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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Laboratory Observations of Electron Heating and Non-Maxwellian Distributions at the Kinetic Scale during Electron-Only Magnetic Reconnection

Non-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution functions composed of a warm bulk population and a cold beam are directly measured during electron-only reconnection with a strong out-of-plane (guide) magnetic field in a laboratory plasma. Electron heating is localized to the separatrix, and the electron temperature increases continuously along the separatrix. The measured gain in enthalpy flux is 70% of the incoming Poynting flux. The electron beams are oppositely directed on either side of the X point, and their velocities are comparable to, and scale with, the electron Alfven speed. Particle-in-cell simulations are consistent with the measurements. Furthermore, the experimental results are consistent with, and go beyond, recent observations in the magnetosheath.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Conceptual Design and Performance Considerations for Superconducting Magnets in the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment

An important step toward the advent of nuclear fusion as a future power source is the development of plasmafacing materials that can function as designed for a long period of time. While ITER and other devices including Wendelstein 7-X and the Joint European Torus will provide insight into divertor and first wall performance, a dedicated device to advance the understanding of material performance in the representative plasma environments is needed. The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment has been proposed as a linear plasma device to generate and to direct fusion reactor-like plasma energy and particle flux at the target materials with electron temperatures of 1-15 eV and electron densities of 10 20 -10 21 m -3 . Given that the requirements for radio frequency (RF) heating on-axis field are no greater than 2.5 T and the warm bore diameters must be between 60 cm and 1.5 m, the conceptual design was developed for the experiments on a set of superconducting magnets carried out using commercially available NbTi superconductors. This conceptual design evaluated the cryogenic heat loads, mechanical loads, and quench protection to ensure that the current design is compatible with current technologies. In addition, an alternative evaluation of this design relative to ReBCO high-temperature superconducting magnets determined the conditions under which these technologies could be advantageous.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

X-ray Thomson scattering spectra from density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations based on a modified Chihara formula

Here, we study ab initio approaches for calculating x-ray Thomson scattering spectra from density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations based on a modified Chihara formula that expresses the inelastic contribution in terms of the dielectric function. We study the electronic dynamic structure factor computed from the Mermin dielectric function using an ab initio electron-ion collision frequency in comparison to computations using a linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (LR-TDDFT) framework for hydrogen and beryllium and investigate the dispersion of free-free and bound-free contributions to the scattering signal. A separate treatment of these contributions, where only the free-free part follows the Mermin dispersion, shows good agreement with LR-TDDFT results for ambient-density beryllium, but breaks down for highly compressed matter where the bound states become pressure ionized. LR-TDDFT is used to reanalyze x-ray Thomson scattering experiments on beryllium demonstrating strong deviations from the plasma conditions inferred with traditional analytic models at small scattering angles.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Wave-driven torques to drive current and rotation

In the classic Landau damping initial value problem, where a planar electrostatic wave transfers energy and momentum to resonant electrons, a recoil reaction occurs in the nonresonant particles to ensure momentum conservation. To explain how net current can be driven in spite of this conservation, the literature often appeals to mechanisms that transfer this nonresonant recoil momentum to ions, which carry negligible current. However, this explanation does not allow the transport of net charge across magnetic field lines, precluding E X B rotation drive. In this study, we show that in steady state, this picture of current drive is incomplete. Using a simple Fresnel model of the plasma, we show that for lower hybrid waves, the electromagnetic energy flux (Poynting vector) and momentum flux (Maxwell stress tensor) associated with the evanescent vacuum wave become the Minkowski energy flux and momentum flux in the plasma and are ultimately transferred to resonant particles. Thus, the torque delivered to the resonant particles is ultimately supplied by the electromagnetic torque from the antenna, allowing the nonresonant recoil response to vanish and rotation to be driven. We present a warm fluid model that explains how this momentum conservation works out locally, via a Reynolds stress that does not appear in the one-dimensional initial value problem. This model is the simplest that can capture both the nonresonant recoil reaction in the initial-value problem, and the absence of a nonresonant recoil in the steady-state boundary value problem, thus forbidding rotation drive in the former while allowing it in the latter.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Amplified spontaneous emission in the extreme ultraviolet by expanding xenon clusters

