Publications

2014

• In situ spatiotemporal measurements of the detailed azimuthal substructure of the substorm current wedge
  
  • Forsyth C.
  • Fazakerley A.
  • Rae I. J.
  • Watt C. E. J.
  • Murphy K.
  • Wild James A.
  • Karlsson T.
  • Mutel R. L.
  • Owen C. J.
  • Ergun R.
  • Masson A.
  • Berthomier Matthieu
  • Donovan E.
  • Frey H.~u.
  • Matzka J.
  • Stolle C.
  • Zhang Y.
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014, 119 (2), pp.927-946. The substorm current wedge (SCW) is a fundamental component of geomagnetic substorms. Models tend to describe the SCW as a simple line current flowing into the ionosphere toward dawn and out of the ionosphere toward dusk, linked by a westward electrojet. We use multispacecraft observations from perigee passes of the Cluster 1 and 4 spacecraft during a substorm on 15 January 2010, in conjunction with ground-based observations, to examine the spatial structuring and temporal variability of the SCW. At this time, the spacecraft traveled east-west azimuthally above the auroral region. We show that the SCW has significant azimuthal substructure on scales of 100 km at altitudes of 40007000 km. We identify 26 individual current sheets in the Cluster 4 data and 34 individual current sheets in the Cluster 1 data, with Cluster 1 passing through the SCW 120240 s after Cluster 4 at 13002000 km higher altitude. Both spacecraft observed large-scale regions of net upward and downward field-aligned current, consistent with the large-scale characteristics of the SCW, although sheets of oppositely directed currents were observed within both regions. We show that the majority of these current sheets were closely aligned to a north-south direction, in contrast to the expected east-west orientation of the preonset aurora. Comparing our results with observations of the field-aligned current associated with bursty bulk flows (BBFs), we conclude that significant questions remain for the explanation of SCW structuring by BBF-driven wedgelets. Our results therefore represent constraints on future modeling and theoretical frameworks on the generation of the SCW. (10.1002/2013JA019302)
  DOI : 10.1002/2013JA019302
• Wave normal angles of whistler-mode chorus rising and falling tones
  
  • Taubenschuss U.
  • Khotyaintsev Y. V.
  • Santolík O.
  • Vaivads A.
  • Cully C. M.
  • Le Contel Olivier
  • Angelopoulos V.
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014. We present a study of wave normal angles (θk) of whistler mode chorus emission as observed by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) during the year 2008. The three inner THEMIS satellites THA, THD, and THE usually orbit Earth close to the dipole magnetic equator (±20°), covering a large range of L shells from the plasmasphere out to the magnetopause. Waveform measurements of electric and magnetic fields enable a detailed polarization analysis of chorus below 4 kHz. When displayed in a frequency-θk histogram, four characteristic regions of occurrence are evident. They are separated by gaps at f/fc,e≈0.5 (f is the chorus frequency, fc,e is the local electron cyclotron frequency) and at θk∼40°. Below θk∼40°, the average value for θk is predominantly field aligned, but slightly increasing with frequency toward half of fc,e (θk up to 20°). Above half of fc,e, the average θk is again decreasing with frequency. Above θk∼40°, wave normal angles are usually close to the resonance cone angle. Furthermore, we present a detailed comparison of electric and magnetic fields of chorus rising and falling tones. Falling tones exhibit peaks in occurrence solely for θk>40° and are propagating close to the resonance cone angle. Nevertheless, when comparing rising tones to falling tones at θk>40°, the ratio of magnetic to electric field shows no significant differences. Thus, we conclude that falling tones are generated under similar conditions as rising tones, with common source regions close to the magnetic equatorial plane. (10.1002/2014JA020575)
  DOI : 10.1002/2014JA020575
• Weak turbulence theory for rotating magnetohydrodynamics and planetary flows
  
