of the driving frequency allows the plasma chemistry to be enhanced. This electrical characteristic is important for the applications, such as surface treatment and biomedical sterilization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Phase-mixing of electrostatic modes in a cold magnetized electron-positron plasma

In a fluid description, we study space-time evolution of electrostatic oscillations in a cold magnetized electron-positron plasma. Nonlinear results up to third order, obtained by employing a simple perturbation technique, indicate phase-mixing and thus breaking of excited oscillations, and provide an expression for the phase-mixing time. It is shown that an increase in the strength of ambient magnetic field results in an increase in the phase-mixing time. The results of our investigation will be of relevance to astrophysical environments as well as laboratory experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Advances in electron kinetics and theory of gas discharges

“Electrons, like people, are fertile and infertile: high-energy electrons are fertile and able to reproduce.”—Lev TsendinModern physics of gas discharges increasingly uses physical kinetics for analysis of non-equilibrium plasmas. The description of underlying physics at the kinetic level appears to be important for plasma applications in modern technologies. In this paper, we attempt to grasp the legacy of Professor Lev Tsendin, who advocated the use of the kinetic approach for understanding fundamental problems of gas discharges. We outline the fundamentals of electron kinetics in low-temperature plasmas, describe elements of the modern kinetic theory of gas discharges, and show examples of the theoretical approach to gas discharge problems used by Lev Tsendin. Important connections between electron kinetics in gas discharges and semiconductors are also discussed. Using several examples, we illustrate how Tsendin's ideas and methods are currently being developed for the implementation of next generation computational tools for adaptive kinetic-fluid simulations of gas discharges used in modern technologies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

On plasma rotation induced by waves in tokamaks

The momentum conservation for resonant wave-particle interactions, now proven rigorously and for general settings, is applied to explain in simple terms how tokamak plasma is spun up by the wave momentum perpendicular to the dc magnetic field. The perpendicular momentum is passed through resonant particles to the dc field and, giving rise to the radial electric field, is accumulated as a Poynting flux; the bulk plasma is then accelerated up to the electric drift velocity proportional to that flux, independently of collisions. The presence of this collisionless acceleration mechanism permits varying the ratio of the average kinetic momentum absorbed by the resonant-particle and bulk distributions depending on the orientation of the wave vector. Both toroidal and poloidal forces are calculated, and a fluid model is presented that yields the plasma velocity at equilibrium.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Filament velocity scaling laws for warm ions

The dynamics of filaments or blobs in the scrape-off layer of magnetic fusion devices are studied by magnitude estimates of a comprehensive drift-interchange-Alfvén fluid model. The standard blob models are reproduced in the cold ion case. Even though usually neglected, in the scrape-off layer, the ion temperature can exceed the electron temperature by an order of magnitude. The ion pressure affects the dynamics of filaments amongst others by adding up to the interchange drive and the polarisation current. It is shown how both effects modify the scaling laws for filament velocity in dependence of its size. Simplifications for experimentally relevant limit regimes are given. These are the sheath dissipation, collisional, and electromagnetic regime.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ion-acoustic double-layers in a magnetized plasma with nonthermal electrons

In the present work we investigate the existence of obliquely propagating ion-acoustic double layers in magnetized two-electron plasmas. The fluid model is used to describe the ion dynamics, and the hot electron population is modeled via a κ distribution function, which has been proved to be appropriate for modeling non-Maxwellian plasmas. A quasineutral condition is assumed to investigate these nonlinear structures, which leads to the formation of double-layers propagating with slow ion-acoustic velocity. The problem is investigated numerically, and the influence of parameters such as nonthermality is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the structure of guide magnetic field in the inertia-driven magnetic reconnection with the presence of shear flow

The effect of equilibrium shear flow on the structure of out-of-plane magnetic field is analytically investigated in the two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) regimes of the collisionless tearing instability, where the electron inertia breaks the frozen-in condition. Our scaling analysis reveals that the Alfvénic and sub-Alfvénic shear flows cannot significantly modify the linear regimes of applicability. In addition, we show that the structure of out-of-plane magnetic field can either be quadrupolar or non-quadrupolar in Hall-MHD regimes. In particular, both types of structures can dominate at β < 1 (β is the ratio of plasma kinetic pressure to the pressure in the magnetic field) depending on the value of the normalized ion inertial skin depth. This conclusion, however, is in contradiction to the claim presented by Rogers et al. [J. Geophys. Res. 108, A3 (2003)], which states that the quadrupolar structure cannot appear at β < 1. The reasons of this disagreement are discussed in our study.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ion finite Larmor radius effects on the interchange instability in an open system

