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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 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Local analysis of fast magnetic reconnection

Fast magnetic reconnection is defined by the topology of the magnetic field lines changing on a timescale that is approximately an order of magnitude longer than the topology-conserving ideal-evolution timescale. Fast reconnection is an intrinsic property of Faraday's law when the evolving magnetic field depends non-trivially on all three spatial coordinates and is commonly observed—even when the effects that allow topology breaking are arbitrarily small. The associated current density need only be enhanced by a factor of approximately ten and flows in thin but broad ribbons along the magnetic field. These results follow from the variation in the separation of neighboring pairs of magnetic field lines, which in an ideal evolution typically increases exponentially with time, and the existence of a spatial scale below which magnetic field lines freely change their identities due to non-ideal effects, such as resistivity. Traditional reconnection theory ignores exponentially large variations and relies on the current density reaching a magnitude that is exponentially larger than is actually required. Here, an analysis of the behavior of magnetic field lines in the neighborhood of an arbitrarily chosen line is used to obtain more precise and rigorous results on intrinsic reconnection. The maximum parallel kinetic energy of collisionless charged particles is shown to have an exponential increase in time during a generic magnetic evolution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Variational symplectic algorithm for guiding center dynamics in the inner magnetosphere

Charged particle dynamics in magnetosphere has temporal and spatial multiscale; therefore, numerical accuracy over a long integration time is required. A variational symplectic integrator (VSI) [H. Qin and X. Guan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 035006 (2008) and H. Qin, X. Guan, and W. M. Tang, Phys. Plasmas 16, 042510 (2009)] for the guiding-center motion of charged particles in general magnetic field is applied to study the dynamics of charged particles in magnetosphere. Instead of discretizing the differential equations of the guiding-center motion, the action of the guiding-center motion is discretized and minimized to obtain the iteration rules for advancing the dynamics. The VSI conserves exactly a discrete Lagrangian symplectic structure and has better numerical properties over a long integration time, compared with standard integrators, such as the standard and adaptive fourth order Runge-Kutta (RK4) methods. Applying the VSI method to guiding-center dynamics in the inner magnetosphere, we can accurately calculate the particles'orbits for an arbitrary long simulating time with good conservation property. When a time-independent convection and corotation electric field is considered, the VSI method can give the accurate single particle orbit, while the RK4 method gives an incorrect orbit due to its intrinsic error accumulation over a long integrating time.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Debye scale turbulence within the electron diffusion layer during magnetic reconnection

During collisionless, anti-parallel magnetic reconnection, the electron diffusion layer is the region of both fieldline breaking and plasma mixing. Due to the in-plane electrostatic fields associated with collisionless reconnection, the inflowing plasmas are accelerated towards the X-line and form counter-streaming beams within the unmagnetized diffusion layer. This configuration is inherently unstable to in-plane electrostatic streaming instabilities provided that there is sufficient scale separation between the Debye length λ{sub D} and the electron skin depth c/ω{sub pe}. This scale separation has hitherto not been well resolved in kinetic simulations. Using both 2D fully kinetic simulations and a simple linear model, we demonstrate that these in-plane streaming instabilities generate Debye scale turbulence within the electron diffusion layer at electron temperatures relevant to magnetic reconnection both in the magnetosphere and in laboratory experiments.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Demonstration of a viable quantitative theory for interplanetary type II radio bursts

Between 29 November and 1 December 2013 the two widely separated spacecraft STEREO A and B observed a long lasting, intermittent, type II radio burst for the extended frequency range ≈ 4 MHz to 30 kHz, including an intensification when the shock wave of the associated coronal mass ejection (CME) reached STEREO A. We demonstrate for the first time our ability to quantitatively and accurately simulate the fundamental (F) and harmonic (H) emission of type II bursts from the higher corona (near 11 solar radii) to 1 AU. Our modeling requires the combination of data-driven three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations for the CME and plasma background, carried out with the BATS-R-US code, with an analytic quantitative kinetic model for both F and H radio emission, including the electron reflection at the shock, growth of Langmuir waves and radio waves, and the radiations propagation to an arbitrary observer. The intensities and frequencies of the observed radio emissions vary hugely by factors ≈ 10{sup 6} and ≈ 10{sup 3}, respectively; the theoretical predictions are impressively accurate, being typically in error by less than a factor of 10 and 20 %, for both STEREO A and B. We also obtain accurate predictions for the timing and characteristics of the shock and local radio onsets at STEREO A, the lack of such onsets at STEREO B, and the z-component of the magnetic field at STEREO A ahead of the shock, and in the sheath. Very strong support is provided by these multiple agreements for the theory, the efficacy of the BATS-R-US code, and the vision of using type IIs and associated data-theory iterations to predict whether a CME will impact Earth’s magnetosphere and drive space weather events.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