  • Galtier Sébastien
  Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2014, 757, pp.114-154. A weak turbulence theory is derived for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) under rapid rotation and in the presence of a uniform large-scale magnetic field which is associated with a constant Alfvén velocity . The angular velocity is assumed to be uniform and parallel to . Such a system exhibits left and right circularly polarized waves which can be obtained by introducing the magneto-inertial length . In the large-scale limit ( , with being the wavenumber) the left- and right-handed waves tend to the inertial and magnetostrophic waves, respectively, whereas in the small-scale limit ( ) pure Alfvén waves are recovered. By using a complex helicity decomposition, the asymptotic weak turbulence equations are derived which describe the long-time behaviour of weakly dispersive interacting waves via three-wave interaction processes. It is shown that the nonlinear dynamics is mainly anisotropic, with a stronger transfer perpendicular than parallel to the rotation axis. The general theory may converge to pure weak inertial/magnetostrophic or Alfvén wave turbulence when the large- or small-scale limits are taken, respectively. Inertial wave turbulence is asymptotically dominated by the kinetic energy/helicity, whereas the magnetostrophic wave turbulence is dominated by the magnetic energy/helicity. For both regimes, families of exact solutions are found for the spectra, which do not correspond necessarily to a maximal helicity state. It is shown that the hybrid helicity exhibits a cascade whose direction may vary according to the scale at which the helicity flux is injected, with an inverse cascade if and a direct cascade otherwise. The theory is relevant to the magnetostrophic dynamo, whose main applications are the Earth and the giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, for which a small ( ) Rossby number is expected. (10.1017/jfm.2014.490)
  DOI : 10.1017/jfm.2014.490
• Equivalence of the hard-wall and kinetic-fluid models of collisionless electron heating in capacitively coupled discharges
  
  • Lafleur Trevor
  • Chabert Pascal
  • Turner Miles
  • Booth Jean-Paul
  Plasma Sources Science and Technology, IOP Publishing, 2014, 23 (1), pp.015016. By re-evaluating the hard-wall collisionless electron heating model from first principles, we show that despite previous criticisms (Gozadinos et al 2001 Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 [http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.135004] 135004 ), this model can in general be made consistent with the requirement of radio frequency (rf) current continuity at the sheath edge, while still producing a net heating effect. In addition, we demonstrate that the hard-wall and kinetic-fluid heating models stem from the same basic physical mechanism, and are in many ways the same theory; they differ only in the spatial region where electron heating is assumed to occur, and the way in which the effective electron distribution function is determined. Fundamentally, both models predict that collisionless heating occurs because of a non-isothermal compression and expansion of the plasma electrons by an oscillating rf sheath. (10.1088/0963-0252/23/1/015016)
  DOI : 10.1088/0963-0252/23/1/015016
• Ground state bromine atom density measurements by two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence
  
  • Sirse Nishant
  • Foucher Mickaël
  • Chabert Pascal
  • Booth Jean-Paul
  Plasma Sources Science and Technology, IOP Publishing, 2014, 23 (6), pp.062003. Ground state bromine atom detection by two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF) is demonstrated. The bromine atoms are excited by two-photon absorption at 252.594 nm to the state and detected by 635.25 nm fluorescence to the (5s) 4 P 5/2 state. The atoms are generated in a radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma in pure HBr. The excitation laser also causes some photodissociation of HBr molecules, but this can be minimized by not focussing the laser beam, still giving adequate signal levels. We determined the natural lifetime of the emitting state, and the rate constant for quenching of this state by collision with HBr molecules, ... (10.1088/0963-0252/23/6/062003)
  DOI : 10.1088/0963-0252/23/6/062003
• Time-resolved imaging of nanosecond-pulsed micro-discharges in heptane
  
  • Hamdan A.
  • Marinov Ilya
  • Belmonte Thierry
  • Rousseau A.
  Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, IOP Publishing, 2014, 47 (5). Nanosecond-pulsed micro-discharges in heptane are studied by time-resolved imaging in pin-to-plate configuration. When a voltage of +5 kV is applied to the pin electrode, the discharge exhibits one maximum in light intensity. At +15 kV, filtered images show that up to three maxima can be identified. These maxima are associated with local electron-ion recombination and bremsstrahlung emission and attributed to the development of a complex space-charge field. In the post-discharge, the dynamics of the gas bubble can be simulated by the Gilmore model, and the pressure evolution in this bubble is predicted. From our results, it seems reasonable to think that the gas bubble develops from the post-discharge of the spark. Results obtained by using the double-pulse technique show that light emission during the post-discharge of the second discharge lasts 10 times longer than the post-discharge of the first spark. The pressure drop in the gas bubble, predicted by the Gilmore model, is used to explain this result and it provides a control method by optical diagnostics in liquids. (10.1088/0022-3727/47/5/055203)
  DOI : 10.1088/0022-3727/47/5/055203
• Fourier spectrum and phases for a signal in a finite interval
  
