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NASA NTRS1984

Apparent solar temperature enhancement due to large-amplitude waves

The effect of slow-mode acoustic-type MHD waves propagating outward in the solar atmosphere on the temperature structures predicted by empirical models is investigated analytically. A model is constructed, and numerical results are presented for wing intensities, line profiles, temperature enhancements, waves with higher energy flux, temperature depression, and the Si continuum. The flux in the MgII and CaII UV resonance lines is found to be increased relative to that in the IR continuum, leading to model temperatures which depend systematically on which observations are used in the computation. It is suggested that mechanical heating may take place in smaller regions such as flux tubes rather than uniformly over the surface.

Kalkofen, W.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Effects of density turbulence on helicon wave propagation in the core plasmas

Radio frequency wave propagation can be significantly affected by density irregularities, such as filaments in the scrape-off layer or instabilities in the core plasma. In this study, we examine the impact of edge turbulence on helicon wave propagation using the Petra-M simulation tool. To analyze the effect of edge turbulence, we utilize a realistic background plasma derived from XGC simulations, which includes spatial density fluctuations at the edge. This focus is particularly relevant for the DIII-D configuration, characterized by edge density turbulence of the core plasmas in a wide pedestal QH-mode. We focus on helicon wave propagation in the core plasma since the slow mode cannot propagate into the core plasma when the density is higher than the lower hybrid resonance, where a wide pedestal QH-mode occurs. The simulation results indicate that edge density fluctuations have a substantial impact on helicon wave coupling due to scattering in the core. We specifically demonstrate that the toroidal mode number and the level of density fluctuations are significant factors influencing scattering. While we have minimized the excitation of slow modes from the antenna, we still observe mode-converted slow modes resulting from the incoming helicon waves. The insights derived from these simulations will inform upcoming tokamak experiments regarding helicon antenna coupling in long pulse scenarios.

Kim, Eun-Hwa [Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ↗

NASA NTRS2013

Receptivity of Hypersonic Boundary Layers to Distributed Roughness and Acoustic Disturbances

Boundary-layer receptivity and stability of Mach 6 flows over smooth and rough seven-degree half-angle sharp-tipped cones are numerically investigated. The receptivity of the boundary layer to slow acoustic disturbances, fast acoustic disturbances, and vortical disturbances is considered. The effects of three-dimensional isolated roughness on the receptivity and stability are also simulated. The results for the smooth cone show that the instability waves are generated in the leading edge region and that the boundary layer is much more receptive to slow acoustic waves than to the fast acoustic waves. Vortical disturbances also generate unstable second modes, however the receptivity coefficients are smaller than that of the slow acoustic wave. Distributed roughness elements located near the nose region decreased the receptivity of the second mode generated by the slow acoustic wave by a small amount. Roughness elements distributed across the continuous spectrum increased the receptivity of the second mode generated by the slow and fast acoustic waves and the vorticity wave. The largest increase occurred for the vorticity wave. Roughness elements distributed across the synchronization point did not change the receptivity of the second modes generated by the acoustic waves. The receptivity of the second mode generated by the vorticity wave increased in this case, but the increase is lower than that occurred with the roughness elements located across the continuous spectrum. The simulations with an isolated roughness element showed that the second mode waves generated by the acoustic disturbances are not influenced by the small roughness element. Due to the interaction, a three-dimensional wave is generated. However, the amplitude is orders of magnitude smaller than the two-dimensional wave.

Balakumar, P.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Numerical experimentation on spherically symmetric one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic /MHD/ wave propagation

Radial propagation of one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are analyzed numerically on the basis of the Implicit-Continuous-Fluid-Eulerian (ICE) scheme. Accuracy of the numerical method and other properties are tested through the study of MHD wave propagation. The three different modes of MHD waves (i.e., fast-, slow- and Alfven (transverse) mode) are generated by applying physically consistent boundary perturbations derived from MHD compatibility relations. It is shown that the resulting flow following these waves depend upon the relative configurations of the initial magnetic field and boundary perturbations.

