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Results for “FAST MAGNETOACOUSTIC WAVES”

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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

ARE HALO-LIKE SOLAR CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS MERELY A MATTER OF GEOMETRIC PROJECTION EFFECTS?

We investigated the physical nature of halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) based on the stereoscopic observations from the two STEREO spacecraft, Ahead and Behind (hereafter A and B), and the SOHO spacecraft. Sixty-two halo CMEs occurred as observed by SOHO LASCO C2 for the three-year period from 2010 to 2012 during which the separation angles between SOHO and STEREO were nearly 90°. In such quadrature configuration, the coronagraphs of STEREO, COR2-A and -B, showed the side view of those halo CMEs seen by C2. It has been widely believed that the halo appearance of a CME is caused by the geometric projection effect, i.e., a CME moves along the Sun-observer line. In other words, it would appear as a non-halo CME if viewed from the side. However, to our surprise, we found that 41 out of 62 events (66%) were observed as halo CMEs by all coronagraphs. This result suggests that a halo CME is not just a matter of the propagating direction. In addition, we show that a CME propagating normal to the line of sight can be observed as a halo CME due to the associated fast magnetosonic wave or shock front. We conclude that the apparent width of CMEs, especially halos or partial halos is driven by the existence and the extent of the associated waves or shocks and does not represent an accurate measure of the CME ejecta size. This effect needs to be taken into careful consideration in space weather predictions and modeling efforts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Photospheric Origin of Three-minute Oscillations in a Sunspot

The origin of the three-minute oscillations of intensity and velocity observed in the chromosphere of sunspot umbrae is still unclear. We investigated the spatio-spectral properties of the 3 minute oscillations of velocity in the photosphere of a sunspot umbra as well as those in the low chromosphere using the spectral data of the Ni i λ 5436, Fe i λ 5435, and Na i D{sub 2} λ 5890 lines taken by the Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph of the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. As a result, we found a local enhancement of the 3 minute oscillation power in the vicinities of a light bridge (LB) and numerous umbral dots (UDs) in the photosphere. These 3 minute oscillations occurred independently of the 5 minute oscillations. Through wavelet analysis, we determined the amplitudes and phases of the 3 minute oscillations at the formation heights of the spectral lines, and they were found to be consistent with the upwardly propagating slow magnetoacoustic waves in the photosphere with energy flux large enough to explain the chromospheric oscillations. Our results suggest that the 3 minute chromospheric oscillations in this sunspot may have been generated by magnetoconvection occurring in the LB and UDs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nonlinear interaction of kinetic Alfven wave with fast magnetosonic wave and turbulent spectrum

In the present paper, authors have investigated nonlinear interaction of kinetic Alfven wave (KAW) and fast magnetosonic wave for intermediate {beta}-plasma (m{sub e}/m{sub i} Much-Less-Than {beta} Much-Less-Than 1). Authors have developed the set of dimensionless equations in the presence of ponderomotive nonlinearity due to KAW in the dynamics of fast magnetosonic wave. Numerical simulation has been carried out to study the effect of nonlinear coupling and resulting turbulent/power spectrum for the different angles of propagation of fast magnetosonic wave applicable to solar wind at 1 AU. The localization of KAW has been found which becomes more complex as the angle of propagation of fast magnetosonic wave decreases. Results also reveal the steepening of power spectrum as the angle of propagation decreases which can be responsible for heating and acceleration of plasma particles in solar wind. Relevance of the obtained result is pointed out with observation received by Cluster spacecraft for the solar wind 1 AU.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Eigenmode twist by energy flux during fast-ion driven instabilities