  • Dorville Nicolas
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Sahraoui Fouad
  • Rezeau Laurence
  , 2014, 13, pp.SH13B-4086. When investigating the physics of turbulent media, as the solar wind or the magnetosheath plasmas, obtaining accurate Fourier spectra and phases is a crucial issue. For the different fields, the spectra allow in particular verifying whether one or several power laws can be determined in different frequency ranges. Accurate phases are necessary as well for all the "higher order statistics" studies in Fourier space, the coherence ones and for the polarization studies. Unfortunately, the Fourier analysis is not unique for a finite time interval of duration T: the frequencies lower than 1/T have a large influence on the result, which can hardly be controlled. This unknown "trend" has in particular the effect of superposing jumps at the edges of the interval, for the function under study itself, as well as for all its derivatives. The Fourier transform obtained directly by FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is generally much influenced by these effects and cannot be used without care for wide band signals. The interferences between the jumps and the signal itself also provide "hairs" on the spectrum, which are clearly visible fluctuations with df≈1/T. These fluctuations are usually eliminated by smoothing the spectrum, or by averaging several successive spectra. Nevertheless, such smoothing introduces uncertainties on the spectral laws and it makes the phases lost. Windowing is also a method currently used to suppress the jumps, but it modifies the signal (the windowed trend has a spectrum, which is convolved with the searched one) and the phases are also lost to a large extent. Here, we present a new data processing technique to circumvent these difficulties. It takes advantage of the fact that the signal is generally not unknown out of the interval under study: the complete signal is tapered to this interval of interest thanks to a new kind of window, sharp but not square. This kind of window is such that the spectrum obtained can then be deconvolved almost exactly, through a minimization procedure based on the weak- hypothesis that it is smooth at the scale of a few successive spectral points. Then, a later step allows reconstructing the phases. Tests with synthetic data are presented, that demonstrate the efficiency of the method, and first results from Cluster data are also shown.
• Kelvin-Helmholtz Vortices and Double Mid-Latitude Reconnection at the Earth's Magnetopause: comparison between observations and simulations
  
  • Faganello Matteo
  • Califano F.
  • Pegoraro F.
  • Retinò Alessandro
  EPL - Europhysics Letters, European Physical Society / EDP Sciences / Società Italiana di Fisica / IOP Publishing, 2014. Observational signatures of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) vortices and of double mid-latitude reconnection are highlighted in satellite data of the THEMIS mission. It is shown that the plasma fluid quantities at the low-latitude flank of the Earth's magnetosphere are compatible with K-H vortices, as described by three-dimensional simulations. At the same time it is shown that the particle fluxes are compatible with the presence of magnetic field lines, embedded in the K-H vortices, that close on Earth but are connected to the solar wind at low-latitude. These field lines are generated during the K-H evolution by magnetic reconnection proceeding spontaneously in both hemispheres at mid-latitudes, allowing the solar wind plasma to enter the Earth's magnetosphere directly.
• Neutralizer-free gridded ion thruster
  
  • Rafalskyi D.V.
  • Aanesland Ane
  American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics paper, 2014, Propulsion and Energy Forum. (10.2514/6.2014-3423)
  DOI : 10.2514/6.2014-3423
• Planetary Science Virtual Observatory architecture
  
  • Erard S.
  • Cecconi B.
  • Le Sidaner P.
  • Berthier J.
  • Henry F.
  • Chauvin C.
  • André N.
  • Génot V.
  • Jacquey C.
  • Gangloff M.
  • Bourrel N.
  • Schmitt B.
  • Capria M.-Th.
  • Chanteur Gérard
  Astronomy and Computing, Elsevier, 2014, 7-8, pp.71-80. In the framework of the Europlanet-RI program, a prototype of Virtual Observatory dedicated to Planetary Science was defined. Most of the activity was dedicated to the elaboration of standards to retrieve and visualize data in this field, and to provide light procedures to teams who wish to contribute with on-line data services. The architecture of this VO system and selected solutions are presented here, together with existing demonstrators. (10.1016/j.ascom.2014.07.005)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.ascom.2014.07.005
• A review on ion-ion plasmas created in weakly magnetized electronegative plasmas
  
