Dynamics of a current bridge in a coaxial plasma accelerator

The pioneering investigation of the behavior of a current bridge in a coaxial accelerator with pulsed delivery of a working gas liberated from titanium hydride by an electrical discharge is reported. A new method to trace the motion of the current bridge using LEDs is suggested. The behavior of the current bridge in accelerators with axial and radial gas injection is studied. The parameters of an accelerator generating a pure plasma jet with a high kinetic energy (such as the size and polarity of electrodes, gas flow direction, and time delay between the delivery of the gas to the accelerator and its ionization) are optimized. The applicability of an electrodynamic model to this type of accelerator is discussed. Good agreement between experimental data and calculation results is obtained.     

Filtration combustion of a porous structure in a multicomponent gas environment

A mathematical model for describing the quasi-isobaric filtration combustion of porous materials with the formation of condensed reaction products in a multicomponent gas is developed. Two-stage combustion waves (control modes) at the counter filtration of gas mixture are examined. The effect of inert gas component on the structure of a two-stage filtration combustion wave is studied, and the critical conditions of the changeover between filtration combustion modes caused by inert gas concentration variation are determined. It is demonstrated the characteristics of the two-stage combustion front propagating in the control mode in a multicomponent gas flow depends on the porosity of the heterogeneous system.     

Ultrasonic sensing of a plasmoid

An atmospheric plasmoid that is obtained in a discharge above the water surface has been known since 2000 and studied in several laboratories. The main parameters, in particular, the gas temperature, must be measured for interpretation of this phenomenon. The temperature measurements are complicated, since the plasmoid ascends in air and can be detected by sensors at a relatively short time interval. A method for the ultrasonic sensing of a plasmoid is developed. A scheme of the setup for the ultrasonic sensing is presented and a procedure is described. The speed of sound in a gas is one-to-one related to the gas temperature. The plasmoid temperature is calculated using the speed of ultrasound on the assumption that the plasmoid is formed from water vapor. In accordance with the experimental results, the plasmoid temperature decreases from 2800 to 600–700 K over a lifetime of 500 ms. A decrease in the temperature results from heat emission and mixing with surrounding air.     

Peculiarities of Acoustic Wave Reflection from a Boundary or Layer of a Two-Phase Medium

A mathematical model is presented for determining the oblique incidence of an acoustic wave at both a boundary and layer of a gas–drop mixture or a bubbly liquid of finite thickness. The basic wave reflection and transmission patterns are established for the incidence of a low-frequency acoustic wave at an interface between a pure gas and a gas–drop mixture, as well as between a pure and bubbly liquid. A range of varying volume fractions for a drop is determined, for which the zero value of the reflection coefficient is possible for low frequencies at oblique incidence. It is shown that the reflection coefficient will never be zero at angles of incidence above 24.5° from a gas–drop mixture at a pure gas boundary; however, when a wave is incident from a pure gas at a gas–drop mixture boundary, a zero reflection coefficient is possible for nonzero angles of incidence and the volume fraction of inclusions. The results of calculating reflection of an acoustic wave from a two-phase layer of a medium with a finite thickness are presented. It is established that the minimum reflection coefficient is possible depending on the perturbation frequency for a certain range of angles of incidence for the boundary or the layer of the gas–drop mixture, which is governed mainly by difference in densities between it and the pure gas.     

Decay of a Linear Pendulum in a Free-Molecular Gas and in a Special Lorentz Gas

A circular disk without thickness is placed in a gas, and an external force, obeying Hooke’s law, is acting perpendicularly on the disk. If the disk is displaced perpendicularly from its equilibrium position and released, then it starts an oscillatory or non-oscillatory unsteady motion, which decays as time goes on because of the drag exerted by the gas molecules. This unsteady motion, i.e., the decay of this linear pendulum, is investigated numerically, under the diffuse reflection condition on the surface of the disk, with special interest in the manner of its decay, for two kinds of gases: one is a collisionless gas (or Knudsen gas) and the other is a special Lorentz gas interacting with a background. It is shown that the decay of the displacement of the disk is slow and is in proportion to an inverse power of time for the collisionless gas. The result complements the existing mathematical study of a similar problem (Caprino et al. in Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci. 17:1369–1403, 2007) in the case of non-oscillatory decay. It is also shown that the manner of the decay changes significantly for the special Lorentz gas.     

On the stability of a classical plasma

A linearized self-consistent variational approach is employed to investigate the (thermodynamic) stability of a classical plasma (electrons and positive ions). It is shown, by using this approach, that a classical plasma, which consists of ions “dressed” with electrons, has a well-defined thermodynamics. In the strong-coupling regime the “plasma” is a solid, while, on passing to the weak-coupling regime, it becomes gradually a liquid, a non-ideal gas, and, finally, in the weak-coupling limit, it behaves as an ideal classical gas. A van der Waals-type equation is established for the plasma non-ideal gas.     

