Numerical Simulation on the Production Mechanism of Surface-Wave Plasmas Sustained along a Metal Rod

For interpreting the production mechanism of surface-wave plasmas sustained along a metal rod, electromagnetic simulation on the electromagnetic field distributions and particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision （PIC/MCC） simulation of the ionization process are present. The results show that the enhanced electric field of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） can be excited in the ion sheath layer between the negative-voltage metal rod and the surface-wave plasmas, which is responsible for maintaining the plasma discharge. Moreover, the spatio-temporal evolutions of plasma density and electric fields are simulated by the PIC/MCC model. It is further suggested that the expanded ion sheath layer can extend the length of plasma domain by increasing the plasma absorbed energy from SPPs.     

Numerical Simulation on Expansion Process of Ablation Plasma Induced by Intense Pulsed Ion Beam

We present a one-dimensional time-dependent numerical model for the expansion process of ablation plasma induced by intense pulsed ion beam （IPIB）. The evolutions of density, velocity, temperature, and pressure of the ablation plasma of the aluminium target are obtained. The numerical results are well in agreement with the relative experimental data. It is shown that the expansion process of ablation plasma induced by IPIB includes strongly nonlinear effects and that shock waves appear during the propagation of the ablation plasma.     

Effects of density profile and multi-species target on laser-heated thermal-pressure-driven shock wave acceleration

The shock wave acceleration of ions driven by laser-heated thermal pressure is studied through one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation and analysis. The generation of high-energy mono-energetic protons in recent experiments （D. Haberberger et al., 2012 Nat. Phys. 8 95） is attributed to the use of exponentially decaying density profile of the plasma target. It does not only keep the shock velocity stable but also suppresses the normal target normal sheath acceleration. The effects of target composition are also examined, where a similar collective velocity of all ion species is demonstrated. The results also give some reference to future experiments of producing energetic heavy ions.     

Electronegative Plasma Sheath Structure in a Magnetic Field

The structure of an electronegative plasma sheath in an oblique magnetic field is investigated with a fluid model. We assume the system consists of hot electrons and negative ions as well as cold positive ions. Densities of particles and distributions of the spacious potential in various states of magnetic field are studied. The result shows that the existence of magnetic field and negative ions has great effects on the plasma sheath structures. In addition, the effects of negative ion density and temperature on the structure of the electronegative plasma sheath are discussed.     

Influence of ion species ratio on grid-enhanced plasma source ion implantation

Grid-enhanced plasma source ion implantation (GEPSII) is a newly proposed technique to modify the inner-surface properties of a cylindrical bore. In this paper, a two-ion fluid model describing nitrogen molecular ions N_2^+ and atomic ions N^+ is used to investigate the ion sheath dynamics between the grid electrode and the inner surface of a cylindrical bore during the GEPSII process, which is an extension of our previous calculations in which only N_2^+ was considered. Calculations are concentrated on the results of ion dose and impact energy on the target for different ion species ratios in the core plasma. The calculated results show that more atomic ions N^+ in the core plasma can raise the ion impact energy and reduce the ion dose on the target.     

Jump Conditions of a Shock with Current in Cylindrical Non-Neutral Plasma

jump conditions of the parameters （mass flow, momentum flow and energy flow） of a shock with current （thereby, electric and magnetic field） in cylindrical non-neutral plasma are presented and derived from Maxwell＇s equations and two fluid equations for electron and ion fluid. The critical Mach number for the shock existence is calculated, which depends on the shock carried current, the ion charge, and the composition of the magnetic and thermal pressure. The numerical results show that both the strength and profiles of the downstream shock parameters will be affected obviously by the shock carried current, electric and magnetic field in the two-dimensional shock.     

Simulation of Dual Frequency Capacitive Sheath over a Concave Electrode in Low Pressure

A self-consistent two-dimensional （2D） collisionless fluid model is developed to simulate the characteristics of a dual frequency capacitive sheath over an electrode with a cylindrical hole. The model consists of 2D time-dependent fluid equations coupled with Poisson＇s equation, in which the low-frequency （LF） and high-frequency current sources are applied to an electrode. Thus, the so-called equivalent circuit model coupling with the fluid equations will be able to self-consistently determine the relationship between the instantaneous voltage on the powered electrode and the sheath thickness. The time-averaged potential, electric field, ion density in the sheath and ion energy distributions at the bottom of the hole are calculated and compared for different LF frequencies. The results show that the LF frequency is crucial for determining the sheath structure. The existence of the cylindrical hole on the electrode obviously affects the sheath profile in the parallel to the electrode and makes the sheath profile tend to adapt the contours of the electrode, which is the plasma molding effect.     

