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Results for “RELATIVISTIC PLASMA”

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
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NASA NTRS1983

Large-amplitude hydromagnetic waves in collisionless relativistic plasma - Exact solution for the fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave

An exact nonlinear solution is found to the relativistic kinetic and electrodynamic equations (in their hydromagnetic limit) that describes the large-amplitude fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave propagating normal to the magnetic field in a collisionless, previously uniform plasma. It is pointed out that a wave of this kind will be generated by transverse compression of any collisionless plasma. The solution is in essence independent of the detailed form of the particle momentum distribution functions. The solution is obtained, in part, through the method of characteristics; the wave exhibits the familiar properties of steepening and shock formation. A detailed analysis is given of the ultrarelativistic limit of this wave.

Barnes, A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Electron-cyclotron maser instability in relativistic plasmas

The electron-cyclotron maser instability is studied for the case of an anisotropic electron velocity distribution in the regime where the relativistic corrections to the wave dispersion are significant. Solution of the linear dispersion relation reveals that when the plasma frequency-gyrofrequency ratio is less than v(te)/c, the instability is localized just below k(perpendicular)c/Omega(e) = 1. The growth rate is then strongly peaked for emission at 90 deg to the magnetic field and is considerably larger than would be the case if the cold-plasma dispersion theory were valid. These features are confirmed by EM particle simulations.

Pritchett, P. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Transverse conductivity of a relativistic plasma in oblique electric and magnetic fields

Resistive tearing in a primary candidate for flares occurring in stressed magnetic fields. Its possible application to the strongly magnetized environments (Hz about 10 to the 12th G) near the surface of neutron stars, particularly as a mechanism for generating the plasma heating and particle acceleration leading to gamma-ray bursts, has motivated a quantum treatment of this process, which requires knowledge of the electrical conductivity sigma of a relativistic gas in a new domain (i.e., that of a low-density n/e/) plasma in oblique electric and magnetic fields. This paper discusses the mathematical formalism for calculating sigma and present numerical results for a wide range of parameter values. The results indicate that sigma depends very strongly on both the applied electric and magnetic fields.

Melia, Fulvio↗
NASA NTRS1981

Kinetic theory of relativistic plasmas

The thermalization of particle kinetic motion by binary collisions is considered for a plasma with a Boltzmann constant-temperature product approximately equal to 10 to 100 times the product of the electron mass with the square of the speed of light. At this temperature, the principal mechanism for relaxation of electron motion is via radiationless electron-electron collisions (Moller scattering). Ions are nonrelativistic, but are energetic enough so that their Coulomb scattering can be treated in the Born approximation. Relaxation times are computed and Boltzmann-equation Fokker-Planck operators are derived for the various binary-collision processes. The expression for the rate of kinetic energy exchange between electron and ion gases is derived for the case where the gases are at different temperatures.

Gould, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

One-photon pair annihilation in magnetized relativistic plasmas

In supersonic magnetic fields, electron-positron pairs may annihilate into single photons producing spectral features above 1 MeV. The paper calculates the exact one-photon annihilation rate in the general case where pairs may annihilate from excited Landau states, extending the previous studies which were restricted to pairs in the ground state. Asymptotic expressions for annihilation spectra and rates in the limit of large pair quantum numbers are also derived. It is found that the rate of annihilation from excited states can exceed the rate from the ground state by orders of magnitude in fields less than about 2 x 10 to the 12th G. This allows one-photon annihilation to be competitive with the two-photon process at typical neutron star field strengths. Annihilation spectra from a Maxwellian pair plasma at transrelativistic temperatures show fine structure near threshold on a scale (h/2pi)omega sub B as the result of contributions from individual pair states, which blend into a smooth continuum at higher energies.

Harding, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Secondary antiproton production in relativistic plasmas

Angular and energy spectra of bremsstrahlung have been calculated from anisotropic electron distributions in solar flares. Results have been compared to observations of gamma-ray limb-brightening and the data on the variation of the gamma-ray spectrum with flare position on the sun.

Dermer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Plasma waves in a relativistic, strongly anisotropic plasma propagated along a strong magnetic field

The dispersion properties of plasma waves in a relativistic homogeneous plasma propagated along a strong magnetic field are studied. It is shown that the non-damping plasma waves exist in the frequency range omega sub p or = omega or = omega sub L. The values of omega sub p and omega sub L are calculated for an arbitrary homogeneous relativistic function of the particle distribution. In the case of a power ultrarelativistic distribution, it is shown that, if the ultrarelativistic tail of the distribution drops very rapidly, slightly damping plasma waves are possible with the phase velocity (omega/K)c.