Observations of plasma dynamics in a gas-embedded compressionalZ-pinch

A series of experiments carried out in a gas embedded compressional Z-pinch are presented. A dc micro discharge of 150 μA between two conical sharp edged electrodes is established to produce a hollow cylindrical discharge. A few nanoseconds before the application of the main voltage, a pulsed laser is focused through the anode onto the cathode. With this preionization scheme an initial coaxial current structure is established. H₂ and D₂ at a pressure of 1/3 atm were used as a working gas. The experiments have been carried out using a pulse power generator capable of delivering current of up to I~200 kA with a dI/dt>10¹² A/s. The use of H₂ and D₂ allows the study of discharges with the same electrical properties, but with different dynamics. At early times this preionization scheme produces a coaxial double column pinch, which as current rises, coalesces into a single column becoming a gas embedded compressional Z-pinch. Diagnostics used are current and voltage monitors, single frame holographic interferometry and shadowgraphy, visible streak camera, and single frame image converter camera. Electron density, line density, pinch radius, and plasma motion are obtained from the optical diagnostics. It was found that the maximum electron density achieved on axis is greater than twice the expected value according with the filling pressure used in the discharges, which contrasts with a traditional gas embedded pinch in which the density is lower than the expected value from filling pressure. The expansion rate of the plasma column is reduced to a third of the observed value for the single channel laser initiated gas embedded pinch. These measurements agree with the existence of a central current channel in this new configuration of gas embedded pinch. The experimental results clearly show that compression is achieved with the composite preionization scheme     

Turbulence in a gas laser

We test a recent assertion [A. Muriel, Physica A 388 (4) (2009) 311] that a gas consisting of excited molecules is turbulent, in contrast to the laminar state of a gas of ground state molecules. Since a lasing gas is made up of excited molecules, we examine if a lasing gas system is indeed turbulent. Surprisingly, from a literature search, it appears that turbulence in a lasing gas medium has never been addressed. To test for turbulence, we use a recently proposed criterion for the existence of turbulence, the presence of multivalued steady-state velocity fields [P. Getreur, A. Albano, A. Muriel, Phys. Lett. A 366 (2007) 101]. To study this subject, we improve an old model of a gas of two-level atoms in a one-dimensional model [A. Muriel, M. Dresden, Physica D 94 (1996) 103] by including the effect of a radiation field with the use of Einstein A and B coefficients. A set of coupled equations for the velocity fields in one dimension are derived. The zeroth order implementation of an iterative solution establishes that the steady-state velocity fields are multivalued, given by the Lambert function. We obtain signature characteristics of turbulence such as velocity reversals, infinite gradients, and stagnation points.     

Self-similar Solution of a Cylindrical Shock Wave under the Action of Monochromatic Radiation in a Rotational Axisymmetric Dusty Gas

A self-similar flow behind a cylindrical shock wave is studied under the action of monochromatic radiation in a rotational axisymmetric dusty gas. The dusty gas is taken to be a mixture of small solid particles and perfect gas,and solid particles are continuously distributed in the mixture. The similarity solutions are obtained and the effects of the variation of the radiation parameter, the ratio of the density of solid particles to the initial density of the gas, the mass concentration of solid particles in the mixture and the index for the time dependent energy law are investigated.It is observed that an increase in the radiation parameter has decaying effect on the shock waves; whereas the shock strength increases with an increase in the ratio of the density of solid particles to the initial density of the gas or the index for the time dependent energy law. Also, it is found that an increase in the radiation parameter has effect to decrease the flow variables except the density and the azimuthal component of fluid velocity. A comparison is also made between rotating and non-rotating cases.     

Radiative corrections to a non-linear oscillator

A theoretical and experimental investigation of the processes by which thin layers of gas trapped between surfaces of a structure may contribute to damping of structural vibrations is described. Effects of gas compressibility, inertia and thermal conductivity are allowed for in the theory. Particular attention is given to the variation of damping with gas pressure and layer thickness. The aim of the investigation was to provide results of use in the design of vibration absorbers for use in pressurized gas environments, as well as to contribute to a better understanding of the behaviour of pre-existing gas layers in structures.     

Control of a pulsed arc discharge for effective heating of a gas

The need to control a high-current pulsed arc with the aim of raising the efficiency of current-induced heating of a gas is theoretically substantiated. A computational formula for the length of the discharge gap in devices where a pulsed arc is initiated in a gas is derived. The effect of arc voltage control on the current dynamics and variation of the voltage across the gap is studied experimentally. It is shown how pulsed arc control influences the propagation rate of the leading edge of a discharge jet generated in a pulsed plasma jet former.     