Twisting of the spatial structure of eigenmodes by energy fluxes generated due to the spatial channeling (SC)—the fast-ion energy and momentum transfer across the magnetic field by destabilized modes—is considered. It is revealed that there is a correlation between the direction of the radial wave energy flux, orientation of the mode twist (MT), and the direction of mode rotation. The mode twist parameter is introduced and relations connecting it with the energy flux are established. It is shown the energy flux transforms zeros of the radial profile of the mode amplitude into minima (i.e., zeros disappear). It is found that the radial group velocity and phase velocity of reversed shear Alfvén eigenmodes (RSAEs) have opposite directions. These findings can be used for diagnostics of the energy fluxes during fast-ion driven instabilities and understanding whether the SC degrades or improves plasma performance. Specific calculations are carried out for fast magnetoacoustic modes, FMMs (known also as compressional Alfvén eigenmodes, CAEs), and Alfvén eigenmodes, AEs. A DIII-D experiment where RSAEs were observed is considered. It is concluded that an outward SC took place in this experiment. Peculiarities of various modes are discussed, which may explain why twisting of AEs, but not of FMMs, was observed experimentally in the DIII-D and NSTX tokamaks.

Kolesnichenko, Ya. I. (ORCID:0000000323219681)↗
DOE OSTI2012

THE ROLE OF FAST MAGNETOSONIC WAVES IN THE RELEASE AND CONVERSION VIA RECONNECTION OF ENERGY STORED BY A CURRENT SHEET

Using a simple two-dimensional, zero-{beta} model, we explore the manner by which reconnection at a current sheet releases and dissipates free magnetic energy. We find that only a small fraction (3%-11% depending on current-sheet size) of the energy is stored close enough to the current sheet to be dissipated abruptly by the reconnection process. The remaining energy, stored in the larger-scale field, is converted to kinetic energy in a fast magnetosonic disturbance propagating away from the reconnection site, carrying the initial current and generating reconnection-associated flows (inflow and outflow). Some of this reflects from the lower boundary (the photosphere) and refracts back to the X-point reconnection site. Most of this inward wave energy is reflected back again and continues to bounce between X-point and photosphere until it is gradually dissipated, over many transits. This phase of the energy dissipation process is thus global and lasts far longer than the initial purely local phase. In the process, a significant fraction of the energy (25%-60%) remains as undissipated fast magnetosonic waves propagating away from the reconnection site, primarily upward. This flare-generated wave is initiated by unbalanced Lorentz forces in the reconnection-disrupted current sheet, rather than by dissipation-generated pressure, as some previous models have assumed. Depending on the orientation of the initial current sheet, the wave front is either a rarefaction, with backward-directed flow, or a compression, with forward-directed flow.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Momentum transfer and plasma rotation caused by destabilized eigenmodes in tokamaks

In this work, the influence of magnetohydrodynamic eigenmodes destabilized by energetic ions on the momentum of these ions and concomitant sheared plasma rotation are studied. Two mechanisms affecting rotation are revealed: (i) spatial channelling (SC) – radially separated emission and absorption of the momentum; (ii) mode induced redistribution (MIR) across the magnetic field of the momentum of energetic ions. Forces arising during SC and MIR produce both toroidal and poloidal rotations. In addition, the momentum emission during SC leads to a radial flux of fast ions and generation of a radial electric field. Using the developed theory, estimates were made for the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) 15 MA baseline scenario. They show that a global toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmode destabilized by alpha particles and neutral beam injection can result in significant radial electric field and forces applied to plasma. However, available data are not sufficient for a reliable prediction of the effects of SC and MIR in ITER. In general, one can expect that sheared rotation arising after destabilization of Alfvén modes and fast magnetoacoustic modes by energetic ions will tend to suppress the turbulence and improve plasma performance. The importance of plasma rotation is supported, in particular, by the fact that during the JET DTE1 experimental campaign the best parameters were achieved in a deuterium–tritium discharge where the rotation frequency was largest.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Large-scale Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy as a Probe of Interstellar Turbulence

