"Ultracold" neutral plasmas at room temperature

We report a measurement of the electron temperature in a plasma generated by a high-intensity laser focused into a jet of neon. The 15?eV electron temperature is determined using an analytic solution of the plasma equations assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium, initially developed for ultracold neutral plasmas. We show that this analysis method accurately reproduces more sophisticated plasma simulations in our temperature and density range. While our plasma temperatures are far outside the typical "ultracold" regime, the ion temperature is determined by the plasma density through disorder-induced heating just as in ultracold neutral plasma experiments. Based on our results, we outline a pathway for achieving a strongly coupled neutral laser-produced plasma that even more closely resembles ultracold neutral plasma conditions.     

Decharging of complex plasmas: first kinetic observations

The first experiment on the decharging of a complex plasma in microgravity conditions was conducted. After switching off the rf power, in the afterglow plasma, ions and electrons rapidly recombine and leave a cloud of charged microparticles. Because of microgravity, the particles remain suspended in the experimental chamber for a sufficiently long time, allowing precise measurements of the rest particle charge. A simple theoretical model for the decharging is proposed which agrees quite well with the experiment results and predicts the rest charge at lower gas pressures.     

A ghost fluid,level set methodology for simulating multiphase electrohydrodynamic flows with application to liquid fuel injection

In this paper, we present the development of a sharp numerical scheme for multiphase electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flows for a high electric Reynolds number regime. The electric potential Poisson equation contains EHD interface boundary conditions, which are implemented using the ghost fluid method (GFM). The GFM is also used to solve the pressure Poisson equation. The methods detailed here are integrated with state-of-the-art interface transport techniques and coupled to a robust, high order fully conservative finite difference Navier–Stokes solver. Test cases with exact or approximate analytic solutions are used to assess the robustness and accuracy of the EHD numerical scheme. The method is then applied to simulate a charged liquid kerosene jet.     

托卡马克等熵平衡条件下等离子体环向转动对带状流的影响

采用流体模型理论推导了等熵平衡条件下环向转动托卡马克等离子体中带状流的色散关系。从理论上分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频带状流和声波的频率、压力和密度扰动量的影响。结果表明,环向转动对低频带状流的频率没有影响,但会使测地声模的频率逐渐增大。此外,存在环向转动时,低频带状流会具有驻波形式的压力和密度扰动量,且测地声模和声波可以沿着极向传播。而且还发现,等熵平衡可以看成是等温平衡的一种特殊情况。     

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采用流体模型理论推导了等熵平衡条件下环向转动托卡马克等离子体中带状流的色散关系。从理论上分析了环向转动对测地声模、低频带状流和声波的频率、压力和密度扰动量的影响。结果表明,环向转动对低频带状流的频率没有影响,但会使测地声模的频率逐渐增大。此外,存在环向转动时,低频带状流会具有驻波形式的压力和密度扰动量,且测地声模和声波可以沿着极向传播。而且还发现,等熵平衡可以看成是等温平衡的一种特殊情况。     

Current clamp at zero level in JT-60U current hole plasmas

It is found that no current is driven in a central region of a tokamak plasma once the central current density becomes nearly zero ("current hole"), in spite of high electric conductivity, at the current drive by a toroidal electric field and a radio-frequency wave in experiments on the JT-60U tokamak. This is a new, stiff, self-organized structure of a magnetic field in an axisymmetric toroidal plasma.     

Surface gravity waves in deep fluid at vertical shear flows

Special features of surface gravity waves in a deep fluid flow with a constant vertical shear of velocity is studied. It is found that the mean flow velocity shear leads to a nontrivial modification of the dispersive characteristics of surface gravity wave modes. Moreover, the shear induces generation of surface gravity waves by internal vortex mode perturbations. The performed analytical and numerical study show that surface gravity waves are effectively generated by the internal perturbations at high shear rates. The generation is different for the waves propagating in the different directions. The generation of surface gravity waves propagating along the main flow considerably exceeds the generation of surface gravity waves in the opposite direction for relatively small shear rates, whereas the latter wave is generated more effectively for high shear rates. From the mathematical standpoint, the wave generation is caused by non-self-adjointness of the linear operators that describe the shear flow.     

Experimental investigation of the role of fluid turbulent stresses and edge plasma flows for intrinsic rotation generation in DIII-D H-mode plasmas

The first measurements of turbulent stresses and flows inside the separatrix of a tokamak H-mode plasma are reported, using a reciprocating multitip Langmuir probe at the DIII-D tokamak. A strong co-current rotation layer at the separatrix is found to precede intrinsic rotation development in the core. The measured fluid turbulent stresses transport toroidal momentum outward against the velocity gradient and thus try to sustain the edge layer. However, large kinetic stresses must exist to explain the net inward momentum transport leading to co-current core plasma rotation. The importance of such kinetic stresses is corroborated by the success of a simple orbit loss model, representing a purely kinetic mechanism, in the prediction of features of the edge corotation layer.     