  • Aanesland Ane
  • Bredin Jérôme
  • Chabert Pascal
  Plasma Sources Science and Technology, IOP Publishing, 2014, 23 (4), pp.044003. IonIon plasmas are electronegative plasmas where the electron density is several orders of magnitude lower than the negative ion density. These plasmas have been scarcely observed and investigated since the 1960s and are formed as a transient state of pulsed plasmas or in separate regions in magnetized plasmas. In this review we focus on the latter case of continuous formation of ionion plasmas created at the periphery of magnetized plasma columns or downstream localized magnetic barriers. We bring together and review experimental results already published elsewhere and complement them with new results to illustrate the physics important in ionion plasma formation and highlight in particular unanswered questions. We show that with a good design the density in the ionion region is dropping only by a factor of 23 from the initial plasma density. These plasmas can therefore be well suited for various ion source applications when both fluxes or beams of positive and negative ions are desired, and when electrons can cause harmful effects. (10.1088/0963-0252/23/4/044003)
  DOI : 10.1088/0963-0252/23/4/044003
• Adsorption and reactivity of nitrogen atoms on silica surface under plasma exposure
  
  • Marinov Daniil
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Arcos T. de Los
  • von Keudell A.
  • Rousseau Antoine
  Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, IOP Publishing, 2014, 47 (47), pp.475204. The kinetics of adsorption, desorption and recombination of nitrogen atoms on a silica surface is investigated. Stable nitrogen atoms are grafted to the inner surface of a fused silica discharge tube by a discharge in N 2 at 0.53?mbar. After the pre-treatment, the surface is analysed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and an isotopic exchange technique. The latter consists of the exposure of the pre-treated surface with a discharge in the heavy nitrogen isotope 30 N 2 . Nitrogen isotopologues 29 N 2 and 28 N 2 produced on the surface are detected using a mass spectrometer and provide information about the coverage and reactivity of adsorbed 14 N atoms. It is found that during the pre-treatment, a silicon oxynitride (SiO x N y ) layer is formed on the initially clean SiO 2 surface. The coverage of N on the surface increases from 5? × ?10 13 to 5? × ?10 15? cm ?2 for a pre-treatment duration in the range of 10 ?2 ? 10 4 ?s. Atoms on the surface demonstrate a distribution of reactivity, which is attributed to a distribution of their binding energies and configurations on the surface. We demonstrate that stable chemisorbed N ads are not the main recombination sites for N atoms on the surface contrary to previous studies. We conclude that recombination takes place mainly on weakly bonding active sites with the binding energy smaller than 1?eV. (10.1088/0022-3727/47/47/475204)
  DOI : 10.1088/0022-3727/47/47/475204
• Rotational/compressional nature of the magnetopause: Application of the BV technique on a magnetopause case study
  
  • Dorville Nicolas
  • Belmont Gérard
  • Rezeau Laurence
  • Grappin Roland
  • Retinò Alessandro
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014, 119, pp.1898-1908. The magnetopause boundary implies two main kinds of variations: a density/temperature gradient and a magnetic field rotation. Other variations are associated with these two, concerning in particular the flow velocity, the electric field, and the plasma composition. Compressional and rotational variations are always observed in a close vicinity of each other, if not inseparably mixed. We present a case study from the Cluster data where the two are clearly separated and investigate the natures of both layers, using the new BV method for discontinuity analysis. We evidence that the first one is a slow shock while the second is a rotational discontinuity. The interaction between these two kinds of discontinuities is then studied with the help of 1.5-D magnetohydrodynamics simulations. The comparison with the data is quite positive and, associated with general theoretical arguments, leads to think that most of the generic properties of the magnetopause may be interpreted in this sense. Our results suggest that a shaken magnetopause is made of the sum of several discontinuities: slow shocks and rotational discontinuities. A statistical study on a larger set of data will be necessary to check this conjecture. (10.1002/2013JA018927)
  DOI : 10.1002/2013JA018927
• Characteristics of the flank magnetopause: Cluster observations
  
