Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “MAGNETIC FLUX”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 901 records · Page 50
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Characteristics of major plasma discharge disruption in the Globus-M spherical tokamak

The characteristics of the major disruption of plasma discharges in the Globus-M spherical tokamak are analyzed. The process of current quench is accompanied by the loss of the vertical stability of the plasma column. The plasma boundary during the disruption is reconstructed using the algorithm of movable filaments. The plasma current decay is preceded by thermal quench, during which the profiles of the temperature and electron density were measured. The data on the time of disruption, the plasma current quench rate, and the toroidal current induced in the tokamak vessel are compared for hydrogen and deuterium plasmas. It is shown that the disruption characteristics depend weakly on the ion mass and the current induced in the vessel increases with the disruption time. The decay rate of the plasma toroidal magnetic flux during the disruption is determined using diamagnetic measurements. Such a decay is a source of the poloidal current induced in the vessel; it may also cause poloidal halo currents.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

HELIOSHEATH MAGNETIC FIELD AND PLASMA OBSERVED BY VOYAGER 2 DURING 2012 IN THE RISING PHASE OF SOLAR CYCLE 24

We discuss magnetic field and plasma observations of the heliosheath made by Voyager 2 (V2) during 2012, when V2 was observing the effects of increasing solar activity following the solar minimum in 2009. The average magnetic field strength B was 0.14 nT and B reached 0.29 nT on day 249. V2 was in a unipolar region in which the magnetic polarity was directed away from the Sun along the Parker spiral 88% of the time, indicating that V2 was poleward of the heliospheric current sheet throughout most of 2012. The magnetic flux at V2 during 2012 was constant. A merged interaction region (MIR) was observed, and the flow speed increased as the MIR moved past V2. The MIR caused a decrease in the >70 MeV nuc{sup −1} cosmic-ray intensity. The increments of B can be described by a q-Gaussian distribution with q = 1.2 ± 0.1 for daily averages and q = 1.82 ± 0.03 for hour averages. Eight isolated current sheets (“PBLs”) and four closely spaced pairs of current sheets were observed. The average change of B across the current sheets was a factor of ≈2, and B increased or decreased with equal probability. Magnetic holes and magnetic humps were also observed. The characteristic size of the PBLs was ≈6 R{sub L}, where R{sub L} is the Larmor radius of protons, and the characteristic sizes of the magnetic holes and humps were ≈38 R{sub L} and ≈11 R{sub L}, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Preshot Predictions for LA-43S-1 using the Eulerian AMR Code Roxane

The Ranchero Magnetic Flux Compression Generator (FCG) has been used to create current pulses in the 10-100 MA range for driving both “static” low inductance (0.5 nH) loads1 for generator demonstration purposes and high inductance (10-20 nH) imploding liner loads for ultimate use in physics experiments at very high energy density. This report offers a description of these efforts.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

SOLAR CYCLE VARIATION OF THE INTER-NETWORK MAGNETIC FIELD

The solar inter-network magnetic field is the weakest component of solar magnetism, but it contributes most of the solar surface magnetic flux. The study of its origin has been constrained by the inadequate tempospatial resolution and sensitivity of polarization observations. With dramatic advances in spatial resolution and detecting sensitivity, the solar spectropolarimetry provided by the Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode in an interval from the solar minimum to maximum of cycle 24 opens an unprecedented opportunity to study the cyclic behavior of the solar inter-network magnetic field. More than 1000 Hinode magnetograms observed from 2007 January to 2014 August are selected in the study. It has been found that there is a very slight correlation between sunspot number and magnetic field at the inter-network flux spectrum. From solar minimum to maximum of cycle 24, the flux density of the solar inter-network field is invariant, at 10 ± 1 G. The observations suggest that the inter-network magnetic field does not arise from flux diffusion or flux recycling of solar active regions, thereby indicating the existence of a local small-scale dynamo. Combining the full-disk magnetograms observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Michelson Doppler Imager and the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager in the same period, we find that the area ratio of the inter-network region to the full disk of the Sun apparently decreases from solar minimum to maximum but always exceeds 60%, even in the phase of solar maximum.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

MEASUREMENTS OF NON-THERMAL LINE WIDTHS IN SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS

Spectral line widths are often observed to be larger than can be accounted for by thermal and instrumental broadening alone. This excess broadening is a key observational constraint for both nanoflare and wave dissipation models of coronal heating. Here we present a survey of non-thermal velocities measured in the high temperature loops (1–4 MK) often found in the cores of solar active regions. This survey of Hinode Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) observations covers 15 non-flaring active regions that span a wide range of solar conditions. We find relatively small non-thermal velocities, with a mean value of 17.6 ± 5.3 km s{sup −1}, and no significant trend with temperature or active region magnetic flux. These measurements appear to be inconsistent with those expected from reconnection jets in the corona, chromospheric evaporation induced by coronal nanoflares, and Alfvén wave turbulence models. Furthermore, because the observed non-thermal widths are generally small, such measurements are difficult and susceptible to systematic effects.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