The Study of Non-Linear Acceleration of Particles during Substorms Using Multi-Scale Simulations

To understand particle acceleration during magnetospheric substorms we must consider the problem on multple scales ranging from the large scale changes in the entire magnetosphere to the microphysics of wave particle interactions. In this paper we present two examples that demonstrate the complexity of substorm particle acceleration and its multi-scale nature. The first substorm provided us with an excellent example of ion acceleration. On March 1, 2008 four THEMIS spacecraft were in a line extending from 8 R{sub E} to 23 R{sub E} in the magnetotail during a very large substorm during which ions were accelerated to >500 keV. We used a combination of a global magnetohydrodynamic and large scale kinetic simulations to model the ion acceleration and found that the ions gained energy by non-adiabatic trajectories across the substorm electric field in a narrow region extending across the magnetotail between x = -10 R{sub E} and x = -15 R{sub E}. In this strip called the 'wall region' the ions move rapidly in azimuth and gain 100s of keV. In the second example we studied the acceleration of electrons associated with a pair of dipolarization fronts during a substorm on February 15, 2008. During this substorm three THEMIS spacecraft were grouped in the near-Earth magnetotail (x {approx}-10 R{sub E}) and observed electron acceleration of >100 keV accompanied by intense plasma waves. We used the MHD simulations and analytic theory to show that adiabatic motion (betatron and Fermi acceleration) was insufficient to account for the electron acceleration and that kinetic processes associated with the plasma waves were important.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of current-driven waves in dusty plasmas

The linear and nonlinear dynamics of a recently proposed plasma mode of dusty plasma is studied using kappa distribution for electrons. This electrostatic wave can propagate in the plasma due to the sheared flow of electrons and ions parallel to the external magnetic field in the presence of stationary dust. The coupling of this wave with the usual drift wave and ion acoustic wave is investigated. D'Angelo's mode is also modified in the presence of superthermal electrons. In the nonlinear regime, the wave can give rise to dipolar vortex structures if the shear in flow is weaker and tripolar vortices if the flow has steeper gradient. The results have been applied to Saturn's magnetosphere corresponding to negatively charged dust grains. But the theoretical model is applicable for positively charged dust as well. This work will be useful for future observations and studies of dusty environments of planets and comets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Observation of particle acceleration in laboratory magnetosphere

The self-organization of magnetospheric plasma is brought about by inward diffusion of magnetized particles. Not only creating a density gradient toward the center of a dipole magnetic field, the inward diffusion also accelerates particles and provides a planetary radiation belt with high energy particles. Here, we report the first experimental observation of a “laboratory radiation belt” created in the ring trap 1 device. By spectroscopic measurement, we found an appreciable anisotropy in the ion temperature, proving the betatron acceleration mechanism which heats particles in the perpendicular direction with respect to the magnetic field when particles move inward. The energy balance model, including the heating mechanism, explains the observed ion temperature profile.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Diagnosing collisionless energy transfer using field–particle correlations: Vlasov–Poisson plasmas

Turbulence plays a key role in the conversion of the energy of large-scale fields and flows to plasma heat, impacting the macroscopic evolution of the heliosphere and other astrophysical plasma systems. Although we have long been able to make direct spacecraft measurements of all aspects of the electromagnetic field and plasma fluctuations in near-Earth space, our understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for the damping of the turbulent fluctuations in heliospheric plasmas remains incomplete. Here we propose an innovative field–particle correlation technique that can be used to measure directly the secular energy transfer from fields to particles associated with collisionless damping of the turbulent fluctuations. Furthermore, this novel procedure yields information about the collisionless energy transfer as a function of particle velocity, providing vital new information that can help to identify the dominant collisionless mechanism governing the damping of the turbulent fluctuations. Kinetic plasma theory is used to devise the appropriate correlation to diagnose Landau damping, and the field–particle correlation technique is thoroughly illustrated using the simplified case of the Landau damping of Langmuir waves in a 1D-1V (one dimension in physical space and one dimension in velocity space) Vlasov–Poisson plasma. Generalizations necessary to apply the field–particle correlation technique to diagnose the collisionless damping of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind are discussed, highlighting several caveats. This novel field–particle correlation technique is intended to be used as a primary analysis tool for measurements from current, upcoming and proposed spacecraft missions that are focused on the kinetic microphysics of weakly collisional heliospheric plasmas, including the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Solar Probe Plus, Solar Orbiter and Turbulence Heating ObserveR (THOR) missions.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scaling theory of three-dimensional magnetic reconnection spreading

