Drift waves and magnetic field oscillations in cylindrical plasmas

This work reports the measurement of two-dimensional electron properties over a nanosecond scale integration time across a femtosecond laser-induced plasma filament in atmospheric pressure argon. Radial electron properties across the ∼100\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim 100$$\\end{document} μ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\upmu$$\\end{document}m diameter filament are obtained at discrete axial locations at 2.5 mm steps by one-dimensional high-resolution laser Thomson scattering with a spatial resolution of 10 μ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\upmu$$\\end{document}m. These measurements reveal plasma structural information in the filament. The Thomson spectral lineshapes exhibit clear spectral sidebands with an α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\alpha$$\\end{document} parameter ∼1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim 1$$\\end{document}, enabling the measurement of both electron temperature and density profiles. These measurements yield electron densities on the order of 1022\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$10^{22}$$\\end{document}/m3\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$^{3}$$\\end{document} and electron temperatures of ∼2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\sim 2$$\\end{document} eV. Heating from the probe laser due to inverse bremsstrahlung is taken into account to correct the Thomson scattering electron temperature measurements. Under these conditions, electron-neutral collision induced bremsstrahlung becomes the dominant laser-induced plasma heating process associated with the probe laser. The measurements reveal structural features of the filament, including an asymmetrically skewed density structure in the axial direction and reversed radial distributions of electron density and temperature.

In a streamer initiated pre-discharge channel in H2 the axial and radial electron density distributions were measured at different times of the channel development. It was found that at any point in the channel where the electron density reaches ≅ 2 - 1017 cm-3 an immediate thermalisation of the plasma at this point takes place in a time of ≅ 10 nsec. Due to the inhomogeneous radial and axial electron density distribution in a streamer initiated discharge channel the thermalisation begins at first in a constricted region of the channel. The further development of the electron density and temperature distributions in the thermalized channel was studied by means of spectroscopic plasma diagnostic methods in channels initiated by different overvoltages. These experiments have shown that the inhomogeneous axial electron density distribution is equalized after a time of ≅ 100 nsec. The maximum electron density of ≅ 1 - 2 - 1018 cm-3 is reached in the channel axis immediately after the thermalisation of the channel whereas the temperature increases during the time of the highest energy input to the maximum of ≅ 5 - 6 • 104 °K

The modern self-consistent photoionization model of planetary nebula luminescence is described. All of the processes which play an important role in the ionization and thermal equilibrium of the nebular gas are taken into consideration. The diffuse ionizing radiation is taken into account completely. The construction of the model is carried out for the radial distribution of gas density in the nebular envelope which is consistent with isophotal map of the nebula. The application of the model is illustrated on the example of the planetary nebulae BD+30°3639 and NGC 7293. For each nebula, the intensities of the emission lines of ten basic chemical elements in the UV, optical and IR spectral ranges are calculated and matched with observational data. Both the chemical composition of the nebular gas and the continuum of the central star at the wavelengths ≤912Å are determined during the process of model calculation. It is shown that the continuum of the central star at ≤912Å does not correspond to the blackbody spectrum but agrees with the spectrum of the corresponding non-LTE model atmosphere. The radial distributions of electron density, electron temperature and other parameters in the nebular envelopes are found. The optical thickness of the nebulae in the Lyman continuum is derived.

This paper contains results of numerical and experimental investigation of glow discharge plasma created in a chamber of a new-type large-volume coaxial gridded hollow cathode. The discharge is created in argon at 25 Pa by applying time-varying power with frequency 20 kHz on electrodes. A 2-D model of the discharge was built using COMSOL Multiphysics. Self-consistent description of the discharge was obtained using the extended fluid approach, which couples continuity equations for charged particles and electron energy balance with Poisson's equation for electric potential. Electron transport coefficients and rates of electron-impact reactions were calculated using the electron energy distribution function. The spatial and radial distributions of plasma potential (V p ), electron density (n e ), and electron temperature (T e ) were obtained. It is shown that the plasma inside the chamber is similar to the negative glow of a dc glow discharge. Comparison of numerical results with the Langmuir probe measurements of electron density and electron temperature is presented and showed a good agreement.

An algorithm for diagnosing the electron density and temperature of helium plasma at atmospheric pressure has been developed based on a revised helium collisional-radiative (CR) model. Atomic collision processes are included, and part of the atomic data of electron collision processes in the conventional CR model has been updated to expand its valid pressure. The algorithm uses eight emission lines in the visible-wavelength range as inputs to determine the electron density, electron temperature, and number density of the two metastable states by fitting the number density of the states corresponding to the emission lines. The algorithm has a considerably small theoretical error. In the microwave-discharged low-pressure helium plasma experiment, the results obtained with the algorithm agreed well with the results obtained with the probe method. The electron density and temperature of the atmospheric-pressure helium plasma obtained with the algorithm agreed well with the results of the continuum spectrum analysis.