CHALLENGING SOME CONTEMPORARY VIEWS OF CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS. I. THE CASE FOR BLAST WAVES

Since the closure of the “solar flare myth” debate in the mid-1990s, a specific narrative of the nature of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has been widely accepted by the solar physics community. This narrative describes structured magnetic flux ropes at the CME core that drive the surrounding field plasma away from the Sun. This narrative replaced the “traditional” view that CMEs were blast waves driven by solar flares. While the flux rope CME narrative is supported by a vast quantity of measurements made over five decades, it does not adequately describe every observation of what have been termed CME-related phenomena. In this paper we present evidence that some large-scale coronal eruptions, particularly those associated with EIT waves, exhibit characteristics that are more consistent with a blast wave originating from a localized region (such as a flare site) rather than a large-scale structure driven by an intrinsic flux rope. We present detailed examples of CMEs that are suspected blast waves and flux ropes, and show that of our small sample of 22 EIT-wave-related CMEs, 91% involve a blast wave as at least part of the eruption, and 50% are probably blast waves exclusively. We conclude with a description of possible signatures to look for in determining the difference between the two types of CMEs and with a discussion on modeling efforts to explore this possibility.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

EXPLAINING THE COEXISTENCE OF LARGE-SCALE AND SMALL-SCALE MAGNETIC FIELDS IN FULLY CONVECTIVE STARS

Despite the lack of a shear-rich tachocline region, low-mass fully convective (FC) stars are capable of generating strong magnetic fields, indicating that a dynamo mechanism fundamentally different from the solar dynamo is at work in these objects. We present a self-consistent three-dimensional model of magnetic field generation in low-mass FC stars. The model utilizes the anelastic magnetohydrodynamic equations to simulate compressible convection in a rotating sphere. A distributed dynamo working in the model spontaneously produces a dipole-dominated surface magnetic field of the observed strength. The interaction of this field with the turbulent convection in outer layers shreds it, producing small-scale fields that carry most of the magnetic flux. The Zeeman–Doppler-Imaging technique applied to synthetic spectropolarimetric data based on our model recovers most of the large-scale field. Our model simultaneously reproduces the morphology and magnitude of the large-scale field as well as the magnitude of the small-scale field observed on low-mass FC stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

DROPOUT OF DIRECTIONAL ELECTRON INTENSITIES IN LARGE SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS

In the “gradual” solar energetic particle (SEP) event during solar cycle 23 we have observed the dispersionless modulation (“dropout”) in directional intensities of nonrelativistic electrons. The average duration of dropout periods is ∼0.8 hr, which is consistent with the correlation scale of solar wind turbulence. During the dropout period electrons could display scatter-free transport in an intermittent way. Also, we have observed a decrease in the anisotropic index of incident electrons with increasing electron energy (E{sub e}), while the index of scattered/reflected electrons is nearly independent of E{sub e}. We hence perform an observational examination of the correlation between the anisotropic index of low-energy scattered/reflected electrons and the signature of the locally measured solar wind turbulence in the dissipation range, which is responsible for resonant scattering of nonrelativistic electrons. Since during the dropout period the slab turbulence fraction is dominant (0.8 ± 0.1), we pay close attention to the effect of slab fraction on the correlation examined. Our observation is consistent with the simulation result that in the dominance of the slab turbulence component there should exist a dispatched structure of magnetic flux tubes, along which electrons could be transported in a scatter-free manner. Since a similar phenomenon is exhibited in the “impulsive” SEP event, electron dropout should be a transport effect. Therefore, being different from most ion dropout events, which are due to a compact flare source, the dropout of directional electron intensities should be caused by the change of turbulence status in the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

THE NONPOTENTIALITY OF CORONAE OF SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS, THE DYNAMICS OF THE SURFACE MAGNETIC FIELD, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE FLARES

