Enhancement of the guide field during the current sheet formation in the three-dimensional magnetic configuration with an X line

Results are presented from studies of the formation of current sheets during exciting a current aligned with the X line of the 3D magnetic configuration, in the CS-3D device. Enhancement of the guide field (parallel to the X line) was directly observed for the first time, on the basis of magnetic measurements. After the current sheet formation, the guide field inside the sheet exceeds its initial value, as well as the field outside. It is convincingly demonstrated that an enhancement of the guide field is due to its transportation by plasma flows on the early stage of the sheet formation. The in-plane plasma currents, which produce the excess guide field, are comparable to the total current along the X line that initiates the sheet itself.     

Out-of-plane shear flow effects on fast magnetic reconnection in a two-dimensional hybrid simulation model

The effects of out-of-plane shear flows on fast magnetic reconnection are numerically investigated by a twodimensional(2D)hybrid model in an initial Harris sheet equilibrium with flows.The equilibrium and driven shear flows out of the 2D reconnection plane with symmetric and antisymmetric profiles respectively are used in the simulation.It is found that the out-of-plane flows with shears in-plane can change the quadrupolar structure of the out-of-plane magnetic field and,therefore,modify the growth rate of magnetic reconnection.Furthermore,the driven flow varying along the anti-parallel magnetic field can either enhance or reduce the reconnection rate as the direction of flow changes.Secondary islands are also generated in the process with converting the initial X-point into an O-point.     

Electron heating by the magnetic field-aligned electron-cyclotron waves in plasmas

It is shown that resonant nonlinear interactions between the magnetic-field aligned right-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic (CPEM) electron-cyclotron waves and electrons can produce electron temperature anisotropy due to the stochastic electron heating by waves in magnetized plasmas. The present result can thus account for the simultaneous presence of CPEM waves and an anisotropic electron temperature distribution in laboratory and space magnetoplasmas.     

Generation of magnetic fields by the non-stationary ponderomotive force of electromagnetic waves in plasmas with streaming electrons

It is shown that the non-stationary ponderomotive force of large amplitude electromagnetic waves in plasmas with streaming electrons can spontaneously create magnetic fields. The present result may account for the magnetic fields in laser-produces plasmas, in cosmic plasmas, as well as in galactic and inter-galactic spaces.     

Guiding of an electromagnetic pulse in a plasma immersed in combined wiggler and axial magnetic fields

We present a new plasma-based method of guiding an electromagnetic pulse. The scheme consists of an inhomogeneous magnetic field and a uniform density plasma, in contrast to existing schemes that rely on transverse plasma density gradients but need not be magnetized. The refractive index of a magnetized plasma depends on the strength and direction of the magnetic field as well as the plasma density. A guiding channel is formed by using field inhomogeneity to generate the desired transverse profile of the index of refraction. The concept is analyzed with an envelope equation and, for the specific example of a wiggler magnetic field, with a two-dimension particle-in-cell simulation. A simplified model of this scheme as producing a magnetic wall in analogy to metallic waveguides is presented, for which corresponding approximate relations for the guided mode axial wavelength and radius are derived as functions of the plasma and magnetic field parameter. These are seen to be in good agreement with particle-in-cell simulation results. Since the desired inhomogeneity of the refractive index can be made easily when the electromagnetic wave frequency is close to the cyclotron frequency, this guiding scheme is most readily applied in the microwave regime.     

Electrohydrodynamic flow in a wire-plate non-thermal plasma reactor measured by 3D PIV method

This work was aimed at measurements of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) secondary flow in a non-thermal plasma reactor using three-dimensional particle image velocimetry (3D PIV) method. The wide-type non-thermal plasma reactor used in this work was an acrylic box with a wire discharge electrode and two plate collecting electrodes. The positive DC voltage was applied to the wire electrode through a 10 MΩ resistor. The collecting electrodes were grounded. The voltage applied to the wire electrode was 28 kV. Air flow seeded with a cigarette smoke was blown along the reactor duct with an average velocity of 0.6 m/s. The 3D PIV velocity fields measurements were carried out in four parallel planes stretched along the reactor duct, perpendicularly to the wire electrode and plate electrodes. The measured flow velocity fields illustrate complex nature of the EHD induced secondary flow in the non-thermal plasma reactor.     

Conductance distribution in two-dimensional localized systems with and without magnetic fields

We have obtained the universal conductance distribution of two-dimensional disordered systems in the strongly localized limit. This distribution is directly related to the Tracy-Widom distribution, which has recently appeared in many different problems. We first map a forward scattering paths model into a problem of directed random polymers previously solved. We show numerically that the same distribution also applies to other forward scattering paths models and to the Anderson model. We show that most of the electric current follows a preferential percolation-type path. The particular form of the distribution depends on the type of leads used to measure the conductance. The application of a moderate magnetic field changes the average conductance and the size of fluctuations, but not the distribution when properly scaled. Although the presence of magnetic field changes the universality class, we show that the conductance distribution in the strongly localized limit is the same for both classes.     