  • Haaland S.
  • Reistad J.
  • Tenfjord P.
  • Gjerloev J.
  • Maes Lukas
  • de Keyser J.
  • Maggiolo R.
  • Anekallu C.
  • Dorville Nicolas
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014, 119, pp.9019-9037. The magnetopause is a current sheet forming the boundary between the geomagnetic field on one side and the shocked solar wind on the other side. This paper discusses properties of the low-latitude dawn and dusk flanks of the magnetopause. The reported results are based on a large number of measurements obtained by the Cluster satellites during magnetopause traversals. Using a combination of single-spacecraft and multispacecraft techniques, we calculated macroscopic features such as thickness, location, and motion of the magnetopause. The results show that the typical flank magnetopause is significantly thicker than the dayside magnetopause and also possesses a pronounced and persistent dawn-dusk asymmetry. Thicknesses vary from 150 to 5000 km, with an median thickness of around 1400 km at dawn and around 1150 km at dusk. Current densities are on average higher on dusk, suggesting that the total current at dawn and dusk are similar. Solar wind conditions and the interplanetary magnetic field cannot fully explain the observed dawn-dusk asymmetry. For a number of crossings we were also able to derive detailed current density profiles. The profiles show that the magnetopause often consists of two or more adjacent current sheets, each current sheet typically several ion gyroradii thick and often with different current direction. This demonstrates that the flank magnetopause has a structure that is more complex than the thin, one-dimensional current sheet described by a Chapman-Ferraro layer. (10.1002/2014JA020539)
  DOI : 10.1002/2014JA020539
• Elasticity in drift-wave-zonal-flow turbulence
  
  • Guo Z. B.
  • Diamond P.H.
  • Kosuga Y.
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  Physical Review E, American Physical Society (APS), 2014, 89 (4). We present a theory of turbulent elasticity, a property of drift-wave-zonal-flow (DW-ZF) turbulence, which follows from the time delay in the response of DWs to ZF shears. An emergent dimensionless parameter vertical bar < v >'vertical bar/Delta omega(k) is found to be a measure of the degree of Fickian flux-gradient relation breaking, where vertical bar < v >'vertical bar is the ZF shearing rate and Delta omega(k) is the turbulence decorrelation rate. For vertical bar < v >'vertical bar/Delta omega(k) > 1, we show that the ZF evolution equation is converted from a diffusion equation, usually assumed, to a telegraph equation, i.e., the turbulent momentum transport changes from a diffusive process to wavelike propagation. This scenario corresponds to a state very close to the marginal instability of the DW-ZF system, e.g., the Dimits shift regime. The frequency of the ZF wave is Omega(ZF) = /-gamma(1/2)(d)gamma(1/2)(modu), where gamma(d) is the ZF friction coefficient and gamma(modu) is the net ZF growth rate for the case of the Fickian flux-gradient relation. This insight provides a natural framework for understanding temporally periodic ZF structures in the Dimits shift regime and in the transition from low confined mode to high confined mode in confined plasmas. (10.1103/PhysRevE.89.041101)
  DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.89.041101
• Kinetic Turbulence in the Terrestrial Magnetosheath: Cluster Observations
  
  • Huang S. Y.
  • Sahraoui Fouad
  • Deng X. H.
  • He J. S.
  • Yuan Z. G.
  • Zhou M.
  • Pang Y.
  • Fu H.S.
  The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Bristol : IOP Publishing, 2014, 789, pp.L28. We present a first statistical study of subproton- and electron-scale turbulence in the terrestrial magnetosheath using waveform data measured by the Cluster/STAFF search coil magnetometer in the frequency range [1, 180] Hz. It is found that clear spectral breaks exist near the electron scale, which separate two power-law-like frequency bands referred to as the dispersive and the electron dissipation ranges. The frequencies of the breaks f<SUB>b</SUB> are shown to be well correlated with the electron gyroscale rho <SUB>e</SUB> rather than with the electron inertial length d<SUB>e</SUB> . The distribution of the slopes below f<SUB>b</SUB> is found to be narrow and peaks near -2.9, while that of the slopes above f<SUB>b</SUB> is found to be broader, peaking near -5.2, with values as low as -7.5. This is the first time that such steep power-law spectra are reported in space plasma turbulence. These observations provide new constraints on theoretical modeling of kinetic turbulence and dissipation in collisionless magnetized plasmas. (10.1088/2041-8205/789/2/L28)
  DOI : 10.1088/2041-8205/789/2/L28
• Phase space structures in gyrokinetic simulations of plasma turbulence
  
