Threshold Frequency of Helical Electron–Hole Plasma Instability

Experimental evidence on the dependence of the threshold frequency of silicon oscillistors on the threshold electric field strength, magnetic induction, temperature, and injecting-contact separation is presented. In the temperature interval, where the weak magnetic field criterion is roughly satisfied, the experimental results are shown to be adequately explained by the classical theory of the bulk helical instability of an extrinsic plasma. The threshold frequency in this temperature interval is determined by the sum of two components. One component is due to the ambipolar drift of helical plasma perturbations, and the other results from the presence of the charge-carrier concentration gradient in a direction normal to the vectors of the electric field strength and magnetic induction. In short oscillistors (0.85·10^–3, 2.38·10^–3 m) at 77 K, a semiconductor plasma, wherein the helical instability is excited, approximates an intrinsic plasma, and the threshold frequency is determined by the rotation rate of helical perturbations.     

Experimental study of the nonlinear properties of the surface-kink instability of a semiconductor plasma in a germanium plate

Experiments are reported on the characteristics of the surface-kink instability in germanium plates. The amplitude of the current and potential oscillations, the frequency, and the modulus of the wave vector of the wave are analyzed as functions of the electric field E and the magnetic induction B at 78, 300, and 350°K. The amplitudes of the current and potential oscillations, and also the frequencies, increase with increasing E and B, eventually reaching saturation. At E = const, the modulus of the wave vector is independent of B. It is shown that slightly above the threshold electric field or threshold magnetic induction, i.e., at a small value of [g = (E – E_t)/E_t 1, _B = (B – B_t)/B_t 1], the curves of the oscillation amplitude vs _E; B are linear in logarithmic scale. The slope of the lines is about 0.5, implying a soft excitation of the surface-kink instability in the plates.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 72–75, July, 1984.     

A germanium oscillator in a pulsed magnetic field

Experimental data which confirms the presence of hysteresis of the magnetic threshold field of the helical instability of the plasma in a germanium oscillator are presented. It is shown that hysteresis of the threshold magnetic field is due to the inertia of the change in the effective lifetime of the charge carriers in the specimen when the magnetic field is increased and reduced. The dependence of the hysteresis of the threshold magnetic field on the electric field strength, the magnetic field, and the temperature is discussed.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 38–41, July, 1982.The authors thank R. I. Bashirov, and K. M. Aliev for making it possible to carry out the measurements in pulsed magnetic fields, and G. P. Il'yukevich for his technical help.     

Helical instability of a semiconductor plasma in silicon wafers at 77 K

This paper reports an analysis of the experimental results on how the threshold electric field intensity required to excited helical instability of a semiconductor plasma in wafers of p-silicon depends on the magnitude of magnetic induction. Also cited are data on the dependence of the threshold frequency on electric field intensity. The variations of the amplitude of the alternating current, caused by the development of helical instability, with electric field intensity and magnetic induction well above the instability excitation threshold are examined.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 54–60, August, 1991.     

Kink instability of the semiconductor plasma in silicon parallelepipeds

Experimental results on the onset of the kink instability of the semiconductor plasma in silicon p⁺-p-n⁺ structures are analyzed. The structures were parallelepipeds. The experiments were carried out over the temperature range from 77 to 300 K. The shape of the current-voltage characteristics and that of the threshold curves of the test samples are discussed. The frequency and amplitude of the alternating current which arises as a result of the kink instability are described as a function of the electric field and the magnetic induction at levels substantially above the excitation threshold.V. D. Kuznetsov Siberian Physicotechnical Institute, Tomsk State University. Scientific-Research Institute of Semiconductor Devices. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 103–110, May, 1992.     

Electrostatic ion-cyclotron wave experiments in the WVU Qmachine

The influence of transverse, localized, DC electric fields (TLEs) on the current-driven electrostatic ion-cyclotron (CDEIC) instability is being investigated in a Q machine. A small (diameter ~10 ion gyroradii) segmented disk electrode is being used to excite the mode in a narrow electron-current channel along which exists a radial electric field between regions that magnetically map to the different circular segments (separated by a radial gap of ~3 ion gyroradii). Experiments aimed at demonstrating a TLE dependence in the threshold current for mode excitation are described. A comparison of observed and predicted mode frequencies over a range of magnetic field strengths is presented for the benchmark case of no applied transverse electric field. When the electric field is present, ion-cyclotron fluctuations are observed for cases in which the current is below the CDEIC instability threshold     

