The effect of hadronization on the instabilities in an expanding parton plasma

The growth rate for instabilities in an expanding parton plasma is investigated by using a quasiparticle transport model including hadronization. The coupled Boltzmann equations for partons and pions with time dependent mean field masses and source terms are solved in the Bjorken boost invariant picture. Hadronization modifies the known instability in the parton plasma created by the mean field in two ways: In the beginning, hadronization increases the rate Γ of instability, but then Γ→ 0 when the hadronization is dominating the time evolution. Received: 11 January 1999     

Plasma instabilities excited by an azimuthal electron beam

The paper describes the effect of the finite temperature T of an azimuthal electron beam on plasma stability. Only instabilities for which the longitudinal macroscopic velocity of the beam is of no importance are discussed. It is shown that at the limit of applicability the weak and strong inhomogeneity approximations give the same results.     

Magnetothermal instabilities in an organic superconductor

We have studied the occurrence of magnetothermal instabilities in a single crystal during field sweep magnetization experiments, equivalent to short time relaxation studies. We find instability behaviour in good agreement with a recent model by Mints, for a non-linear E(J) characteristic. In particular, we find that a decrease of the dynamic relaxation rate, characterizing the effective activation energy, precedes the unstable regime. We point out formal analogies between such instabilities and the general predictions for flux avalanches. Received: 11 December 1997 / Revised: 15 January 1998 / Accepted: 31 March 1998     

Electrodynamics in an expanding universe

An algebraic form of the energy momentum tensor of the electromagnetic field is derived in terms of two scalars and two mutually orthogonal vector fields. Upon inserting this tensor into the field equations, solutions of the co-determined Einstein-Maxwell equations are obtained. The line element used is that corresponding to a conformal flat universe, whose form is then uniquely determined by the field equations. The case of a charged fluid is also considered and it is found that the particular form of the velocity field chosen limits the choice of the possible equation of state connecting the pressure and density distributions.     

Tachyons in an expanding universe

It has been suggested that causality problems associated with tachyons can be eliminated by the existence of a perferred frame of rest in which backward time travel is impossible. Furthermore, cosmology provides a de facto preferred rest frame. However, it is demonstrated here that the observed expansion of the universe raises further problems for the existence of tachyons.     

Parametric Excitation of Plasma instabilities by two Monochromatic Pump waves

The dispersion characteristics of a plasma in a pump field ??(t) = ?? sub ω₀t + ??₁ sin ω₁t are considered. Firstly we assume, that the second wave is weak (|??₁| ? |??₀|) and the frequency ω₁ is near sω₀(ω₁ = sω₀ + Ω,Ω ? ω₀). We obtain the dispersion equation, describing the parametric coupling of the waves driven by the strong field ??₀ sin ω₀t under the resonance condition ω₀ ≈ ω_Le/P and derive the expressions for the growth rates (ω_Le is the electron LANGMUIR frequency; s, p are integers). In the second part it is shown, that a strong field ??₁ with a frequency ω₁ much larger than ω _Le(ω _Le ≈ pω₀) stabilizes the plasma; the growth rates are reduced and the frequency region of the parametric instability is contracted.     

Particles formation in an expanding plasma

Interaction of a laser beam with a target generates a high velocity expanding plasma plume, solid debris and liquid nano- and microparticles. They are produced from plasma recombination and vapor condensation and can be deposited on optical elements located nearby the target. Two distinct kinds of particles were observed depending on the temperature achieved in the plasma plume: large micrometer-size fragments for temperatures lower than the critical temperature, and very small nanometer-size particles for higher temperatures. The paper presents experimental observations of fragments and nanoparticles in plasma plumes and a comparison with models.     

Scattering of a Gaussian beam by an anisotropically coated circular cylinder

A solution to the problem of Gaussian beam scattering by an anisotropically coated circular cylinder is presented. The incident Gaussian beam source is expanded as an approximate expression in the simple form with a Tayor’s series. The transmitted field in the anisotropically coated region is expressed as a infinite summation of eigen plane waves with different polar angles. The unknown coefficients of the scattered fields are obtained with the aid of the boundary conditions. The infinite series can be truncated under the prerequisite of achieving the solution convergence. Only the case of transverse-electric polarization is discussed. The similar formulation of transverse-magnetic polarization can be obtained by adopting the similar method. Some numerical results are presented and discussed. The result is in agreement with that available as expected when the Gaussian beam degenerates to a plane wave incidence case.     

Scroll wave instabilities in an excitable chemical medium

Two kinds of scroll wave instabilities were studied experimentally in the excitable Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction: three-dimensional meandering and negative line tension of the scroll wave filament. The filament displays a flat zigzag shape in the initial stages of the experiment. As the chemical medium ages, the filament assumes a wiggly shape while its length increases substantially. Numerical simulations underpin the experimental findings and their interpretation.     

The mechanism of instabilities in an optical cavity

It is shown that instabilities in a ring optical cavity emerge from a non-linear wave mixing process. Several self-oscillating limits are analyzed, and a new type of oscillation having a period comparable to the medium lifetime is predicted. A mechanism for period doubling is also presented.