Publications

2011

• Whistler eigenmodes of magnetic flux tubes in a magnetoplasma
  
  • Kudrin A. V.
  • Bakharev P. V.
  • Zaboronkova T. M.
  • Krafft C.
  Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 53, pp.065005. Guided propagation of whistler waves along cylindrical non-uniformities of a dc magnetic field is studied within the framework of a full-wave approach. Conditions are revealed under which such guiding structures, commonly known as magnetic flux tubes, can support volume and surface eigenmodes in the whistler range. The dispersion properties and field structures of whistler eigenmodes guided by flux tubes with an enhanced magnetic field are calculated and analysed for plasma parameters typical of laboratory experiments. The results obtained are useful in understanding the basic features of whistler wave guidance by magnetic flux tubes and can be applied to interpreting the data of the relevant experiments. (10.1088/0741-3335/53/6/065005)
  DOI : 10.1088/0741-3335/53/6/065005
• Proton acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic mechanisms behind the fluid dynamics
  
  • Aunai Nicolas
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Smets Roch
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.9232. This paper investigates the proton kinetic mechanisms leading to the formation of plasma jets in antiparallel magnetic reconnection. In particular, the interaction of the protons with the Hall electric field in the proton non-ideal region is discussed. The study, based on a two-dimensional hybrid simulation, details the important role of the proton pressure force in the acceleration process and its role in maintaining open and steady the proton outflow channel. When no fluid closure is assumed, it is found that this force arises from a strong anisotropy in velocity space which comes from kinetic effect. By analyzing the distribution functions and the individual particle dynamics, it is shown that the mixing of protons bouncing in a divergent electrostatic potential well associated to the Hall effect statistically couples the two in-plane velocity components of the particles. This coupling results, from the macroscopic point of view, in off-diagonal components of the pressure tensor. (10.1029/2011JA016688)
  DOI : 10.1029/2011JA016688
• The proton pressure tensor as a new proxy of the proton decoupling region in collisionless magnetic reconnection
  
  • Aunai Nicolas
  • Retinò Alessandro
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Smets Roch
  • Lavraud B.
  • Vaivads A.
  Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.1571-1579. Cluster data is analyzed to test the proton pressure tensor variations as a proxy of the proton decoupling region in collisionless magnetic reconnection. The Hall electric potential well created in the proton decoupling region results in bounce trajectories of the protons which appears as a characteristic variation of one of the in-plane off-diagonal components of the proton pressure tensor in this region. The event studied in this paper is found to be consistent with classical Hall field signatures with a possible 20% guide field. Moreover, correlations between this pressure tensor component, magnetic field and bulk flow are proposed and validated, together with the expected counterstreaming proton distribution functions. (10.5194/angeo-29-1571-2011)
  DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-1571-2011
• Stochastic treatment of finite-N effects in mean-field systems and its application to the lifetimes of coherent structures
  
  • Ettoumi Wahb
  • Firpo Marie-Christine
  Physical Review E, American Physical Society (APS), 2011, 84, pp.030103(R). A stochastic treatment yielding to the derivation of a general Fokker-Planck equation is presented to model the slow convergence toward equilibrium of mean-field systems due to finite-N effects. The thermalization process involves notably the disintegration of coherent structures that may sustain out-of-equilibrium quasistationary states. The time evolution of the fraction of particles remaining close to a mean-field potential trough is analytically computed. This indicator enables to estimate the lifetime of coherent structures and thermalization time scale in mean-field systems. (10.1103/PhysRevE.84.030103)
  DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.84.030103
• Wavenumber spectrum of micro-turbulence in tokamak plasmas / Spectre en nombre d'onde de la micro-turbulence dans les plasmas de tokamak
  
