1,393 research outputs found
Particle-in-cell simulation of a mildly relativistic collision of an electron-ion plasma carrying a quasi-parallel magnetic field: Electron acceleration and magnetic field amplification at supernova shocks
Plasma processes close to SNR shocks result in the amplification of magnetic
fields and in the acceleration of electrons, injecting them into the diffusive
acceleration mechanism. The acceleration of electrons and the B field
amplification by the collision of two plasma clouds, each consisting of
electrons and ions, at a speed of 0.5c is investigated. A quasi-parallel
guiding magnetic field, a cloud density ratio of 10 and a plasma temperature of
25 keV are considered. A quasi-planar shock forms at the front of the dense
plasma cloud. It is mediated by a circularly left-hand polarized
electromagnetic wave with an electric field component along the guiding
magnetic field. Its propagation direction is close to that of the guiding field
and orthogonal to the collision boundary. It has a low frequency and a
wavelength that equals several times the ion inertial length, which would be
indicative of a dispersive Alfven wave close to the ion cyclotron resonance
frequency of the left-handed mode (ion whistler), provided that the frequency
is appropriate. However, it moves with the super-alfvenic plasma collision
speed, suggesting that it is an Alfven precursor or a nonlinear MHD wave such
as a Short Large-Amplitude Magnetic Structure (SLAMS). The growth of the
magnetic amplitude of this wave to values well in excess of those of the
quasi-parallel guiding field and of the filamentation modes results in a
quasi-perpendicular shock. We present evidence for the instability of this mode
to a four wave interaction. The waves developing upstream of the dense cloud
give rise to electron acceleration ahead of the collision boundary. Energy
equipartition between the ions and the electrons is established at the shock
and the electrons are accelerated to relativistic speeds.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for publication by Astron & Astrophy
The filamentation instability driven by warm electron beams: Statistics and electric field generation
The filamentation instability of counterpropagating symmetric beams of
electrons is examined with 1D and 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which
are oriented orthogonally to the beam velocity vector. The beams are uniform,
warm and their relative speed is mildly relativistic. The dynamics of the
filaments is examined in 2D and it is confirmed that their characteristic size
increases linearly in time. Currents orthogonal to the beam velocity vector are
driven through the magnetic and electric fields in the simulation plane. The
fields are tied to the filament boundaries and the scale size of the
flow-aligned and the perpendicular currents are thus equal. It is confirmed
that the electrostatic and the magnetic forces are equally important, when the
filamentation instability saturates in 1D. Their balance is apparently the
saturation mechanism of the filamentation instability for our initial
conditions. The electric force is relatively weaker but not negligible in the
2D simulation, where the electron temperature is set higher to reduce the
computational cost. The magnetic pressure gradient is the principal source of
the electrostatic field, when and after the instability saturates in the 1D
simulation and in the 2D simulation.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted by the Plasma Physics and Controlled
Fusion (Special Issue EPS 2009
Novel sound absorption materials produced from air laid non-woven feather fibres
This research has investigated the use of feather fibres to produce sound absorption materials as an alternative to the oil derived synthetic plastics that currently dominate the sound absorption materials market. In this paper we show that clean and disinfected waste feathers from the poultry industry can be processed into fibres and air laid using commercial pilot plant facilities to form non-woven feather fibre composite mats. By varying the composition and processing conditions, materials with a range of different properties such as thickness and density were produced. The sound absorption coefficients of samples was determined using the impedance tube method (BS EN ISO 10534-2: 1998), using normal incidence sound between 80 and 1,600 Hz. The data reported shows that air laid non-woven feather fibre mats have improved sound absorption coefficients compared to other natural materials used for sound absorption for a given thickness, particularly in the problematic low frequency range between 250 to 800 Hz. We conclude that air laid non-woven feather fibres have high potential to be used as effective and sustainable sound absorption materials in aerospace, automotive, buildings, infrastructure and other applications where sound absorption is required
Particle acceleration close to the supermassive black hole horizon: the case of M87
The radio galaxy M87 has recently been found to be a rapidly variable TeV
emitting source. We analyze the implications of the observed TeV
characteristics and show that it proves challenging to account for them within
conventional acceleration and emission models. We discuss a new pulsar-type
scenario for the origin of variable, very high energy (VHE) emission close to
the central supermassive black hole and show that magneto-centrifugally
accelerated electrons could efficiently Compton upscatter sub-mm ADAF disk
photons to the TeV regime, leading to VHE characteristics close to the observed
ones. This suggests, conversely, that VHE observations of highly under-luminous
AGNs could provide an important diagnostic tool for probing the conditions
