Drift instabilities and electron cyclotron oscillations for arbitrary plasma pressure
Drift instabilities and electron cyclotron oscillations for arbitrary plasma pressure
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Electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in a plasma with an ion beam and counterstreaming bulk electrons - Waves in the zero-frequency band
A common feature of the auroral plasma in the region above field-aligned (parallel) potential drops are electrostatic hydrogen cyclotron (EHC) waves. The present paper has the objective to show that wave excitation in the zero-frequency band can occur when the ion beams and the current-carrying bulk electrons counterstream. The instability mechanism involves the Landau interaction of the slow (negative energy) ion-beam-cyclotron waves with the drifting electrons and also with the target (background) ions. Only the latter resonant interaction between the beam and the target ions was considered by Okuda and Nishikawa (1984). In this study, it is shown that an electron drift makes an additional unstable contribution to the waves in the zero-frequency band, including those discussed by Okuda and Nishikawa.
Singh, N.↗
Stable longitudes for 12 hour eccentric orbit satellites
Accelerated longitude drift regimes of eccentric 12 hour orbits due to resonant geopotential
Wagner, C. A.↗
Intensity variation of ELF hiss and chorus during isolated substorms
Electromagnetic ELF emissions (100-1000 Hz) observed on the polar-orbiting OGO-6 satellite within three hours of the dawn-dusk meridian consistently exhibit a predictable response to isolated substorm activity. Near dawn, the emissions intensify during the substorm and then subside following the magnetic activity; the waves are most intense at L greater than 4, exhibit considerable structure and have been primarily identified as chorus. At dusk the response is entirely different; the wave intensity falls to background levels during substorm activity but subsequently intensifies, usually reaching levels well in excess of that before the disturbance. The emissions near dusk extend to low L, are relatively featureless, and have been identified as plasmaspheric hiss. These features are interpreted in terms of changes in the drift orbits of outer-zone electrons which cyclotron resonate with ELF waves.
Thorne, R. M.↗
Transition to unstable ion flow in parallel electric fields
The stability of ionospheric O(+)-H(+) outflows accelerated by a nonambipolar parallel electric field is considered under conditions where the ion motion initially develops adiabatically and the ambient plasma is vertically stratified with an effective temperature that increases with altitude. Such conditions are expected near the bottom of the auroral acceleration region where ion and electron streaming instabilities first develop. It is shown for a particular equilibrium profile that the differentially accelerated ion flows become unstable within about 100 km from their entry point in the acceleration region. At O(+)/H(+) density ratios less than about 9, the instability is dominated by a violent H(+)-O(+) two-stream interaction which couples the O(+) and H(+) acoustic modes, and which mediates a transition to nonadiabatic acceleration. At higher altitudes and/or larger O(+)/H(+) density ratios, a much weaker resonant instability exists, which is driven by the relative drift between electrons and O(+) or H(+) ions. The results suggest that the H(+)-O(+) two-stream instability may be a viable mechanism for heating upflowing auroral ions.
Bergmann, R.↗
Dynamical Evolution of Asteroids and Meteoroids Using the Yarkovsky Effect
The Yarkovsky effect is a thermal radiation force which causes objects to undergo semimajor axis drift and spin up/down as a function of their spin, orbit, and material properties. This mechanism can be used to (i) deliver asteroids (and meteoroids) with diameter D < 20 km from their parent bodies in the main belt to chaotic resonance zones capable of transporting this material to Earth-crossing orbits, (ii) disperse asteroid families, with drifting bodies jumping or becoming trapped in mean-motion and secular resonances within the main belt, and (iii) modify the rotation rates of asteroids a few km in diameter or smaller enough to explain the excessive number of very fast and very slow rotators among the small asteroids. Accordingly, we suggest that nongravitational forces, which produce small but meaningful effects on asteroid orbits and rotation rates over long timescales, should now be considered as important as collisions and gravitational perturbations to our overall understanding of asteroid evolution.
Bottke, William F., Jr.↗
Three-wave coupling coefficient in a drifting bi-Maxwellian plasma
A general electrostatic coupling coefficient which satisfies the Manley-Rowe relations is used to derive an explicit expression for the resonant three-wave coupling coefficient between electrostatic normal modes of a uniformly magnetized, infinite, homogeneous plasma with species described by drifting bi-Maxwellian distribution functions. The limit of this expression is taken when the phase velocities of the three waves are much larger than a species thermal speed, and also when the phase velocities are much smaller than the thermal speed. These are fluid limits and are applicable to the three-wave interaction between some low-frequency electrostatic waves, such as ion acoustic and ion cyclotron modes, in a plasma where T(e) is much greater than T(i).