  • Vermare Laure
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Hennequin Pascale
  • Honoré Cyrille
  • Garbet X.
  • Giacalone J-C.
  • Sabot R.
  • Clairet F.
  • Tore Supra Team
  Comptes Rendus. Physique, Académie des sciences (Paris), 2011, 12 (2), pp.115 - 122. A better understanding of turbulent transport in a tokamak plasma requires precise comparisons between experimental observation and theoretical prediction of micro-turbulence characteristics. The repartition of fluctuation energy over different spatial scales, which contains detailed information about the character of underlying instabilities and the mechanisms involved in energy transfer between different scales, is one of the few quantities allowing a high detail comparison. The present article reports the investigation performed on the Tore Supra tokamak on the wavenumber spectrum of micro-turbulence using Doppler backscattering. The theoretical approach consists of the derivation of spectral models that include interactions between fluctuations and large scale flow structures. Une meilleure compréhension du transport turbulent dans les plasmas de tokamak exige des comparaisons précises entre les observations expérimentales et les prédictions théoriques des caractéristiques de la micro-turbulence. La répartition de lʼénergie des fluctuations sur les différentes échelles spatiales, qui contient des informations sur le type instabilités sous-jacentes et sur les mécanismes de transfert dʼénergie entre échelles spatiales, est lʼune des rares quantités permettant une comparaison de niveau élevé. Cet article présente le travail mené sur le tokamak Tore Supra sur lʼétude du spectre en nombre dʼonde de la micro-turbulence mesuré par rétro-diffusion Doppler. Lʼapproche théorique consiste en la dérivation de modéles spectraux qui inclut les interactions entre les fluctuations et les structures dʼécoulement de grandes échelles. (10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.003)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.003
• Predator prey oscillations in a simple cascade model of drift wave turbulence
  
  • Berionni Vincent
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 18, pp.112301. A reduced three shell limit of a simple cascade model of drift wave turbulence, which emphasizes nonlocal interactions with a large scale mode, is considered. It is shown to describe both the well known predator prey dynamics between the drift waves and zonal flows and to reduce to the standard three wave interaction equations. Here, this model is considered as a dynamical system whose characteristics are investigated. The analytical solutions for the purely nonlinear limit are given in terms of the Jacobi elliptic functions. An approximate analytical solution involving Jacobi elliptic functions and exponential growth is computed using scale separation for the case of unstable solutions that are observed when the energy injection rate is high. The fixed points of the system are determined, and the behavior around these fixed points is studied. The system is shown to display periodic solutions corresponding to limit cycle oscillations, apparently chaotic phase space orbits, as well as unstable solutions that grow slowly while oscillating rapidly. The period doubling route to transition to chaos is examined. (10.1063/1.3656953)
  DOI : 10.1063/1.3656953
• Collisionality scaling in Tore Supra: detailed energy confinement analysis, turbulence measurements and gyrokinetic modelling
  
  • Bourdelle C.
  • Gerbaud T.
  • Vermare Laure
  • Casati A.
  • Aniel Thierry
  • Artaud J.F.
  • Basiuk Vincent
  • Bucalossi J.
  • Clairet F.
  • Corre Y.
  • Devynck P.
  • Falchetto G.
  • Fenzi C.
  • Garbet X.
  • Guirlet R.
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Heuraux S.
  • Hennequin Pascale
  • Hoang G.T.
  • Imbeaux Frédéric
  • Manenc L.
  • Monier-Garbet P.
  • Moreau P.
  • Sabot R.
  • Segui J.-L.
  • Sirinelli A.
  • Villegas D.
  • Tore Supra Team
  Nuclear Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 51, pp.063037. This paper presents the first observation of geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) on Tore Supra plasmas. Using the Doppler backscattering system, the oscillations of the plasma flow velocity, localized between r/a = 0.85 and r/a = 0.95, and with a frequency, typically around 10 kHz, have been observed at the plasma edge in numerous discharges. When the additional heating power is varied, the frequency is found to scale with Cs/R. The MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is employed to access the temporal evolution of the perpendicular velocity of density fluctuations. The method is presented in some detail, and is validated and compared against standard methods, such as the conventional fast Fourier transform method, using a synthetic signal. It stands out as a powerful data analysis method to follow the Doppler frequency with a high temporal resolution, which is important in order to extract the dynamics of GAMs. (10.1088/0029-5515/51/6/063037)
  DOI : 10.1088/0029-5515/51/6/063037
• Vibrational relaxation of N<SUB>2</SUB> studied by IR titration with time-resolved Qantum Cascade Laser diagnostics
  
