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Results for “Plasma ionization”

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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Plasma Muon Beam Cooling for HEP

Ionization cooling has the potential to shrink the phase space of a muon beam by a factor of 10⁶ within the muons’ short lifetime (2.2 µs) because the collision frequency in a cooling medium is extremely high compared to conventional beam cooling methods. It has been realized that ionization cooling inherently produces a plasma of free electrons inside the absorber material, and this plasma can have an important effect on the muon beam. In particular, under the right circumstances, it can both improve the rate of cooling and reduce the equilibrium emittance of the beam. This has the potential to improve the performance of muon facilities based on muon cooling; in particular a future muon collider. We describe how this project will integrate Plasma muon beam cooling into both the basic Helical Cooling Channel (HCC) and extreme Parametric-resonance Ionization Cooling (PIC) techniques. This potentially whole new approach to muon cooling has exciting prospects for significantly reduced muon beam emittance.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measuring stopping power in warm dense matter plasmas at OMEGA

A platform has been developed for accurately measuring the stopping power of high energy protons through warm dense matter (WDM) plasmas characterized by x-ray Thomson scattering. Here, in this work, stopping power measurements were successfully made through both WDM Beryllium and Boron plasmas. In the Boron experiments, an increase in stopping was observed over their cold target counter-parts. This increase in stopping was shown to agree well with models that account for the partial ionization of the plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Preliminary study of radio frequency waves in hypervelocity impact plasma

Orbital debris and meteoroids can cause mechanical and electrical anomalies by impacting spacecraft. Although mechanical damage tends to occur only from particles with masses >10 –3 g, electrical damage can be a result of hypervelocity (> 10 km/s) impacts (HVI) even with smaller particles. In HVI, the projectile speed exceeds the speed of sound in the material and has enough energy to create plasma by ionizing the material near the surface, which can then emit radio frequency (RF) waves. In this paper, we conduct a preliminary study on the characteristics of impact-generated RF emission with the ultimate goal of building an RF predictive model for risk assessment of HVI electrical effects that can damage spacecraft. First, we introduce wavelet analysis as a method for denoising and quantifying the total RF signal energy. An appropriate mother wavelet and the number of decomposition levels are selected using a synthetic signal. Second, the total energy of the RF emission is calculated using Parseval’s theorem. Results suggest that the total RF signal energy is proportional to the energy flux of the impactor. Lastly, spectrograms of the RF emission are analyzed to characterize features that can be used in the future to predict impacts that can cause electrical damage to satellites.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1980

Spectroscopy and atomic physics of highly ionized Cr, Fe, and Ni for tokamak plasmas

The paper considers the spectroscopy and atomic physics for some highly ionized Cr, Fe, and Ni ions produced in tokamak plasmas. Forbidden and intersystem wavelengths for Cr and Ni ions are extrapolated and interpolated using the known wavelengths for Fe lines identified in solar-flare plasmas. Tables of transition probabilities for the B I, C I, N I, O I, and F I isoelectronic sequences are presented, and collision strengths and transition probabilities for Cr, Fe, and Ni ions of the Be I sequence are given. Similarities of tokamak and solar spectra are discussed, and it is shown how the atomic data presented may be used to determine ion abundances and electron densities in low-density plasmas.

Feldman, U.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ionization state and dielectric constant in cold rarefied hydrocarbon plasmas of inertial confinement fusion

A combined approach to study cold rarefied matter is introduced that includes a semianalytical method based on the free-energy minimization and ab initio calculations based on the finite-temperature density-functional theory. The approach is used to calculate the ionization state of hydrocarbon (CH) under the shock-release conditions in inertial confinement fusion. Furthermore, the dielectric constant of CH is calculated using the Kubo-Greenwood formulation and contribution from atomic polarizabilities is found to be as important as the free-electron contribution. Using the ionization state and dielectric constant, the electron density profile in the rarefaction wave of the shock-release plasma is obtained.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observation of ionization trends in a laboratory photoionized plasma experiment at Z

We report experimental and modeling results for the charge state distribution of laboratory photoionized neon plasmas in the first systematic study over nearly an order of magnitude range of ionization parameter ξ ∝ F/N e . The range of ξ is achieved by flexibility in the experimental platform to adjust either the x-ray drive flux F at the sample or the electron number density N e or both. Experimental measurements of photoionized plasma conditions over such a range of parameters enable a stringent test of atomic kinetics models used within codes that are applied to photoionized plasmas in the laboratory and astrophysics. From experimental transmission data, ion areal densities are extracted by spectroscopic analysis that is independent of atomic kinetics modeling. The measurements reveal the net result of the competition between photon-driven ionization and electron-driven recombination atomic processes as a function of ξ as it affects the charge state distribution. Results from radiation-hydrodynamics modeling calculations with detailed inline atomic kinetics modeling are compared with the experimental results. There is good agreement in the mean charge and overall qualitative similarities in the trends observed with ξ but significant quantitative differences in the fractional populations of individual ions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tunnel ionization within a one-dimensional, undriven plasma sheath

In high density, high temperature plasmas, the plasma sheath that develops can result in extremely high electric fields, on the order of tens to hundreds of V/nm. Under the right conditions, these electric fields can reach magnitudes that can increase the probability of electron tunneling ionization to occur, resulting in one or more electron-ion pairs. The presence of tunneling ionization can then modify the development of the plasma sheath, as well as properties such as the ion and electron densities and plasma potential. The tunnel ionization process for hydrogen atoms is demonstrated, in this work, as implemented in a Sandia National Laboratories, particle-in-cell code Aleph. Results are presented for the application of the tunnel ionization process to a one-dimensional, undriven plasma sheath. Additional results for cases that consider warm ions and neutrals, the inclusion of electron–neutral collisions, and the injection of neutral particles, as well as the application to various plasma devices, will be discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of Air Plasma Sprayed Flash Bond Coatings on Furnace Cycle Lifetime of Disks and Rods

Air plasma sprayed (APS) flash coatings on high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) bond coatings are well known to extend the lifetime of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Recent work compared flash coatings of NiCoCrAlY and NiCoCrAlYHfSi applied to both rods and disk substrates of alloy 247. For rod specimens, 100 h cycles were used at 1100 °C in wet air. Both flash coatings significantly improved the lifetime compared to HVOF-only and vacuum plasma spray (VPS)-only MCrAlY bond coatings with no statistical difference between the two flash coatings. For disk specimens tested in 1 h cycles at 1100 °C in wet air, the NiCoCrAlY flash coating significantly outperformed an HVOF-only NiCoCrAlYHfSi bond coating and a NiCoCrAlYHfSi flash coating. The flash coatings formed a mixed oxide-metal zone that appeared to inhibit crack formation and therefore extend lifetime. In addition to the flash coating increasing the bond coating roughness, the underlying HVOF layer acted as a source of Al for this intermixed zone and prevented the oxide from penetrating deeper into the bond coating. Here, the lower Y+Hf content in the Y-only flash coating appeared to minimize oxidation in the flash layer, thereby increasing the benefit compared to a NiCoCrAlYHfSi flash coating.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1966

Mariner-Mars science subsystem

Mariner-Mars science subsystem - cosmic ray telescope, cosmic dust detector, trapped radiation detector, ionization chamber, plasma probe, magnetometer, and data processing

MARINER IV SPACE PROBE↗