Flares and eruptions from solar active regions (ARs) are associated with atmospheric electrical currents accompanying distortions of the coronal field away from a lowest-energy potential state. In order to better understand the origin of these currents and their role in M- and X-class flares, I review all AR observations made with Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and SDO/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly from 2010 May through 2014 October within ≈40° from the disk center. I select the roughly 4% of all regions that display a distinctly nonpotential coronal configuration in loops with a length comparable to the scale of the AR, and all that emit GOES X-class flares. The data for 41 regions confirm, with a single exception, that strong-field, high-gradient polarity inversion lines (SHILs) created during emergence of magnetic flux into, and related displacement within, pre-existing ARs are associated with X-class flares. Obvious nonpotentiality in the AR-scale loops occurs in six of ten selected regions with X-class flares, all with relatively long SHILs along their primary polarity inversion line, or with a long internal filament there. Nonpotentiality can exist in ARs well past the flux-emergence phase, often with reduced or absent flaring. I conclude that the dynamics of the flux involved in the compact SHILs is of pre-eminent importance for the large-flare potential of ARs within the next day, but that their associated currents may not reveal themselves in AR-scale nonpotentiality. In contrast, AR-scale nonpotentiality, which can persist for many days, may inform us about the eruption potential other than those from SHILs which is almost never associated with X-class flaring.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Non-contact Apparatus for Measuring Longitudinal Critical Current of REBCO Tapes Using the Magnetic Circuit Method

This paper details the design and construction of a non-contact apparatus that can measure the longitudinal critical current of REBCO tapes based on magnetic circuit method. A 3D finite element model was proposed to study the relation between I{sub c} (critical current of the REBCO tape) and B{sub H} (magnetic field at the Hall sensor). The proportionality coefficient of I{sub c} and B{sub H} was obtained by using the said model. Several experiments on the REBCO tapes were conducted to determine the repeatability, reliability, and accuracy of the apparatus. Four parameters (average value, minimum value, the range, and the coefficient of critical current variation (COV)) were used to determine the repeatability and accuracy of the apparatus. It was observed that transmission speed affects test results because of relaxation of the magnetic flux. Another tape was tested at different transmission speeds to study the relation between B{sub H} and decay time. From the results, a principle formula was established to explain the relation between B{sub H} and decay time, and it was shown that the test results also take the same form as the principle formula.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Small Coronal Holes Near Active Regions as Sources of Slow Solar Wind

We discuss the nature of the small areas of rapidly diverging, open magnetic flux that form in the strong unipolar fields at the peripheries of active regions (ARs), according to coronal extrapolations of photospheric field measurements. Because such regions usually have dark counterparts in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) images, we refer to them as coronal holes, even when they appear as narrow lanes or contain sunspots. Revisiting previously identified “AR sources” of slow solar wind from 1998 and 1999, we find that they are all associated with EUV coronal holes; the absence of well-defined He i 1083.0 nm counterparts to some of these holes is attributed to the large flux of photoionizing radiation from neighboring AR loops. Examining a number of AR-associated EUV holes during the 2014 activity maximum, we confirm that they are characterized by wind speeds of ∼300–450 km s{sup −1}, O{sup 7+}/O{sup 6+} ratios of ∼0.05–0.4, and footpoint field strengths typically of order 30 G. The close spacing between ARs at sunspot maximum limits the widths of unipolar regions and their embedded holes, while the continual emergence of new flux leads to rapid changes in the hole boundaries. Because of the highly nonradial nature of AR fields, the smaller EUV holes are often masked by the overlying canopy of loops, and may be more visible toward one solar limb than at central meridian. As sunspot activity declines, the AR remnants merge to form much larger, weaker, and longer-lived unipolar regions, which harbor the “classical” coronal holes that produce recurrent high-speed streams.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

A new solar cycle model including meridional circulation

A kinematic model is presented for the solar cycle which includes not only the transport of magnetic flux by supergranular diffusion and a poleward bulk flow at the sun's surface, but also the effects of turbulent diffusion and an equatorward 'return flow' beneath the surface. As in the earlier models of Babcock and Leighton, the rotational shearing of a subsurface poloidal field generates toroidal flux that erupts at the surface in the form of bipolar magnetic regions. However, such eruptions do not result in any net loss of toroidal flux from the sun (as assumed by Babcock and Leighton); instead, the large-scale toroidal field is destroyed both by 'unwinding' as the local poloidal field reverses its polarity, and by diffusion as the toroidal flux is transported equatorward by the subsurface flow and merged with its opposite hemisphere counterpart. The inclusion of meridional circulation allows stable oscillations of the magnetic field, accompanied by the equatorward progression of flux eruptions, to be achieved even in the absence of a radial gradient in the angular velocity. An illustrative case in which a subsurface flow speed of order 1 m/s and subsurface diffusion rate of order 10 sq km/s yield 22-yr oscillations in qualitative agreement with observations.