Parametrical Instability of Surface Type X-modes Immersed into a Nonmonochromatic Pumping Electric Field

Parametrical excitation of surface type X-modes (STXM) at the second harmonic of electron cyclotron frequency by nonmonochromatic external alternating electric field is under consideration. STXM are the eigenmodes of a planar magnetoactive plasma waveguide structure consisting of a metal wall with dielectric coating and uniform plasma filling. An external steady magnetic field is applied along the plasma interface, so it is perpendicular to the group velocity of the considered extraordinarily polarized waves. Influence of the plasma waveguide parameters on the parametrical instability of the STXM is studied. External alternating electric field is assumed to consist of two fields with different amplitudes and frequencies. A theoretical investigation is carried out using kinetic equation for plasma particles under the conditions of weak plasma spatial dispersion and small amplitudes of external electric fields. The obtained results can be useful for research in branch of edge plasma physics.     

Threshold Characteristics of Silicon Oscillistors

Experimental evidence on the dependence of the threshold parameters of silicon oscillistors on magnetic induction, temperature, and injecting-contact separation is presented. Bulk helical instability of semiconductor plasma is shown to develop in this kind of oscillistors in a wide range of temperatures between 77 and 400 K. The threshold electric-field strength (resulting in plasma instability), threshold voltage, threshold current strength, and threshold power from a supply source in relation to the above factors are well described within a finite-size semiconductor sample theory. This approach accounts for the concentration gradient in nonequilibrium charge carriers in a direction normal to the vectors of the electric-field strength and magnetic induction. Rough estimation shows that the mean value of the relative concentration gradient in the samples under study is about 10³ m^–1 at 77 and 291 K.     

Anomalous plasma diffusion transverse to high magnetic fields in InSb

Investigations on the ambipolar diffusion of an electron-hole plasma transverse to a magnetic field have been carried out in InSb. A plasma layer, produced at the surface of the sample by a short laser pulse, was moved through the sample in crossed electric and magnetic fields by the Lorentz force. From the broadening of the plasma layer we found at 80K an enhanced diffusion coefficient which decreased proportional to 1/B for magnetic fields higher than 1T, constrary to the expected classical 1/B ² dependence. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficient was strongly dependent on the electric field. The ambipolar drift velocity, measured simultaneously showed a classical behaviour. Together with the enhanced diffusion we observed instabilites in the electric potential. The instability threshold decreased towards the cathode.     

Linear parameters of helical instability in thick silicon wafers at 300 K

An analysis is performed on the dependence of the threshold electric field intensity (E_t) of helical instability of a semiconductor plasma on the magnetic induction and threshold frequency on E_t at a temperature of 300 K allowing for the form of the volt-ampere characteristic curve of the specimen. It is shown that when the field dependence of the charge carrier concentration in the specimen is taken into account, the variation in the rate of surface recombination and volume lifetime in the process of preparing the specimen, the variation in the path of the threshold curve, and the variation in the field dependence of the threshold frequency are satisfactorily described by helical instability theory for the case of a homogeneous plasma for n p and _{n p}. The basic cause of incomplete matching of the experimental and theoretical curves is apparently due to not fulfilling the condition on homogeneity of the plasma and the electric field in the presence of the injection of charge carriers from the contacts.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 49–53, August, 1991.The author is grateful to Yu. V. Medvedev for performing the measurements of the parameters by microwave techniques and to O. N. Merkulova for her assistance in writing the computer program.     

THERMODYNAMICAL PROPERTIES OF GAUGE THEORIES AT FINITE TEMPERATURE AND CHEMICAL POTENTIAL

The plasma effects of gauge theories are investigated and the one-loop contributions to self-energy part of the photon at T≠0 and μ≠0 are calculated. It is shown that only electric fields give photon an effective mass, but magnetic fields don's contribute.     

Frequency shift and anomalous resistivity of turbulent plasmas in external electric and magnetic fields

Accounting for the modified orbits of plasma particles due to constant external electric and magnetic fields, a general expression for the velocity space diffusion tensor of a turbulent plasma is derived. The nonlinear frequency shift and the anomalous resistivity in the presence of external fields are calculated. It is shown that the effect of a strong external electric field on the frequency shift is to reduce its magnitude. Furthermore, the dependence of the anomalous resistivity on the external magnetic field is obtained.     

