Double‐probe measurement in recombining plasma using NAGDIS‐II

We have studied the validity of the double‐probe method in recombining plasmas. Electron temperature (T_e) measured with a double probe was quantitatively evaluated by taking into account the influences of plasma potential fluctuation, plasma resistivity, and electron density fluctuation on the current–voltage characteristics. Differential potential fluctuation and plasma resistivity between two electrodes have a minor effect on T_e especially when the inter‐distance is small (typically 1 mm). Scattering of measured T_e due to the density fluctuation was sufficiently suppressed by making the data acquisition time long (typically 4 s) and taking the average. There is a good agreement between T_e measured with the optimized double‐probe method and that with laser Thomson scattering diagnostics.     

Single and double ionization of gallium by electron impact

Electron impact single and double ionization cross sections of gallium have been calculated in the binary encounter approximation using accurate expression for σ_Δ;E including exchange and interference as given by Vriens and Hartree-Fock velocity distributions for the target electrons throughout the calculations. It is concluded that the ionization of 3d shell contributes partly to single ionization and partly to double ionization. The results so obtained show reasonably good agreement with the experimental data.     

Fake double layers in double plasma devices

The double layer like potential jumps have been observed in a double plasma device. They do not correspond to a switching of plasma potential from one metastable state to another but are caused by the ionisation of a very minute amount of the gas that inevitably leaks into the system during the probe movement.     

Electron impact double ionization of Mg+ ions

Theoretical studies of electron impact double ionisation cross sections of Mg⁺ ions have been performed in the binary encounter approximation (BEA). Direct double ionisation has been investigated in the modified double binary encounter model. Ionization cross sections of different shells have been also calculated in order to analyse the contributions to double ionisation from ionisation-autoionization. The effect of the Coulombic field of the target ion on the incident electron has been considered in the present work. Accurate expression of σ _ΔE (cross-section for energy transfer ΔE) and Hartree-Fock velocity distributions for the target electrons have been used throughout the calculations. The theoretical results show satisfactory agreement with the experimental observations.     

Floating double probe in non‐Maxwellian plasmas: Determination of the electron density and mean electron energy

A theoretical study of the floating double probe based on the Druyvesteyn theory is developed in the case of non‐Maxwellian electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs). It is used to calculate the EEDF in the electron energy range larger than –e(V_f ? V_p) from the I–V double probe characteristics. V_f and V_p are the floating and plasma potential, respectively. The analytical distribution function corresponding to the best fit of EEDF in the energy range larger than e(V_f ? V_p) allows the determination of the total electron density (n_e) and the mean electron energy (<?_e>). The method is detailed and tested in the case of a theoretical Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution function. It is applied for experiments that are performed in expanding microwave plasmas sustained in argon. Analytical EEDFs determined by this method are compared with those measured by means of single probes under the same experimental conditions. A good agreement is observed between single and double probe measurements. Results obtained under different experimental conditions are used to define the best conditions to obtain reliable results by means of the double probe technique.     

Charged double layer at the boundary between a symmetric plasma and a wall

It is shown that the features of formation and structure of a stationary charged layer at the interface between a symmetric plasma and a wall depend to a considerable extent on the ratios τ_± (for both plasma components) of the thermal velocity to the velocity of the plasma flow at the beginning of the layer, as well as on the polarity and magnitude of electric potential φ_W of the wall. The conditions under which a double layer-type structure can be formed in the near-wall layer of the symmetric plasma are formulated. The charge double layer contains two sublayers with opposite polarities of charge for a fixed polarity of the wall. The charge polarity of sublayer adjoining the plasma is opposite to the polarity of the wall, while the sublayer adjoining the wall has a charge of the same polarity as that of the wall. The ranges of symmetric plasma parameters for which the double layer exists are determined. It is found that a structure of this type can be formed nor for all parameters of the plasma, for which a charged layer exists; the possibility of formation of this structure depends on τ_± as well as on the sign of the potential of the wall.     

On the envelope soliton near critical density in a plasma with cold ions and two-temperature electrons

Summary We have analysed the formation of envelope soliton near critical density in a plasma consisting of two-temperature electrons and cold ions. The non-linear Schr?dinger-like equation obtained isiφ _t +pφ _xx +q|φ|⁴φ=0 which we call the modified non-linear Schr?dinger equation. It is also observed that this approach leads to a physical situation where a linear combination of both the modified and usual NLS equations holds, in the formiφ _t +pφ _xx +q ₁|φ|²φ +q ₂|φ|⁴φ=0. It is demonstrated through graphical analysis thatq ₁,q ₂, thought of as a function of β(=T _el/T _eh), behave in opposite way. That is, whenq ₁ grows,q ₂ decays, or vice versa. Lastly we demonstrate that this equation can sustain a type of solution other than the usual solitary profile. The form of such a wave is also depicted graphically.     