  • Ghendrih Philippe
  • Norscini C.
  • Cartier-Michaud T.
  • Dif-Pradalier Guilhem
  • Abiteboul J.
  • Dong Yue
  • Garbet X.
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Hennequin Pascale
  • Grandgirard Virginie
  • Latu G.
  • Morel Pierre
  • Sarazin Y.
  • Storelli A.
  • Vermare Laure
  The European Physical Journal D : Atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics, EDP Sciences, 2014, 68 (10), pp.303. Gyrokinetic simulations of fusion plasmas give extensive information in 5D on turbulence and transport. This paper highlights a few of these challenging physics in global, flux driven simulations using experimental inputs from Tore Supra shot TS45511. The electrostatic gyrokinetic code GYSELA is used for these simulations. The 3D structure of avalanches indicates that these structures propagate radially at localised toroidal angles and then expand along the field line at sound speed to form the filaments. Analysing the poloidal mode structure of the potential fluctuations (at a given toroidal location), one finds that the low modes m = 0 and m = 1 exhibit a global structure; the magnitude of the m = 0 mode is much larger than that of the m = 1 mode. The shear layers of the corrugation structures are thus found to be dominated by the m = 0 contribution, that are comparable to that of the zonal flows. This global mode seems to localise the m = 2 mode but has little effect on the localisation of the higher mode numbers. However when analysing the pulsation of the latter modes one finds that all modes exhibit a similar phase velocity, comparable to the local zonal flow velocity. The consequent dispersion like relation between the modes pulsation and the mode numbers provides a means to measure the zonal flow. Temperature fluctuations and the turbulent heat flux are localised between the corrugation structures. Temperature fluctuations are found to exhibit two scales, small fluctuations that are localised by the corrugation shear layers, and appear to bounce back and forth radially, and large fluctuations, also readily observed on the flux, which are associated to the disruption of the corrugations. The radial ballistic velocity of both avalanche events if of the order of 0.5&#961;&#8727;c0 where &#961;&#8727; = &#961;0/a, a being the tokamak minor radius and &#961;0 being the characteristic Larmor radius, &#961;0 = c0/&#937;0. c0 is the reference ion thermal velocity and &#937;0 = qiB0/mi the reference ion Larmor frequency for the characteristic amplitude of the magnetic field B0, qi and mi being, respectively, the ion charge and mass. The electric drift velocity is also found to exhibit a poloidal pattern, with maximum amplitude of the fluctuations either in the top or in the bottom regions of the machine depending on the sign of the zonal flow shear. This effect is found to be correlated to the stopping capability of the corrugation structures. The neoclassical properties stemming from the trapped particle drifts lead to large distortion of the distribution function. As expected, these prevail at the outer part of the simulation region despite the large collisionality. The distribution function fluctuations appear to be aligned along the v&#8741; = const. lines at constant poloidal angle. A specific symmetry is observed regarding the interplay of turbulence with the trapped-passing region. (10.1140/epjd/e2014-50210-8)
  DOI : 10.1140/epjd/e2014-50210-8
• Global (volume-averaged) model of inductively coupled chlorine plasma: Influence of Cl wall recombination and external heating on continuous and pulse-modulated plasmas
  
  • Kemaneci Efe
  • Carbone Emile
  • Booth Jean-Paul
  • Graef Wouter
  • van Dijk Jan
  • Kroesen G.
  Plasma Sources Science and Technology, IOP Publishing, 2014, 23 (4), pp.045002. An inductively coupled radio-frequency plasma in chlorine is investigated via a global (volume-averaged) model, both in continuous and square wave modulated power input modes. After the power is switched off (in a pulsed mode) an ion?ion plasma appears. In order to model this phenomenon, a novel quasi-neutrality implementation is proposed. Several distinct Cl wall recombination probability measurements exist in the literature, and their effect on the simulation data is compared. We also investigated the effect of the gas temperature that was imposed over the range 300?1500 K, not calculated self-consistently. Comparison with published experimental data from several sources for both continuous and pulsed modes shows good agreement with the simulation results. (10.1088/0963-0252/23/4/045002)
  DOI : 10.1088/0963-0252/23/4/045002
• Modelling of JET hybrid scenarios with GLF23 transport model: E x B shear stabilization of anomalous transport
  
