Magnetic trapping of hydrogen after multistage Zeeman deceleration

We report the first experimental realization of magnetic trapping of a sample of cold radicals following multistage Zeeman deceleration of a pulsed supersonic beam. H atoms seeded in a supersonic expansion of Kr have been decelerated from an initial velocity of 520 m/s to 100 m/s in a 12-stage Zeeman decelerator and loaded into a magnetic quadrupole trap by rapidly switching the fields of the trap solenoids.     

High-power relativistic microwave sources based on the backward wave oscillator with a modulating resonant reflector

Results of theoretical and experimental investigations into a relativistic backward wave oscillator with a modulating resonant reflector are generalized. The modulating resonant reflector is used to reflect a counter propagating wave and guide it toward an electron collector. It is shown that premodulation of the electron beam near the reflector may have a significant effect on the starting conditions of oscillation; selective properties of the oscillator; and its efficiency, which may reach 40% when a high-current beam is transported by a strong magnetic field. In the reduced magnetic fields that were employed in the pulsed-periodic regime and were 1.5–2.0 times lower than those at which cyclotron resonance with the counter propagating wave is observed, the oscillator efficiency (30–35% at a wavelength of 8 mm) is limited by position and velocity spreads of particles. Mechanical pulsewise frequency tuning within about 10% at a repetition rate of 1–50 Hz and a multigigawatt microwave power, as well as a rise in the power and energy of microwave pulses via an increase in the cross-sectional dimensions of the slow-wave structure, are demonstrated to be feasible.     

Measurement of the three-dimensional velocity distribution of Stark-decelerated Rydberg atoms

The full three-dimensional velocity distributions of decelerated and accelerated particles in a Stark decelerator for Rydberg atoms and molecules have been measured. In the experiment, argon atoms in a supersonic beam are excited to low-field and high-field seeking Stark states with principal quantum number in the range n=15 to 25 and are decelerated in a 3 mm long decelerator consisting of four electrodes on which time-dependent voltages are applied. The time dependence of the resulting inhomogeneous electric field is chosen such that the decelerating force acting on the high-field seeking states is maximized at each point along the trajectories. The three-dimensional velocity distribution of the atoms before and after the deceleration is determined by measuring times of flight and two-dimensional images of the atomic cloud on the detector. Under optimal deceleration conditions, the decrease in kinetic energy in the longitudinal dimension amounts to 1.0×10^-21 J and the increase in mean kinetic energy in the transverse dimensions is only 1.0×10^-23 J. The corresponding temperatures of 100 mK and 300 mK in the two transverse dimensions are sufficiently low that trapping can be envisaged. The possibility of focusing a Rydberg atom beam is demonstrated experimentally.     

Kinetic theory of surface waves in a semibounded plasma flow

A study is made of the spectrum of surface waves in a semibounded plasma flow. The frequency spectra and damping rates of the waves propagating along the flow are analyzed both in the high-frequency range (in which the spatial dispersion is weak and the wave damping is governed primarily by electron collisions) and the low-frequency range (in which the spatial-dispersion effects dominate), with focus on the effect of the flow velocity on the propagation of ion-acoustic waves. Special attention is paid to the penetration of a static field into a plasma flowing at a supersonic velocity.     

Langmuir Wave Phase Velocity in Unneutralized Beams

We investigate the dispersion relation for long wavelength slow Langmuir waves in a relativistic particle beam propagating along a strong magnetic guide field in an evacuated metallic waveguide. For a large class of beam radial profiles, wave phase velocity drops to zero with infinite slope as beam current approaches the space-charge limit. This result is of importance to certain collective ion acceleration proposals.     

Measurements of azimuthal drift velocity of ions in a weekly ionized plasma

The azimuthal drift velocity of ions is measured with electrostatic ion wave propagating across the magnetic field. The relation between ion-neutral collision and the drift velocity across the magnetic field is investigated as a function of the magnetic field.     

