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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 1,531 records · Page 85
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Computational modeling of proton acceleration with multi-picosecond and high energy, kilojoule, lasers

Here, we use computational modeling to investigate proton beam generation from kilojoule, multi-picosecond laser pulses pertinent to several recently commissioned, large-scale laser facilities. The dependencies of proton acceleration on electron source parameters including pulse duration, temperature, and flux are independently and systematically evaluated. Proton acceleration is found to depend not only on the source size and peak temperature of the injected electrons but also on the rate of increase for a more physical time-varying temperature. Simulations of a 10 ps, sub-relativistic intensity (8 × 10 17 W/cm 2 ) at 1 μm wavelength laser pulse show that energetic electrons generated within the expanding under-dense laser-produced plasma sustain the proton acceleration for ~20 ps. This results in 15 MeV energy gain of the protons, well above what would be predicted based on conventional intensity scalings or what has been observed with shorter pulses. Using this prolonged acceleration, a scheme consisting of a 1 ps and 10 ps double pulse is shown to further boost proton maximum energy.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Laser-plasma acceleration beyond wave breaking

Laser wakefield accelerators rely on the extremely high electric fields of nonlinear plasma waves to trap and accelerate electrons to relativistic energies over short distances. When driven strongly enough, plasma waves break, trapping a large population of the background electrons that support their motion. Aside from limiting the maximum electric field, this trapping can lead to accelerated electron bunches with large energy spreads. Here we introduce a novel regime of plasma wave excitation and wakefield acceleration that allows for arbitrarily high electric fields while avoiding the deleterious effects of unwanted trapping. Here, the regime, enabled by spatiotemporal shaping of laser pulses, exploits the property that nonlinear plasma waves with superluminal phase velocities cannot trap charged particles and are therefore immune to wave breaking.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

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

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

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Microchip accelerators

Particle accelerators are among the most important scientific tools of the modern age. Major accelerator facilities, such as the 27-km-circumference Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, where the Higgs boson was recently discovered, allow scientists to uncover fundamental properties of matter and energy. But the particle energies needed to explore new regimes of physics have increased to the TeV scale and beyond, and accelerator facilities based on conventional technologies are becoming prohibitively large and costly. Further, even lower-energy, smaller-scale accelerators used in medicine and industry are often cumbersome devices; they can weigh several tons and cost millions of dollars.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Optimal acceleration of ions by laser pulses with a sharp leading edge

We consider acceleration of ions through the interaction of a laser pulse with a sharp leading edge with nanofilms. At sufficiently large amplitude of the pulse, all the electrons can be expelled from the film, which provides an effective regime of ion acceleration. Limiting the maximum energy of ions can result from the longitudinal reverse motion of electrons to the initial position and by the transverse motion of electrons along the nanofilm surface, which causes the ion charge compensation. The characteristic parameters of the dynamics of ions and electrons in the system are analytically evaluated, which agree well with the results of twodimensional numerical simulations by the particle-in-cell method. Optimisation of the acceleration process by using the analytical estimates makes it possible to select the optimal parameters of the laser pulse and nanofilm. Numerical simulation of ion acceleration at these parameters shows that the maximum energy of ions can be substantially increased.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Second Moment Method for k -Eigenvalue Acceleration with Continuous Diffusion and Discontinuous Transport Discretizations

The second moment method is a linear acceleration technique that couples the transport equation to a diffusion equation with transport-dependent additive closures. The resulting low-order diffusion equation can be discretized independent of the transport discretization, unlike diffusion synthetic acceleration, and is symmetric positive definite, unlike quasidiffusion. While this method has been shown to be comparable to quasidiffusion in iterative performance for fixed source and time-dependent problems, it is largely unexplored as an eigenvalue problem acceleration scheme due to the belief that the resulting inhomogeneous source makes the problem ill posed. Recently, a preliminary feasibility study was performed on the second moment method for eigenvalue problems. The results suggested comparable performance to quasidiffusion and more robust performance than diffusion synthetic acceleration. This work extends the initial study to more realistic reactor problems using state-of-the-art discretization techniques. Finally, the results in this paper show that the second moment method is more computationally efficient than its alternatives on complex reactor problems with unstructured meshes.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