Focused short-wavelength free-electron laser (FEL) pulses interacting with gas phase samples can induce by inner-shell ionization a short-lived population inversion, followed by coherent collective emission of directed, short, and strong radiation bursts. We extend our studies into the warm-dense matter (WDM) regime by investigating the nanoplasmas produced in an ensemble of nanometer-sized clusters by FEL irradiation. Here, additional pathways can also lead to strong, laserlike emission: Electron-ion collisions can yield a long-lived population inversion, and subsequent amplified spontaneous emission. We observe amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the extreme ultraviolet in xenon clusters excited by soft x-ray FEL pulses, we diagnose the generated nanoplasmas by fluorescence spectroscopy, and we study under various cluster and FEL parameters the directed ASE from the Xe 2+ 65 nm line. We show its exponential increase as a function of FEL irradiation power, and an accompanying collisional broadening of the emission spectra. These findings are corroborated by extensive numerical simulations based on theory, combining detailed hydrodynamic and kinetic simulations with time-dependent calculations of radiation transport, amplification, and collective emission in the WDM nanoplasma. Furthermore, our theoretical findings underline that population inversion is due to electron-ion collisions and that the observed decoherence processes can be empirically characterized by a phenomenological decoherence time in the range of 100–200 fs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transport of kJ-laser-driven relativistic electron beams in cold and shock-heated vitreous carbon and diamond

We report experimental results on relativistic electron beam (REB) transport in a set of cold and shock-heated carbon samples using the high-intensity kilojoule-class OMEGA EP laser. The REB energy distribution and transport were diagnosed using an electron spectrometer and x-ray fluorescence measurements from aCu tracer buried at the rear side of the samples. The measured rear REB density shows brighter and narrower signals when the targets were shock-heated. Hybrid PIC simulations using advanced resistivity models in the target warm-dense-matter (WDM) conditions confirm this observation. We show that the resistivity response of the media, which governs the self generated resistive fields, is of paramount importance to understand and correctly predict the REB transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Probing the Electronic Structure of Warm Dense Nickel via Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

The development of bright free-electron lasers (FEL) has revolutionized our ability to create and study matter in the high-energy-density (HED) regime. Current diagnostic techniques have been successful in yielding information on fundamental thermodynamic plasma properties, but provide only limited or indirect information on the detailed quantum structure of these systems, and on how it is affected by ionization dynamics. In this work we show how the valence electronic structure of solid-density nickel, heated to temperatures of around 10 of eV on femtosecond timescales, can be probed by single-shot resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Linac Coherent Light Source FEL. The RIXS spectrum provides a wealth of information on the HED system that goes well beyond what can be extracted from x-ray absorption or emission spectroscopy alone, and is particularly well suited to time-resolved studies of electronic-structure dynamics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Hot electron preheat in hydrodynamically scaled direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions on the NIF and OMEGA

Hot electron preheat has been quantified in warm, directly driven inertial confinement fusion implosions on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility (NIF), to support hydrodynamic scaling studies. These CH-shell experiments were designed to be hydrodynamically equivalent, spanning a factor of 40 in laser energy and a factor of 3.4 in spatial and temporal scales, while preserving the incident laser intensity of 10 15 W/cm 2 . Experiments with similarly low levels of beam smoothing on OMEGA and NIF show a similar fraction (~0.2%) of laser energy deposited as hot electron preheat in the unablated shell on both OMEGA and NIF and similar preheat per mass (~2 kJ/mg), despite the NIF experiments generating a factor of three more hot electrons (~1.5% of laser energy) than on OMEGA (~0.5% of laser energy). This is plausibly explained by more absorption of hot electron energy in the ablated CH plasma on NIF due to larger areal density, as well as a smaller solid angle of the imploding shell as viewed from the hot electron generating region due to the hot electrons being produced at a larger standoff distance in lower-density regions by stimulated Raman scattering, in contrast to in higher-density regions by two-plasmon decay on OMEGA. Finally, the results indicate that for warm implosions at intensities of around 10 15 W/cm 2 , hydrodynamic equivalence is not violated by hot electron preheat, though for cryogenic implosions, the reduced attenuation of hot electrons in deuterium–tritium plasma will have to be considered.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Verification of a Monte Carlo binary collision model for simulating elastic and inelastic collisions in particle-in-cell simulations

We present the development and verification of a Monte Carlo binary collision model for simulating elastic and inelastic collisions in particle-in-cell simulations. We apply the corrected binary collision model originally developed for charged-particles collisions to all considered scattering channels, including Coulomb collisions, elastic neutral–neutral and charged–neutral collisions, ionization, excitation, and fusion. The model's implementation is described and verified through a series of simulations, including charged- and neutral-particle thermal equilibration, slowing of electrons in warm solid-density aluminum, collisional damping of a Langmuir wave, helium gas breakdown in an applied electric field, and thermonuclear and beam–target fusion. Then, we demonstrate the model within simulations of hydrogen plasma formation in the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration as well as of the burning of aneutronic fusion fuel p-11B. The latter includes measurement of the fusion power density in a low-density plasma and fusion production due to the stopping of a proton ignitor beam in a compressed boron target.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ion emission from warm dense matter produced by irradiation with a soft x-ray free-electron laser