沿面型介质阻挡放电喷枪的发光特性及气体温度研究

利用氩气作为工作气体,采用正弦电压驱动沿面型等离子体喷枪,在大气压空气环境中产生了均匀的等离子体羽。电学和光学测量结果表明,等离子体羽放电只存在于外加峰值电压的正半周期,并且正半周期的放电脉冲个数随气体流量的增加而增加。通过对正半周期不同位置的发光脉冲信号进行比较,发现等离子体羽均按子弹形式传播,其中每一个发光脉冲均对应一次等离子体子弹传播过程。通过对比放电电流和等离子体羽的发光信号,发现等离子体羽的发光脉冲滞后于放电电流脉冲,且该延迟时间基本服从正态分布。该延迟时间随着外加电压峰值及气体流量的增大而减小。利用光纤测温仪测量了等离子体羽的气体温度,发现气体温度随外加峰值电压的增大而升高,随工作气体流量的增大而降低。通过分析放电过程,对上述现象进行了定性解释。     

Relaxation of a Free-Molecular Gas to Equilibrium Caused by Interaction with Vessel Wall

A free-molecular gas contained in a static vessel with a uniform temperature is considered. The approach of the velocity distribution function of the gas molecules from a given initial distribution to the uniform equilibrium state at rest is investigated numerically under the diffuse reflection boundary condition. This relaxation is caused by the interaction of gas molecules with the vessel wall. It is shown that, for a spherical vessel, the velocity distribution function approaches the final uniform equilibrium distribution in such a way that their difference decreases in proportion to an inverse power of time. This is slower than the known result for a rarefied gas with molecular collisions.     

Bose-condensation of spin-polarized hydrogen in a highly inhomogeneous field

A new idea of self-consistent achievement and detection of Bose-condensation in H↓ gas is suggested. The Bose-condensate appears in a small compressed gas volume created by a highly inhomogeneous field (an electric or magnetic needle) near the surface of an ordinary H↓ gas system. A strong rise of the condensate density in the inhomogeneous field results in a sharp increase of the system decay due to recombination in the compressed gas, which opens up the possibility of detecting the Bose-condensation.     

Molecular dynamics of the intramolecular 1, 3-dipolar ene reaction of a nitrile oxide and an alkene: non-statistical behavior of a reaction involving a diradical intermediate*

ABSTRACT

Potential energy surfaces and molecular dynamics of the intramolecular 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition and ene reaction of a nitrile oxide with an alkene were performed in the gas phase and in dichloromethane with density functional theory. One hundred trajectories were propagated in the gas phase and in dichloromethane, respectively. Twenty percent of the trajectories in the gas phase involve bicyclic intermediate and the mean time gap is 472fs. A dynamically stepwise reaction is observed. In dichloromethane, more reactive trajectories were obtained and the time gap is larger than that in the gas phase.     

Influence of the adiabatic index on switching between different types of shock wave reflection in a steady supersonic gas flow

A comprehensive pattern of different types of shock wave reflection in a steady supersonic gas flow is analytically constructed with regard to a new wave configuration found by the authors-negative-angle irregular reflection. A double Mach reflection with a negative reflection angle in a steady supersonic gas flow is numerically obtained for the first time.     

Effect of external power supply to a shock layer on the shock wave structure

A physical model that describes the structure of a 1D shock wave in a gas containing a moving heat source is put forward. A stationary equation for the profile of a shock wave in a gas with an arbitrary-shape heat source that is at rest relative to this wave is derived. Analytical solutions to this equation make it possible to analyze the flow pattern in the case of external power supply.     

Deposition of diamond-like films from a high-velocity flow of a rarefied gas mixture

In contrast to the widespread deposition method of carbon films with the activation of gas mixtures on a hot wire, activation (dissociation of hydrogen and methane) is performed in a high-temperature channel formed by a tungsten coil in this study. From this channel, the gas is expanded to the substrate where deposition occurs. A film containing diamond crystals and hexagonal crystals having characteristic features of lonsdaleite is deposited at the channel temperature of 2100°C and the surrounding pressure of 20 mmHg. The diamond-like film is deposited from a high-velocity high-temperature un-ionized flow for the first time.     

Beam-plasma discharge in the propagation of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam in a medium-pressure rarefied gas

A theoretical model is given, along with a numerical analysis of the evolution of beam-plasma discharge in the propagation of a long-pulse relativistic electron beam in a rarefied gas at medium pressure. It is shown that the self-stabilization of beam-plasma discharge as a result of longitudinal inhomogeneity of the density of the discharge plasma makes it possible for the beam to traverse the beam chamber with relatively low total energy losses, including ionization losses and energy losses in the generation of oscillations. During the dissociative recombination of electrons and ions of the discharge-driven plasma, heat is released and spent in raising the temperature of the gas. The investigated collective-discharge mechanism underlying heating of the gas for a relativistic beam can be more efficient than the classical heating mechanism due to ionization losses of the beam in pair collisions of its electrons with gas particles. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 94–98 (May 1997)     

Drop splashing on a dry smooth surface

The corona splash due to the impact of a liquid drop on a smooth dry substrate is investigated with high-speed photography. A striking phenomenon is observed: splashing can be completely suppressed by decreasing the pressure of the surrounding gas. The threshold pressure where a splash first occurs is measured as a function of the impact velocity and found to scale with the molecular weight of the gas and the viscosity of the liquid. Both experimental scaling relations support a model in which compressible effects in the gas are responsible for splashing in liquid solid impacts.