Onishchenko, O. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Physics of Nonmagnetic Relativistic Thermal Plasmas

A detailed treatment of the kinematics of relativistic systems of particles and photons is presented. In the case of a relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of particles, the reaction rate and luminosity are written as single integrals over the invariant cross section, and the production spectrum is written as a double integral over the cross section differential in the energy of the produced particles (or photons) in the center-of-momentum system of two colliding particles. The results are applied to the calculation of the annihilation spectrum of a thermal electron-positron plasma, confirming previous numerical and analytic results. Relativistic thermal electron-ion and electron-electron bremsstrahlung are calculated exactly to lowest order, and relativistic thermal electron-positron bremsstrahlung is calculated in an approximate fashion. An approximate treatment of relativistic Comptonization is developed. The question of thermalization of a relativistic plasma is considered. A formula for the energy loss or exchange rate from the interaction of two relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann plasmas at different temperatures is derived. Application to a stable, uniform, nonmagnetic relativistic thermal plasma is made. Comparison is made with other studies.

Dermer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Binary collision rates of relativistic thermal plasmas. II - Spectra

Spectra of importance for the analysis of relativistic thermal plasmas are numerically calculated assuming a thermal form for the particle distribution functions. Complete sets of optically thin thermal electron-proton, electron-electron, and electron-positron bremsstrahlung spectra are calculated throughout the transrelativistic regime of electron temperatures and compared with approximate expressions for the spectra in the nonrelativistic and extreme relativistic regimes of temperature. A method for calculating accurate secondary particle production spectra in proton-proton collisions from threshold to the highest energies is presented based on an isobaric model near threshold and scaling representations at high energies. The production spectra of charged and neutral pions resulting from proton-proton collisions in relativistic proton plasmas are calculated, and the resultant electron, positron, and gamma-ray spectra from the decay of secondary pions are presented.

Dermer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Relativistic thermal plasmas - Effects of magnetic fields

Processes and equilibria in finite, relativistic, thermal plasmas are investigated, taking into account electron-positron creation and annihilation, photon production by internal processes, and photon production by a magnetic field. Inclusion of the latter extends previous work on such plasmas. The basic relations for thermal, Comptonized synchrotron emission are analyzed, including emission and absorption without Comptonization, Comptonized thermal synchrotron emission, and the Comptonized synchrotron and bremsstrahlung luminosities. Pair equilibria are calculated, including approximations and dimensionless parameters, the pair balance equation, maximum temperatures and field strengths, and individual models and cooling curves.

Araki, S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Relativistic nonlinear plasma waves in a magnetic field

Five relativistic plane nonlinear waves were investigated: circularly polarized waves and electrostatic plasma oscillations propagating parallel to the magnetic field, relativistic Alfven waves, linearly polarized transverse waves propagating in zero magnetic field, and the relativistic analog of the extraordinary mode propagating at an arbitrary angle to the magnetic field. When the ions are driven relativistic, they behave like electrons, and the assumption of an 'electron-positron' plasma leads to equations which have the form of a one-dimensional potential well. The solutions indicate that a large-amplitude superluminous wave determines the average plasma properties.

Kennel, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Compton losses, Compton rockets

The radiation force on a relativistic plasma is shown to accelerate the plasma to relativistic bulk velocities under certain conditions, thus demonstrating that relativistic bulk motion not only alleviates Compton losses, but can also result from such losses. In order to isolate Compton-rocket effects from hydrodynamical ones, it is assumed that the plasma in its instantaneous rest frame has a temporally constant density and is spatially uniform.

Cheng, A. Y. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Relativistic thermal plasmas - Pair processes and equilibria

The work of Bisnovatyi-Kogan, Zel'dovich and Sunyaev (1971) is extended and generalized, through the inclusion of pair-producing photon processes and effects due to the finite size of the plasma, in an investigation of the equilibria of relativistic thermal plasmas which takes into account electron-positron creation and annihilation and photons produced within the plasma. It is shown that the bridge between an effectively thin plasma and an effectively thick plasma occurs in the transrelativistic region, where the dimensionless temperature value is between 0.1 and 1.0 and the temperature remains in this region over a great luminosity range.

Lightman, A. P.↗