It is clear that the edge plasma plays a crucial role in global tokamak confinement. This paper is a report on simulations of a new drift wave type instability driven by the electron temperature gradient in tokamak scrapeoff-layers (SOL). A 2d fluid code has been developed in order to explore the anomalous transport in the boundary plasmas. The simulation consists of a set of fluid equations for the vorticity {nabla}{sub {perpendicular}}{sup 2}{phi}, the electron density n{sub c} and the temperature T{sub c} in a shearless plasma slab confined by a uniform, straight magnetic field B{sub z} with two divertor (or limiter) plates intercepting the magnetic field. The model has two regions separated by a magnetic separatrix: in the edge region inside the separatrix, the model is periodic along the magnetic field while in the SOL region outside the separatrix, the magnetic field is taken to be of finite length with model boundary conditions at diverter plates. The simulation results show that the observed linear instability agrees well with theory, and that a saturated state of turbulence is reached. In saturated turbulence, clear evidence of the expected long-wavelength mode penetration into the edge is seen, an inverse cascade of wave energy is observed. The simulation results also show that amplitudes of potential and the electron temperature fluctuations are somewhat above and the heat flux are somewhat below those of the simplest mixing-length estimates, and furthermore the large-scale radial structures of fluctuation quantities indicate that the cross-field transport is not diffusive. After saturation, the electron density and temperature profiles are flattened. A self-consistent simulation to determine the microturbulent SOL electron temperature profile has been done, the results of which reasonably agree with the experimental measurements.

Energy equilibria and the plasma-wall boundary condition in a diffuse pinch

Solar wind induced magnetic fields may be present in the dayside ionosphere of Venus. A scale analysis and detailed calculations of the effects of different field line orientations on photoelectron transport and electron temperature show that horizontal magnetic fields considerably alter the profiles of electron heating and temperature and photoelectron flux. Direct injection of solar wind electrons has been considered, and the effects are minor. No evidence is found to support the suggestion that a sharp gradient in electron temperature is the cause of certain features in the Mariner 10 electron density profile.

Hermes-3 simulation of the low-n X-point mode driven by impurity in tokamak edge plasmas

Inductively coupled plasmais widely used in semiconductor and display process because of its desirable characteristics such as high plasma density, simple structure and independently controllable ion energy. The driving frequency is a significant parameter that generates and maintains the plasma. However, the effects of different driving frequencies on the radial distribution of the plasma parameters are hardly investigated. So a large area cylindrical inductively coupled plasma source driven separately by 2 MHz and 13.56 MHz is investigated. In order to perform a comprehensive investigation about the effect of driving frequency, the radially resolved measurements of electron density, electron temperature and density of metastable state atoms for the argon discharge are systematically analyzed by Langmuir double probe and optical emission spectroscopy at various power values and gas pressures. It is found that input power values at high frequency (13.56 MHz) and low frequency (2 MHz) have different effects on plasma parameters. When discharge is driven at high frequency, the electron density increases obviously with the increase of power. However, when discharge is driven at low frequency, the electron temperature increases evidently with the increase of power. This can be explained by calculating the skin depths in high and low frequency discharge. When the discharge is driven at high frequency, the induced electromagnetic field is higher than that at low frequency, and the single electron obtains more energy. It is easier to ionize, so the energy is mainly used to increase the electron density. When the discharge is driven at low frequency, the skin layer is thicker, the number of heated electrons is larger, and the average energy of electrons is increased, so the energy is mainly used to raise the electron temperature. At a gas pressure of 10 Pa, the electron density shows a ‘convex’ distribution and increases with the increase of input power for both the high-frequency and low-frequency discharge. While the distributions of electron temperature are obviously different. When the discharge is driven at high frequency, the electron temperature is relatively flat in the center of the chamber and slightly increases on the edge. When the discharge is driven at low frequency, the electron temperature gradually decreases along the radial position. This is due to the one-step ionization in the high-frequency discharge and the two-step ionization in the low-frequency discharge. In order to prove that the low-frequency discharge is dominated by two-step ionization, the spectral intensities of the argon plasma under the same discharge conditions are diagnosed by optical emission spectroscopy. The number density of metastable states is calculated by the branch ratio method. The results are consistent with the analyses. At a gas pressure of 100 Pa, the electron density increases and then decreases with the increase of radial distance, and the overall distribution shows a " saddle shape” for high frequency and also for low frequency discharge. Although the uniformity of electron density improves with the gas pressure, the uniformity at low frequency is better than that at high frequency. The reason can be attributed to the fact that the skin layer of low frequency is thicker and the heating area is wider.