We calculate the large-scale cosmic-ray (CR) anisotropies predicted for a range of Goldreich–Sridhar (GS) and isotropic models of interstellar turbulence, and compare them with IceTop data. In general, the predicted CR anisotropy is not a pure dipole; the cold spots reported at 400 TeV and 2 PeV are consistent with a GS model that contains a smooth deficit of parallel-propagating waves and a broad resonance function, though some other possibilities cannot, as yet, be ruled out. In particular, isotropic fast magnetosonic wave turbulence can match the observations at high energy, but cannot accommodate an energy dependence in the shape of the CR anisotropy. Our findings suggest that improved data on the large-scale CR anisotropy could provide a valuable probe of the properties—notably the power-spectrum—of the interstellar turbulence within a few tens of parsecs from Earth.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Relativistic electron scattering by magnetosonic waves: Effects of discrete wave emission and high wave amplitudes

In this paper, we study relativistic electron scattering by fast magnetosonic waves. We compare results of test particle simulations and the quasi-linear theory for different spectra of waves to investigate how a fine structure of the wave emission can influence electron resonant scattering. We show that for a realistically wide distribution of wave normal angles θ (i.e., when the dispersion δθ≥0.5{sup °}), relativistic electron scattering is similar for a wide wave spectrum and for a spectrum consisting in well-separated ion cyclotron harmonics. Comparisons of test particle simulations with quasi-linear theory show that for δθ>0.5{sup °}, the quasi-linear approximation describes resonant scattering correctly for a large enough plasma frequency. For a very narrow θ distribution (when δθ∼0.05{sup °}), however, the effect of a fine structure in the wave spectrum becomes important. In this case, quasi-linear theory clearly fails in describing accurately electron scattering by fast magnetosonic waves. We also study the effect of high wave amplitudes on relativistic electron scattering. For typical conditions in the earth's radiation belts, the quasi-linear approximation cannot accurately describe electron scattering for waves with averaged amplitudes >300 pT. We discuss various applications of the obtained results for modeling electron dynamics in the radiation belts and in the Earth's magnetotail.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutrino magnetohydrodynamics

A new neutrino magnetohydrodynamics (NMHD) model is formulated, where the effects of the charged weak current on the electron-ion magnetohydrodynamic fluid are taken into account. The model incorporates in a systematic way the role of the Fermi neutrino weak force in magnetized plasmas. A fast neutrino-driven short wavelengths instability associated with the magnetosonic wave is derived. Such an instability should play a central role in strongly magnetized plasma as occurs in supernovae, where dense neutrino beams also exist. In addition, in the case of nonlinear or high frequency waves, the neutrino coupling is shown to be responsible for breaking the frozen-in magnetic field lines condition even in infinite conductivity plasmas. Simplified and ideal NMHD assumptions were adopted and analyzed in detail.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

SLOW MAGNETOSONIC WAVES AND FAST FLOWS IN ACTIVE REGION LOOPS

Recent extreme ultraviolet spectroscopic observations indicate that slow magnetosonic waves are present in active region (AR) loops. Some of the spectral data were also interpreted as evidence of fast ({approx}100-300 km s{sup -1}) quasi-periodic flows. We have performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (3D MHD) modeling of a bipolar AR that contains impulsively generated waves and flows in coronal loops. The model AR is initiated with a dipole magnetic field and gravitationally stratified density, with an upflow-driven steadily or periodically in localized regions at the footpoints of magnetic loops. The resulting flows along the magnetic field lines of the AR produce higher density loops compared to the surrounding plasma by injection of material into the flux tubes and the establishment of siphon flow. We find that the impulsive onset of flows with subsonic speeds result in the excitation of damped slow magnetosonic waves that propagate along the loops and coupled nonlinearly driven fast-mode waves. The phase speed of the slow magnetosonic waves is close to the coronal sound speed. When the amplitude of the driving pulses is increased we find that slow shock-like wave trains are produced. When the upflows are driven periodically, undamped oscillations are produced with periods determined by the periodicity of the upflows. Based on the results of the 3D MHD model we suggest that the observed slow magnetosonic waves and persistent upflows may be produced by the same impulsive events at the bases of ARs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1978