Bergmann, Rachelle↗
Controller for Driving a Piezoelectric Actuator at Resonance
A digital control system based partly on an extremum-seeking control algorithm tracks the changing resonance frequency of a piezoelectric actuator or an electrically similar electromechanical device that is driven by a sinusoidal excitation signal and is required to be maintained at or near resonance in the presence of uncertain, changing external loads and disturbances. Somewhat more specifically, on the basis of measurements of the performance of the actuator, this system repeatedly estimates the resonance frequency and alters the excitation frequency as needed to keep it at or near the resonance frequency. In the original application for which this controller was developed, the piezoelectric actuator is part of an ultrasonic/sonic drill/corer. Going beyond this application, the underlying principles of design and operation are generally applicable to tracking changing resonance frequencies of heavily perturbed harmonic oscillators. Resonance-frequency-tracking analog electronic circuits are commercially available, but are not adequate for the present purpose for several reasons: The input/output characteristics of analog circuits tend to drift, often necessitating recalibration, especially whenever the same controller is used in driving a different resonator. In the case of an actuator in a system that has multiple modes characterized by different resonance frequencies, an analog controller can tune erroneously to one of the higher-frequency modes. The lack of programmability of analog controllers is problematic when faults occur, and is especially problematic for preventing tuning to a higher-frequency mode. In contrast, a digital controller can be programmed to restrict itself to a specified frequency range and to maintain stability even when the affected resonator is driven at high power and subjected to uncertain disturbances and variable loads. The present digital control system (see figure) is implemented by means of an algorithm that comprises three main subalgorithms: a hill-climbing control algorithm, an estimation-based extremum-seeking control (ESC) algorithm, and a supervisory algorithm. The hill-climbing algorithm is useful for coarse tracking to find and remain within the vicinity of the resonance. The ESC algorithm is not capable of coarse resonance tracking, but is capable of fine resonance tracking once the estimates of parameters generated by the hill-climbing algorithm have converged sufficiently. On the basis of the parameter-estimation errors, the supervisory algorithm switches operation to whichever of the other two algorithms performs best at a given time.
Aldrich, Jack↗
Production of Magnetic Turbulence by Cosmic Rays Drifting Upstream of Supernova Remnant Shocks
I will present results of our recent two- and three-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations of magnetic-turbulence production by cosmic-ray ions drifting upstream of supernova remnant shocks. These studies' aim is twofold: test recent predictions of strong amplification in short wavelength, non-resonant wave modes, and study the subsequent evolution of the magnetic turbulence, including its backreaction on cosmic-ray trajectories. We confirm that the drifting cosmic rays give rise to a turbulent magnetic field, but show that an oblique filamentary mode grows more rapidly than the non-resonant parallel modes found in analytical theory. The field perturbations grow more slowly than estimated using a quasi-linear analytical approach for the parallel plane-wave mode, and saturate in amplitude at deltaB/B approximately equal to 1. The backreaction of the magnetic turbulence on the particles leads to an alignment of the bulk-flow velocities of the cosmic rays and the background medium. This is an essential characteristic of cosmic ray-modified shocks: the upstream flow speed is continuously changed by the cosmic rays. The reduction of relative drift between cosmic rays and background medium accounts for the saturation of the instability at only moderate magnetic-field amplitudes. It is possible that the prolonged magnetic field growth observed in recent MHD simulations results from a cosmic-ray current assumed to be constant and thus immune to the backreaction from the turbulent field. We speculate that the parallel plane-wave mode found in analytical treatments very quickly leads co filamentation, which we observe in our PIC modeling and is also apparent in the MHD simulations.
Stroman, Thomas↗
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory/BATSE observations of energetic electrons scattered by cyclotron resonance with waves from powerful VLF transmitters
To obtain a better understanding of the wave-particle mechanisms responsible for the loss of electrons from the radiation belts, energetic electron data from the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) was studied. Powerful ground-based VLF transmitters resonantly scatter electrons from the inner radiation belt onto trajectories from which they precipitate into the atmosphere as they drift eastward. 563 instances in which the satellite traversed a cloud of energetic electrons which had been scattered into quasi-trapped trajectories were identified. From the longitude distribution, it was concluded that waves from the VLF transmitter NWC at 114 deg E are the origin of 257 of the events, and waves from UMSat 44 deg E related to 45 more. In another 177 cases the electrons had drifted from the longitude of these transmitters to a location in the western hemisphere. The previously reported seasonal variation in the frequency of occurrence of cyclotron resonance interaction is confirmed with the continuous coverage provided by GRO. The frequency of occurrence of the cyclotron resonance interactions is largest before sunrise, which we attribute to the diurnal variations in the transmission VLF waves through the ionosphere. For the first time, unique very narrow sheets of electrons occurring in the aftermath of a large geomagnetic storm are reported.