Han, S. M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Wave generation and particle transport in the plasma sheet and boundary layer

The one and two ion beam instability was considered as a possible explanation for the observations of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet region of the geomagnetic tail. When only hot streaming plasma sheet boundary layer ions were present, no broadband waves were excited. Cold, streaming ionospheric ions can generate electrostatic broadband waves propagating in the slow beam-acoustic mode, but the growth rates of the waves were significantly enhanced when warm boundary layer ions were presented. (Both the slow and fast beam-acoustic modes can be excited, depending on the relative ion drift.) This mode predicted that the wave intensity of the broadband noise should peak in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL). Observations of less intense electrostatic waves in the lobes and plasma sheet were likely a result of the absence of warm ion beams or large ion temperatures, respectively, which resulted in smaller growth rates. The model dependence of the ion beam instability has also been studied. For cold and warm ions streaming in the same direction, researchers found wave growth peaked for wave normal angles theta = 0 deg. and wave frequencies approx. 0.1 x the electron plasma frequency. However, for anti-parallel streaming cold and warm ions, wave growth peaks near theta = 90 deg. and wave frequencies were an order of magnitude smaller.

Dusenbery, P. B.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The generation of electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet boundary layer

The one and two ion beam instability is considered as a possible explanation for the observations of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet region of the geomagnetic tail. When only hot streaming plasma sheet boundary layer ions are present, no broadband waves are excited. Cold, streaming ionospheric ions can generate electrostatic broadband waves propagating in the slow beam acoustic mode, but the growth rates of the waves are significantly enhanced when hot boundary layer ions are present. (Both the slow and fast beam acoustic modes can be excited, depending on the relative ion drift.) This model predicts that the wave intensity of the broad band noise should peak in the plasma sheet boundary layer. Observations of less intense electrostatic waves in the lobes and plasma sheet are likely a result of the absence of hot ion beams or large ion temperatures, respectively, which result in smaller growth rates. The ion beam instability may play an important role in the formation of the central plasma sheet.

Dusenbery, P. B.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The possible role of MHD waves in heating the solar corona

The possible role of waves in the heating of the solar corona has been investigated. A general dispersion relation has been derived for waves propagating in a homogeneous plasma subject to dissipation by viscosity and thermal conduction. The dissipation mechanisms have been incorporated self-consistently into the equations, and no assumptions about the strength of the damping have been made. Solutions of the sixth-order dispersion relation provide information on how the damping of both slow and fast mode waves depends upon the plasma density, temperature, field strength, and angle of propagation relative to the background magnetic field. We provide a detailed comparison to the standard approach, which is to solve for the wave quantities in the absence of dissipation and then to use these quantities in expressions for the heating due to viscosity and thermal conduction.

Porter, Lisa J.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fluctuation dynamics near the QCD critical point

The evolution of nonhydrodynamic slow processes near the QCD critical point is explored with the novel hydro+ framework, which extends the conventional hydrodynamic description by coupling it to additional explicitly evolving slow modes describing long wavelength fluctuations. Here, their slow relaxation is controlled by critical behavior of the correlation length and is independent from gradients of matter density and pressure that control the evolution of the hydrodynamic quantities. In this exploratory study, we follow the evolution of the slow modes on top of a simplified QCD matter background, allowing us to clearly distinguish and study, both separately and in combination, the main effects controlling the dynamics of critical slow modes. In particular, we show how the evolution of the slow modes depends on their wave number, the expansion of and advection by the fluid background, and the behavior of the correlation length. Nonequilibrium contributions from the slow modes to bulk matter properties that affect the bulk dynamics (entropy, pressure, temperature, and chemical potential) are discussed and found to be small.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1978

Magnetohydrodynamics of atmospheric transients. II - Two-dimensional numerical results for a model solar corona