  • Marinov Daniil
  • Lopatik D.
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Roepcke J.
  • Rousseau Antoine
  , 2011.
• A generalization of the rocket formula and its application to advanced space propulsion systems
  
  • Nasi L.
  • Raimbault Jean-Luc
  Acta Astronautica, Elsevier, 2011, 68 (1-2), pp.34-38. A generalized rocket formula is derived from a first principles approach. The resulting expression of the thrust is applied to advanced space propulsion systems and a possible link between the asymptotic propellant velocity and the velocity at thruster exit is given. An estimation of the thrust modification due to spacecraftplume interactions is also considered. (10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.07.015)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.07.015
• Oxidation of NO into NO<SUB>2</SUB> by surface adsorbed O atoms
  
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Hübner M.
  • Marinov Daniil
  • Guerra V.
  • Pintassilgo C.D.
  • Welzel S.
  • Röpcke J.
  • Rousseau Antoine
  Contributions to Plasma Physics, Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2011, 51 (2-3), pp.176-181. Plasma-surface interactions are increasingly recognised as a key factor in explaining molecule production and conversion processes. In order to scrutinise such effects well-defined surface and gas phase conditions are required. Hence, the inner surface of a Pyrex tube was treated by a capacitively coupled RF plasma at low pressure. The post-plasma oxidation of gas mixtures containing 1 % NO into NO<SUB>2</SUB> has been studied by means of quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral range. The plasma pre-treatment experiments with oxygen containing precursors suggest O atom adsorption on the Pyrex tube with a surface density of 2.7 x 1014 cm2. A simple kinetic model was developed and shows good agreement with the measured NO and NO<SUB>2</SUB> gas phase concentrations. In the model a fraction of the surface is considered to be covered with chemisorption sites where atoms and molecules can be adsorbed, whereas they can be removed only by recombination (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (10.1002/ctpp.201000068)
  DOI : 10.1002/ctpp.201000068
• A mechanism for heating electrons in the magnetopause current layer and adjacent regions
  
  • Roux A.
  • Robert Patrick
  • Le Contel Olivier
  • Angelopoulos V.
  • Auster U.
  • Bonnell J. W.
  • Cully C. M.
  • Ergun R. E.
  • Mcfadden J. P.
  Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.2305-2316. Taking advantage of the string-of-pearls configuration of the five THEMIS spacecraft during the early phase of their mission, we analyze observations taken simultaneously in the magnetosheath, the magnetopause current layer and the magnetosphere. We find that electron heating coincides with ultra low frequency waves. It seems unlikely that electrons are heated by these waves because the electron thermal velocity is much larger than the Alfvén velocity (V<SUB>a</SUB>). In the short transverse scale (k<SUB>\bot</SUB>rho<SUB>i</SUB> >> 1) regime, however, short scale Alfvén waves (SSAWs) have parallel phase velocities much larger than V<SUB>a</SUB> and are shown to interact, via Landau damping, with electrons thereby heating them. The origin of these waves is also addressed. THEMIS data give evidence for sharp spatial gradients in the magnetopause current layer where the highest amplitude waves have a large component deltaB perpendicular to the magnetopause and k azimuthal. We suggest that SSAWs are drift waves generated by temperature gradients in a high beta, large T<SUB>i</SUB>/T<SUB>e</SUB> magnetopause current layer. Therefore these waves are called SSDAWs, where D stands for drift. SSDAWs have large k<SUB>\bot</SUB> and therefore a large Doppler shift that can exceed their frequencies in the plasma frame. Because they have a small but finite parallel electric field and a magnetic component perpendicular to the magnetopause, they could play a key role at reconnecting magnetic field lines. The growth rate depends strongly on the scale of the gradients; it becomes very large when the scale of the electron temperature gradient gets below 400 km. Therefore SSDAW's are expected to limit the sharpness of the gradients, which might explain why Berchem and Russell (1982) found that the average magnetopause current sheet thickness to be ~400-1000 km (~500 km in the near equatorial region). (10.5194/angeo-29-2305-2011)
  DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-2305-2011
• Compressible Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in supermagnetosonic regimes
  
