Numerical Study of Instabiities in Magnetized Inhomogeneous Plasmas under the Effect of Ionization

Influence of ionization is studied on two stream instability (TSI) in an inhomogeneous plasma in the presence of obliquely applied magnetic field. In addition to the usual TSI, a new type of instability is found to occur in this system, which is driven by the magnetic field and survives for relatively longer wavelength of oscillations. The growth rates of both the instabilities are enhanced by the magnetic field but their magnitudes attain a minimum value at certain angles of the wave propagation depending upon the wavelength of oscillations. At a critical value of ionization rate there is a sudden fall in the growth of both the instabilities, the reason of which is understood as the Landau damping. A further enhancement in the ionization suppresses the usual TSI whereas the magnetic field‐driven instability attains much lower growth. This new type of instability grows faster in the plasma having heavier ions, but shows a weak dependence on the charge of the ions. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Upstream ionization instability associated with a current-free double layer

A low frequency instability has been observed using various electrostatic probes in a low-pressure expanding helicon plasma. The instability is associated with the presence of a current-free double layer (DL). The frequency of the instability increases linearly with the potential drop of the DL, and simultaneous measurements show their coexistence. A theory for an upstream ionization instability has been developed, which shows that electrons accelerated through the DL increase the ionization upstream and are responsible for the observed instability. The theory is in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Local plasma parameters and integral characteristics of a magnetogasdynamic channel under conditions of ionization instability

Results are presented from an experimental investigation of the onset of ionization instability in a disk-shaped Faraday magnetogasdynamic channel attached to a shock tube. The experiments were carried out in a pure inert gas (xenon) without alkaline additives. A relation is found between the integral plasma characteristics of a nonequilibrium magnetogasdynamic channel and the local parameters of a plasma that is unstable against the ionization instability. Mechanisms for amplifying perturbations and increasing the effective conductivity are revealed. It is concluded that these effects stem mainly from the features of three-body recombination in rare gases.     

Nonautonomous Hamiltonians

We present a theory of resonances for a class of nonautonomous Hamiltonians to treat the structural instability of spatially localized and time-periodic solutions associated with an unperturbed autonomous Hamiltonian. The mechanism of instability is radiative decay, due to resonant coupling of the discrete modes to the continuum modes by the time-dependent perturbation. This results in a slow transfer of energy from the discrete modes to the continuum. The rate of decay of solutions is slow and hence the decaying bound states can be viewed as metastable. The ideas are closely related to the authors' work on (i) a time-dependent approach to the instability of eigenvalues embedded in the continuous spectra, and (ii) resonances, radiation damping, and instability in Hamiltonian nonlinear wave equations. The theory is applied to a general class of Schrödinger equations. The phenomenon of ionization may be viewed as a resonance problem of the type we consider and we apply our theory to find the rate of ionization, spectral line shift, and local decay estimates for such Hamiltonians.     

Experiments on plasma-physical aspects of closed cycle MHD power generation

In this paper, important laboratory experiments in closed-cycle magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) generator plasmas are discussed. The following aspects are treated: electron temperature elevation and nonequilibrium ionization, fluctuations and nonuniformity, streamers as the nonlinear appearance of ionization instability, inlet relaxation, and fully ionized seed as a concept to suppress ionization instability. Conclusions are presented on electrical transport parameters in nonuniform plasmas, streamer fine structure, streamer velocity, streamer initiation in relation to inlet relaxation, and the fully ionized seed concept.     

Development of ionization in nonequilibrium inert-gas plasmas in magnetogasdynamic channels

Effects accompanying the interaction of a flow of preionized inert gas with a magnetic field are studied: selective electron heating, the development of nonequilibrium ionization, and the onset of the ionization instability. Local and average densities and temperatures of the electrons are measured and the average ionization rate is determined. It is found that the average electron density increases as the magnetic induction is raised, in both stable and ionization unstable plasmas. The difference in the rates at which ionization develops in these two states is revealed. The mechanism for the coupling between the average ionization rate in an ionization unstable plasma and the spatial-temporal characteristics of the plasma inhomogeneities is established. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 56–61 (November 1999)     

Formation of compression shocks in a nonequilibrium plasma flow in a magnetic field

Plasma flow in a linearly widening, ideally sectioned, short-circuited magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) channel is studied. MHD flows are classified into two types: continuous flows and flows with a compressional MHD shock in plasmas that are stable and unstable against the onset of ionization instability. Specific features in the evolution of a stationary compression MHD shock are investigated, and its position as a function of the Stewart number is determined. It is found that, in a plasma flow in which ionization instability develops, a compression MHD shock arises at lower values of the MHD interaction parameter than in a stable plasma flow. An unidentified type of instability of MHD discontinuities is revealed.     

