Ionization Waves in Glow Discharges with Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields

The properties of ionization waves self-excited in glow discharges with a non-uniform axial magnetic fields are investigated experimentally. The fundamental frequency remains almost constant over the tube for the variable magnetic fields, while the amplitude decreases with increasing the field. The wavelength becomes longer at the cathode side of the magnetic coil and shorter at the anode side with increasing the local magnetic field. The dependence of the wavelength on the magnetic field is explained by the changes of the axial electric field in the non-uniform magnetic field.     

Magnetized neutron-star mergers and gravitational-wave signals

We investigate the influence of magnetic fields upon the dynamics of, and resulting gravitational waves from, a binary neutron-star merger in full general relativity coupled to ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We consider two merger scenarios: one where the stars have aligned poloidal magnetic fields and one without. Both mergers result in a strongly differentially rotating object. In comparison to the nonmagnetized scenario, the aligned magnetic fields delay the full merger of the stars. During and after merger we observe phenomena driven by the magnetic field, including Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in shear layers, winding of the field lines, and transition from poloidal to toroidal magnetic fields. These effects not only mediate the production of electromagnetic radiation, but also can have a strong influence on the gravitational waves. Thus, there are promising prospects for studying such systems with both types of waves.     

Self-Focusing and Channeling of Wave Beams in a Nonuniform Magnetic Field under Conditions of Ionization Nonlinearity

We study experimentally the effect of ionization self-channeling of waves at the whistler frequencies in a nonuniform magnetic field. It is shown that the formed plasma nonuniformity localizes the radiation from a short high-frequency source inside a discharge channel stretched along an external magnetic field. We found a possibility to control the parameters of the formed plasma-wave channel as well as the dispersion characteristics and structure of wave fields in wide limits by varying the magnetic field in a specified spatial region. We propose a method for the formation of a plasma resonator and test this method in the laboratory experiment. The spatial plasma and field distributions in this resonator are similar to those along a geomagnetic field tube of the magnetospheric resonator. We reveal the plasma instability in such a resonator in the vicinity of the frequency of electron bounce oscillations between magnetic mirrors.     

Anfachung und Dämpfung von Ionisationswellen in MHD-Kanälen und ihr Einfluß auf die effektive elektrische Leitfähigkeit,den effektiven Hall-Parameter und die mittlere Elektronentemperatur

The phase velocity, the amplification rate and the critical Hall parameter are theoretically determined for ionization waves in a weakly ionized plasma streaming across a strong external magnetic field and bearing a current flowing perpendicular to both the magnetic field and the stream velocity. The investigations hold for seeded rare gases at any degree of seed ionization. The critical Hall parameter β_c depends on the degree of ionization, the ionization energy and the temperatures of electron gas T₀ and neutral gas T_g · β_c is always greater than one, if 0 < T₀ — T_g ? T₀ holds. The three-dimensional treatment indicates the existence of waves with a nonvanishing wave vector component in the direction of the magnetic field. The influence of ionization waves on mean current density, mean Hall field intensity and mean electron temperature is determined up to second order terms in the relative fluctuations of the electron temperature. The amplification of ionization waves reduces the effective electric conductivity, the effective Hall parameter and the mean electron temperature compared to the undisturbed state. Similar results are also obtained for steady state homogeneous isotropic turbulence and a special case of axially symmetric turbulence. Furthermore, a component of the electric field in direction or in opposite direction to the magnetic field vector may be generated by non isotropic and non homogeneous turbulence.     