Transmission of Alfven waves through the earth's bow shock - Theory and observation

From both theoretical and experimental bases, the transmission of Alfven waves through the bow shock is investigated. The theory of Alfven wave transmission through fast MHD shocks is extended to all cases of incident wave vectors. Particular consideration is given to Alfven waves propagating parallel to the ambient magnetic field with field perturbations polarized in the plane formed by the ambient magnetic field and the shock normal. An analysis is also made of magnetic field and plasma data from Explorer-35 in the vicinity of the bow shock. It is suggested that hydromagnetic waves are present in all of the 14 shock crossings studied, and that in upstream regions of at least 6 crossings, predominantly Alfvenic fluctuations exist. Average amplitudes of these fluctuations are measured on either side of the shock and the enhancement is measured by comparing their levels. Theoretical and experimental findings are compared and the apparent discrepancy in amplification factors may be explained by the strong damping of any transmitted magnetoacoustic modes downstream with relatively little damping of any transmitted Alfven waves.

Hassam, A. B.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Electron Landau damping in toroidal plasma with Solov’ev equilibrium

The contribution of untrapped and two groups of trapped particles to the longitudinal (with respect to the magnetic field) elements of the dielectric susceptibility is determined by solving the drift-kinetic equations for such particles in axisymmetric tokamaks with Solov’ev equilibrium. The obtained dielectric characteristics are applicable for studying linear wave processes in the frequency range of Alfvén and fast magnetosonic waves in small- and large-aspect-ratio tokamaks with circular, elliptical, and D-shaped cross sections of magnetic surfaces. The high-frequency power absorbed in plasma via electron Landau damping is estimated by summing up terms containing the imaginary parts of both diagonal and non-diagonal elements of the longitudinal susceptibility. The imaginary part of the longitudinal susceptibility is calculated numerically for spherical tokamaks in a wide range of wave frequencies and magnetic surface radii.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Solitary fast magnetosonic waves propagating obliquely to the magnetic field in cold collisionless plasma

Solutions describing solitary fast magnetosonic (FMS) waves (FMS solitons) in cold magnetized plasma are obtained by numerically solving two-fluid hydrodynamic equations. The parameter domain within which steady-state solitary waves can propagate is determined. It is established that the Mach number for rarefaction FMS solitons is always less than unity. The restriction on the propagation velocity leads to the limitation on the amplitudes of the magnetic field components of rarefaction solitons. It is shown that, as the soliton propagates in plasma, the transverse component of its magnetic field rotates and makes a complete turn around the axis along which the soliton propagates.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Stochastic acceleration of electrons by fast magnetosonic waves in solar flares: the effects of anisotropy in velocity and wavenumber space

We develop a model for stochastic acceleration of electrons in solar flares. As in several previous models, the electrons are accelerated by turbulent fast magnetosonic waves ({sup f}ast waves{sup )} via transit-time-damping (TTD) interactions. (In TTD interactions, fast waves act like moving magnetic mirrors that push the electrons parallel or anti-parallel to the magnetic field). We also include the effects of Coulomb collisions and the waves' parallel electric fields. Unlike previous models, our model is two-dimensional in both momentum space and wavenumber space and takes into account the anisotropy of the wave power spectrum F{sub k} and electron distribution function f {sub e}. We use weak turbulence theory and quasilinear theory to obtain a set of equations that describes the coupled evolution of F{sub k} and f {sub e}. We solve these equations numerically and find that the electron distribution function develops a power-law-like non-thermal tail within a restricted range of energies E in (E {sub nt}, E {sub max}). We obtain approximate analytic expressions for E {sub nt} and E {sub max}, which describe how these minimum and maximum energies depend upon parameters such as the electron number density and the rate at which fast-wave energy is injected into the acceleration region at large scales. We contrast our results with previous studies that assume that F{sub k} and f {sub e} are isotropic, and we compare one of our numerical calculations with the time-dependent hard-X-ray spectrum observed during the 1980 June 27 flare. In our numerical calculations, the electron energy spectra are softer (steeper) than in models with isotropic F{sub k} and f {sub e} and closer to the values inferred from observations of solar flares.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the magnetopause, magnetohydrodynamic waveguide in the outer magnetosphere, and Alfven resonance deep in the magnetosphere