Enhanced stability of electrohydrodynamic jets through gas ionization

Theoretical predictions of the nonaxisymmetric instability growth rate of an electrohydrodynamic jet based on the measured total current overestimate experimental values. We show that this apparent discrepancy is the result of gas ionization in the surrounding gas and its effect on the surface charge density of the jet. As a result of gas ionization, a sudden drop in the instability growth rate occurs below a critical electrode separation, yielding highly stable jets that can be used for nano- to microscale printing.     

Numerical simulation of nonlinear ionization nonuniformities innonequilibrium disk MHD generator

The formation and evolution of the ionization nonuniformities from initial disturbances of finite amplitude in the nonequilibrium Ar-Cs plasma in a disk magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generator is studied by the numerical simulation, The simulations are carried out in the wide interval of electron temperatures corresponding to the region at which the seed partially ionizes, the region of the linear plasma stability at the fully ionized seed, and the region of the instability corresponding to the partial ionization of Ar at high electron temperatures. Initial disturbances of finite amplitude in electron temperature and density are introduced at the time t=0 into the homogeneous plasma distribution, and the critical amplitudes determining the development of the instability are calculated. The initial disturbances are constructed using random functions with different spatial scales, The results are compared with the calculation of the critical amplitudes from the nonlinear theory of the plane ionization waves, It is found that at electron temperatures lower than 5500 K, the temperature dependence of the critical amplitudes and the structure of the nonlinear waves agree well with the nonlinear theory, In the electron temperature region corresponding to the partial ionization of the noble gas (T_e>5500 K), the finite ionization rate of argon atoms is essential for analysis of the instability, In this region the margin of the plasma stability is wider than it is predicted by the nonlinear theory, The nonuniformity in the argon ion number density plays the dominating role in the instability development at high electron temperatures (T_e>5500 K) in comparison with the nonuniformity in T_e in the initial disturbances,     

Characteristics of gas heating in a transverse discharge in air flow

The thermal instability of discharge plasma in air is analyzed. The contributions of specific mechanisms of instability are examined, including VT relaxation, the increase in the fractional energy dissipation via rapid heating due to an increase in reduced field strength, and ionization thermal instability. The effects of acoustic wave generation caused by heating and of charged particle motion relative to the neutral gas on both the length scale and the growth rate of unstable fluctuations are taken into account.     

Weibel instability in plasma produced by a superintense femtosecond laser pulse

The Weibel instability increment is analytically derived for plasma produced at the barrier-suppression ionization of atoms and atomic ions by a superintense femtosecond laser pulse. The cases of linear and circular polarization are considered. Relativistic effects are discussed. It is found that the instability increment is larger for the circular polarization than for the linear polarization. This increment can attain the plasma frequency. Barrier-suppression ionization decreases the increment compared with the case of tunneling ionization. Relativistic effects also decrease the value of the increment. Estimates of the produced maximum quasistatic magnetic field are given.     

二阶离化对缀饰态稳定性的影响

推广了包含二阶离化和自电离耦合的缀饰态理论,并研究了二阶离化对缀饰态稳定性的影响。结果表明:二阶离化破坏了缀饰态的稳定性,但二阶离化中的C-C耦合在某种程度上可以降低这种不稳定性。 关键词：     

Generation of strong Langmuir fields during optical breakdown of a dense gas

Results are presented from theoretical studies and computer simulations of the resonant excitation of Langmuir waves during the ionization of a homogeneous gas by high-intensity laser radiation. Two mechanisms for the formation of nonuniform resonant structures in the discharge are examined: plasma-resonance ionization instability, resulting in the density modulation along the electric field vector, and gas breakdown in the field of a transversely inhomogeneous laser beam (a Bessel beam produced by an axicon lens). In both cases, the transition of the plasma density through the critical value is accompanied by the generation of intense Langmuir waves, the formation of fast ionization fronts, and the appearance of long-lived quasi-turbulent states.     