  • Palermo F.
  • Faganello M.
  • Califano F.
  • Pegoraro F.
  • Le Contel Olivier
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.4223. We investigate the transition from submagnetosonic to supermagnetosonic regimes in the presence of a sheared flow and density variations typically observed between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere. In particular, we show the possibility of generating quasi-perpendicular magnetosonic shock structures under typical conditions that can be realized at the magnetosphere flanks. Here the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability generates rolled-up, large- scale vortices that propagate along the flanks of the magnetosphere. The shocks are generated by those vortices for which the magnetosonic Mach number turns out to be of the order of unity or larger. (10.1029/2010JA016400)
  DOI : 10.1029/2010JA016400
• Ion acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic and fluid aspects
  
  • Aunai Nicolas
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Smets Roch
  Comptes Rendus. Physique, Académie des sciences (Paris), 2011, 12, pp.141-150. Not Available (10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.004)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.004
• Evolution of micro-turbulence characteristics with collisionality at the tokamak core-edge interface
  
  • Vermare Laure
  • Hennequin Pascale
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Honoré Cyrille
  • Berionni Vincent
  • Bourdelle C.
  • Casati A.
  • Clairet F.
  • Garbet X.
  • Giacalone J-C.
  • Sabot R.
  • Tore Supra Team
  , 2011, oral.
• Alfvén : Magnetosphere -Ionosphere Connection Explorers
  
  • Berthomier Matthieu
  • Fazakerlay, N. A.
  • Forsyth C.
  • Pottelette Raymond
  • Alexandrova Olga
  • Anastasiadis A.
  • Aruliah A.
  • Blelly Pierre-Louis
  • Briand Carine
  • Bruno R.
  • Canu Patrick
  • Cecconi Baptiste
  • Chust Thomas
  • Daglis I.
  • Davie J.
  • Dunlop M.
  • Fontaine Dominique
  • Génot Vincent
  • Gustavsson B.
  • Haerendel G.
  • Hamrin M.
  • Hapgood M.
  • Hess S.
  • Kataria D.
  • Kauristie K.
  • Kemble S.
  • Khotyaintsev Y.
  • Koskinen H.
  • Lamy Laurent
  • Lanchester B.
  • Louarn P.
  • Lucek E.
  • Lundin R.
  • Maksimovic M.
  • Manninen J.
  • Marchaudon Aurélie
  • Marghitu O.
  • Marklund G.
  • Milan S.
  • Moen J.
  • Mottez Fabrice
  • Nilsson Hans
  • Parrot Michel
  • Ostgaard N.
  • J. Owen C.
  • Pedersen A.
  • Perry C.
  • Pinçon Jean-Louis
  • Pitout Frederic
  • Pulkkinen T.
  • J. Rae I.
  • Rezeau Laurence
  • Roux A.
  • Sandahl I.
  • Sandberg I.
  • Turunen E.
  • Vogt J.
  • Walsh A.
  • E. J. Watt C.
  • A. Wild J.
  • Yamauchi M.
  • Zarka Philippe
  • Zouganelis I.
  Experimental Astronomy, Springer Link, 2011, pp.1. The Alfvén concept is designed specifically to take the next step in studying the aurora, by making the crucial high-time resolution, multi-scale measurements in the AAR, needed to address the key science questions of auroral plasma physics. The new knowledge that the mission will produce will find application in studies of the Sun, the processes that accelerate the solar wind and that produce aurora on other planets. (10.1007/s10686-011-9273-y)
  DOI : 10.1007/s10686-011-9273-y
• Emission and propagation of Saturn kilometric radiation: Magnetoionic modes, beaming pattern, and polarization state
  