  • Voitsekhovitch I.
  • Belo P.
  • Citrin Jonathan
  • Fable E.
  • Ferreira Jorge
  • Garcia J.
  • Garzotti L.
  • Hobirk J.
  • Hogeweij G.M.D.
  • Joffrin E.
  • Koechl F.
  • Litaudon X.
  • Moradi S.
  • Nabais F.
  • Jet-Efda Contributors
  • Eu-Itm Iter Scenario Modelling Grp
  Nuclear Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2014, 54 (9). The E x B shear stabilization of anomalous transport in JET hybrid discharges is studied via self-consistent predictive modelling of electron and ion temperature, ion density and toroidal rotation velocity performed with the GLF23 model. The E x B shear stabilization factor (parameter alpha E in the GLF23 model) is adjusted to predict accurately the four simulated quantities under different experimental conditions, and the uncertainty in aE determined by 15% deviation between simulated and measured quantities is estimated. A correlation of aE with toroidal rotation velocity and E x B shearing rate is found in the low density plasmas, suggesting that the turbulence quench rule may be more complicated than assumed in the GLF23 model with constant alpha(E). For the selected discharges the best predictive accuracy is obtained by using weak/no E x B shear stabilization (i.e. alpha(E) approximate to 0) at low toroidal angular frequency (Omega < 60 krad s(-1)), even in the scenarios with the current overshoot, and alpha(E) = 0.9 at high frequency (Omega > 100 krad s(-1)). Interestingly, a weak E x B shear stabilization of anomalous transport is found in the medium density strongly rotating discharge. An importance of linear beta(e) stabilization in this discharge is estimated and compared to the low density discharge with equally high beta(e). The toroidal rotation velocity is well predicted here by assuming that the momentum diffusion coefficient is a fraction of thermal ion diffusivity. Taking into account the alpha(E) and Prandtl number with their uncertainties determined in the modelling of JET hybrid discharges, the performance of ITER hybrid scenario with optimized heat mix (33 MW of NBI and 20 MW of ECCD) is estimated showing the importance of toroidal rotation for achieving Q > 5. (10.1088/0029-5515/54/9/093006)
  DOI : 10.1088/0029-5515/54/9/093006
• Wave number determination of Pc 1-2 mantle waves considering He++ ions: A Cluster study
  
  • Grison B.
  • Escoubet C. Philippe
  • Santolík O.
  • Cornilleau-Wehrlin Nicole
  • Khotyaintsev Y. V.
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014, 119 (9), pp.7601-7614. The present case study concerns narrowband electromagnetic emission detected in the distant cusp region simultaneously with upgoing plasma flows. The wave properties match the usual properties of the Pc 12 mantle waves: small angle between the wave vector and the magnetic field line, left-hand polarization, and propagation toward the ionosphere. We report here the first direct wave vector measurement of these waves (about 1.2&#8201;×&#8201;10&#8722;&#8201;2&#8201;rad/km) through multi spacecraft analysis using the three magnetic components and, at the same time, through single spacecraft analysis based on the refractive index analysis using the three magnetic components and two electric components. The refractive index analysis offers a simple way to estimate wave numbers in this frequency range. Numerical calculations are performed under the observed plasma conditions. The obtained results show that the ion distribution functions are unstable to ion cyclotron instability at the observed wave vector value, due to the large ion temperature anisotropy. We thus show that these electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are amplified in the distant cusp region. The Poynting flux of the waves is counterstreaming with respect to the plasma flow. This sense of propagation is consistent with the time necessary to amplify the emissions to the observed level. We point out the role of the wave damping at the He gyrofrequency to explain that such waves cannot be observed from the ground at the cusp foot print location. (10.1002/2013JA019719)
  DOI : 10.1002/2013JA019719
• The quasi-electrostatic mode of chorus waves and electron nonlinear acceleration
  