PARTICLE ACCELERATION AT NEAR-PERPENDICULAR SHOCKS: THE ROLE OF FIELD-LINE TOPOLOGY

Particle acceleration at two-dimensional (2D) shocks can significantly differ from our expectations based on one-dimensional shocks. We discuss several features of 2D shocks. First, we present a simple example of diffusive acceleration to demonstrate that (1) 'hot spots' and cold regions can be expected along the shock face, as the field-line configuration changes along the shock face, (2) the flux of accelerated particles (even the average flux) can be expected to increase beyond the shock, and (3) 2D structures may lead to a softening of the spectrum. We also address quasi-perpendicular shocks and discuss what happens when a field line is hit by a curved shock or is detaching from a shock. This mechanism is of interest on both large and small scales. We consider pure field-aligned transport and address both the diffusive (large scale) and scatter-free (small scale) cases, looking from the perspective of one field line. We find that quasi-trapping of particles in front of the shock can lead to rapid and effective acceleration via multiple mirroring on the ever faster moving shock. This mechanism may be of importance at various astrophysical, heliospheric, and coronal mass ejection driven shocks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

ACCELERATION OF SMALL ASTROPHYSICAL GRAINS DUE TO CHARGE FLUCTUATIONS

We discuss a novel mechanism of dust acceleration which may dominate for particles smaller than {approx}0.1 {mu}m. The acceleration is caused by their direct electrostatic interactions arising from fluctuations of grain charges. The energy sources for the acceleration are the irreversible plasma processes occurring on the grain surfaces. We show that this mechanism of charge-fluctuation-induced acceleration likely affects the rate of grain coagulation and shattering of the population of small grains.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

RE-ACCELERATION OF NON-THERMAL PARTICLES AT WEAK COSMOLOGICAL SHOCK WAVES

We examine diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of the pre-existing as well as freshly injected populations of non-thermal, cosmic-ray (CR) particles at weak cosmological shocks. Assuming simple models for thermal leakage injection and Alfvenic drift, we derive analytic, time-dependent solutions for the two populations of CRs accelerated in the test-particle regime. We then compare them with the results from kinetic DSA simulations for shock waves that are expected to form in intracluster media and cluster outskirts in the course of large-scale structure formation. We show that the test-particle solutions provide a good approximation for the pressure and spectrum of CRs accelerated at these weak shocks. Since the injection is extremely inefficient at weak shocks, the pre-existing CR population dominates over the injected population. If the pressure due to pre-existing CR protons is about 5% of the gas thermal pressure in the upstream flow, the downstream CR pressure can absorb typically a few to 10% of the shock ram pressure at shocks with a Mach number M {approx}< 3, yet the re-acceleration of CR electrons can result in a substantial synchrotron emission behind the shock. The enhancement in synchrotron radiation across the shock is estimated to be about a few to several for M {approx} 1.5 and 10{sup 2}-10{sup 3} for M {approx} 3, depending on the detail model parameters. The implication of our findings for observed bright radio relics is discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ACCELERATION OF PARTICLES AT THE TERMINATION SHOCK OF A RELATIVISTIC STRIPED WIND