A systematic study of dynamic response of the inner solar corona is made within the context of two-dimensional, time-dependent plane hydromagnetics. The governing equations are written in r-phi coordinates (i.e., in the solar equatorial plane), and numerical solutions are obtained by introducing an impulsive temperature enhancement within a rectangular region (i.e., 'box') in an initially isothermal corona in magnetohydrostatic equilibrium. Effects of the magnetic field configuration are illustrated for initially open (radial) and closed (azimuthal) magnetic fields by comparison with the nonmagnetic response. The channeling or blocking effects by the magnetic fields on the mass motion of solar plasma as the consequence of the evolution of fast and slow mode MHD shock waves are demonstrated. Some physically significant applications of the results, useful for the interpretation of observations, are discussed. It is noted, for example, that coronal transients observed in white light probably occur within essentially radial field topologies.

Wu, S. T.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Observations of magnetic fields on late-type stars

The 'Robinson' method for measuring magnetic fields on solarand late-type stars is reviewed. The results of such measurements for a sample of 29 G and K main-sequence stars are presented. The area covering-factors of magnetic regions are greater in the K dwarfs than in the G dwarfs, but no spectral-type dependence is found for the field strengths, contrary to expectations of some flux-tube models. The dependence of Ca II H and K emission on magnetic fields and T(eff) is consistent with theoretical expections for 'slow-mode' mhd wave-generation rates, but inconsistent with those of other mhd modes. Coronal soft X-ray fluxes correlate well with the magnetic fields, and it is argued that Alfven waves are the likely energy-transport mechanism. Surface magnetic fluxes vary with rotation as V(0.5-1.0 rot) depending on spectral type.

Marcy, G. W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Electromagnetic ion/ion cyclotron instability at slow shocks

The linear and nonlinear properties of the obliquely propagating electromagnetic ion/ion cyclotron instability are investigated. The instability is driven by the relative, field-aligned streaming of two ion beams and can exist at a lower velocity threshold than the more commonly studied, parallel propagating electromagnetic ion beam instabilities. It is shown that the instability plays an important role in the formation of, dissipation at, and waves upstream of slow mode shocks. Possible application of this instability to ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer is also briefly discussed.

Winske, D.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Effects of the Kelvin-Helmholtz surface instability on supersonic jets

An exact numerical calculation is provided for of linear growth and phase velocity of Kelvin-Helmholtz unstable wave modes on a supersonic jet of cylindrical cross section. An expression for the maximally unstable wavenumber of each wave mode is found. Provided a sharp velocity discontinuity exists all wave modes are unstable. A combination of rapid jet expansion and velocity shear across a jet can effectively stabilize all wave modes. The more likely case of slow jet expansion and of velocity shear at the jet surface allows wave modes with maximally unstable wavelength longer than or on the order of the jet radius to grow. The relative energy in different wave modes and effect on the jet is investigated. Energy input into a jet resulting from surface instability is discussed.

Hardee, P. E.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Effects of the Kelvin-Helmholtz surface instability on supersonic jets

Hardee, P. E.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Measuring Temperature-Dependent Propagating Disturbances in Coronal Fan Loops Using Multiple SDO-AIA Channels and Surfing Transform Technique

A set of co-aligned high resolution images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is used to investigate propagating disturbances (PDs) in warm fan loops at the periphery of a non-flaring active region NOAA AR 11082. To measure PD speeds at multiple coronal temperatures, a new data analysis methodology is proposed enabling quantitative description of sub visual coronal motions with low signal-to-noise ratios of the order of 0.1. The technique operates with a set of one-dimensional surfing signals extracted from position-timeplots of several AIA channels through a modified version of Radon transform. The signals are used to evaluate a two-dimensional power spectral density distribution in the frequency - velocity space which exhibits a resonance in the presence of quasi-periodic PDs. By applying this analysis to the same fan loop structures observed in several AIA channels, we found that the traveling velocity of PDs increases with the temperature of the coronal plasma following the square root dependence predicted for the slow mode magneto-acoustic wave which seems to be the dominating wave mode in the studied loop structures. This result extends recent observations by Kiddie et al. (2012) to a more general class of fan loop systems not associated with sunspots and demonstrating consistent slow mode activity in up to four AIA channels.