Anfachung und Dämpfung magneto-akustischer Wellen in MHD-Kanälen und ihr Einfluß auf die mittlere Stromdichte und die mittlere Hall-Feldstärke

Magneto-acoustic waves generated by fluctuations in the Hall parameter, the electric conductivity and the stream velocity are theoretically investigated in a weakly ionized plasma streaming across a strong external magnetic field and bearing a current flowing perpendicular to both magnetic field and stream velocity. The investigations hold for seeded rare gas plasmas at any degree of seed ionization but are resticted to waves propagating in parallel or antiparallel direction to the current density vector and in parallel or antiparallel direction to the stream velocity vector and to wave lengths which are small in comparsion to the interaction length which occurs as a characteristic wave length. The influence of these waves on the mean current density and the mean Hall field intensity is calculated in case of small amplitudes and low degree of seed ionization up to second order terms. Omitting Ohmic heating the dispersion equation can be solved exactly. A phase shift exists between the fluctuations in gas density and gas velocity. The phase velocity and the amplification rate depend on the wave length. Typical results are represented in a diagram. For both types of waves the phase velocity slightly rises with increasing wave length, while the amplification rate decreases. Waves propagating in opposite direction to the current density vector are amplified, if the electron velocity exceeds a critical value. They reduce the mean current density and the mean Hall field intensity. Waves propagating in opposite direction to the stream velocity vector are also amplified except for very high degrees of seed ionization. The threshold current density is greater than that for the waves of the first type approximately by the Hall parameter as factor. At extremely high degree of seed ionization the phase velocity is directed opposite to the direction occuring at weakly ionized seed. Waves of the second type decrease the mean current density, but increase the mean Hall field intensity.     

Propagation of terahertz waves in nonuniform plasma slab under "electromagnetic window"

The application of magnetic fields, electric fields, and the increase of the electromagnetic wave frequency are up-and-coming solutions for the blackout problem. Therefore, this study considers the influence of the external magnetic field on the electron flow and the effect of the external electric field on the electron density distribution, and uses the scattering matrix method (SMM) to perform theoretical calculations and analyze the transmission behavior of terahertz waves under different electron densities, magnetic field distributions, and collision frequencies. The results show that the external magnetic field can improve the transmission of terahertz waves at the low-frequency end. Magnetizing the plasma from the direction perpendicular to the incident path can optimize the right-hand polarized wave transmission. The external electric field can increase the transmittance to some extent, and the increase of the collision frequency can suppress the right-hand polarized wave cyclotron resonance caused by the external magnetic field. By adjusting these parameters, it is expected to alleviate the blackout phenomenon to a certain extent.     

Microwave spectroscopy of the Zeeman effect in Rydberg atoms of sodium

Experimental results of studying the spectrum of the microwave 37P-37S transition of Rydberg sodium atoms in a weak magnetic field (≤7 G) are reported. The populations of the Rydberg states were measured using the method of selective ionization with a pulsed electric field. When the magnetic field was parallel to the ionizing electric field, a good agreement between the calculated and experimental spectral shapes was observed, making it possible to determine the unknown polarization of the microwave radiation. In the case of the orthogonal configuration of the fields, the resonance structure was suppressed in the field ionization signals due to the strong influence of the magnetic field on the electron trajectories in the detection system.     

Guided ionization waves: Theory and experiments

This review focuses on one of the fundamental phenomena that occur upon application of sufficiently strong electric fields to gases, namely the formation and propagation of ionization waves–streamers. The dynamics of streamers is controlled by strongly nonlinear coupling, in localized streamer tip regions, between enhanced (due to charge separation) electric field and ionization and transport of charged species in the enhanced field. Streamers appear in nature (as initial stages of sparks and lightning, as huge structures—sprites above thunderclouds), and are also found in numerous technological applications of electrical discharges. Here we discuss the fundamental physics of the guided streamer-like structures—plasma bullets which are produced in cold atmospheric-pressure plasma jets. Plasma bullets are guided ionization waves moving in a thin column of a jet of plasma forming gases (e.g., He or Ar) expanding into ambient air. In contrast to streamers in a free (unbounded) space that propagate in a stochastic manner and often branch, guided ionization waves are repetitive and highly-reproducible and propagate along the same path—the jet axis. This property of guided streamers, in comparison with streamers in a free space, enables many advanced time-resolved experimental studies of ionization waves with nanosecond precision. In particular, experimental studies on manipulation of streamers by external electric fields and streamer interactions are critically examined. This review also introduces the basic theories and recent advances on the experimental and computational studies of guided streamers, in particular related to the propagation dynamics of ionization waves and the various parameters of relevance to plasma streamers. This knowledge is very useful to optimize the efficacy of applications of plasma streamer discharges in various fields ranging from health care and medicine to materials science and nanotechnology.     