We develop a first-principles scaling theory of the spreading of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic reconnection of finite extent in the out of plane direction. This theory addresses systems with or without an out of plane (guide) magnetic field, and with or without Hall physics. The theory reproduces known spreading speeds and directions with and without guide fields, unifying previous knowledge in a single theory. New results include: (1) Reconnection spreads in a particular direction if an x-line is induced at the interface between reconnecting and non-reconnecting regions, which is controlled by the out of plane gradient of the electric field in the outflow direction. (2) The spreading mechanism for anti-parallel collisionless reconnection is convection, as is known, but for guide field reconnection it is magnetic field bending. We confirm the theory using 3D two-fluid and resistive-magnetohydrodynamics simulations. (3) The theory explains why anti-parallel reconnection in resistive-magnetohydrodynamics does not spread. (4) The simulation domain aspect ratio, associated with the free magnetic energy, influences whether reconnection spreads or convects with a fixed x-line length. (5) We perform a simulation initiating anti-parallel collisionless reconnection with a pressure pulse instead of a magnetic perturbation, finding spreading is unchanged rather than spreading at the magnetosonic speed as previously suggested. The results provide a theoretical framework for understanding spreading beyond systems studied here, and are important for applications including two-ribbon solar flares and reconnection in Earth’s magnetosphere.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

Double tearing mode induced by parallel electron viscosity in tokamak plasmas

The linear behaviors of the double tearing mode (DTM) mediated by parallel electron viscosity in cylindrical plasmas with reversed magnetic shear and thus two resonant rational flux surfaces is numerically investigated. The distance between the two surfaces is found to play an important role for modes with poloidal mode number m>1. Two modes, one of which is centered at the inner rational surface and the other is located between the two surfaces, are simultaneously unstable and the growth rates show the standard single tearing mode (STM) scaling as {gamma}{proportional_to}R{sup -1/3} when the distance is large (here, the Reynolds number R{identical_to}{tau}{sub {upsilon}/{tau}h}, {tau}{sub {upsilon},} and {tau}{sub h} are, respectively, the viscosity penetration time of the magnetic field and the Alfven time for a plasma sheet of width a). The latter is unstable only and the growth rate transits to the standard DTM scaling as {gamma}{proportional_to}R{sup -1/5} for low-m (e.g., m<4) modes and keeps the STM scaling {gamma}{proportional_to}R{sup -1/3} for high-m (e.g., m{approx}10) modes, which are found dominant, when the distance is decreased. In contrast, two unstable modes extending from plasma center to the two rational surfaces, respectively, coexist and the growth rates always show the scaling of {gamma}{proportional_to}R{sup -1/5}, independent of the distance, when the poloidal mode number m=1. The DTMs mediated by electron viscosity are enhanced by plasma resistivity of the range where the growth rate of the mode induced by the latter alone is comparable with that mediated by the former alone and vice versa. Otherwise, the growth rate of the mode is equal to the higher of the modes mediated by resistivity or electron viscosity alone when both of them are taken into account.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Acceleration of Charged Particles and Formation of Power-law Energy Spectra in Nonrelativistic Magnetic Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection is a primary driver of particle acceleration processes in space and astrophysical plasmas. Understanding how particles are accelerated and the resulting particle energy spectra is among the central topics in reconnection studies. We review recent advances in addressing this problem in nonrelativistic reconnection that is relevant to space and solar plasmas and beyond. We focus on particle acceleration mechanisms, particle transport due to 3D reconnection physics, and their roles in forming power-law particle energy spectra. We conclude by pointing out the challenges in studying particle acceleration and transport in a large-scale reconnection layer and the relevant issues to be addressed in the future.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

System of kinetic equations describing large-scale processes in collisionless space plasma

A system of kinetic equations describing relatively slow large-scale processes in collisionless magnetoplasma structures with a spatial resolution of about the characteristic gyroradius is derived. Plasma is assumed to be quasineutral, while the magnetic and electric fields are determined by the instantaneous distributions of the particle and current densities and the stress tensor of all plasma components in the longrange instantaneous interaction approximation. A special version of equations is derived for the case of magnetized electrons described by the Vlasov equation in the drift approximation. The obtained system of equations can be used to develop a global numerical kinetic model of the Earth’s magnetosphere with a spatial resolution of about 100 km, as well as local models of certain regions of the Earth’s magnetosphere with a higher resolution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

Origin of ion-cyclotron turbulence in the downward Birkeland current region

Linear stability analysis of the electron velocity distributions, which are observed in the FAST satellite measurements in the downward Birkeland current region of the magnetosphere, is presented. The satellite-measured particle (electrons and protons) velocity distributions are fitted with analytic functions and the dispersion relation is derived in terms of the plasma dispersion functions associated with those distribution functions. Numerical solutions of the dispersion relation show that the bump-on-tail structure of the electron velocity distribution can excite electrostatic ion-cyclotron instabilities by the Landau resonance mechanism. Nonlinear evolution of these instabilities may explain the observed electrostatic ion-cyclotron turbulence in the Birkeland current region. Excitation of other types of instabilities by the fitted electron velocity distributions and their relevance are also discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