The relativistic wind of obliquely rotating pulsars consists of toroidal stripes of opposite magnetic field polarity, separated by current sheets of hot plasma. By means of two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we investigate particle acceleration and magnetic field dissipation at the termination shock of a relativistic striped wind. At the shock, the flow compresses and the alternating fields annihilate by driven magnetic reconnection. Irrespective of the stripe wavelength {lambda} or the wind magnetization {sigma} (in the regime {sigma} >> 1 of magnetically dominated flows), shock-driven reconnection transfers all the magnetic energy of alternating fields to the particles, whose average Lorentz factor increases by a factor of {sigma} with respect to the pre-shock value. The shape of the post-shock spectrum depends primarily on the ratio {lambda}/(r{sub L} {sigma}), where r{sub L} is the relativistic Larmor radius in the wind. The spectrum becomes broader as the value of {lambda}/(r{sub L} {sigma}) increases, passing from a relativistic Maxwellian to a flat power-law tail with slope around -1.5, populated by particles accelerated by the reconnection electric field. Close to the equatorial plane of the wind, where the stripes are symmetric, the highest energy particles resulting from magnetic reconnection can escape ahead of the shock, and be injected into a Fermi-like acceleration process. In the post-shock spectrum, they populate a power-law tail with slope around -2.5, which extends beyond the flat component produced by reconnection. Our study suggests that the spectral break between the radio and the optical band in Pulsar Wind Nebulae can be a natural consequence of particle acceleration at the termination shock of striped pulsar winds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

DIFFUSIVE ACCELERATION OF PARTICLES AT OBLIQUE, RELATIVISTIC, MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SHOCKS

Diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at relativistic shocks is expected to be an important acceleration mechanism in a variety of astrophysical objects including extragalactic jets in active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts. These sources remain good candidate sites for the generation of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. In this paper, key predictions of DSA at relativistic shocks that are germane to the production of relativistic electrons and ions are outlined. The technique employed to identify these characteristics is a Monte Carlo simulation of such diffusive acceleration in test-particle, relativistic, oblique, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks. Using a compact prescription for diffusion of charges in MHD turbulence, this approach generates particle angular and momentum distributions at any position upstream or downstream of the shock. Simulation output is presented for both small angle and large angle scattering scenarios, and a variety of shock obliquities including superluminal regimes when the de Hoffmann-Teller frame does not exist. The distribution function power-law indices compare favorably with results from other techniques. They are found to depend sensitively on the mean magnetic field orientation in the shock, and the nature of MHD turbulence that propagates along fields in shock environs. An interesting regime of flat-spectrum generation is addressed; we provide evidence for it being due to shock drift acceleration, a phenomenon well known in heliospheric shock studies. The impact of these theoretical results on blazar science is outlined. Specifically, Fermi Large Area Telescope gamma-ray observations of these relativistic jet sources are providing significant constraints on important environmental quantities for relativistic shocks, namely, the field obliquity, the frequency of scattering, and the level of field turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

HARD X-RAY OBSERVATIONS OF A JET AND ACCELERATED ELECTRONS IN THE CORONA

We report the first hard X-ray observation of a solar jet on the limb with flare footpoints occulted, so that faint emission from accelerated electrons in the corona can be studied in detail. In this event on 2003 August 21, RHESSI observed a double coronal hard X-ray source in the pre-impulsive phase at both thermal and nonthermal energies. In the impulsive phase, the first of two hard X-ray bursts consists of a single thermal/nonthermal source coinciding with the lower of the two earlier sources, and the second burst shows an additional nonthermal, elongated source, spatially and temporally coincident with the coronal jet. Analysis of the jet hard X-ray source shows that collisional losses by accelerated electrons can deposit enough energy to generate the jet. The hard X-ray time profile above 20 keV matches that of the accompanying Type III and broadband gyrosynchrotron radio emission, indicating both accelerated electrons escaping outward along the jet path and electrons trapped in the flare loop. The double coronal hard X-ray source, the open field lines indicated by Type III bursts, and the presence of a small post-flare loop are consistent with significant electron acceleration in an interchange reconnection geometry.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