Here we report on an experiment performed at the FLASH2 free-electron laser (FEL) aimed at producing warm dense matter via soft x-ray isochoric heating. In the experiment, we focus on study of the ions emitted during the soft x-ray ablation process using time-of-flight electron multipliers and a shifted Maxwell–Boltzmann velocity distribution model. We find that most emitted ions are thermal, but that some impurities chemisorbed on the target surface, such as protons, are accelerated by the electrostatic field created in the plasma by escaped electrons. The morphology of the complex crater structure indicates the presence of several ion groups with varying temperatures. We find that the ion sound velocity is controlled by the ion temperature and show how the ion yield depends on the FEL radiation attenuation length in different materials.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Orbital-Free Quantum Simulation Methods for Application to Warm Dense Matter (Final Technical Report)

Predictive simulations for prediction of condensed system behavior in state conditions far from ambient is increasingly crucial to DOE priorities. Warm dense matter (WDM) is the paradigm: temperature T > 1-15 eV, pressures P to 1 Mbar or greater. Experiments under such state conditions are difficult and costly. We summarize work driven by the need and opportunity to make free-energy density functional theory (DFT) as powerful a tool for ab initio simulation of matter under such extreme conditions as ground state DFT is for ordinary matter Advancing orbital-free DFT (OF-DFT) to eliminate the Kohn-Sham (KS) scaling bottleneck in such simulations is the other priority. The concurrent challenge for both goals is the intrinsic complexity of WDM. We summarize 15 years of successes and major progress on (1) free energy exchange-correlation functionals; (2) non-interacting free energy functionals (counterpart to T=0 Kohn-Sham kinetic energy density functionals); (3) rigorous results and constraints for free-energy DFT; (4) software for free energy DFT calculations in both conventional Kohn-Sham and OF-DFT form; (5) de-orbitalization of advanced orbital-dependent ground state functionals for use in OF-DFT; (6) demonstration calculations; (7) ancillary achievements (e.g. major review articles, secondary explorations motivated by primary goals).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Accurate temperature diagnostics for matter under extreme conditions

The experimental investigation of matter under extreme densities and temperatures, as in astrophysical objects and nuclear fusion applications, constitutes one of the most active frontiers at the interface of material science, plasma physics, and engineering. The central obstacle is given by the rigorous interpretation of the experimental results, as even the diagnosis of basic parameters like the temperature T is rendered difficult at these extreme conditions. Here, we present a simple, approximation-free method to extract the temperature of arbitrarily complex materials in thermal equilibrium from X-ray Thomson scattering experiments, without the need for any simulations or an explicit deconvolution. Our paradigm can be readily implemented at modern facilities and corresponding experiments will have a profound impact on our understanding of warm dense matter and beyond, and open up a variety of appealing possibilities in the context of thermonuclear fusion, laboratory astrophysics, and related disciplines.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of Short-Pulse Laser-Based Diagnostics for Pulsed Power-Driven Warm Dense Matter

This report summarizes a research project conducted at the Physics Department’s Zebra Pulsed Power Laboratory (ZPPL) at the University of Nevada Reno, aimed at developing short-pulse laser-based diagnostics to probe pulsed-power-driven warm dense matter. ZPPL combines a MegaAmpere (MA) pulsed power generator, Zebra, and a relativistic intensity, short-pulse laser, Leopard, offering a unique university-scale platform for high energy density physics, laboratory astrophysics, and inertial fusion energy research. The project focused on establishing a hard X-ray radiographic capability using high-intensity, short-pulse laser-generated X-rays to probe warm dense matter created by the Zebra current. Initial experiments produced X-ray radiographs of a static (cold) aluminum wire using silver and gold foil and wire targets, but intense background radiation from Zebra shots overwhelmed the laser-produced X-rays. To mitigate this, a radiationhardened detector housing was designed and implemented. Additional diagnostic, including a filter stack bremsstrahlung spectrometer and an X-ray pinhole camera, were developed to characterize laser-produced hard X-ray spectra and locate hard X-ray sources in the vacuum chamber. These revealed that strong hard X-rays (> 20 keV) originated near the anode cap, bombarded by energetic electrons. Due to laser unavailability during some experiments, detector performance was successfully tested using hard X-ray sources from the Zebra current, demonstrating their readiness for coupled experiments. The project supported one Ph.D. student (Dr. Lei Chen), who conducted experimental and numerical research, and provided training opportunities and data for three undergraduate senior theses.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Superconducting Magnet Qualification Methodology for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment

The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), currently under design, is a new linear plasma device to advance the understanding of plasma-material interactions through the generation and delivery of plasmas as they are expected in future fusion reactor divertors. MPEX will be a steady-state device to study high-fluence exposures of plasma-facing materials and components. The requirements for the magnetic field at the target and the heating stages make the application of superconducting coils necessary. Conceptual designs for the superconducting magnets have been developed, and multiple cryostats with warm bore diameters of either 65 cm or 156 cm are envisioned to facilitate their integrated and timely assembly with other systems such as vacuum, water cooling, and RF power. Although design, fabrication, and testing for the magnets as stand-alone units are straightforward, challenges will arise during the integration of the system. Two different field profiles will be used during operation. The magnetic field where the electron cyclotron heating occurs needs to operate at both 1.25 and 2.5 T. It is critical that the magnets all share the same magnetic axis and alignment. The mutual inductance between cryostats will affect the quench behavior of the system. Also, cryostat-to-cryostat forces can be as large as 700 kN, and the magnitude and direction will change depending on which coils are energized. The design of the system must take those characteristics into account along with the quench scenarios. This paper describes the qualification approach that will be used to determine whether stand-alone tests can be used to ensure the success of the integrated system. Fiducials will be used to define the location of the magnetic axis for each cryostat to ensure proper alignment. Quench tests of a single magnet will be performed at a current above the normal operating current to account for additional stored energy from the mutual inductance to adjacent cryostats. Also, a 1018 steel plate will be mounted on either end of a cryostat to simulate the cryostat-to-cryostat forces. Requirements for the size and location of the steel plates are described.

Burkhardt, Earle↗
DOE OSTI2023

Final Design and Analysis of the Superconducting Magnets for the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment

The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), which has completed its final design, is a new linear plasma device to advance the understanding of plasma-material interactions through the generation and delivery of plasmas as they are expected in future fusion reactor divertors. MPEX will be a steady-state device to study high-fluence exposures of plasma-facing materials and components. The requirements for the magnetic field at the heating stages and the target make the application of superconducting coils necessary. The final designs for the superconducting magnets have been developed using three cryostat designs with warm bore diameters of 65 cm and 156 cm. The large bores are required to for other systems such as vacuum, water cooling, and RF power. There are 19 superconducting coils in MPEX that are contained in six cryostats. Although design, fabrication, and testing for the magnets as stand-alone units are straightforward, challenges will arise during the integration of the system. Various field profiles will be used during operation. The magnetic field where the electron cyclotron heating occurs needs to operate at both 1.25 and 2.50 T. Analyses that have been performed on the final design include designing the coils and determining operating currents to meet field requirements, forces between cryostats, the effects of coil and/or cryostat movement, and quench analysis. To ensure that the magnetic field requirements are met, a plan for monitoring the magnetic field at specified locations has been developed which includes the effect of coil and/or cryostat movement.

Burkhardt, Earle↗
DOE OSTI2024

Transport coefficients of warm dense matter from Kohn-Sham density functional theory

We present a comprehensive study of transport coefficients including DC electrical conductivity and related optical properties, electrical contribution to the thermal conductivity, and the shear viscosity via ab initio molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations on the “priority 1” cases from the “Second Charged-Particle Transport Coefficient Workshop” [Stanek et al., Phys. Plasmas (to be published 2024)]. The purpose of this work is to carefully document the entire workflow used to generate our reported transport coefficients, up to and including our definitions of finite size and statistical convergence, extrapolation techniques, and choice of thermodynamic ensembles. In pursuit of accurate optical properties, we also present a novel, simple, and highly accurate algorithm for evaluating the Kramers–Kronig relations. These heuristics are often not discussed in the literature, and it is hoped that this work will facilitate the reproducibility of our data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A review on charged-particle transport modeling for laser direct-drive fusion

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) with the laser-indirect-drive scheme has recently made a tremendous breakthrough recently after decades of intensive research effort. Taking this success to the next step, the ICF community is coming to a general consensus that laser direct-drive (LDD) fusion might be the viable way for enabling inertial fusion energy (IFE) and high-gain targets for other applications. Designing and understanding LDD fusion targets heavily rely on radiation-hydrodynamic code simulations, in which charged-particle transport plays an essential role in modeling laser-target energy coupling and bootstrap heating of fusion-produced α-particles. To better simulate charged-particle transport in LDD targets, over the past four decades the plasma physics community has advanced transport calculations from simple plasma physics models to sophisticated computations based on first-principles methods. In this review, we give an overview of the current status of charged-particle transport modeling for LDD fusion, including what challenges we still face and the possible paths moving forward to advance transport modeling for ICF simulations. We hope this review will provide a summary of exciting challenges to stimulate young minds to enter the field, facilitate further progress in understanding warm-dense matter physics, and ultimately bridge toward the success of reliable LDD fusion designs for IFE and other high-gain ICF applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