Datlowe, Dayton W.↗
Tidal friction and generalized Cassini's laws in the solar system
The tidal drift toward a generalized Cassini state of rotation of the spin axis of a planet or satellite in a precessing orbit is described. Generalized Cassini's laws are applied to several solar system objects and the location of their spin axes estimated. Of those considered only the moon definitely occupies state 2 with the spin axis near to the normal of the invariable plane. Most objects appear to occupy state 1 with the spin axis near to the orbit normal. Iapetus could occupy either state depending on its oblateness. In addition, the resonant rotation of Mercury is found to have little effect on the tidal drift of its spin axis toward state 1.
Ward, W. R.↗
Electromagnetic ion beam instabilities
The linear theory of electromagnetic instabilities driven by an energetic ion beam streaming parallel to a magnetic field in a homogeneous Vlasov plasma is considered. Numerical solutions of the full dispersion equation are presented. At propagation parallel to the magnetic field, there are four distinct instabilities. A sufficiently energetic beam gives rise to two unstable modes with right-hand polarization, one resonant with the beam, the other nonresonant. A beam with sufficiently large T (perpendicular to B)/T (parallel to B) gives rise to the left-hand ion cyclotron anisotropy instability at relatively small beam velocities, and a sufficiently hot beam drives unstable a left-hand beam resonant mode. The parametric dependences of the growth rates for the three high beam velocity instabilities are presented here. In addition, some properties at oblique propagation are examined. It is demonstrated that, as the beam drift velocity is increased, relative maxima in growth rates can arise at harmonics of the ion cyclotron resonance for both right and left elliptically polarized modes.
Gary, S. P.↗
Cross-tail current, field-aligned current, and B(y)
Orbits of individual charged particles were traced in a one-dimensional magnetic field model that included a uniform cross-tail component B(sub yo). The effects of B(sub yo) on the cross-tail current distribution j(sub y)(z), the average cross-tail drift velocity(nu(sub y)z), and the average pitch angle change(delta alpha) experienced during current sheet encounters were calculated. The addition of a B(sub yo) that exceeded several tenths of one nanotesla completely eliminated all resonance effects for odd-N orbits. An odd-N resonance involves ions that enter and exit the current sheet on the same side. Pitch angles of nearly all such ions changed substantially during a typical current sheet interaction, and there was no region of large cross-tail drift velocity in the presence of a modest B(sub yo). the addition of a very large B(sub yo) guide field in the direction that enhances the natural drift produces a large j(y) and small (Delta alpha) for ions with all energies. The addition of a modest B(sub yo) had less effect near even-N resonances. In this case, ions in a small energy range were found to undergo so little change in pitch angle that particles which originated in the ionosphere would pass through the current sheet and return to the conjugate ionosphere. Finally, the cross-tail drift of ions from regions dominated by stochastic orbits to regions dominated by either resonant or guiding center orbits was considered. The ion drift speed changed substantially during such transitions. The accompanying electrons obey the guiding center equations, so electron drift is more uniform. Any difference between gradients in the fluxes associated with electron and ion drifts requires the presence of a Birkeland current in order to maintain charge neutrality. This plasma sheet region therefore serves as a current generator. The analysis predicts that the resulting Birkeland current connects to the lowest altitude equatorial regions in which ions drift to or from a point at which stochastic orbits predominate. The proposed mechanism appears only in analyses that include non-guiding-center effects.