DIFFUSIVE SHOCK ACCELERATION AT COSMOLOGICAL SHOCK WAVES

We reexamine nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at cosmological shocks in the large-scale structure of the universe, incorporating wave-particle interactions that are expected to operate in collisionless shocks. Adopting simple phenomenological models for magnetic field amplification (MFA) by cosmic-ray (CR) streaming instabilities and Alfvenic drift, we perform kinetic DSA simulations for a wide range of sonic and Alfvenic Mach numbers and evaluate the CR injection fraction and acceleration efficiency. In our DSA model, the CR acceleration efficiency is determined mainly by the sonic Mach number M{sub s} , while the MFA factor depends on the Alfvenic Mach number and the degree of shock modification by CRs. We show that at strong CR modified shocks, if scattering centers drift with an effective Alfven speed in the amplified magnetic field, the CR energy spectrum is steepened and the acceleration efficiency is reduced significantly, compared to the cases without such effects. As a result, the postshock CR pressure saturates roughly at {approx}20% of the shock ram pressure for strong shocks with M{sub s} {approx}> 10. In the test-particle regime (M{sub s} {approx}< 3), it is expected that the magnetic field is not amplified and the Alfvenic drift effects are insignificant, although relevant plasma physical processes at low Mach number shocks remain largely uncertain.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS IN A PARTIALLY IONIZED MEDIUM. III. EFFICIENT COSMIC RAY ACCELERATION

In this paper, we present the first formulation of the theory of nonlinear particle acceleration in collisionless shocks in the presence of neutral hydrogen in the acceleration region. The dynamical reaction of the accelerated particles, the magnetic field amplification, and the magnetic dynamical effects on the shock are also included. The main new aspect of this study, however, consists of accounting for charge exchange and the ionization of a neutral hydrogen, which profoundly change the structure of the shock, as discussed in our previous work. This important dynamical effect of neutrals is mainly associated with the so-called neutral return flux, namely the return of hot neutrals from the downstream region to upstream, where they deposit energy and momentum through charge exchange and ionization. We also present the self-consistent calculation of Balmer line emission from the shock region and discuss how to use measurements of the anomalous width of the different components of the Balmer line to infer cosmic ray acceleration efficiency in supernova remnants showing Balmer emission: the broad Balmer line, which is due to charge exchange of hydrogen atoms with hot ions downstream of the shock, is shown to become narrower as a result of the energy drainage into cosmic rays, while the narrow Balmer line, due to charge exchange in the cosmic-ray-induced precursor, is shown to become broader. In addition to these two well-known components, the neutral return flux leads to the formation of a third component with an intermediate width: this too contains information on ongoing processes at the shock.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

ELECTRON AND PROTON ACCELERATION DURING THE FIRST GROUND LEVEL ENHANCEMENT EVENT OF SOLAR CYCLE 24

High-energy particles were recorded by near-Earth spacecraft and ground-based neutron monitors (NMs) on 2012 May 17. This event was the first ground level enhancement (GLE) of solar cycle 24. In this study, we try to identify the acceleration source(s) of solar energetic particles by combining in situ particle measurements from the WIND/3DP, GOES 13, and solar cosmic rays registered by several NMs, as well as remote-sensing solar observations from SDO/AIA, SOHO/LASCO, and RHESSI. We derive the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) path length (1.25 {+-} 0.05 AU) and solar particle release time (01:29 {+-} 00:01 UT) of the first arriving electrons by using their velocity dispersion and taking into account contamination effects. We found that the electron impulsive injection phase, indicated by the dramatic change in the spectral index, is consistent with flare non-thermal emission and type III radio bursts. Based on the potential field source surface concept, modeling of the open-field lines rooted in the active region has been performed to provide escape channels for flare-accelerated electrons. Meanwhile, relativistic protons are found to be released {approx}10 minutes later than the electrons, assuming their scatter-free travel along the same IMF path length. Combining multi-wavelength imaging data of the prominence eruption and coronal mass ejection (CME), we obtain evidence that GLE protons, with an estimated kinetic energy of {approx}1.12 GeV, are probably accelerated by the CME-driven shock when it travels to {approx}3.07 solar radii. The time-of-maximum spectrum of protons is typical for shock wave acceleration.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

SIMULATIONS OF PARTICLE ACCELERATION BEYOND THE CLASSICAL SYNCHROTRON BURNOFF LIMIT IN MAGNETIC RECONNECTION: AN EXPLANATION OF THE CRAB FLARES