Oscillations of the 'magnetosphere-solar wind' system are studied analytically in the framework of a plane-stratified model of the medium. The properties of oscillations are determined by three phenomena: Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the tangential discontinuity (magnetopause) separating the magnetosphere and the solar wind, the presence of a waveguide for fast magnetosonic waves in the magnetosphere, and the Alfven resonance-a sharp increase in the amplitude of oscillations having the properties of Alfven waves-in the inner magnetosphere. The oscillations of the system form a discrete spectrum of eigenmodes. Analytical expressions are obtained for the frequency and growth rate of instability of each mode, as well as for the functions describing the spatial structure of these modes. All these characteristics of the eigenmodes are shown to depend on the velocity of the solar wind as a parameter. The dependences of the main mode characteristics (such as the instability thresholds, the points of the maximum and minimum growth rate, and the spatial distributions of the oscillation energy) on this parameter are determined for each eigenmode.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Characterization of fast magnetosonic waves driven by compact toroid plasma injection along a magnetic field

Magnetosonic waves are low-frequency, linearly polarized magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves commonly found in space, responsible for many well-known features, such as heating of the solar corona. In this work, we report observations of interesting wave signatures driven by injecting compact toroid (CT) plasmas into a static Helmholtz magnetic field at the Big Red Ball Facility at Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory. By comparing the experimental results with the MHD theory, we identify that these waves are the fast magnetosonic modes propagating perpendicular to the background magnetic field. Additionally, we further investigate how the background field, preapplied poloidal magnetic flux in the CT injector, and the coarse grid placed in the chamber affect the characteristics of the waves. Since this experiment is part of an ongoing effort of creating a target plasma with tangled magnetic fields as a novel fusion fuel for magneto-inertial fusion (MIF), our current results could shed light on future possible paths of forming such a target for MIF.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

The quantum dusty magnetosonic solitary wave in magnetized plasma

The effects of quantum statistic and quantum diffraction on the weakly two-dimensional fast quantum dusty magnetosonic wave propagating perpendicular to the external magnetic field are investigated by considering the inertialess electron, inertialess ion, and inertial cold dust in the low frequency limit. A Kadomstev-Petviashvili equation is derived for the magnetosonic solitary wave by using reductive perturbation method. The results show that the amplitude of soliton increases with the increasing of quantum diffraction effects of both electrons and ions, while the amplitude of the soliton decreases with the increasing of the quantum statistic effects. By using the numerical investigations, the interaction law of the nontrivial line-solitons with rich web structure in the interaction area among the line-solitons is studied by the Wronskian determinant method, which shows that there is no exchange of the energy, the momentum, and the angular momentum in the interaction.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

PLASMA-WAVE GENERATION IN A DYNAMIC SPACETIME

We propose a new electromagnetic (EM)-emission mechanism in magnetized, force-free plasma, which is driven by the evolution of the underlying dynamic spacetime. In particular, the emission power and angular distribution of the emitted fast-magnetosonic and Alfvén waves are separately determined. Previous numerical simulations of binary black hole mergers occurring within magnetized plasma have recorded copious amounts of EM radiation that, in addition to collimated jets, include an unexplained, isotropic component that becomes dominant close to the merger. This raises the possibility of multimessenger gravitational-wave and EM observations on binary black hole systems. The mechanism proposed here provides a candidate analytical characterization of the numerical results, and when combined with previously understood mechanisms such as the Blandford–Znajek process and kinetic-motion-driven radiation, it allows us to construct a classification of different EM radiation components seen in the inspiral stage of compact-binary coalescences.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