Nonlinear generation of sheared flows and zonal magnetic fields by electron whistlers in plasmas

The nonlinear generation of shear field and flow in whistler waves is considered. It is shown that a coherent parametric process leads to modulational instability of four waves whistler interaction. Growth rates for the flow/field are compared with published simulation results.     

Long-lived resonances supported by a contact interaction in crossed magnetic and electric fields

The lifetime of the resonance states of an electron interacting with a zero-range potential in the presence of crossed magnetic and electric fields is studied for the case where the electron is confined in the direction of the magnetic field by a parabolic quantum well. It is shown that long-lived electric field-induced resonances exist in this system even when the zero-range potential does not support any field-free bound state. The relationship of these resonances with the Landau states localized near the point interaction is discussed.     

Evaluation of forces in magnetic materials by means of energy and co-energy methods

The evaluation of the total force of magnetic origin acting upon a body in a stationary magnetic field is often carried out using the so-called magnetic energy (or co-energy) method, which is based on the derivation of the magnetic energy (or co-energy) with respect to a virtual rigid displacement of the considered body. The application of this method is usually justified by resorting to the energy conservation principle, written in terms both of electrical and of mechanical quantities. In this paper we shall re-examine the whole matter in the context of classical thermodynamics, in order to obtain a more comprehensive and general proof of the validity of the energy (or co-energy) approach and to point out its limitations. Two typical configurations will be discussed; in the first one, the field sources are represented by conducting bodies carrying free currents, whereas in the second one a permanent magnet creates the driving field. All magnetic materials are assumed to be non-hysteretic and permanent magnets are represented by means of the well-known linear model in the second quadrant of the (B,H) plane. Received 25 July 2001 and Received in final form 5 November 2001     

Stabilization of the long-range magnetic ordering by dipolar and magnetoelastic interactions in two-dimensional ferromagnets

The possibility of the long-range magnetic order stabilization in two-dimensional ferromagnets with the account of dipolar and magnetoelastic interactions is investigated. The mechanisms of the magnetic order stabilization by both types of interactions are studied. The Curie temperature is estimated. The comparisons with experimental data are made. Received 22 June 2001 and Received in final form 17 January 2002     

Localization and dephasing driven by magnetic fluctuations in low carrier density colossal magnetoresistance materials

Localization and dephasing of conduction electrons in a low carrier density ferromagnet due to scattering on magnetic fluctuations is considered. We claim the existence of the “mobility edge”, which separates the states with fast diffusion and the states with slow diffusion; the latter is determined by the dephasing time. When the “mobility edge” crosses the Fermi energy a large and sharp change of conductivity is observed. The theory provides an explanation for the observed temperature dependence of conductivity in ferromagnetic semiconductors and manganite pyrochlores. Received 17 January 1999 and Received in final form 12 March 1999     

Damage processes in Fe 3 O 4 magnetic insulator irradiated by swift heavy ions. Experimental results and modelisation

The behavior of the magnetic properties of magnetite Fe₃O₄ irradiated by swift heavy ions is investigated by magnetization measurements. Although there is no induced structural phase transformation, both coercive field and saturation magnetization are sensitive to ion irradiation and exhibit different behaviors depending on the ion fluence range. In the low fluence regime, the coercive field increases, which is evidence for a strong pinning of magnetic domain boundaries by the induced defects. The magnetization shows a decrease in the saturation value and tends to reorient perpendicularly to the ion track axis. At high fluence, the initial magnetic properties of the sample are nearly restored. The changes in the magnitude and the direction of magnetization are interpreted by magnetostrictive effects related to the stress induced by irradiation. A phenomenological model is applied to reproduce the fluence evolution of the saturation magnetization, assuming relaxation of the stress induced around the core of defects of the tracks by overlapping effects at high fluence. The results are compared to those obtained in the case of yttrium iron garnet Y₃Fe₅O₁₂. Received 18 April 2001 and Received in final form 24 July 2001     

Free precession and transverse relaxation of hyperpolarized <Superscript>129</Superscript>Xe gas detected by SQUIDs in ultra-low magnetic fields

We studied the free precession of the nuclear magnetization of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe gas in external magnetic fields as low as B₀ = 4.5 nT, using SQUIDs as magnetic flux detectors. The transverse relaxation was mainly caused by the restricted diffusion of ¹²⁹Xe in the presence of ambient magnetic field gradients. Its pressure dependence was measured in the range from 30 mbar to 850 mbar and compared quantitatively to theory. Motional narrowing was observed at low pressure, yielding transverse relaxation times of up to 8000 s.