倾斜井眼中感应测井正演模拟与响应特征

感应测井仪器的发射源可简化为一系列磁偶极子,其在层状地层中产生的电磁场可分解成彼此独立的TE波和TM波叠加,且TE波和TM波完全由两个标量方程确定.首先研究倾斜井眼中磁偶极子场的TE波和TM波分解,推导多层介质中电磁场振幅以及地层界面上广义反射和透射系数的递推公式,给出层状地层电磁场解析解.然后利用数值结果分析考察砂泥岩薄交互层中,地层层厚、井眼倾角变化等对感应测井响应的影响.     

Magnetic crystallization waves in He

The melting and growth of ³He crystals spin-polarized by an external magnetic field at temperatures below the Neel temperature are accompanied by spin supercurrents in addition to mass flows. In fields weak in comparison with exchange fields, the crystallization waves change in nature, because the spin currents begin to play a dominent role. The wave spectrum becomes linear with a velocity inversely proportional to the magnetic field. The attenuation of the waves at low enough temperatures is mainly due to the interaction of the moving crystal-liquid interface with thermal spin waves in the crystal. The waves could be weakly damped at temperatures below a few hundred microkelvins.     

Strain engineering of graphene nanoribbons: pseudomagnetic versus external magnetic fields

Bandgap opening due to strain engineering is a key architect for making graphene’s optoelectronic, straintronic, and spintronic devices. We study the bandgap opening due to strain induced ripple waves and investigate the interplay between pseudomagnetic fields and externally applied magnetic fields on the band structures and spin relaxation in graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). We show that electron-hole bands of GNRs are highly influenced (i.e. level crossing of the bands are possible) by coupling two combined effects: pseudomagnetic fields (PMF) originating from strain tensor and external magnetic fields. In particular, we show that the tuning of the spin-splitting band extends to large externally applied magnetic fields with increasing values of pseudomagnetic fields. Level crossings of the bands in strained GNRs can also be observed due to the interplay between pseudomagnetic fields and externally applied magnetic fields. We also investigate the influence of this interplay on the electromagnetic field mediated spin relaxation mechanism in GNRs. In particular, we show that the spin hot spot can be observed at approximately B = 65 T (the externally applied magnetic field) and B₀ = 53 T (the magnitude of induced pseudomagnetic field due to ripple waves) which may not be considered as an ideal location for the design of straintronic devices. Our analysis might be used for tuning the bandgaps in strained GNRs and utilized to design the optoelectronic devices for straintronic applications.     

Wave nature of moving striations in a longitudinal magnetic field

Wave nature of stationary moving striations in helium and neon discharges in a uniform longitudinal magnetic field is studied. With the increase of the magnetic field, the frequency of natural striations decreases, while the wave length increases, and they damp out at high field region. Artificial excitations in these gases show that the wave length is proportional to the excitation frequency for given magnetic field and the slope of linear lines increases with the field. These wave nature of striations is explained following the dispersion relation derived from the consideration of waves of ionization and including effects of the magnetic field on the ionization.     

Magnetoacoustic effect in non-degenerate semiconductors

The effect of ultrasonic waves propagating at an angle ? relative to the direction of a magnetic field in nondegenerate semiconductors such as n-type InSb has been studied by using a quantum treatment which is valid at high frequencies and in strong magnetic fields. Numerical results show that both the absorption coefficient and the change in the sound velocity depend on the direction of the propagation of ultrasonic waves relative to the magnetic field.     