prevalent in the inner accretion disk of these sources.Comment: 5 pages, one figure (typos corrected); based on presentation at "High
Energy Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows", Dublin, Sept. 2007; accepted for
publication in International Journal of Modern Physics
A relativistic partially electromagnetic planar plasma shock
We model relativistically colliding plasma by PIC simulations in one and two
spatial dimensions, taking an ion-to-electron mass ratio of 400. Energy
dissipation by a wave precursor of mixed polarity and different densities of
the colliding plasma slabs results in a relativistic forward shock forming on
millisecond timescales. The forward shock accelerates electrons to
ultrarelativistic energies and reflects upstream ions, which drag the electrons
along to preserve the plasma quasi-neutrality. No reverse shock forms. The
shock may be representative for internal gamma ray burst shocks
Magnetic field amplification and electron acceleration to near-energy equipartition with ions by a mildly relativistic quasi-parallel plasma protoshock
The prompt emissions of gamma-ray bursts are seeded by radiating
ultrarelativistic electrons. Internal shocks propagating through a jet launched
by a stellar implosion, are expected to amplify the magnetic field & accelerate
electrons. We explore the effects of density asymmetry & a quasi-parallel
magnetic field on the collision of plasma clouds. A 2D relativistic PIC
simulation models the collision of two plasma clouds, in the presence of a
quasi-parallel magnetic field. The cloud density ratio is 10. The densities of
ions & electrons & the temperature of 131 keV are equal in each cloud. The mass
ratio is 250. The peak Lorentz factor of the electrons is determined, along
with the orientation & strength of the magnetic field at the cloud collision
boundary. The magnetic field component orthogonal to the initial plasma flow
direction is amplified to values that exceed those expected from shock
compression by over an order of magnitude. The forming shock is
quasi-perpendicular due to this amplification, caused by a current sheet which
develops in response to the differing deflection of the incoming upstream
electrons & ions. The electron deflection implies a charge separation of the
upstream electrons & ions; the resulting electric field drags the electrons
through the magnetic field, whereupon they acquire a relativistic mass
comparable to the ions. We demonstrate how a magnetic field structure
resembling the cross section of a flux tube grows in the current sheet of the
shock transition layer. Plasma filamentation develops, as well as signatures of
orthogonal magnetic field striping. Localized magnetic bubbles form. Energy
equipartition between the ion, electron & magnetic energy is obtained at the
shock transition layer. The electronic radiation can provide a seed photon
population that can be energized by secondary processes (e.g. inverse Compton).Comment: 12 pages, 15 Figures, accepted to A&
Two-dimensional PIC simulations of ion-beam instabilities in Supernova-driven plasma flows
Supernova remnant (SNR) blast shells can reach the flow speed
and shocks form at its front. Instabilities driven by shock-reflected ion beams
heat the plasma in the foreshock, which may inject particles into diffusive
acceleration. The ion beams can have the speed . For the Buneman or upper-hybrid instabilities dominate, while for the filamentation and mixed modes grow faster. Here the relevant waves for
are examined and how they interact nonlinearly with the
particles. The collision of two plasma clouds at the speed is modelled
with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations, which convect with them magnetic
fields oriented perpendicular to their flow velocity vector. One simulation
models equally dense clouds and the other one uses a density ratio of 2. Both
simulations show upper-hybrid waves that are planar over large spatial
intervals and that accelerate electrons to 10 keV. The symmetric
collision yields only short oscillatory wave pulses, while the asymmetric
collision also produces large-scale electric fields, probably through a
magnetic pressure gradient. The large-scale fields destroy the electron phase
space holes and they accelerate the ions, which facilitates the formation of a
precursor shock.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Plasma Physics and
Controlled Fusio
Novel sound absorption materials from air laid non woven feather fibres
This research has investigated the use of feather fibres to produce sound absorption materials as an alternative to the oil derived synthetic plastics that currently dominate the sound absorption materials market. In this paper we show that clean and disinfected waste feathers from the poultry industry can be processed into fibres and air laid using commercial pilot plant facilities to form non-woven feather fibre composite mats. By varying the composition and processing conditions, materials with a range of different properties such as thickness and density were produced. The sound absorption coefficients of samples was determined using the impedance tube method (BS EN ISO 10534-2: 1998), using normal incidence sound between 80 and 1,600 Hz. The data reported shows that air laid non-woven feather fibre mats have improved sound absorption coefficients compared to other natural materials used for sound absorption for a given thickness, particularly in the problematic low frequency range between 250 to 800 Hz. We conclude that air laid non-woven feather fibres have high potential to be used as effective and sustainable sound absorption materials in aerospace, automotive, buildings, infrastructure and other applications where sound absorption is required
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