Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)

Abstract: A linear analysis based on two-fluid equations in the approximation of a cold plasma, wherein the plasma temperature is assumed to be zero, demonstrates that a two-stream instability occurs in all cases. However, if this were true, the drift motion of electrons in an electric current over a wire would become unstable, inducing an oscillation in an electric circuit with ions bounded around specific positions. To avoid this peculiar outcome, we must assume a warm plasma with a finite temperature when discussing the criterion of instability. The two-stream instability in warm plasmas has typically been analyzed using kinetic theory to provide a general formula for the instability criterion from the distribution function of the plasma. However, the criteria based on kinetic theory do not have an easily applicable form. Here, we provide an easily applicable criterion for the instability based on the two-fluid model at finite temperatures, extensionally in the framework of special relativity. This criterion is relevant for analyzing two-stream instabilities in low-density plasmas in the universe and in Earth-based experimental devices.

Abstract: Recently, a generalized Hasegawa-Mima (gHM) equation describing drift wave turbulence in curved magnetic fields has been derived in [N. Sato and M. Yamada, J. Plasma Phys. (2022), vol. 88, 905880319] for an ion-electron plasma modeled as a two-fluid system. In this work, we show that a mathematically equivalent GHM equation can be obtained within the kinetic framework of guiding center motion, and that the relevant drift wave turbulence ordering can be further relaxed, effectively generalizing the applicability of the equation to any magnetic field geometry and electron spatial density, in the sense that no ordering requirements involve spatial derivatives of the magnetic field or the electron spatial density.

Abstract: The Generalized Hasegawa-Mima (GHM) equation, which generalizes the standard Hasegawa-Mima (HM) equation, is a nonlinear equation describing the evolution of drift wave turbulence in curved magnetic fields. The GHM equation can be obtained from a drift wave turbulence ordering that does not involve ordering conditions on spatial derivatives of the magnetic field or the plasma density, and it is therefore appropriate to describe the evolution of electrostatic turbulence in strongly inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas. In this work, we discuss the noncanonical Hamiltonian structure of the GHM equation, and obtain conditions for the nonlinear stability of steady solutions through the energy-Casimir stability criterion. These results are then applied to describe drift waves and infer the existence of stable toroidal zonal flows with radial shear in dipole magnetic fields.

Abstract: A relativistic quantum mechanical model to describe the quantum FEL dynamics has been developed. Neglecting the spin of electrons in the impacting beam, this model is based on the Klein-Gordon equation coupled to the Poisson equation for the space-charge potential and the wave equation for the transverse components of the radiation field. Furthermore, a system of coupled nonlinear envelope equations for the slowly varying amplitudes of the electron beam distribution and the radiation field has been derived. The fundamental system of basic equations have been cast into a suitable hydrodynamic formulation. In the framework of the hydrodynamic representation, a new dispersion relation has been derived and analyzed in both the quantum and the quasi-classical regimes, where the space-charge oscillations of the electron beam are taken into account.

Abstract: In recent years, hydrodynamic optical-field-ionized (HOFI) channels have emerged as a promising technique to create laser waveguides suitable for guiding tightly-focused laser pulses in a plasma, as needed for laser-plasma accelerators. While experimental advances in HOFI channels continue to be made, the underlying mechanisms and the roles of the main parameters remain largely unexplored. In this work, we propose a start-to-end simulation pipeline of the HOFI channel formation and the resulting guiding properties, and use it to explore the underlying physics and the tunability of HOFI channels. This approach is benchmarked against experimental measurements. HOFI channels are shown to feature excellent guiding properties over a wide range of parameters, making them a promising and tunable waveguide option for laser-plasma accelerators.

Abstract: We show that the saturation of resistive tearing modes in a cylindrical tokamak, as well as the corresponding island width, can be directly calculated with an MHD equilibrium code without solving the dynamics and without considering resistivity. The results are compared to initial value resistive MHD simulations and to an analytical nonlinear theory. For small enough islands, the agreement is remarkable. For sufficiently large islands, the equilibrium calculations, which assume a flat current profile inside the island, overestimate the saturation amplitude. On the other hand, excellent agreement between nonlinear resistive MHD simulations and nonlinear theory is observed for all the considered tearing unstable equilibria.

Abstract: A systematic study of the impact of impurities on the turbulent heat fluxes is presented for Wendelstein 7-X. By means of nonlinear multispecies gyrokinetic simulations, it is shown that impurities, depending on the sign of their density gradient, can significantly enhance or reduce turbulent heat losses. For the relevant scenario of turbulence reduction, heat fluxes have a local minimum at a certain impurity concentration. This result demonstrates the potential of impurities for controlling turbulence and accessing enhanced confinement regimes in stellarators.

Abstract: It is possible to excite various linear and non-linear low-frequency modes in dusty plasma which is an admixture of electrons, ions, gas atoms, and negatively charged solid particles. The experimental as well as theoretical study of these low-frequency dynamical modes in dusty plasma is very complex because of the involvement of dynamics of electrons, ions, and neutrals. If the external magnetic field is introduced to dusty plasma then the dynamics of it will be more complex. The complexity of magnetized dusty plasma where plasma species are magnetized is discussed by keeping the experimental observations in magnetized dusty plasma devices in mind. The requirement of theoretical modeling, as well as computation experiments in understanding the dynamics of dusty plasma in the presence of a strong magnetic field, is highlighted in the context of experimental findings. The major challenges to magnetizing charged massive particles in experiments and some expected solutions are discussed in this report.