Pole dynamics for the flierl-petviashvili equation and zonal flow

Using the method of positions of the complex singularities, we identify a class of new, exact solutions of the Flierl-Petviashvili equation. The solutions are periodic and have the geometry of the zonal flow. We examine the physical properties and find that the solution can reproduce data from experimental observations and numerical simulations.     

Ni-catalyzed, ZnCl(2)-assisted domino coupling of enones, alkynes, and alkenes

A Ni(0)/ZnCl(2) system effectively promotes the coupling of enones and alkene-tethered alkynes. In the reaction with 1,6-enynes, the oxidative cyclization of Ni(0) species on enones across the alkyne part followed by ZnCl(2)-promoted cleavage generates alkenylnickel intermediates. Subsequent migratory insertion of the tethered alkene occurs with 5-exo-cyclization. When the resulting sigma-alkylnickel intermediates have beta-hydrogen atoms, the reaction terminates by beta-hydrogen elimination to provide cyclopentane derivatives. On the other hand, a sigma-alkylnickel intermediate that does not have beta-hydrogen atoms undergoes the insertion of a second alkene unit to cause a domino effect via a three-fold C-C bond formation process with and without the cleavage of one C-C bond.     

Reduction of ion thermal diffusivity associated with the transition of the radial electric field in neutral-beam-heated plasmas in the large helical device

Recent large helical device experiments revealed that the transition from ion root to electron root occurred for the first time in neutral-beam-heated discharges, where no nonthermal electrons exist. The measured values of the radial electric field were found to be in qualitative agreement with those estimated by neoclassical theory. A clear reduction of ion thermal diffusivity was observed after the mode transition from ion root to electron root as predicted by neoclassical theory when the neoclassical ion loss is more dominant than the anomalous ion loss.     

Effects of dynamical friction on the renormalization of propagator in turbulent plasmas

It is shown that there appear two stages in effects of fluctuations on particle trajectories in weakly turbulent plasmas. A new propagator including dynamical friction is obtained, which is different from the Dupree type one.     

Formation of convective cells by modulational instability of drift Alfvén waves

A model equation describing drift Alfvén wave with E × B nonlinearity is derived. For a special ordering a nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived, which governs modulational instability of the drift Alfvén wave. Translational invariance is assumed along the magnetic field. The relation between the characteristic scale lengths parallel and perpendicular to the drift flow for the onset of cell formation has been found. The influence of perpendicular ion viscosity is also discussed.     

HL-2A tokamak disruption forecasting based on an artificial neural network

Artificial neural networks are trained to forecast the plasma disruption in HL-2A tokamak. Optimized network architecture is obtained. Saliency analysis is made to assess the relative importance of different diagnostic signals as network input. The trained networks can successfully detect the disruptive pulses of HL-2A tokamak. The results obtained show the possibility of developing a neural network predictor that intervenes well in advance for avoiding plasma disruption or mitigating its effects.     

Roles of electric field on toroidal magnetic confinement

Theoretical research on the influence of electric field on toroidal magnetic confinement is surveyed. The static electric field is first described. A physical picture of the radial electric field generation and its influence on confinement are shown. Neoclassical effects as well as the non-classical processes are discussed. Emphasis is made on the connection with improved confinement. Convective cells with a nonuniform potential on the magnetic surface are also discussed. The roles of the fluctuating electric field are then reviewed. Recent progress in anomalous transport theory is addressed. Through these surveys, the impact of experiments using the heavy ion beam probes on modern plasma physics is illustrated     

Cyclotrisilenylium ion: the persilaaromatic compound

The highly crowded 3,3-bis(di-tert-butylmethylsilyl)-1,2-bis(tri-tert-butylsilyl)cyclotrisilene (3) was newly designed as a precursor of the cyclotrisilenylium ion and prepared by the reaction of 2 equiv of dilithiosilane (tBu2MeSi)2SiLi2 (1) with 2,2,3,3-tetrabromo-1,1,1,4,4,4-hexa-tert-butyltetrasilane. The reaction of 3 with triphenylmethylium tetraarylborate in toluene produced (di-tert-butylmethylsilyl)bis(tri-tert-butylsilyl)cyclotrisilenylium ion (4+), which was isolated in the form of the tetraarylborate salt as extremely air- and moisture-sensitive yellow crystals, representing the first isolable silicon congener of the cyclopropenylium ion. The molecular structure of 4+.TSFPB- (TSFPB- = tetrakis[4-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl]borate) was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis, showing that the three-membered ring constitutes an almost equilateral triangle with average Si-Si bond lengths of 2.216(3) A. The X-ray crystal structure and spectral data show that 4+ is not only a free silyl cation but also a 2pi electron aromatic species with delocalization of the positive charge over the three-membered skeleton.     

BESS data on primary cosmic rays and muons

We have measured absolute fluxes of primary protons, helium nuclei and atmospheric muons with the BESS spectrometer. Precise measurement of these cosmic-ray particles is indispensable for improving the accuracy in the atmospheric neutrino calculations.