A three-dimensional time-dependent theory for helix traveling wave tubes in beam-wave interaction

This paper presents a three-dimensional time-dependent nonlinear theory of helix traveling wave tubes for beamwave interaction.The radio frequency electromagnetic fields are represented as the superposition of azimuthally symmetric waves in a vacuum sheath helix.Coupling impedance is introduced to the electromagnetic field equations’ stimulating sources,which makes the theory easier and more flexible to realize.The space charge fields are calculated by electron beam space-charge waves expressed as the superposition solutions of Helmholtz equations.The focusing forces due to either a solenoidal field or a periodic permanent magnetic field is also included.The dynamical equations of electrons are Lorentz equations associating with electromagnetic fields,focusing fields and space-charge fields.The numerically simulated results of a tube are presented.     

Effect of a magnetic field on thermally stimulated ionization of impurity centers in semiconductors by submillimeter radiation

The probability of electron tunneling from a bound state into a free state in crossed ac electric and dc magnetic fields is calculated in the quasiclassical approximation. It is shown that a magnetic field decreases the electron tunneling probability. This decreases the probability of thermally activated ionization of deep impurity centers by submillimeter radiation. The logarithm of the ionization probability is a linear function of the squared amplitude of the electric field and increases rapidly with the frequency of the electric field.     

强磁场下He2++H(1s)的碰撞电离微分截面及电离机理研究

应用经典径迹蒙特卡罗方法详细研究了强磁场环境下He²⁺+H (1s)的重粒子碰撞电离过程. 首先得到了在不同强度的纵向和横向磁场下电离电子的一阶能量微分截面, 发现它们不仅在数值上比未加磁场下的结果有明显的增加, 而且随电离电子的能量变化不再是单调下降, 而是呈现一定的峰值结构. 通过对电离事例的分析, 解释了这些变化形成的原因. 其次由于强磁场会导致碰撞电离的物理机理有很大变化, 因此也分析并解释了磁场强度、方向及入射粒子能量等因素对电离机理的影响行为.     

Quasistationary magnetic field generated in a plasma by a whistler-mode radio pulse

It has been shown experimentally that a quasistationary magnetic field is generated in a weakly collisional magnetized plasma by a spatially nonuniform high-frequency whistler-mode field. The sources of the quasistationary magnetic field are nonlinear currents generated due to the longitudinal and transverse components of the ponderomotive force, acting on charged particles in the spatially localized high-frequency pump field. The dynamics of the excited magnetic fields has been analyzed. It was found that the settling time of the quasistationary magnetic field is determined by the switching-on time of the high-frequency field and the propagation of pulsed current and magnetic fields from the region of their generation occurs with the velocity of low-frequency whistler waves.     

Critical Current of the Ionization Waves and Anomaly of the Positive Column in an Axial Magnetic Field

Influences of an axial magnetic field on the ionization wave and the positive column in rare gas discharges are studied experimentally. The upper critical current I_c for the appearance of ionization waves in the magnetic field B is newly found. As B is gradually increased, the value of I_e slightly increases from the Pupp's value and after passing a prominent maximum, finally become very small. In addition an anomaly takes place in the axial electric field E of the positive column stable for helical instabilities. With increasing the magnetic field the value of E goes through a weak maximum before decreasing. It is concluded that this anomaly, apparently incompatible with classical diffusion theory, is closely related to the appearance of ionization waves in the positive column.     

Simulation studies of the magnetic field generation in cosmological plasmas

We present computer simulation studies of the magnetic field generation by colliding electron clouds in cosmic plasmas. Simulation results exhibit purely growing magnetic fields, generation of electrostatic waves and subsequent electron energization in different regimes. The linear growth and saturated magnetic fields in our simulations are in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions of the Weibel instability induced magnetic fields in cosmological plasmas.     

射频激励等离子体非线性效应的FDTD数值模拟

在考虑热运动、电子复合、扩散等效应后，建立电磁波与等离子体相互作用模型，验证了射频激励等离子体时产生的二次、多次谐波以及各个不同频段信号的调制现象，得到了不同激励功率、产生电子的电场阈值、电子能量等参数对电磁波频谱的影响，这对于射频激励等离子体的电路匹配、耦合器件以及等离子体天线传输、电磁兼容等设计很有帮助. 关键词： 射频 谐波 等离子体 非线性