Analysis of the axial electric field in a plasma-loaded-helix travelling wave tube

A helix type slow wave structure filled with plasma is immersed in a strong longitudinal magnetic field. Taking into account the effect of the plasma and the dielectric, the system is separated radially into three regions. By means of the sheath model and Maxwell equation, the distribution of the electromagnetic field is established. Using the boundary conditions of each region, the dispersion relation of the slow wave structure is derived. The trend of change for the radial profile of the axial electric field is analysed respectively in different plasma densities, plasma column radius and dielectric constant by numerical computation. Some useful results are obtained on the basis of the discussion.     

Investigation of Dual Radio-Frequency Driven Sheaths and Ion Energy Distributions Bombarding an Insulating Substrate

Dual radio-frequency （rf） sources at widely different frequencies are often simultaneously used to separately optimize the plasma parameters and ion energy distributions （IEDs） incident onto a substrate. Characteristics of collisionless dual rf biased-sheaths and IEDs impinging on an insulating substrate are studied with a self- consistent one-dimensional fluid model. In order to describe the sheath dynamics over a wide range of frequency, the model includes all the time-dependent terms in the ion fluid equation. Meanwhile, an equivalent circuit model is used to self-consistently determine the relationship among the instantaneous voltage on the insulating substrate, the instantaneous sheath thickness, and the dual currents applied to the electrode. The numerical results show that some parameters such as the bias frequency and bias power of the lower frequency source are crucial for determining the parameters of dual rf biased-sheaths and IEDs arriving at the insulating substrate.     

A New Dynamics Expansion Mechanism for Plasma during Pulsed Laser Deposition

The dynamics expansion mechanisms for plasma plume generated by pulsed laser radiation are studied in detail, taking account of plasma ionization effect. Based on the consideration of local conservations of mass, momentum, collected as the assumption that plasma can be viewed as compressible ideal fluid and high temperature-high pressure ideal gas, we develop a new dynamics expansion mechanism for plasma produced by pulsed laser radiation. Using the analytical method, the space number density and pressure evolvement of plasma in cylindrical coordinate are obtained, the dynamics evolvement equations are also derived. The results from the present model indicate that the plasma dynamic expansion behaviour can be evidently influenced by the ionization fraction η. Its effect is similar to a new dynamic source for plasma expansion and increases the expansion acceleration in all directions. The predictions of the expansion of the plasma is affected by the temperature, the average atoms mass and the ionization degree of the plasma are consistent with the experimental results.     

Particle simulation on electron acceleration process by the laser ponderomotive force in inhomogeneous underdense plasma layers

The mechanism of electron ponderomotive acceleration due to increasing group velocity of laser pulse in inhomogeneous underdense plasma layers is studied by two-dimensional relativistic parallel particle-in-cell code. The electrons within the laser pulse move with it and can be strongly accelerated ponderomotively when the duration of laser pulse is much shorter than the duration of optimum condition for acceleration in the wake. The extra energy gain can be attributed to the change of laser group velocity. More high energy electrons are generated in the plasma layer with descending density profile than that with ascending density profile. The process and character of electron acceleration in three kinds of underdense plasma layers are presented and compared.     

Pulsed Ion Sheath Dynamics in a Cylindrical Bore for Inner Surface Grid—Enhanced Plasma Source Ion Implantation

Based on our recently proposed grid-enhanced plasma source ion implantation(GEPSII) technique for inner surface modification of materials with cylindrical geometry,we present the corresponding theoretical studies of the temporal evolution of the plasma ion sheath between the grid electrode and the target in a cylindrical bore.Typical results such as the ion sheath evolution,time-dependent ion density and time-integrated ion energy distribution at the target are calculated by solving Poisson‘s equation coupled with fluid equations for collisionless ions and BOltzmann assumption for electrons using finite difference methods.The calculated results can further verifty the feasibility and superiority of this new technique.     

Nonplanar Ion Acoustic Solitary Waves in a Two-Electron Temperature Plasma

Linear and non-linear properties of ion acoustic wave （IAW） propagating in a two-electron temperature plasma are investigated from both analytical and numerical perspectives by employing the fluid theory. A one-dimensional modified Korteweg de Vries equation is derived for the IAW using the reductive perturbative technique in a nonplanar geometry. It is observed that the ion acoustic soliton in a two-temperature plasma admits rarefactive （dip like） solitons. In the limit that the cold electron population goes to zero, it is observed that the ion acoustic soliton yields compressive （hump like） solitons. The variation of the ion acoustic soliton with different plasma parameters is also shown. The present investigation may be beneficial to explain some aspects of ion acoustic rarefactive solitary structures observed in space environments where two-electron temperature plasmas have been observed.     

Electronic dynamic behavior in inductively coupled plasmas with radio-frequency bias

The inflexion point of electron density and effective electron temperature curves versus radio-frequency （RF） bias voltage is observed in the H mode of inductively coupled plasmas （ICPs）. The electron energy probability function （EEPF） evolves first from a Maxwellian to a Druyvesteyn-like distribution, and then to a Maxwellian distribution again as the RF bias voltage increases. This can be explained by the interaction of two distinct bias-induced mechanisms, that is： bias- induced electron heating and bias-induced ion acceleration loss and the decrease of the effective discharge volume due to the sheath expansion. Furthermore, the trend of electron density is verified by a fluid model combined with a sheath module.     