OPTICAL HYDROGEN ABSORPTION CONSISTENT WITH A THIN BOW SHOCK LEADING THE HOT JUPITER HD 189733B

Bow shocks are ubiquitous astrophysical phenomena resulting from the supersonic passage of an object through a gas. Recently, pre-transit absorption in UV metal transitions of the hot Jupiter (HJ) exoplanets HD 189733b and WASP12-b have been interpreted as being caused by material compressed in a planetary bow shock. Here we present a robust detection of a time-resolved pre-transit, as well as in-transit absorption signature around the HJ exoplanet HD 189733b using high spectral resolution observations of several hydrogen Balmer lines. The line shape of the pre-transit feature and the shape of the timeseries absorption provide the strongest constraints on the morphology and physical characteristics of extended structures around an exoplanet. The in-transit measurements confirm the previous exospheric Hα detection, although the absorption depth measured here is ∼50% lower. The pre-transit absorption feature occurs 125 minutes before the predicted optical transit, a projected linear distance from the planet to the stellar disk of 7.2 R{sub p}. The absorption strength observed in the Balmer lines indicates an optically thick, but physically small, geometry. We model this signal as the early ingress of a planetary bow shock. If the bow shock is mediated by a planetary magnetosphere, the large standoff distance derived from the model suggests a large planetary magnetic field strength of B{sub eq} = 28 G. Better knowledge of exoplanet magnetic field strengths is crucial to understanding the role these fields play in planetary evolution and the potential development of life on planets in the habitable zone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

A Panchromatic View of Brown Dwarf Aurorae

Stellar coronal activity has been shown to persist into the low-mass star regime, down to late M-dwarf spectral types. However, there is now an accumulation of evidence suggesting that at the end of the main sequence, there is a transition in the nature of the magnetic activity from chromospheric and coronal to planet-like and auroral, from local impulsive heating via flares and MHD wave dissipation to energy dissipation from strong large-scale magnetospheric current systems. We examine this transition and the prevalence of auroral activity in brown dwarfs through a compilation of multiwavelength surveys of magnetic activity, including radio, X-ray, and optical. We compile the results of those surveys and place their conclusions in the context of auroral emission as a consequence of large-scale magnetospheric current systems that accelerate energetic electron beams and drive the particles to impact the cool atmospheric gas. We explore the different manifestations of auroral phenomena, like H α , in brown dwarf atmospheres and define their distinguishing characteristics. We conclude that large-amplitude photometric variability in the near-infrared is most likely a consequence of clouds in brown dwarf atmospheres, but that auroral activity may be responsible for long-lived stable surface features. We report a connection between auroral H α emission and quiescent radio emission in electron cyclotron maser instability pulsing brown dwarfs, suggesting a potential underlying physical connection between quiescent and auroral emissions. We also discuss the electrodynamic engines powering brown dwarf aurorae and the possible role of satellites around these systems both to power the aurorae and seed the magnetosphere with plasma.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Investigation of Ion-Acoustic Solitons in Magnetosphere and Tokamak Warm Plasma with Two-Temperature Electrons

The properties of oblique propagation of small amplitude ion-acoustic soliton are investigated in a plasma containing weakly relativistic ions and two-temperature electrons (cold and hot electrons). The reductive perturbation method is used to derive the Korteweg−de Vries equation for the present plasma model. It is found that the parameters determining the nature of soliton are different for compressive or rarefactive structures. Moreover, the effects of weakly relativistic ions, the temperature ratio, and the density ratio of hot-to-cold electron species on soliton characters are studied. The theory is applied on the case of relativistic ions observed in the magnetosphere and in the case of nonrelativistic ions observed in tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Theory, observations, and simulations of kinetic entropy in a magnetotail electron diffusion region

In this work, we examine velocity-space kinetic entropy, a spatially local measure of entropy for systems out of thermal equilibrium, during an encounter of an electron diffusion region at a magnetic reconnection site in Earth’s magnetotail by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. We start by generalizing the theory of kinetic entropy to the case of non-uniform velocity space grids and transforming the equations into spheri- cal energy coordinates useful to experimental plasma detectors. The theory is then applied to MMS data and compared to particle-in-cell simulations of reconnection. We demonstrate that the entropy-based non-Maxwellianity measure from the MMS data is of sufficiently high precision to reliably identify non-Maxwellian distributions and therefore the measurements when kinetic effects are most significant. By comparing two different non-Maxwellian measures, we show that total entropy density suffers from “information loss” because it lacks a dependence on the velocity space grid, and so has lost information about how well a distribution function is resolved. Local velocity-space kinetic entropy density recovers this information. We quantify information loss and argue that the considerations needed to minimize it are crucial for instruments designed to measure distribution functions in situ.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