Highly nonideal classical thermal plasmas: Experimental study of ordered macroparticle structures

The formation of spatially ordered CeO₂ particle structures in a thermal plasma at atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 1700–2200 K is studied. The spatial structure of the particles in the plasma is analyzed using laser time-of-flight counting of individual particles. Probe and optical diagnostics are used to determine the parameters of the thermal plasma. The CeO₂ particles were positively charged (about 10³ electronic charges). The resulting Coulomb interaction parameter for the particles is γ _p>120, which corresponds to a highly nonideal plasma. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 111, 467–477 (February 1997)     

3D Visualization of the separated fluid flows

For the detailed investigation of the 3D unsteady incompressible viscous separated fluid flows around a sphere (for 200≤Re≤700) and a circular cylinder (for 200≤Re≤400) the direct numerical simulation and 3D visualization are used. For 3D visualization of the fluid flows around a sphere the definition of vortex core as a connected region containing two negative eigenvalues of theS ²+Ω ² tensor is used (whereS _i,j andΩ _ij are the rate of strain and the rate of rotation tensors). The formation mechanism of vortices in the sphere wake for Re=500 is described in detail. For 3D visualization of the fluid flows around a circular cylinder the 3D isosurfaces of the streamwise component of vorticity ω _x are used.     

Time resolved X-ray photography of the expansion of nanosecond CO2 laser produced plasmas

Time resolved X-ray photography of intense nanosecond CO₂ laser interaction with a number of different targets illustrates the complex expansion of the critical density region from the target, and the strong influence that superthermal electrons have on the plasma dynamics and the radial expansion of the superthermal coronal about the target.     

Measuring concentration depth profiles at liquid surfaces: Comparing angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and neutral impact collision scattering spectroscopy

Measuring concentration depth profiles is important for analyzing surfaces. The surface excess, the change in concentration from the surface to the bulk and separation of the constituents are some of the features that can be derived from concentration depth profiles and are most important in particular for analyzing liquid surfaces. Angle resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) and neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy (NICISS) are methods used for determining concentration depth profiles at liquid surfaces. Here we compare concentration depth profiles determined with both methods from the constituents of a solution of the ionic surfactant tetrabutylphosphonium bromide in the polar solvent formamide. ARXPS is performed with a laboratory X-ray source and NICISS with 4.5 keV helium ions. Agreement is found in the surface excess and in the shape of the cation concentration depth profiles. Disagreement was found in the shape of the anion concentration depth profiles. The separation of charges as found with NICISS for projectiles with low kinetic energies could not be reproduced. The advantages of each of the methods and the criteria for selecting the projectile energy in NICISS are discussed.     

Understanding the time dependence of atomic level populations in evolving plasmas

The time dependence of atomic level populations in evolving plasmas is studied using an eigenfunction expansion of the non-LTE rate equations. The work aims to develop understanding without the need for, and as an aid to, numerical solutions. The discussion is mostly limited to linear systems, especially those for optically thin plasmas, but the implicitly non-linear case of non-LTE radiative transfer is briefly discussed. Eigenvalue spectra for typical atomic systems are examined using results compiled by Hearon. Diagonal dominance and sign symmetry of rate matrices show that just one eigenvalue is zero (corresponding to the equilibrium state), that the remaining eigenvalues have negative real parts, and that oscillations, if any, are necessarily damped. Gershgorin's theorems are used to show that many eigenvalues are determined by the radiative lifetimes of certain levels, because of diagonal dominance. With other properties, this demonstrates the existence of both “slow” and “fast” time-scales, where the “slow” evolution is controlled by properties of meta-stable levels. It is shown that, when collisions are present, Rydberg states contribute only “fast” eigenvalues. This justifies use of the quasi-static approximation, in which atoms containing just meta-stable levels can suffice to determine the atomic evolution on time-scales long compared with typical radiative lifetimes. Analytic solutions for two- and three-level atoms are used to examine the basis of earlier intuitive ideas, such as the “ionizing plasma” approximation. The power and limitations of Gershgorin's theorems are examined through examples taken from the solar atmosphere. The methods should help in the planning and interpretation of both experimental and numerical experiments in which atomic evolution is important. While the examples are astrophysical, the methods and results are applicable to plasmas in general.     

Nanoscale fluid flows in the vicinity of patterned surfaces

Molecular dynamics simulations of dense and rarefied fluids comprising small chain molecules in chemically patterned nanochannels predict a novel switching from Poiseuille to plug flow along the channel. We also demonstrate behavior akin to the lotus effect for a nanodrop on a chemically patterned substrate. Our results show that one can control and exploit the behavior of fluids at the nanoscale using chemical patterning.     

On the role of helicity in complex fluid flows

Results of direct numerical simulations of the Taylor-Green vortex are analysed by conditional sampling. In regions of small energy dissipation, there are tendencies for (1) velocity, u, and vorticity, ω, to be aligned and (2) vorticity and curl of vorticity, ? × ω, to be nearly orthogonal. The fields of dissipation, enstrophy, turbulence production, and vortex stretching exhibit a striking similarity in their spatial structure.