Microstructure of the current channels in a nanosecond spark discharge in atmospheric-pressure air in uniform and highly nonuniform electric fields

The microstructure of a nanosecond spark discharge in atmospheric-pressure air in uniform and highly nonuniform electric fields is investigated. It is found that an 0.1-to 0.4-mm spark channel consists of a large number (from 100 to 1000) of 5-to 10-μm-diameter microchannels distributed nearly uniformly over the channel cross section. The current amplitude in the spark is 1.5–3 kA, and the current density in a microchannel is 10⁷ A/cm². It is shown that the formation of the microstructure cannot be attributed to ionization-heating instability. The instability of the ionization wave front is suggested as a mechanism for the microstructure formation.     

非链式化学HF(DF)激光器工作气体中电子分离的非稳定性和气体放电等离子体的自组织现象(英文)

报道了放电引发的非链式HF(DF)激光器中的激活介质由电子碰撞负离子分离引起的电离非稳定性。这种非稳性出现在电极空间分离、脉冲CO2激光加热的基于SF6的混合气体的大体积放电中。实验研究了自引发体放电过程中由激光加热引起的放电等离子体的自组织现象以及由此在放电间隙的大部分区域形成的准周期等离子体结构。重点分析了等离子体结构随气体温度和注入能量的变化,讨论了等离子体自组织对电子碰撞分离不稳定性所产生的影响,解释了混合气体中由于电子碰撞使负离子消失导致的单等离子体通道移动的产生机理。     

非链式化学HF（DF）激光器工作气体中电子分离的非稳定性和气体放电等离子体的自组织现象

报道了放电引发的非链式HF（DF）激光器中的激活介质由电子碰撞负离子分离引起的电离非稳定性。这种非稳性出现在电极空间分离、脉冲CO2激光加热的基于sF6的混合气体的大体积放电中。实验研究了自引发体放电过程中由激光加热引起的放电等离子体的自组织现象以及由此在放电间隙的大部分区域形成的准周期等离子体结构。重点分析了等离子体结构随气体温度和注入能量的变化,讨论了等离子体自组织对电子碰撞分离不稳定性所产生的影响,解释了混合气体中由于电子碰撞使负离子消失导致的单等离子体通道移动的产生机理。     

Hose instability and wake generation by an intense electron beam in a self-ionized gas

The propagation of an intense relativistic electron beam through a gas that is self-ionized by the beam's space charge and wakefields is examined analytically and with 3D particle-in-cell simulations. Instability arises from the coupling between a beam and the offset plasma channel it creates when it is perturbed. The traditional electron hose instability in a preformed plasma is replaced with this slower growth instability depending on the radius of the ionization channel compared to the electron blowout radius. A new regime for hose stable plasma wakefield acceleration is suggested.     

Ionization focusing of a short intense laser pulse and generation of wake plasma waves

The propagation of a short intense laser pulse is studied in a gas taking into account the ionization of gas atoms by the high-frequency electromagnetic field of the pulse. The conditions are found under which the ionization structures produced by the laser pulse cause the pulse focusing accompanied by a substantial increase in its intensity. It is shown that the leading edge of the pulse is subjected to ionization refraction at the ionization front, the temporal profile of the pulse becoming steeper. This results in the efficient generation of a wake wave at the ionization front, which is amplified during the development of self-modulation instability. The amplitude of the wake plasma wave achieves a substantial value already at small paths of the pulse in matter (smaller than the diffraction length of the pulse).     

Electrical Instability of Amorphous-Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors under Ultraviolet Illumination

The electrical instability behaviors of amorphous-indium-gallium-zinc-oxide(a-IGZO) thin-film transistors(TFTs)under ultraviolet(UV) illumination are studied.As UV radiation dosage increases,the turn-on voltage of the TFT shows continuous negative shift,which is accompanied by enhanced degradation of sub-threshold swing and field-effect mobility.The electrical instability is caused by the increased carrier concentration and defect states within the device channel,which can be further attributed to additional oxygen vacancy generation and ionization of oxygen vacancy related defects upon UV illumination,respectively.Furthermore,the performance of the a-IGZO TFT treated with UV radiation can gradually recover to its initial state after long-time storage.     

Low-frequency oscillations in Hall thrusters

In this paper, we summarize the research development of low-frequency oscillations in the last few decades. The findings of physical mechanism, characteristics and stabilizing methods of low-frequency oscillations are discussed. It shows that it is unreasonable and incomplete to model an ionization region separately to analyze the physical mechanism of low-frequency oscillations. Electro-dynamics as well as the formation conditions of ionization distribution play an important role in characteristics and stabilizing of low-frequency oscillations. Understanding the physical mechanism and characteristics of low- frequency oscillations thoroughly and developing a feasible method stabilizing this instability are still important research subjects.