Study of the proton weak decay of 12ΛCg.s. with FINUDA

The FINUDA experiment studies the Λ -hypernuclei formation and decay using the reaction ( K ^- _stop,π^- induced by the low-momentum K^- from the deacy of the φ -meson produced at the (e ⁺, e ^- collider DAφ NE at the Laboratory Nazionali di Frascati of INFN. In this paper we present new data on the proton spectra following the weak decay of ¹² _ΛC .     

Moving double layers

Using a triple-plasma device, moving double layers have been produced by abruptly increasing the plasma density in the region of the double layers. Propagation velocities up to 3.5 c_s have been achieved with their velocity scaling as $\text{ν ～ (2e ×}\text{δ?}\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>e</mtext>}}\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{c}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>S</mtext>}}$.     

3d Monte Carlo simulation of site-bond continuum percolation of spheres

We present off-lattice Monte Carlo simulations of site-bond percolation of semi-penetrable spheres or, equivalently, of hard spheres with a finite bond range. We will show that the crucial parameter is the effective volume fraction ( φ_e), i.e. the volume that is occupied or within the bond range of at least one particle. For the equivalent system of semi-penetrable spheres 1 - φ_e is the porosity. The bond percolation threshold (p _b) can be described in terms of φ_e by a simple analytical expression: log(φ_e)/log(φ_ec) + log(p _b)/log(p _bc) = 1, with p _bc = 0.12 independent of the bond range and φ_ec a constant that decreases with increasing bond range. Received: 10 March 2003 / Accepted: 23 April 2003 / Published online: 21 May 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: jean-christophe.gimel@univ-lemans.fr     

Josephson and single-particle currents between partially dielectricized superconductors with charge-density waves

The amplitudes of the nonstationary Josephson current I ¹, the interference current I ², and the quasiparticle current J through symmetric and asymmetric tunnel junctions, including superconductors with charge density waves, are calculated. In the symmetric (s) case the dependence of the Josephson current I _s ¹ on the voltage V on the junction has a logarithmic singularity at |eV|=2Δ, Δ+D, and 2D, where , Δ and Σ are the superconducting and dielectric order parameters, and e is the unit charge. At temperatures T≠0 jumps appear in the current-voltage characteristics I _s ¹ (V) at |eV|=D−Δ. Jumps and singularities are observed in the currents I _s ² and J _s at the same voltages at which singularities and jumps appear in I _s ¹ , respectively. In the nonsymmetric (ns) junctions which include an ordinary superconductor, singularities and jumps occur at |eV|=D+Δ_BCS, Δ+Δ_BCS, and (for T≠0) |D−Δ_BCS| and |Δ−Δ_BCS|, where Δ_BCS is the order parameter of an ordinary superconductor. The quasiparticle current J _ns is an asymmetric function of the voltage V and does not depend on the sign of Σ. The results are compared with experiment. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 991–999 (June 1997)     

H<Superscript>+</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">and He</Emphasis><Superscript>2+</Superscript> impact single and double ionization of lead

H⁺ and He²⁺ impact single and double ionization cross sections of ground state lead atoms have been calculated in the binary encounter approximation. Calculations of direct double ionization cross sections have been performed in the modified double binary encounter model. The accurate expressions of σ_ΔE (cross-section for energy transfer ΔE) and Hartree-Fock velocity distributions for the target electrons have been used throughout the calculations. Contributions to double ionization from Auger effect following ionization of inner shells have been considered in the present work. Our H⁺ impact single and double ionization cross sections are in good agreement with the experimental observations. In calculations of He²⁺ impact cross sections, the present theoretical approach shows limited success in the experimentally investigated region (50–350 keV amu^-1).     

Comment on: “Universal relation between spectroscopic constants”

Kaur and Mahajan [1] have claimed to derive a universal relation InG = 1.91578(±0.09727) + 0.97111(±0.03809) In Δ between the Sutherland parameter Δ(=ω _er _e ² /2D_e) and the dimensionless parameterG(= 8ω _ex_e/B_e) for the ground as well as excited electronic states of diatomic molecules. Validity of this relation is checked and we find that the relation is not correct. Next, we checked the validity of the relation Δ = 2.2r_e for the alkali group diatomic molecules. This relation is also found not to be correct.     

Electron impact single and double ionization of magnesium

Electron impact single and double ionization cross-sections for magnesium have been calculated in the binary encounter model using accurate expression for (cross-section for energy transfer ΔE) as given by Vriens. Hartree-Fock velocity distributions for the target electrons have been used throughout the calculations. In case of double ionization contributions of inner shell ionization and Auger emission have been included in the present work. The results obtained in case of single ionization are excellent and at the same time the double ionization cross-sections show reasonably good agreement with the recent experimental observations. Substantiation of the viewpoint of Peach, and Boivin and Srivastava that a vacancy in the 2p shell of magnesium leads to double ionization is a remarkable feature of the present investigation. Received 9 October 2001 / Received in final form 8 January 2002 Published online 28 June 2002     

Relation between spectroscopic constants with limited Dunham coefficients

Statement of Kaur and Mahajan [1] about the definition of Δ used by Chandra [2] is not correct. Even if we take Δ = μω _e ² r _e ² /2D_e, the relation between Δ and G(=8ω_ex_e/B_e) is obtained as Δ = 4.21452856G, provided the vibrational energy of a diatomic molecule is expressed in terms of limited Dunham coefficients, Y₁₀, Y₂₀, Y₀₁ and Y₁₁. This relation is still different from that of Kaur and Mahajan [3]     

How to make sense of the jet correlations results at RHIC?

