1,520 research outputs found
Comparison between measured and predicted turbulence frequency spectra in ITG and TEM regimes
The observation of distinct peaks in tokamak core reflectometry measurements
- named quasi-coherent-modes (QCMs) - are identified as a signature of
Trapped-Electron-Mode (TEM) turbulence [H. Arnichand et al. 2016 Plasma Phys.
Control. Fusion 58 014037]. This phenomenon is investigated with detailed
linear and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations using the \gene code. A Tore-Supra
density scan is studied, which traverses through a Linear (LOC) to Saturated
(SOC) Ohmic Confinement transition. The LOC and SOC phases are both simulated
separately. In the LOC phase, where QCMs are observed, TEMs are robustly
predicted unstable in linear studies. In the later SOC phase, where QCMs are no
longer observed, ITG modes are identified. In nonlinear simulations, in the ITG
(SOC) phase, a broadband spectrum is seen. In the TEM (LOC) phase, a clear
emergence of a peak at the TEM frequencies is seen. This is due to reduced
nonlinear frequency broadening of the underlying linear modes in the TEM regime
compared with the ITG regime. A synthetic diagnostic of the nonlinearly
simulated frequency spectra reproduces the features observed in the
reflectometry measurements. These results support the identification of core
QCMs as an experimental marker for TEM turbulenc
Nonlinear mode coupling and energetics of driven magnetized shear-flow turbulence
To comprehensively understand saturation of two-dimensional (D) magnetized
Kelvin-Helmholtz-instability-driven turbulence, energy transfer analysis is
extended from the traditional interaction between scales to include eigenmode
interactions, by using the nonlinear couplings of linear eigenmodes of the
ideal instability. While both kinetic and magnetic energies cascade to small
scales, a significant fraction of turbulent energy deposited by unstable modes
in the fluctuation spectrum is shown to be re-routed to the conjugate-stable
modes at the instability scale. They remove energy from the forward cascade at
its inception. The remaining cascading energy flux is shown to attenuate
exponentially at a small scale, dictated by the large-scale stable modes.
Guided by a widely used instability-saturation assumption, a general
quasilinear model of instability is tested by retaining all nonlinear
interactions except those that couple to the large-scale stable modes. These
complex interactions are analytically removed from the magnetohydrodynamic
equations using a novel technique. Observations are: an explosive large-scale
vortex separation instead of the well-known merger of D, a dramatic
enhancement in turbulence level and spectral energy fluxes, and a reduced
small-scale dissipation length-scale. These show critical role of the stable
modes in instability saturation. Possible reduced-order turbulence models are
proposed for fusion and astrophysical plasmas, based on eigenmode-expanded
energy transfer analyses.Comment: Selected by the editors of Physics of Plasmas as a Featured article.
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.015656
Enhanced transport at high plasma and sub-threshold kinetic ballooning modes in Wendelstein 7-X
The effect of plasma pressure on ion-temperature-gradient-driven
(ITG) turbulence is studied in the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator, showing
that subdominant kinetic ballooning modes (KBMs) are unstable well below the
ideal MHD threshold and get strongly excited in the quasi-stationary state. By
zonal-flow erosion, these highly non-ideal KBMs affect ITG saturation and
thereby enable higher heat fluxes. Controlling these KBMs will be essential in
order to allow W7-X and future stellarators to achieve maximum performance.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Evidence for proton acceleration up to TeV energies based on VERITAS and Fermi-LAT observations of the Cas A SNR
We present a study of -ray emission from the core-collapse supernova
remnant Cas~A in the energy range from 0.1GeV to 10TeV. We used 65 hours of
VERITAS data to cover 200 GeV - 10 TeV, and 10.8 years of \textit{Fermi}-LAT
data to cover 0.1-500 GeV. The spectral analysis of \textit{Fermi}-LAT data
shows a significant spectral curvature around GeV that is
consistent with the expected spectrum from pion decay. Above this energy, the
joint spectrum from \textit{Fermi}-LAT and VERITAS deviates significantly from
a simple power-law, and is best described by a power-law with spectral index of
with a cut-off energy of TeV. These
results, along with radio, X-ray and -ray data, are interpreted in the
context of leptonic and hadronic models. Assuming a one-zone model, we exclude
a purely leptonic scenario and conclude that proton acceleration up to at least
6 TeV is required to explain the observed -ray spectrum. From modeling
of the entire multi-wavelength spectrum, a minimum magnetic field inside the
remnant of is deduced.Comment: 33 pages, 9 Figures, 6 Table
Discovery of Very High Energy Gamma Rays from 1ES 1440+122
The BL Lacertae object 1ES 1440+122 was observed in the energy range from 85
GeV to 30 TeV by the VERITAS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes.