It is generally accepted that astrophysical sources cannot emit synchrotron radiation above 160 MeV in their rest frame. This limit is given by the balance between the accelerating electric force and the radiation reaction force acting on the electrons. The discovery of synchrotron gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula, well above this limit, challenges this classical picture of particle acceleration. To overcome this limit, particles must accelerate in a region of high electric field and low magnetic field. This is possible only with a non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic process, like magnetic reconnection. We present the first numerical evidence of particle acceleration beyond the synchrotron burnoff limit, using a set of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations of ultra-relativistic pair plasma reconnection. We use a new code, Zeltron, that includes self-consistently the radiation reaction force in the equation of motion of the particles. We demonstrate that the most energetic particles move back and forth across the reconnection layer, following relativistic Speiser orbits. These particles then radiate >160 MeV synchrotron radiation rapidly, within a fraction of a full gyration, after they exit the layer. Our analysis shows that the high-energy synchrotron flux is highly variable in time because of the strong anisotropy and inhomogeneity of the energetic particles. We discover a robust positive correlation between the flux and the cut-off energy of the emitted radiation, mimicking the effect of relativistic Doppler amplification. A strong guide field quenches the emission of >160 MeV synchrotron radiation. Our results are consistent with the observed properties of the Crab flares, supporting the reconnection scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

COMBINING PARTICLE ACCELERATION AND CORONAL HEATING VIA DATA-CONSTRAINED CALCULATIONS OF NANOFLARES IN CORONAL LOOPS

We model nanoflare heating of extrapolated active-region coronal loops via the acceleration of electrons and protons in Harris-type current sheets. The kinetic energy of the accelerated particles is estimated using semi-analytical and test-particle-tracing approaches. Vector magnetograms and photospheric Doppler velocity maps of NOAA active region 09114, recorded by the Imaging Vector Magnetograph, were used for this analysis. A current-free field extrapolation of the active-region corona was first constructed. The corresponding Poynting fluxes at the footpoints of 5000 extrapolated coronal loops were then calculated. Assuming that reconnecting current sheets develop along these loops, we utilized previous results to estimate the kinetic energy gain of the accelerated particles. We related this energy to nanoflare heating and macroscopic loop characteristics. Kinetic energies of 0.1-8 keV (for electrons) and 0.3-470 keV (for protons) were found to cause heating rates ranging from 10{sup -6} to 1 erg s{sup -1} cm{sup -3}. Hydrodynamic simulations show that such heating rates can sustain plasma in coronal conditions inside the loops and generate plasma thermal distributions that are consistent with active-region observations. We concluded the analysis by computing the form of X-ray spectra generated by the accelerated electrons using the thick-target approach. These spectra were found to be in agreement with observed X-ray spectra, thus supporting the plausibility of our nanoflare-heating scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A critical shock mach number for particle acceleration in the absence of pre-existing cosmic rays: M=√5

It is shown that, under some generic assumptions, shocks cannot accelerate particles unless the overall shock Mach number exceeds a critical value M>√5. The reason is that for M≤√5 the work done to compress the flow in a particle precursor requires more enthalpy flux than the system can sustain. This lower limit applies to situations without significant magnetic field pressure. In case that the magnetic field pressure dominates the pressure in the unshocked medium, i.e., for low plasma beta, the resistivity of the magnetic field makes it even more difficult to fulfill the energetic requirements for the formation of shock with an accelerated particle precursor and associated compression of the upstream plasma. We illustrate the effects of magnetic fields for the extreme situation of a purely perpendicular magnetic field configuration with plasma beta β = 0, which gives a minimum Mach number of M = 5/2. The situation becomes more complex, if we incorporate the effects of pre-existing cosmic rays, indicating that the additional degree of freedom allows for less strict Mach number limits on acceleration. We discuss the implications of this result for low Mach number shock acceleration as found in solar system shocks, and shocks in clusters of galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