The neutrino emission due to plasmon decay and neutrino luminosity of white dwarfs

One of the effective mechanisms of neutrino energy losses in red giants, presupernovae and in the cores of white dwarfs is the emission of neutrino-antineutrino pairs in the process of plasmon decay. In this paper, we numerically calculate the emissivity due to plasmon decay in a wide range of temperatures (10^7-10^11) K and densities (200-10^14) g cm^-3. Numerical results are approximated by convenient analytical expressions. We also calculate and approximate by analytical expressions the neutrino luminosity of white dwarfs due to plasmon decay, as a function of their mass and internal temperature. This neutrino luminosity depends on the chemical composition of white dwarfs only through the parameter mu_e (the net number of baryons per electron) and is the dominant neutrino luminosity in all white dwarfs at the neutrino cooling stage.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Spatial and Wavenumber Resolution of Doppler Reflectometry

Doppler reflectometry spatial and wavenumber resolution is analyzed within the framework of the linear Born approximation in slab plasma model. Explicit expression for its signal backscattering spectrum is obtained in terms of wavenumber and frequency spectra of turbulence which is assumed to be radially statistically inhomogeneous. Scattering efficiency for both back and forward scattering (in radial direction) is introduced and shown to be inverse proportional to the square of radial wavenumber of the probing wave at the fluctuation location thus making the spatial resolution of diagnostics sensitive to density profile. It is shown that in case of forward scattering additional localization can be provided by the antenna diagram. It is demonstrated that in case of backscattering the spatial resolution can be better if the turbulence spectrum at high radial wavenumbers is suppressed. The improvement of Doppler reflectometry data localization by probing beam focusing onto the cut-off is proposed and described. The possibility of Doppler reflectometry data interpretation based on the obtained expressions is shown.Comment: http://stacks.iop.org/0741-3335/46/114