Ionization Energies of Ions in Hot and Dense Plasma: Beryllium-Like Ions for Z=26-36

Ionization energies of beryllium-like ions for Z = 26 - 36 in hot ana aense plasmas （ne=10^22 -10^24 cm^-3,kT= 500 - 2000 eV） are obtained by using an approach developed for electronic structure and transition property of ions in hot and dense plasmas based on the multi-configuration Dirac-Fock model. Influence of the plasma environment is considered by introducing a correction to the one-electron potential to account for the screening of the ionized electrons. This correction is calculated from the ionized electron micro-space distribution, which is obtained based on an ＂average atom model for the temperature and density-dependent average ionization of atoms in plasmas. Comparison between the present and the ion sphere models is made to display the significance of the ionized electron micro-space distribution.     

Jump Conditions of a Non—Neutral Plasma Shock with current and potential Difference

Jump condition about the total monentum flux and energy flux in a non-neutral plasma shock with electric current and field are given,which are derived from the double fluid equations and the Poisson equation for electron and ion fluids.Furthermore,we derive the relations between the upstream and downstream velocities and temperatures,and the minimum upstream Mach number for the plasma shock existence M1^min,which depend on the current through the shock front J0,the electric potential difference between the upstream and downstream of shock Δφ,and the ion charge Z.     

Detailed Radiative Opacity Studies of a High-Temperature Gold Plasma

The radiative opacity of a gold plasma at a temperature of 360eV and a density of 0.01 g/cm^3 has been studied using a detailed level accounting （DLA） method. Under this plasma condition, the average ionization degree is 50.2. Dominant ion types in the plasma are Au^＋49, Au^＋50 and Au^＋51, which account for 18.3%, 33.1% and 32.6%, respectively. The spectrally resolved opacity shows complex fine structures. The result obtained by the DLA method is compared with that of the average atom model. Detailed analyses are carried out to study the strongest absorption peaks caused by 3d- 4 f transitions near the photon energy of 2600 e V. To better understand the value of the Rosseland mean opacity, the radiative opacity around the energy region of the maximal Rosseland weighting function is also discussed in detail.     

Secondary-Electron Emission Effects in Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation with Dielectric Substrates

Using a dynamic sheath model,we have studied the secondary-electron emission effects at one-dimensional planar dielectric surface in plasma immersion ion implantation.The temporal evolution of the sheath thickness,the surface potential of dielectric,and the ions dose accumulated on the dielectric surface are obtained.The numerical results demonstrate that the charging effects are greatly enhanced by the secondary electron emission effects,so the sheath thickness becomes thinner,the surface potential of dielectric decreases fast and the ions dose accumulated on the dielectric surface significantly increases.     

Study of laser-induced plasma shock waves by the probe beam deflection technique

Laser probe beam deflection technique is used for the analysis of laser-induced plasma shock waves in air and distilled water. The temporal and spatial variations of the parameters on shock fronts are studied as functions of focal lens position and laser energy. The influences of the characteristics of media are investigated on the well-designed experimental setup. It is found that the shock wave in distilled water attenuates to an acoustic wave faster than in air under the same laser energy. Good agreement is obtained between our experimental results and those attained with other techniques. This technique is versatile, economic, and simple to implement, being a promising diagnostic tool for pulsed laser processing.     

The internal propagation of fusion flame with the strong shock of a laser driven plasma block for advanced nuclear fuel ignition

An accelerated skin layer may be used to ignite solid state fuels. Detailed analyses were clarified by solving the hydrodynamic equations for nonlinear force driven plasma block ignition. In this paper, the complementary mechanisms are included for the advanced fuel ignition: external factors such as lasers, compression, shock waves, and sparks. The other category is created within the plasma fusion as reheating of an alpha particle, the Bremsstrahlung absorption, expansion, conduction, and shock waves generated by explosions. With the new condition for the control of shock waves, the spherical deuterium-tritium fuel density should be increased to 75 times that of the solid state. The threshold ignition energy flux density for advanced fuel ignition may be obtained using temperature equations, including the ones for the density profile obtained through the continuity equation and the expansion velocity for the r ≠ 0 layers. These thresholds are significantly reduced in comparison with the ignition thresholds at x = 0 for solid advanced fuels. The quantum correction for the collision frequency is applied in the case of the delay in ion heating. Under the shock wave condition, the spherical proton-boron and proton-lithium fuel densities should be increased to densities 120 and 180 times that of the solid state. These plasma compressions are achieved through a longer duration laser pulse or X-ray.