The observations, taken between 2008 May and 2010 June and totalling 53 hours,
resulted in the discovery of -ray emission from the blazar, which has a
redshift =0.163. 1ES 1440+122 is detected at a statistical significance of
5.5 standard deviations above the background with an integral flux of
(2.8) 10
cm s (1.2\% of the Crab Nebula's flux) above 200 GeV. The
measured spectrum is described well by a power law from 0.2 TeV to 1.3 TeV with
a photon index of 3.1 0.4 0.2.
Quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope
(0.3--300 GeV) and the Swift X-ray Telescope (0.2--10 keV) are additionally
used to model the properties of the emission region. A synchrotron self-Compton
model produces a good representation of the multi-wavelength data. Adding an
external-Compton or a hadronic component also adequately describes the data.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Very-high-energy observations of the binaries V 404 Cyg and 4U 0115+634 during giant X-ray outbursts
Transient X-ray binaries produce major outbursts in which the X-ray flux can
increase over the quiescent level by factors as large as . The low-mass
X-ray binary V 404 Cyg and the high-mass system 4U 0115+634 underwent such
major outbursts in June and October 2015, respectively. We present here
observations at energies above hundreds of GeV with the VERITAS observatory
taken during some of the brightest X-ray activity ever observed from these
systems. No gamma-ray emission has been detected by VERITAS in 2.5 hours of
observations of the microquasar V 404 Cyg from 2015, June 20-21. The upper flux
limits derived from these observations on the gamma-ray flux above 200 GeV of F
cm s correspond to a tiny fraction (about
) of the Eddington luminosity of the system, in stark contrast to that
seen in the X-ray band. No gamma rays have been detected during observations of
4U 0115+634 in the period of major X-ray activity in October 2015. The flux
upper limit derived from our observations is F cm
s for gamma rays above 300 GeV, setting an upper limit on the ratio of
gamma-ray to X-ray luminosity of less than 4%.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Gamma-ray observations of Tycho's SNR with VERITAS and Fermi
High-energy gamma-ray emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) has provided a
unique perspective for studies of Galactic cosmic-ray acceleration. Tycho's SNR
is a particularly good target because it is a young, type Ia SNR that is
well-studied over a wide range of energies and located in a relatively clean
environment. Since the detection of gamma-ray emission from Tycho's SNR by
VERITAS and Fermi-LAT, there have been several theoretical models proposed to
explain its broadband emission and high-energy morphology. We report on an
update to the gamma-ray measurements of Tycho's SNR with 147 hours of VERITAS
and 84 months of Fermi-LAT observations, which represents about a factor of two
increase in exposure over previously published data. About half of the VERITAS
data benefited from a camera upgrade, which has made it possible to extend the
TeV measurements toward lower energies. The TeV spectral index measured by
VERITAS is consistent with previous results, but the expanded energy range
softens a straight power-law fit. At energies higher than 400 GeV, the
power-law index is . It
is also softer than the spectral index in the GeV energy range, , measured by this study using
Fermi--LAT data. The centroid position of the gamma-ray emission is coincident
with the center of the remnant, as well as with the centroid measurement of
Fermi--LAT above 1 GeV. The results are consistent with an SNR shell origin of
the emission, as many models assume. The updated spectrum points to a lower
maximum particle energy than has been suggested previously.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
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