Hydrodynamical equations for atomic motion in a resonant light wave

The hydrodynamical equations for atomic motion in a resonant light wave have been derived. The obtained equations are applied to analyze the atomic deceleration in counter propagating light beam.     

Angular momentum density of a Gaussian vortex beam

The Gaussian vortex beam is assumed to be linearly polarized.The analytical expression of the electric field of a linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam propagating in free space is derived by using the vectorial Rayleigh-Sommerfeld integral formulae.The propagating magnetic field of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam is presented by taking the curl of the electric field.By employing the electromagnetic field of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam beyond the paraxial approximation,the analytical expression of the angular momentum density of the linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam is derived.The three components of the angular momentum density of a linearly polarized Gaussian vortex beam are demonstrated in the reference plane.The effects of the linearly polarized angle and the topological charge on the three components of the angular momentum density are investigated.To acquire the more longitudinal angular momentum density requires such an optimal choice that the linearly polarized angle is set to be zero and the topological charge increases.This research is useful to the optical trapping,the optical guiding,and the optical manipulation.     

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.     

Small-angle approximation for an ion beam in an external electromagnetic field

A small-angle approximation method is formulated for a curvilinear ion beam propagating in an electromagnetic field. The effects of particle velocity scatter and multiple elastic scattering on the beam path in a magnetic field, the electric field of a cylindrical capacitor, and mutually orthogonal electric and magnetic fields are considered. An analytical model for beam power compression is developed.     

Reflection of antiferromagnetic vortices on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

Reflection of solitary flexural waves propagating in a supersonic domain wall of yttrium orthoferrite from the domain wall part moving with the transverse-sound velocity is observed experimentally. This observation confirms that such a reflection of a solitary flexural wave leads to a change in the sign of the topological charge of the antiferromagnetic vortex accompanied by this wave, which proves a direct relationship between these two objects.     

Waveguide Modes of a Warm, Transversely Drifting, Electron Plasma with a Strong Transverse Magnetic Field

The dispersion relation of TM modes with respect to the direction of the static magnetic field is derived for a waveguide filled with warm plasma which is uniaxial and drifting in the transverse direction of the guide axis. The expressions for the fields are also derived. The propagation characteristics of TM modes are studied in detail. When the drift velocity is greater than the acoustic velocity, a new branch describing the characteristics of a low-frequency propagating wave which starts at zero frequency and has at the upper limit a resonance condition is observed.     

Coupling Instability of a Warm Relativistic Electron Beam with Ion-Channel Guiding

In this paper, the coupling instability of warm relativistic electron beam (WREB) propagating through the ion channel guiding is investigated in detail. Obtaining the equilibrium state of the system by considering the self-electric and azimuthal magnetic field, the fluid-Maxwell equations as well as linear perturbation theory are employed to derive the dispersion relation of the excited modes in the system. Numerical analysis of the obtained dispersion relation shows that the electromagnetic (EM) instability can be induced nearly the center of the beam through coupling between the fast electron plasma wave (FEPW), originated from the longitudinal oscillation of WREB, and fast forward electromagnetic wave (FFEW). In this sense, growing the perturbation amplitude occurs due to transport the kinetic energy of WREB to the EM wave at the specific frequency range, where the phase velocity of FEPW and FFEW is coincided. The results of the present investigation will greatly contribute to the understanding of the stability of the warm relativistic electron beam in laboratory experiments, such as in free electron laser experiments, where the ion-channel guiding is used to confine the electrons against the self-repulsive forces generated by the beam itself.     

Splitting Scheme Integration of the Two-and-One-Half-Dimensional Vlasov Equation

A numerical splitting scheme technique is applied to the integration of the Vlasov equation in two-space and three velocity dimensions. Calculations are performed for a cold, stationary ion, mobile electron plasma in the presence of a constant external magnetic field. Results for Landau damping and the two-stream instability are presented in both one and two velocity dimensions. The Landau damping results show a plateau structure in the electron velocity distribution function in both the parallel and perpendicular directions formed as a result of the damping of a high initial electric field propagating at 45° to the parallel velocity axis. The two-stream velocity distribution function shows pitch angle scattering and velocity diffusion for an electron beam initially propagating at 45° to the magnetic field direction through a low-temperature equal density background. The two-stream distribution function evolves to a stable quasi-isotropic plateau structure similar to that found in auroral sounding rocket data.     