Harmonic Fields in a Non Uniform Plasma

The magnitudes of the harmonic fields which are generated when an alternating electric field is applied to a plasma are calculated. The plasma has a density gradient and is immersed in a uniform static magnetic field. The harmonics are very strongly excited near the upper hybrid frequency. A fluid theory is employed to describe the highly non linear behavior near resonance and a kinetic theory is used to find the effect of a finite temperature. It is found that kinetic effects are important if the radius of gyration is comparable in size to the scale length.     

Thickness-shear vibration of a quartz plate connected to piezoelectric plates and electric field sensing

We study thickness-shear vibration of a quartz plate connected to two piezoelectric ceramic plates with initial deformations caused by a biasing electric field. The theory for small deformations superposed on finite biasing deformations in an electroelastic body is used. It is shown that the resonant frequencies of the incremental thickness-shear vibration of the quartz plate vary with the biasing electric field. The biasing electric field induced frequency shift depends linearly on the field. Therefore this effect may be used for electric field sensing. The dependence of the electric field induced frequency shift on various material and geometric parameters is examined. When the electric field is of the order of 100 V/mm, the relative frequency shift is of the order of 10⁻⁵. The case when the piezoelectric plates are replaced by piezomagnetic plates is also investigated for magnetic field sensing, and similar results are obtained.     

Higher Harmonics and Transport Coefficients of Plasmas in Circulary Polarized Magnetic Fields and Additional Electromagnetic Fields

With the methods of kinetic theory on the basis of the Boltzmann and Fokker-Planck kinetic equations the behaviour of a Lorentz plasma in a circularly polarized (rotating) magnetic field (rotation frequency ω), an alternating electric field (frequency ω′) and additional constant electromagnetic fields is investigated. By means of a generalized Fourier expansion it is shown that the above fields create in the plasma currents of the frequencies 0, ω′, ω–ω′,ω, ω+ω′, 2ω–ω′, 2ω, and 2ω+ω′. Transport coefficients are calculated explicitly and the validity of Onsager reciprocity relations and that of Kronig-Kramers relations is discussed. The special case of the electric field induced by the rotating magnetic field is treated separately. Finally, problems of plasma containment are discussed.     

Thermal parametric turbulence in a plasma

A theory of thermal parametric instability (TPI) in an inhomogeneous magnetoplasma is developed. The threshold pump wave amplitude and increments of TPI are obtained. The spacial spectra of plasma waves and magnetic field aligned density perturbations are determined at the nonlinear stage of TPI, perturbation intensity dependence on pump energy is also analyzed. The theoretical results are applied to explain the ionospheric modification experiments.     

Thermal ionization instability of an air discharge plasma in a microwave field

Results are presented from experimental studies of the initial stage of an air discharge initiated in a linearly polarized quasi-optical microwave beam. The discharge was excited at an air pressure at which the electron-neutral collision frequency in the discharge plasma was considerably higher than the circular frequency of the electromagnetic field and at a microwave field amplitude close to the threshold field for air breakdown. The experiments revealed relatively bright plasma channels stretched along the microwave electric field. The development rate of these channels and their characteristic transverse dimensions are estimated. A comparison of the experimental data and theoretical estimates indicates that the channels observed arise due to the onset of thermal ionization instability in the microwave discharge plasma.     

Temperature effect on the threshold frequency of absorption in a quantum pseudodot

The threshold frequency of absorption in a quantum pseudodot under the influence of temperature and applied magnetic field is calculated. The threshold frequency of absorption is computed as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. The linear and nonlinear dependence of the absorption threshold frequency on magnetic field and temperature has been showed. According to the results obtained from the present work, we find that the linear and nonlinear dependence of the absorption threshold frequency depends on used range of the temperatures and magnetic fields.     

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.     

Observations of an ion-driven instability in non-neutral plasmas confined on magnetic surfaces

The first detailed experimental study of an instability driven by the presence of a finite ion fraction in an electron-rich non-neutral plasma confined on magnetic surfaces is presented. The instability has a poloidal mode number m=1, implying that the parallel force balance of the electron fluid is broken and that the instability involves rotation of the entire plasma, equivalent to ion-resonant instabilities in Penning traps and toroidal field traps. The mode appears when the ion density exceeds approximately 10% of the electron density. The measured frequency decreases with increasing magnetic field strength, and increases with increasing radial electric field, showing that the instability is linked to the E x B flow of the electron plasma. The frequency does not, however, scale exactly with E/B, and it depends on the ion species that is introduced, implying that the instability consists of interacting perturbations of ions and electrons.