A particle simulation of an interchange instability was performed by taking into account the ion finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects. It is found that the interchange instability with large FLR grows in two phases, that is, linearly growing phase and the nonlinear phase subsequent to the linear phase, where the instability grows exponentially in both phases. The linear growth rates observed in the simulation agree well with the theoretical calculation. The effects of FLR are usually taken in the fluid simulation through the gyroviscosity, the effects of which are verified in the particle simulation with large FLR regime. The gyroviscous cancellation phenomenon observed in the particle simulation causes the drifts in the direction of ion diamagnetic drifts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Two-fluid simulations of driven reconnection in the mega-ampere spherical tokamak

In the merging-compression method of plasma start-up, two flux-ropes with parallel toroidal current are formed around in-vessel poloidal field coils, before merging to form a spherical tokamak plasma. This start-up method, used in the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST), is studied as a high Lundquist number and low plasma-beta magnetic reconnection experiment. In this paper, 2D fluid simulations are presented of this merging process in order to understand the underlying physics, and better interpret the experimental data. These simulations examine the individual and combined effects of tight-aspect ratio geometry and two-fluid physics on the merging. The ideal self-driven flux-rope dynamics are coupled to the diffusion layer physics, resulting in a large range of phenomena. For resistive MHD simulations, the flux-ropes enter the sloshing regime for normalised resistivity η≲10{sup −5}. In Hall-MHD, three regimes are found for the qualitative behaviour of the current sheet, depending on the ratio of the current sheet width to the ion-sound radius. These are a stable collisional regime, an open X-point regime, and an intermediate regime that is highly unstable to tearing-type instabilities. In toroidal axisymmetric geometry, the final state after merging is a MAST-like spherical tokamak with nested flux-surfaces. It is also shown that the evolution of simulated 1D radial density profiles closely resembles the Thomson scattering electron density measurements in MAST. An intuitive explanation for the origin of the measured density structures is proposed, based upon the results of the toroidal Hall-MHD simulations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Magnetic island evolution in the presence of ion-temperature gradient-driven turbulence

Turbulence is known to drive and sustain magnetic islands of width equal to multiples of the Larmor radius. The nature of the drive is studied here by means of numerical simulations of a fluid electrostatic model in 2D (single helicity) sheared-slab geometry. The electrostatic model eliminates the coalescence of short wavelength islands as a mechanism for sustaining longer wavelength islands. In quiescent islands, the polarization current, which depends on the propagation velocity of the island through the plasma, plays a critical role in determining the growth or decay of island chains. For turbulent islands, the unforced propagation velocity is significantly changed by strong zonal flow. The simulations show, however, that the turbulent fluctuations in the current density are much larger and faster than those in the zonal flow, and that they dominate the steady-state perturbed current density. In order to distinguish the roles of the zonal flow from the direct action of the fluctuations on the islands, a new diagnostic is implemented. This new diagnostic separates the effects of all the sources of parallel current. These are the curvature (which drives Pfirsch-Schlüter currents) and the divergences of the viscous and Reynolds stresses (the latter driving polarization currents). The new diagnostic also enables the contributions from short and long wavelengths to be separated for each term. It shows that in the absence of curvature, the drive is dominated by the contributions to the polarization current from the short wavelength fluctuations, while the long-wavelength fluctuations play a stabilizing role. In the presence of unfavorable curvature, by contrast, the effects of the short- and long-wavelength contributions of the polarization current reverse roles but nearly cancel, leaving the Pfirsch-Schlüter current as the dominant drive.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Influence of metastable atoms in the simulation of hollow cathode discharge

The characteristics of hollow cathode discharge are investigated by using two-dimensional fluid model combined with a transport model for metastable atoms (F-M model) in argon. It shows that the stepwise ionization is one of main important mechanism for electrons production. The distribution of electric potential, density of electrons, ions, and metastable atoms are calculated with a pressure of 10 Torr and a voltage of 250 V. The peak density of electron and ion is 1.2×10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}, and the peak density of metastable atoms is 3.5×10{sup 13} cm{sup −3}. The results obtained in F-M model are compared with that in fluid model (without metastable atoms involved). Metastable atoms are found to play an important role in the discharge. In addition, with the increase of pressure and voltage, the percentage of stepwise ionization in the total ionization increase, and the difference of discharge characteristics simulated by these two kinds of models rises.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nonlinear electron oscillations in a warm plasma

A class of nonstationary solutions for the nonlinear electron oscillations of a warm plasma are presented using a Lagrangian fluid description. The solution illustrates the nonlinear steepening of an initial Gaussian electron density disturbance and also shows collapse behavior in time. The obtained solution may indicate a class of nonlinear transient structures in an unmagnetized warm plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