  • Agapitov O. V.
  • Artemyev A.V.
  • Mourenas D
  • Krasnoselskikh V
  • Bonnell J
  • Le Contel Olivier
  • Cully C. M.
  • Angelopoulos V
  Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2014, 119, pp.1606-1626. Selected Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms observations at medium latitudes of highly oblique and high-amplitude chorus waves are presented and analyzed. The presence of such very intense waves is expected to have important consequences on electron energization in the magnetosphere. An analytical model is therefore developed to evaluate the efficiency of the trapping and acceleration of energetic electrons via Landau resonance with such nearly electrostatic chorus waves. Test-particle simulations are then performed to illustrate the conclusions derived from the analytical model, using parameter values consistent with observations. It is shown that the energy gain can be much larger than the initial particle energy for 10 keV electrons, and it is further demonstrated that this energy gain is weakly dependent on the density variation along field lines. (10.1002/2013JA019223)
  DOI : 10.1002/2013JA019223
• A Kolmogorov-like exact relation for compressible polytropic turbulence
  
  • Banerjee Supratik
  • Galtier Sébastien
  Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2014, 742, pp.230-242. Compressible hydrodynamic turbulence is studied under the assumption of a polytropic closure. Following Kolmogorov, we derive an exact relation for some two-point correlation functions in the asymptotic limit of a high Reynolds number. (10.1017/jfm.2013.657)
  DOI : 10.1017/jfm.2013.657
• Plasma-catalyst coupling for volatile organic compound removal and indoor air treatment: a review
  
  • Thévenet Frédéric
  • Sivachandiran Loganathan
  • Guaitella Olivier
  • Barakat Christelle
  • Rousseau Antoine
  Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, IOP Publishing, 2014, 47 (22), pp.224011. The first part of the review summarizes the problem of air pollution and related air-cleaning technologies. Volatile organic compounds in particular have various effects on health and their abatement is a key issue. Different ways to couple non-thermal plasmas with catalytic or adsorbing materials are listed. In particular, a comparison between in-plasma and post-plasma coupling is made. Studies dealing with plasma-induced heterogeneous reactivity are analysed, as well as the possible modifications of the catalyst surface under plasma exposure. As an alternative to the conventional and widely studied plasmacatalyst coupling, a sequential approach has been recently proposed whereby pollutants are first adsorbed onto the material, then oxidized by switching on the plasma. Such a sequential approach is reviewed in detail. (10.1088/0022-3727/47/22/224011)
  DOI : 10.1088/0022-3727/47/22/224011
• On the electron diffusion region in planar, asymmetric, systems
  
  • Hesse Michael
  • Aunai Nicolas
  • Sibeck David G.
  • Birn Joachim
  Geophysical Research Letters, American Geophysical Union, 2014, 41, pp.8673-8680. Particle-in-cell simulations and analytical theory are employed to study the electron diffusion region in asymmetric reconnection, which is taking place in planar configurations without a guide field. The analysis presented here focuses on the nature of the local reconnection electric field and on differences from symmetric configurations. Further emphasis is on the complex structure of the electron distribution in the diffusion region, which is generated by the mixing of particles from different sources. We find that the electric field component that is directly responsible for flux transport is provided not by electron pressure-based, "quasi-viscous," terms but by inertial terms. The quasi-viscous component is shown to be critical in that it is necessary to sustain the required overall electric field pattern in the immediate neighborhood of the reconnection X line. (10.1002/2014GL061586)
  DOI : 10.1002/2014GL061586
• Coherent structures in ion temperature gradient turbulence-zonal flow
  
  • Singh Rameswar
  • Singh R.
  • Kaw P.
  • Gürcan Özgür D.
  • Diamond P.H.
  Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2014, 21 (10), pp.102306. Nonlinear stationary structure formation in the coupled ion temperature gradient (ITG)-zonal flow system is investigated. The ITG turbulence is described by a wave-kinetic equation for the action density of the ITG mode, and the longer scale zonal mode is described by a dynamic equation for the m&#8201;=&#8201;n&#8201;=&#8201;0 component of the potential. Two populations of trapped and untrapped drift wave trajectories are shown to exist in a moving frame of reference. This novel effect leads to the formation of nonlinear stationary structures. It is shown that the ITG turbulence can self-consistently sustain coherent, radially propagating modulation envelope structures such as solitons, shocks, and nonlinear wave trains. (10.1063/1.4898207)
  DOI : 10.1063/1.4898207