4,226 research outputs found
Spatially hybrid computations for streamer discharges: II. Fully 3D simulations
We recently have presented first physical predictions of a spatially hybrid
model that follows the evolution of a negative streamer discharge in full three
spatial dimensions; our spatially hybrid model couples a particle model in the
high field region ahead of the streamer with a fluid model in the streamer
interior where electron densities are high and fields are low. Therefore the
model is computationally efficient, while it also follows the dynamics of
single electrons including their possible run-away. Here we describe the
technical details of our computations, and present the next step in a
systematic development of the simulation code. First, new sets of transport
coefficients and reaction rates are obtained from particle swarm simulations in
air, nitrogen, oxygen and argon. These coefficients are implemented in an
extended fluid model to make the fluid approximation as consistent as possible
with the particle model, and to avoid discontinuities at the interface between
fluid and particle regions. Then two splitting methods are introduced and
compared for the location and motion of the fluid-particle-interface in three
spatial dimensions. Finally, we present first results of the 3D spatially
hybrid model for a negative streamer in air
Attosecond physics at the nanoscale
Recently two emerging areas of research, attosecond and nanoscale physics, have started to come together. Attosecond physics deals with phenomena occurring when ultrashort laser pulses, with duration on the femto- and sub-femtosecond time scales, interact with atoms, molecules or solids. The laser-induced electron dynamics occurs natively on a timescale down to a few hundred or even tens of attoseconds, which is comparable with the optical field. On the other hand, the second branch involves the manipulation and engineering of mesoscopic systems, such as solids, metals and dielectrics, with nanometric precision. Although nano-engineering is a vast and well-established research field on its own, the merger with intense laser physics is relatively recent. In this article we present a comprehensive experimental and theoretical overview of physics that takes place when short and intense laser pulses interact with nanosystems, such as metallic and dielectric nanostructures. In particular we elucidate how the spatially inhomogeneous laser induced fields at a nanometer scale modify the laser-driven electron dynamics. Consequently, this has important impact on pivotal processes such as ATI and HHG. The deep understanding of the coupled dynamics between these spatially inhomogeneous fields and matter configures a promising way to new avenues of research and applications. Thanks to the maturity that attosecond physics has reached, together with the tremendous advance in material engineering and manipulation techniques, the age of atto-nano physics has begun, but it is in the initial stage. We present thus some of the open questions, challenges and prospects for experimental confirmation of theoretical predictions, as well as experiments aimed at characterizing the induced fields and the unique electron dynamics initiated by them with high temporal and spatial resolution
Highly Excited Core Resonances in Photoionization of Fe XVII : Implications for Plasma Opacities
A comprehensive study of high-accuracy photoionization cross sections is
carried out using the relativistic Breit-Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method for (hnu
+ Fe XVII --> Fe XVIII + e). Owing to its importance in high-temperature
plasmas the calculations cover a large energy range, particularly the myriad
photoexciation-of-core (PEC) resonances including the n = 3 levels not
heretofore considered. The calculations employ a close coupling wave function
expansion of 60 levels of the core ion Fe XVIII ranging over a wide energy
range of nearly 900 eV between the n = 2 and n = 3 levels. Strong coupling
effects due to dipole transition arrays 2p^5 --> 2p^4 (3s,3d) manifest
themselves as large PEC resonances throughout this range, and enhance the
effective photoionization cross sections orders of magnitude above the
background. Comparisons with the erstwhile Opacity Project (OP) and other
previous calculations shows that the currently available cross sections
considerably underestimate the bound-free cross sections. A
level-identification scheme is used for spectroscopic designation of the 454
bound fine structure levels of Fe XVII. Level-specific photoionization cross
sections are computed for all levels. In addition, partial cross sections for
leaving the core ion Fe XVII in the ground state are also obtained. These
results should be relevant to modeling of astrophysical and laboratory plasma
sources requiring (i) photoionization rates, (ii) extensive
non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium models, (iii) total unified electron-ion
recombination rates including radiative and dielectronic recombination, and
(iv) plasma opacities. We particularly examine PEC and non-PEC resonance
strengths and emphasize their expanded role to incorporate inner-shell
excitations for improved opacities, as shown by the computed monochromatic
opacity of Fe XVII.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, Physical Review A (in press
A synoptic comparison of the MHD and the OPAL equations of state
A detailed comparison is carried out between two popular equations of state
(EOS), the Mihalas-Hummer-Dappen (MHD) and the OPAL equations of state, which
have found widespread use in solar and stellar modeling during the past two
decades. They are parts of two independent efforts to recalculate stellar
opacities; the international Opacity Project (OP) and the Livermore-based OPAL
project. We examine the difference between the two equations of state in a
broad sense, over the whole applicable rho-T range, and for three different
chemical mixtures. Such a global comparison highlights both their differences
and their similarities.
We find that omitting a questionable hard-sphere correction, tau, to the
Coulomb interaction in the MHD formulation, greatly improves the agreement
between the MHD and OPAL EOS. We also find signs of differences that could stem
from quantum effects not yet included in the MHD EOS, and differences in the
ionization zones that are probably caused by differences in the mechanisms for
pressure ionization. Our analysis do not only give a clearer perception of the
limitations of each equation of state for astrophysical applications, but also
serve as guidance for future work on the physical issues behind the
differences. The outcome should be an improvement of both equations of state.Comment: 33 pages, 26 figures. Corrected discussion of Basu & Antia, 2004,
ApJ, 606, L85-L8
Temperature dependence of binary and ternary recombination of H3+ ions with electron
We study binary and the recently discovered process of ternary He-assisted
recombination of H3+ ions with electrons in a low temperature afterglow plasma.
The experiments are carried out over a broad range of pressures and
temperatures of an afterglow plasma in a helium buffer gas. Binary and
He-assisted ternary recombination are observed and the corresponding
recombination rate coefficients are extracted for temperatures from 77 K to 330
K. We describe the observed ternary recombination as a two-step mechanism:
First, a rotationally-excited long-lived neutral molecule H3* is formed in
electron-H3+ collisions. Second, the H3* molecule collides with a helium atom
that leads to the formation of a very long-lived Rydberg state with high
orbital momentum. We present calculations of the lifetimes of H3* and of the
ternary recombination rate coefficients for para and ortho-H3+. The
calculations show a large difference between the ternary recombination rate
coefficients of ortho- and para-H3+ at temperatures below 300 K. The measured
binary and ternary rate coefficients are in reasonable agreement with the
calculated values.Comment: 15 page
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