Solar Corona↗

NASA NTRS1988

Unmagnetized diffusion for azimuthally symmetric wave and particle distributions

The quasi-linear diffusion of particles from resonant interactions with a spectrum of electrostatic waves is investigated theoretically, extending results obtained for no magnetic field and for strong magnetic fields to cases where the ambient magnetic field which organizes azimuthally symmetric wave and particle distributions does not have to be taken into consideration in evaluating the local interaction. The derivation of the governing equations is explained, and numerical results are presented in extensive graphs and characterized in detail. Slow-mode ion-acoustic waves are shown to be unstable under the plasma conditions studied, and the dependence of resonant-ion diffusion rates with pitch angle, speed, and the distribution of wave energy in wavenumber space is explored. The implications of the present findings for theoretical models of the earth bow shock and plasma-sheet boundary layer are indicated.

Dusenbery, P. B.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Small-amplitude Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence Modulated by Collisionless Damping in Earth’s Magnetosheath: Observation Matches Theory

Plasma turbulence is a ubiquitous dynamical process that transfers energy across many spatial and temporal scales and affects energetic particle transport. Recent advances in the understanding of compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence demonstrate the important role of damping in shaping energy distributions on small scales, yet its observational evidence is still lacking. This study provides the first observational evidence of substantial collisionless damping (CD) modulation on the small-amplitude compressible MHD turbulence cascade in Earth’s magnetosheath using four Cluster spacecraft. Based on an improved compressible MHD decomposition algorithm, turbulence is decomposed into three eigenmodes: incompressible Alfvén modes and compressible slow and fast (magnetosonic) modes. Our observations demonstrate that CD enhances the anisotropy of compressible MHD modes because CD has a strong dependence on wave propagation angle. The wavenumber distributions of slow modes are mainly stretched perpendicular to the background magnetic field (B 0 ) and weakly modulated by CD. In contrast, fast modes are subjected to a more significant CD modulation. Fast modes exhibit a weak, scale-independent anisotropy above the CD truncation scale. Below the CD truncation scale, the anisotropy of fast modes enhances as wavenumbers increase. As a result, fast-mode fractions in the total energy of compressible modes decrease with the increase of perpendicular wavenumber (to B 0 ) or wave propagation angle. Our findings reveal how the turbulence cascade is shaped by CD and its consequences for anisotropies in the space environment.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS1995

The Sources of Bz Fluctuations within CIRs: Magnetic Storms During the Descending Phase of the Solar Cycle

This presentation examines the magnetic field fluctuations within Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) detected by Ulysses at mid- and low-latitudes. CIRs are formed by the interaction of high-speed streams flowing from the polar coronal hole with slow-speed streams. Several wave modes are identified, and the effectiveness of these waves causing magnetic storms at Earth will be discussed.

Space Physics Magnetic Storms Solar Cycles Sun↗

NASA NTRS1993

A Search of Large Amplitude Waves in Slow Shock in the Distant Tail and an Examination of Wave Turbulence in the Plasma Sheet Boundary Layer

Two fluid simulations predict that switch-off slow shocks should have large amplitude left-hand wave trains downstream of the shock. Recent simulations show that this feature depends on specific plasma parameters, such as Much number and ratio of electron-to-ion temperature. In this study we carefully examine all distant tail crossings using ISEE-3 field and plasma data. We seek large amplitude rotational waves and compare to shock parameters. We also investigate right-hand waves associated with ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer. We examine the role of those back-streaming ions from slow shocks in wave generation. Wave mode cascade and parametric decay in these regions also will be studied.

Ho, C. M.↗