We review the di-hadron correlation results from RHIC. A consistent physical picture was constructed based on the correlation landscape in p _T , Δφ, Δη and particle species. We show that the data are consistent with competition between fragmentation of survived jets and response of the medium to quenched jets. At intermediate p _T where the medium response are important, a large fraction of trigger hadrons do not come from jet fragmentation. We argue that these hadrons can strongly influence the interpretation of the low p _T correlation data. We demonstrate this point through a simple geometrical jet absorption model simulation. The model shows that the correlation between medium response hadrons dominates the pair yield and mimics the double hump structure of the away-side Δφ distribution at low p _T . This correlation was also shown to lead to complications in interpreting the results on reaction plane dependence and three particle correlations. Finally, we briefly discuss several related experimental issues which are important for proper interpretations of the experimental data.     

Slow electron acoustic double layer (SEADL) structures in bi-ion plasma with trapped electrons

The properties of ion acoustic double layer (IADL) structures in bi-ion plasma with electron trapping are investigated by using the quasi-potential analysis. The κ-distributed trapped electrons number density expression is truncated to some finite order of the electrostatic potential. By utilizing the reductive perturbation method, a modified Schamel equation which describes the evolution of the slow electron acoustic double layer (SEADL) with the modified speed due to the presence of bi-ion species is investigated. The Sagdeev-like potential has been derived which accounts for the effect of the electron trapping and superthermality in a bi-ion plasma. It is found that the superthermality index, the trapping efficiency of electrons, and ion to electron temperature ratio are the inhibiting parameters for the amplitude of the slow electron acoustic double layers (SEADLs). However, the enhanced population of the cold ions is found to play a supportive role for the low frequency DLs in bi-ion plasmas. The illustrations have been presented with the help of the bi-ion plasma parameters in the Earth's ionosphere F-region.     

Electron temperature (T e) measurements by Thomson scattering system

Thomson scattering technique based on high power laser has already proved its superoirity in measuring the electron temperature (T _e and density (n _e) in fusion plasma devices like tokamaks. The method is a direct and unambiguous one, widely used for the localised and simultaneous measurements of the above parameters. In Thomson scattering experiment, the light scattered by the plasma electrons is used for the measurements. The plasma electron temperature is measured from the Doppler shifted scattered spectrum and density from the total scattered intensity. A single point Thomson scattering system involving a Q-switched ruby laser and PMTs as the detector is deployed in ADITYA tokamak to give the plasma electron parameters. The system is capable of providing the parameters T _e from 30 eV to 1 keV and n _e from 5 × 10¹²cm⁻³−5 × 10¹³cm⁻³. The system is also able to give the parameter profile from the plasma center (Z=0 cm) to a vertical position of Z=+22 cm to Z=−14 cm, with a spatial resolution of 1 cm on shot to shot basis. This paper discusses the initial measurements of the plasma temperature from ADITYA.     

Optical studies of phase transitions in oxyfluoride (NH4)2NbOF5

Polarization-optical studies and measurements of the birefringence Δn and the angle of rotation of the optical indicatrix for the (NH₄)₂NbOF₅ crystal have been carried out in the temperature range 100–350 K. Two anomalies of the birefringence have been revealed at the temperatures T ₀₁ = 258 K and T ₀₂ ≈ 219 K. According to the twinning pattern, the crystal undergoes successive changes in symmetry: orthorhombic ↔ monoclinic 1 ↔ monoclinic 2. The twofold axis of the monoclinic phases (or the normal to the plane) is directed along [001]_or. The effect of the uniaxial compression along [011]_or and the electric field E ≈ 25 kV/cm along [100]_or on the twin structure has been studied. The ferroelastic phase transition at T ₀₁ is due to the appearance of the shear deformation x ₄(T) and is accompanied by significant anomalies of the birefringence. Strong pretransition phenomena mask the jumps in the birefringence Δn(T) and in the angle of rotation of the indicatrix φ(T) at T ₀₁.     

Response of Ferroelectric Molecules in Liquid Crystal Display under an Applied Electric Field

The dynamic changes of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) molecular alignments under the applied electric field were examined by observing the formation of conoscopic figures with a time resolution of 0.1 ms, which reflect the temporal and spatial dependences of the LC molecular alignments on the azimuthal angle. By a detailed comparison of the experimental conoscopic figures with simulated figures, the molecules began to shift from the central portion of the helix to the outer ends within 0.1 ms following application of the electric field. The positions of molecular layers having the fastest moving velocity (Δφ/Δt) corresponded to the positions with the azimuthal angles of π/2 and 3π/2rad.