Phase velocity of a transverse electric wave propagating in a magnetized electron beam

In this paper three-dimentional simulations are carried out to the phase velocity of a transverse electric wave which propagates in a relativistic electron beam magnetized by a wiggler field and an axial guide magnetic field. Results show that the phase velocities are quite different from each other as the axial guide magnetic field changes its direction.     

On the possibility of natural formation of a transverse wave with a phase velocity lower than the velocity of light

The formation of a transverse wave with a phase velocity lower than the velocity of light, which can exist in an equilibrium plasma without a slow-wave structure in zero magnetic field, is described. It involves the transformation of a transverse wave with trapped electrons, traveling along the magnetic field, into a slow transverse wave after the removal of the magnetic field. During the evolution of the wave with trapped electrons, the magnetic induction decreases very slowly in the direction of the wave propagation. As a result, the velocity at which electrons are in resonant interaction with the wave increases; therefore, the electrons fall to the bottom of potential wells. Under the influence of the trapped electrons, the phase velocity of the wave decreases and becomes lower than the velocity of light. It becomes equal to the velocity at which the electrons are in resonance interaction with the wave at the instant when the magnetic field vanishes. It is demonstrated that a transverse wave with a velocity lower than the velocity of light can exist in an equilibrium plasma even after the magnetic field vanishes; in this case, the flow of trapped electrons serves as a slow-wave structure.     

The effect of plasma drift on the electromagnetic cyclotron instability

It is shown that the drift of plasma across a homogeneous magnetic field causes the generation of a wave electric field which, for waves propagating along the magnetic field in the whistler mode, is in the direction of the magnetic field. This leads to Landau damping of the wave field by the background electron distribution, simultaneously with amplification via the electromagnetic cyclotron instability. The drift velocity of the plasma for zero net growth of a whistler mode signal is calculated. It is suggested that such a process occurs in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere during a geomagnetic storm and accounts for the missing band of emissions at half the equatorial gyrofrequency.     

Driven spin wave modes in XY ferromagnet: non-equilibrium phase transition

The dynamical responses of XY ferromagnet driven by linearly polarised propagating and standing magnetic field wave have been studied by Monte Carlo simulation in three dimensions. In the case of propagating magnetic field wave (with specified amplitude, frequency and the wavelength), the low temperature dynamical mode is a propagating spin wave and the system becomes structureless (or random) in the high temperature. A dynamical symmetry breaking phase transition is observed at a finite (non-zero) temperature. This symmetry breaking is confirmed by studying the statistical distribution of the angle of the spin vector. The dynamic non-equilibrium transition temperature was found to decrease as the amplitude of the propagating magnetic field wave increased. A comprehensive phase boundary is drawn in the plane formed by temperature and amplitude of propagating field wave. The phase boundary was observed to shrink (in the low temperature side) for longer wavelength of the propagating magnetic wave. In the case of standing magnetic field wave, the low temperature excitation is a standing spin wave which becomes structureless (or random) in the high temperature. Here also, like the case of propagating magnetic wave, a dynamical symmetry breaking non-equilibrium phase transition was observed. A comprehensive phase boundary was drawn. Unlike the case of propagating magnetic wave, the phase boundary does not show any systematic variation with the wavelength of the standing magnetic field wave. In the limit of vanishingly small amplitude of the field, the phase boundaries approach the recent Monte Carlo estimate of equilibrium transition temperature.     

Detonation of supersonic propane-air mixture by high-voltage plasma discharge

The detonation combustion of a supersonic flow of propane-air mixture, initiated by a pulsed discharge of a magnetoplasma compressor, is obtained in experiment. A backward wave of supersonic combustion propagating with a velocity of 450 m/s against the flow is observed.