  • Lamy L.
  • Cecconi B.
  • Zarka P.
  • Canu Patrick
  • Schippers P.
  • Kurth W. S.
  • Mutel R. L.
  • Gurnett D. A.
  • Menietti D.
  • Louarn P.
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.4212. The Cassini mission crossed the source region of the Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR) on 17 October 2008. On this occasion, the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) experiment detected both local and distant radio sources, while plasma parameters were measured in situ by the magnetometer and the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer. A goniopolarimetric inversion was applied to RPWS three-antenna electric measurements to determine the wave vector k and the complete state of polarization of detected waves. We identify broadband extraordinary (X) mode as well as narrowband ordinary (O) mode SKR at low frequencies. Within the source region, SKR is emitted just above the X mode cutoff frequency in a hot plasma, with a typical electron-to-wave energy conversion efficiency of 1% (2% peak). The knowledge of the k vector is then used to derive the locus of SKR sources in the kronian magnetosphere, which shows X and O components emanating from the same regions. We also compute the associated beaming angle at the source theta' = (k, -B) either from (1) in situ measurements or a model of the magnetic field vector (for local to distant sources) or (2) polarization measurements (for local sources). Obtained results, similar for both modes, suggest quasi-perpendicular emission for local sources, whereas the beaming pattern of distant sources appears as a hollow cone with a frequency-dependent constant aperture angle: theta' = 75° ± 15° below 300 kHz, decreasing at higher frequencies to reach theta' (1000 kHz) = 50° ± 25°. Finally, we investigate quantitatively the SKR polarization state, observed to be strongly elliptical at the source, and quasi-purely circular for sources located beyond approximately two kronian radii. We show that conditions of weak mode coupling are achieved along the raypath, under which the magnetoionic theory satisfactorily describes the evolution of the observed polarization. These results are analyzed comparatively with the auroral kilometric radiation at Earth. (10.1029/2010JA016195)
  DOI : 10.1029/2010JA016195
• Estimation of the Gas Temperature of NO during a DC Plasma Pulse using Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) Absorption Spectroscopy
  
  • Hübner M.
  • Marinov Daniil
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Rousseau Antoine
  • Roepcke J.
  , 2011.
• Experimental and modeling analysis of fast ionization wave discharge propagation in a rectangular geometry
  
  • Takashima K.
  • Adamovich I.V.
  • Xiong Z.
  • Kushner M.J.
  • Starikovskaia Svetlana
  • Czarnetzki U.
  • Luggenhölscher D.
  Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 18, pp.083505. Fast ionization wave (FIW), nanosecond pulse discharge propagation in nitrogen and helium in a rectangular geometry channel/waveguide is studied experimentally using calibrated capacitive probe measurements. The repetitive nanosecond pulse discharge in the channel was generated using a custom designed pulsed plasma generator (peak voltage 1040 kV, pulse duration 30100 ns, and voltage rise time &#8764;1 kV/ns), generating a sequence of alternating polarity high-voltage pulses at a pulse repetition rate of 20 Hz. Both negative polarity and positive polarity ionization waves have been studied. Ionization wave speed, as well as time-resolved potential distributions and axial electric field distributions in the propagating discharge are inferred from the capacitive probe data. ICCD images show that at the present conditions the FIW discharge in helium is diffuse and volume-filling, while in nitrogen the discharge propagates along the walls of the channel. FIW discharge propagation has been analyzed numerically using quasi-one-dimensional and two-dimensional kinetic models in a hydrodynamic (drift-diffusion), local ionization approximation. The wave speed and the electric field distribution in the wave front predicted by the model are in good agreement with the experimental results. A self-similar analytic solution of the fast ionization wave propagation equations has also been obtained. The analytic model of the FIW discharge predicts key ionization wave parameters, such as wave speed, peak electric field in the front, potential difference across the wave, and electron density as functions of the waveform on the high voltage electrode, in good agreement with the numerical calculations and the experimental results. (10.1063/1.3619810)
  DOI : 10.1063/1.3619810
• Triple Q : A three channel quantum cascade laser absorption spectrometer for fast multiple species concentration measurements
  