Kaufmann, Richard L.↗
Nonguiding Center Motion and Substorm Effects in the Magnetotail
Thick and thin models of the middle magnetotail were developed using a consistent orbit tracing technique. It was found that currents carried near the equator by groups of ions with anisotropic distribution functions are not well approximated by the guiding center expressions. The guiding center equations fail primarily because the calculated pressure tensor is not magnetic field aligned. The pressure tensor becomes field aligned as one moves away from the equator, but here there is a small region in which the guiding center equations remain inadequate because the two perpendicular components of the pressure tensor are unequal. The significance of nonguiding center motion to substorm processes then was examined. One mechanism that may disrupt a thin cross-tail current sheet involves field changes that cause ions to begin following chaotic orbits. The lowest-altitude chaotic region, characterized by an adiabaticity parameter kappa approx. equal to 0.8, is especially important. The average cross-tail particle drift is slow, and we were unable to generate a thin current sheet using such ions. Therefore, any process that tends to create a thin current sheet in a region with kappa approaching 0.8 may cause the cross-tail current to get so low that it becomes insufficient to support the lobes. A different limit may be important in resonant orbit regions of a thin current sheet because particles reach a maximum cross-tail drift velocity. If the number of ions per unit length decreases as the tail is stretched, this part of the plasma sheet also may become unable to carry the cross-tail current needed to support the lobes. Thin sheets are needed for both resonant and chaotic orbit mechanisms because the distribution function must be highly structured. A description of current continuity is included to show how field aligned currents can evolve during the transition from a two-dimensional (2-D) to a 3-D configuration.
Kaufmann, Richard L.↗
Stable longitudes for 12-hr eccentric orbit satellites.
The accelerated longitude drift regimes of eccentric 12-hr orbits are considered, due to the resonant geopotential. These quasi-stationary orbits are under investigation at NASA for large payload earth surveillance spacecraft in the small applications technology satellite (SATS) program. Inclinations near 'critical' are especially attractive because of their possible long term stability, and these are examined in detail. 'Stable' equator crossing longitudes for these satellites are found as functions of the argument of perigee. As long as the argument of perigee is between plus or minus 100 deg, these stable longitudes lie within a narrow range. Maximum 'east-west' stationkeeping requirements for these satellites at nonequilibrium positions are in the range of 0.3 to 3 m/sec/yr.
Wagner, C. A.↗
Beam-generated waves in a large plasma chamber
The beam plasma discharge (BPD) and pre-BPD states of plasma waves generated in a large vacuum chamber by an electron beam of energy 0.5-2 keV are measured, and three wave categories are found. The low-frequency waves are suggested to be surface waves on a nonneutral plasma column, with measured properties consistent with the lower hybrid drift instability. The whistler mode spectrum is thought to be a Cerenkov resonance with the lower Trivelpiece-Gould mode, and it may not play an important role in modifying the particle distributions. The high frequency spectrum is seen to be a Cerenkov resonance with the upper Trivelpiece-Gould mode, and it is responsible for the major perturbation of the BPD beam energy.
Kellogg, Paul J.↗
Nonlinear vibration and radiation from a panel with transition to chaos
The dynamic response of an aircraft panel forced at resonance and off-resonance by plane acoustic waves at normal incidence is investigated experimentally and numerically. Linear, nonlinear (period doubling), and chaotic responses are obtained by increasing the sound pressure level of the excitation. The response time history is sensitive to the input level and to the frequency of excitation. The change in response behavior is due to a change in input conditions, triggered either naturally or by modulation of the bandwidth of the incident waves. Off-resonance bifurcation is diffused and difficult to maintain; thus the panel response drifts into a linear behavior. The acoustic pressure emanated by the panel is either linear or nonlinear as is the vibration response. The nonlinear effects accumulate during the propagation with distance. Results are also obtained on the control of the panel response using damping tape on an aluminum panel and a graphite epoxy panel having the same size and weight. Good agreement is obtained betwen the experimental and numerical results.
Maestrello, Lucio↗
Nonlinear vibration and radiation from a panel with transition to chaos induced by acoustic waves
The dynamic response of an aircraft panel forced at resonance and off-resonance by plane acoustic waves at normal incidence is investigated experimentally and numerically. Linear, nonlinear (period doubling) and chaotic responses are obtained by increasing the sound pressure level of the excitation. The response time history is sensitive to the input level and to the frequency of excitation. The change in response behavior is due to a change in input conditions, triggered either naturally or by modulation of the bandwidth of the incident waves. Off-resonance, bifurcation is diffused and difficult to maintain, thus the panel response drifts into a linear behavior. The acoustic pressure emanated by the panel is either linear or nonlinear as is the vibration response. The nonlinear effects accumulate during the propagation with distance. Results are also obtained on the control of the panel response using damping tape on aluminum panel and using a graphite epoxy panel having the same size and weight. Good agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results.
Maestrello, Lucio↗