Wang, Y.-M.↗
DOE OSTI2018

High Temperature Quantum Kinetic Effects in Silicon Nanosandwiches

The negative-U impurity stripes confining the edge channels of semiconductor quantum wells are shown to allow the effective cooling inside in the process of the spin-dependent transport, with the reduction of the electron-electron interaction. The aforesaid promotes also the creation of composite bosons and fermions by the capture of single magnetic flux quanta on the edge channels under the conditions of low sheet density of carriers, thus opening new opportunities for the registration of the high temperature de Haas-van Alphen, 300 K, quantum Hall, 77 K, effects as well as quantum conductance staircase in the silicon sandwich structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Critical Phase-Transition Current in Niobium Nitride Thin Films

Abstract—The effect of current and magnetic field on the transition to the superconducting state in niobium nitride thin films has been studied. The critical current dependences of the films on the temperature and magnetic field in the transition region have been determined. Within the framework of models of a normal domain and quasiparticle heating during viscous flow of a magnetic flux, the functional dependences of the critical current have been determined in close vicinity of the superconducting transition temperature. Using the theory of electron heating, we have determined the time of the electron energy relaxation. We also estimated the electron-phonon and the electron-electron inelastic scattering times, the diffusion coefficient of electrons, and heat transfer coefficient.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1986

ISEE-1 and -2 observations of magnetotail flux ropes - FTEs in the plasma sheet?

ISEE-1 and 2 observations from about 20 Re down the near-earth magnetotail indicate the presence of magnetic flux ropes in the neutral sheet. Magnetic and electric field and fast plasma data show that these structures convect across the spacecraft at speeds of 200-600-km/s, and have scale sizes of roughly 3 5-Re. The rope axis orientation is approximately cross-tail. Their magnetic structure is similar to Venus ionospheric flux ropes, and to flux transfer events at the dayside magnetopause. These structures may arise from patchy reconnection or tearing mode reconnection within the plasma sheet.

Elphic, R. C.↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Hamiltonian five-field gyrofluid model

A Lie-Poisson bracket is presented for a five-field gyrofluid model, thereby showing the model to be Hamiltonian. The model includes the effects of magnetic field curvature and describes the evolution of the electron and ion gyro-center densities, the parallel component of the ion and electron velocities, and the ion temperature. The quasineutrality property and Ampère's law determine, respectively, the electrostatic potential and magnetic flux. The Casimir invariants are presented, and shown to be associated with five Lagrangian invariants advected by distinct velocity fields. A linear, local study of the model is conducted both with and without Landau and diamagnetic resonant damping terms. Stability criteria and dispersion relations for the electrostatic and the electromagnetic cases are derived and compared with their analogs for fluid and kinetic models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

On the reversibility of the Meissner effect and the angular momentum puzzle

It is generally believed that the laws of thermodynamics govern superconductivity as an equilibrium state of matter, and hence that the normal-superconductor transition in a magnetic field is reversible under ideal conditions. Because eddy currents are generated during the transition as the magnetic flux changes, the transition has to proceed infinitely slowly to generate no entropy. Experiments showed that to a high degree of accuracy no entropy was generated in these transitions. However, in this paper we point out that for the length of times over which these experiments extended, a much higher degree of irreversibility due to decay of eddy currents should have been detected than was actually observed. We also point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no explanation exists for why no Joule heat is generated in the superconductor to normal transition when the supercurrent stops. In addition we point out that within the conventional theory of superconductivity no mechanism exists for the transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body as a whole, which is necessary to ensure that the transition in the presence of a magnetic field respects momentum conservation. We propose a solution to all these questions based on the alternative theory of hole superconductivity. The theory proposes that in the normal-superconductor transition there is a flow and backflow of charge in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary when the phase boundary moves. We show that this flow and backflow explains the absence of Joule heat generated by Faraday eddy currents, the absence of Joule heat generated in the process of the supercurrent stopping, and the reversible transfer of momentum between the supercurrent and the body, provided the current carriers in the normal state are holes. - Highlights: • The normal-superconductor phase transition is reversible. • Within the conventional theory, Foucault currents give rise to irreversibility. • To suppress Foucault currents, charge has to flow in direction perpendicular to the phase boundary. • The charge carriers have to be holes. • This solves also the angular momentum puzzle associated with the Meissner effect.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Recent breakthroughs on C-2U: Norman’s legacy

Conventional field-reversed configurations (FRC) face notable stability and confinement concerns, which can be ameliorated by introducing and maintaining a significant fast ion population in the system. This is the conjecture first introduced by Norman Rostoker multiple decades ago and adopted as the central design tenet in Tri Alpha Energy’s advanced beam driven FRC concept. In fact, studying the physics of such neutral beam (NB) driven FRCs over the past decade, considerable improvements were made in confinement and stability. Next to NB injection, the addition of axially streaming plasma guns, magnetic end plugs, as well as advanced surface conditioning lead to dramatic reductions in turbulence driven losses and greatly improved stability. In turn, fast ion confinement improved significantly and allowed for the build-up of a dominant fast particle population. This recently led to the breakthrough of sustaining an advanced beam driven FRC, thereby demonstrating successful maintenance of trapped magnetic flux, plasma dimensions and total pressure inventory for times much longer than all characteristic system time scales and only limited by hardware and electric supply constraints.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