  • Hübner M.
  • Welzel S.
  • Marinov Daniil
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Glitsch S.
  • Rousseau Antoine
  • Röpcke J.
  Review of Scientific Instruments, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 82, pp.093102. A compact and transportable three channel quantum cascade laser system (TRIPLE Q) based on mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy has been developed for time-resolved plasma diagnostics. The TRIPLE Q spectrometer encompasses three independently controlled quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), which can be used for chemical sensing, particularly for gas phase analysis of plasmas. All three QCLs are operated in the intra-pulse mode with typical pulse lengths of the order of 150 ns. Using a multiplexed detection, a time resolution shorter than 1 &#956;s can be achieved. Hence, the spectrometer is well suited to study kinetic processes of multiple infrared active compounds in reactive plasmas. A special data processing and analysis technique has been established to account for time jitter effects of the infrared emission of the QCLs. The performance of the TRIPLE Q system has been validated in pulsed direct current plasmas containing N2O/air and NO2/air. (10.1063/1.3633952)
  DOI : 10.1063/1.3633952
• Successive Nanosecond Discharges in Water
  
  • Marinov Ilya
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Rousseau Antoine
  • Starikovskaia Svetlana
  IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2011, 39 (11), pp.2672-2673. Successive discharges of alternating polarities in distilled water have been studied. Cathode-initiated discharges develop in two possible configurations: slow and weakly luminescent bushlike mode or fast and luminous treelike mode with well-pronounced branching. Under our experimental conditions, the two modes originate with approximately equal probability. Positive discharge demonstrates only one discharge morphology with two hemispherical weakly luminescent structures. Successive negative pulse results in the formation of one of the negative modes, bushlike or treelike. (10.1109/TPS.2011.2147337)
  DOI : 10.1109/TPS.2011.2147337
• Turbulence propagation in heat flux-driven plasmas: implications for temperature profile structure
  
  • Wang Z.H.
  • Diamond P.H.
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Garbet X.
  • Wang X.G.
  Nuclear Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 51, pp.073009. Turbulence propagation and temperature profile evolution are studied in heat flux-driven plasmas. A simple model consisting of coupled non-linear reactiondiffusion equations for both turbulence and heat transport is proposed to elucidate several aspects of apparent non-local profile dynamics. Self-consistent E × B shear feedback on turbulence intensity growth and transport is also included in the model. Temperature profile evolution is studied in the presence of an intensity pulse propagating inwards but also interacting with an outward propagating heat pulse. It is found that as the heat flux Q increases, the intensity pulse speed first grows as √ Q and then decays as 1/Q, while the heat pulse speed finally saturates at the level given by neoclassical transport. Intensity pulse propagation can be effectively saturated at or above a critical heat flux, so that the formation of an internal transport barrier (ITB) can be triggered. This suggests that the ITB location is ultimately determined by both heat flux and edge turbulence conditions, and thus the ITB inhibits both the inward turbulence propagation and the outward turbulent heat transport. As a test of turbulence spreading dynamics, the intensity pulse propagation through gaps in turbulence excitation and its implications for profile response to off-axis heat deposition are also investigated. It is shown that the profile resilience phenomena can be recovered by taking into account intensity pulse propagation. (10.1088/0029-5515/51/7/073009)
  DOI : 10.1088/0029-5515/51/7/073009
• Control of Nanocrystalline Silicon Growth Phase and Deposition Rate through Voltage Waveform Tailoring during PECVD
  
  • Johnson E.V.
  • Pouliquen S.
  • Delattre Pierre-Alexandre
  • Booth Jean-Paul
  MRS Online Proceedings Library, Cambridge University Press, 2011, 1339, pp.mrss11-1339-s04-5. The use of Voltage Waveform Tailoring (VWT) that is the use of non-sinusoidal waveforms with a period equivalent to RF frequencies is shown to be effective in modifying the electric field distribution in a parallel plate, capacitively coupled laboratory plasma deposition reactor, and thus in changing the growth mode of silicon thin films from amorphous to nanocrystalline. The use of the VWT technique allows one to decouple the power injected into the plasma from the ion-bombardment energy at the film surface without changing any other deposition parameters, such as pressure or gas mixture. Material results are presented for an H2/SiH4 gas composition. A peaks type waveform increases the ion-bombardment energy at the RF electrode and reduces it at the substrate, resulting in more nanocrystalline growth. The use of a valleys-type waveform has the opposite effect, and results in more amorphous growth. We show the dependence of the process on silane dilution and pressure, including results on changes to the deposition rate when changing the excitation voltage waveform. (10.1557/opl.2011.993)
  DOI : 10.1557/opl.2011.993
• Gas sensing properties of multiwall carbon nanotubes decorated with rhodium nanoparticles
  