In 1998, J. E. Titheridge presented a computationally simple, yet accurate, model for the electron and ion temperatures (Te and Ti) in the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere. The model is centered on a theoretically based equation with only two free parameters at a base height of 400 km: the electron temperature (To) and electron temperature gradient (Go). Titheridge fitted this equation to satellite Te observations to determine the mean day and night variations in To and Go as functions of latitude and also estimated corrections for changes in solar flux, geomagnetic activity, and diurnal variations. Here we augment the satellite Te data originally fitted by Titheridge with results from a more recent satellite‐based empirical model and use the enlarged Te data base to determine new functions for the day and night latitudinal variations in To and Go. In addition, the solar flux correction has been modified so that increasing F10.7 now corresponds to decreasing To rather than to increasing To. This modification yields better agreement with incoherent radar observations and the predictions of a theoretical model. Furthermore, corrections for seasonal variations and the separation of geographic and geomagnetic coordinates are introduced. All of the above modifications have been incorporated to improve the functional forms of the To and Go expressions, without noticeably decreasing the computational speed and elegance of the original Titheridge model.

A simplified approach in the use of focused microwave systems for the investigation of radially varying plasmas is assessed by comparison to electrostatic probes on a dc arc argon jet. The approach consists in the mathematical inversion into a radial electron density distribution, of a fit to the phase shift profile obtained by scanning a focused interferometer across a cylindrical plasma. A close fit given by Bockasten's coefficient method, and a loose fit utilizing a modified Gaussian, are considered. The assessment covers a wide range of radial refractive index gradients (as large as 0.4/cm) with electron density up to critical on axis. The modified Gaussian fit approach shows a maximum disagreement of 25% relative to the probe results for an impact parameter smaller than 0.5 and of 350% across the plasma jet. A simple modification to the method would apparently permit the reduction of the overall discrepancy to less than 30%. The close fit is found to yield discrepancies which are worse by a factor of 2–3.

We discuss the application of the laser-collisional induced fluorescence (LCIF) technique to produce two-dimensional maps of both electron densities and electron temperatures in a helium plasma. A collisional–radiative model (CRM) is used to describe the evolution of electronic states after laser excitation. We discuss generalizations to the time dependent results which are useful for simplifying data acquisition and analysis. LCIF measurements are performed in plasma containing densities ranging from ∼109 electrons cm−3 and approaching 1011 electrons cm−3 and comparison is made between the predictions made by the CRM and the measurements. Finally, spatial and temporal evolution of an ion sheath formed during a pulse bias is measured to demonstrate this technique.

We present the first subpicosecond time-resolved temperature measurements of plasmas produced by high-intensity optical ionization. Thomson scattering is used to measure electron and ion temperatures of helium plasmas created by 125 fs, 800 nm laser pulses focused to an intensity of 2 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{17}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. We find that the electron temperature is accurately predicted by a tunneling ionization model. The measured ion temperature is consistent with direct heating by the laser pulse.

The plasma density and magnetic field are highly spatially and temporally variable in the Venus nightside ionosphere. This variability may affect the propagation and the generation of plasma waves. We determine how these irregularities are related to plasma wave activity. Previously, we have found two types of signals in the lower ionosphere, 100‐Hz narrow‐band signals and high‐frequency wideband bursts. We investigate how these two different wave phenomena depend on the structure of the ionosphere. We calculate the ratios of the instantaneous values of electron density, magnetic field, and electron temperature relative to their average (1 min) values, and also their gradient scale lengths. The 5.4‐kHz burst activity is related to density depressions and obvious electron temperature enhancements, but varies little with magnetic field strength. The 100‐Hz narrow‐band signals are often associated with significantly enhanced magnetic field and depressions of electron density. Both higher field strength and lower density result in a lower β (ratio of thermal pressure to magnetic pressure) plasma, which favors the propagation of whistler waves. We find that neither type of signal is associated with gradients of the magnetic field, but the 5.4‐kHz wideband signals have higher occurrence rates at higher electron density and temperature gradients, while the 100‐Hz narrow‐band burst rate increases only slightly for steeper gradients. A local gradient‐driven instability cannot explain most of the 100‐Hz narrow‐band signals, but some 5.4‐kHz signals may be associated with pressure gradients.