  • Leghrib R
  • Dufour Thierry
  • Demoisson F
  • Claessens N
  • Reniers F
  • Llobet E
  Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Elsevier, 2011, B160, pp.974-980. In the present work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes were decorated with rhodium nanoparticles using a colloidal solution in the post-discharge of an RF atmospheric plasma of argon (Ar) or argon/oxygen (Ar:O 2). The properties of these hybrid materials towards the room temperature detection of NO 2 , C 2 H 4 , CO, C 6 H 6 and moisture were investigated and discussed in view of compositional and morphological studies. It was found that the presence of oxygen in the plasma treatment is essential to significantly enhance the gas response of Rh-decorated multiwalled carbon nanotubes and to avoid response saturation even at low gas/vapor concentrations. These desirable effects are attributed to the presence of oxygen during the CNT plasma treatment since oxygenated vacancies act both as active adsorption sites for gases and as anchoring sites for Rh nanoparticles (the presence of Rh nanoclusters is nearly doubled in Ar:O 2 treated samples as compared to Ar treated samples). The oxygen treatment also makes easier the charge transfer between Rh nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes upon gas adsorption. The method for treating and decorating multiwalled carbon nanotubes used here is simple, fast and scalable for producing gas sensitive nanohybrid materials with uniform and well-controlled properties. (10.1016/j.snb.2011.09.014)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.snb.2011.09.014
• Physics of Radio-Frequency Plasmas
  
  • Chabert Pascal
  • Braithwaite Nicholas
  , 2011. Low-temperature radio frequency plasmas are essential in various sectors of advanced technology, from micro-engineering to spacecraft propulsion systems and efficient sources of light. The subject lies at the complex interfaces between physics, chemistry and engineering. Focusing mostly on physics, this book will interest graduate students and researchers in applied physics and electrical engineering. The book incorporates a cutting-edge perspective on RF plasmas. It also covers basic plasma physics including transport in bounded plasmas and electrical diagnostics. Its pedagogic style engages readers, helping them to develop physical arguments and mathematical analyses. Worked examples apply the theories covered to realistic scenarios, and over 100 in-text questions let readers put their newly acquired knowledge to use and gain confidence in applying physics to real laboratory situations.
• Observation and theoretical modeling of electron scale solar wind turbulence
  
  • Sahraoui Fouad
  • Goldstein M. L.
  • Abdul-Kader K.
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Rezeau Laurence
  • Robert Patrick
  • Canu Patrick
  Comptes Rendus. Physique, Académie des sciences (Paris), 2011, 12 (2), pp.132-140. Turbulence at MagnetoHydroDynamics (MHD) scales in the solar wind has been studied for more than three decades, using data analysis, theoretical and numerical modeling. However, smaller scales have not been explored until very recently. Here, we review recent results on the first observation of cascade and dissipation of the solar wind turbulence at the electron scales. Thanks to the high resolution magnetic and electric field data of the Cluster spacecraft, we computed the spectra of turbulence up to (in the spacecraft reference frame) and found evidence of energy dissipation around the Doppler-shifted electron gyroscale . Before its dissipation, the energy is shown to undergo two cascades: a Kolmogorov-like cascade with a scaling above the proton gyroscale, and a new cascade at the sub-proton and electron gyroscales. Above the spectrum has a steeper power law down to the noise level of the instrument. Solving numerically the linear MaxwellVlasov equations combined with recent theoretical predictions of the Gyro-Kinetic theory, we show that the present results are consistent with a scenario of a quasi-two-dimensional cascade into Kinetic Alfvén modes (KAW). New analyses of other data sets, where the Cluster separation (of about ) allowed us to explore the sub-proton scales using the k-filtering technique, and to confirm the 2D nature of the turbulence at those scales. (10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.008)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.008