2,559 research outputs found
Saturn's aurora in the January 2004 events
International audienceDifferences in the solar wind interaction with the magnetosphere of Saturn relative to the Earth result from the decrease in the solar wind plasma density and magnetic field strength with distance from the Sun, and from the change in the average angle of the IMF at Saturn's orbit. Other reasons are related to Saturn's rapid rotation and internal magnetospheric plasma sources. Moreover, the IMF structure observed by Cassini in 2003?2004 during the approach to Saturn is consistent with corotating interaction regions (CIRs) existing during the declining phase of the solar cycle. Two cases on 16 and 26 January 2004 are considered when disturbances in the solar wind passed Cassini and then Saturn. After the solar wind shock encountered the kronian magnetosphere, the auroral oval became brighter (especially at dawn) with a reduced radius. In these cases the auroral power was anti-correlated with the radius of the oval. Possible mechanisms responsible for such unexpected behavior are presented and discussed in detail
Multiscale Gyrokinetics for Rotating Tokamak Plasmas: Fluctuations, Transport and Energy Flows
This paper presents a complete theoretical framework for plasma turbulence
and transport in tokamak plasmas. The fundamental scale separations present in
plasma turbulence are codified as an asymptotic expansion in the ratio of the
gyroradius to the equilibrium scale length. Proceeding order-by-order in this
expansion, a framework for plasma turbulence is developed. It comprises an
instantaneous equilibrium, the fluctuations driven by gradients in the
equilibrium quantities, and the transport-timescale evolution of mean profiles
of these quantities driven by the fluctuations. The equilibrium distribution
functions are local Maxwellians with each flux surface rotating toroidally as a
rigid body. The magnetic equillibrium is obtained from the Grad-Shafranov
equation for a rotating plasma and the slow (resistive) evolution of the
magnetic field is given by an evolution equation for the safety factor q.
Large-scale deviations of the distribution function from a Maxwellian are given
by neoclassical theory. The fluctuations are determined by the high-flow
gyrokinetic equation, from which we derive the governing principle for
gyrokinetic turbulence in tokamaks: the conservation and local cascade of free
energy. Transport equations for the evolution of the mean density, temperature
and flow velocity profiles are derived. These transport equations show how the
neoclassical corrections and the fluctuations act back upon the mean profiles
through fluxes and heating. The energy and entropy conservation laws for the
mean profiles are derived. Total energy is conserved and there is no net
turbulent heating. Entropy is produced by the action of fluxes flattening
gradients, Ohmic heating, and the equilibration of mean temperatures. Finally,
this framework is condensed, in the low-Mach-number limit, to a concise set of
equations suitable for numerical implementation.Comment: 113 pages, 3 figure
Zero-Turbulence Manifold in a Toroidal Plasma
Sheared toroidal flows can cause bifurcations to zero-turbulent-transport
states in tokamak plasmas. The maximum temperature gradients that can be
reached are limited by subcritical turbulence driven by the parallel velocity
gradient. Here it is shown that q/\epsilon (magnetic field pitch/inverse aspect
ratio) is a critical control parameter for sheared tokamak turbulence. By
reducing q/\epsilon, far higher temperature gradients can be achieved without
triggering turbulence, in some instances comparable to those found
experimentally in transport barriers. The zero-turbulence manifold is mapped
out, in the zero-magnetic-shear limit, over the parameter space (\gamma_E,
q/\epsilon, R/L_T), where \gamma_E is the perpendicular flow shear and R/L_T is
the normalised inverse temperature gradient scale. The extent to which it can
be constructed from linear theory is discussed.Comment: 5 Pages, 4 Figures, Submitted to PR
Transport Bifurcation in a Rotating Tokamak Plasma
The effect of flow shear on turbulent transport in tokamaks is studied
numerically in the experimentally relevant limit of zero magnetic shear. It is
found that the plasma is linearly stable for all non-zero flow shear values,
but that subcritical turbulence can be sustained nonlinearly at a wide range of
temperature gradients. Flow shear increases the nonlinear temperature gradient
threshold for turbulence but also increases the sensitivity of the heat flux to
changes in the temperature gradient, except over a small range near the
threshold where the sensitivity is decreased. A bifurcation in the equilibrium
gradients is found: for a given input of heat, it is possible, by varying the
applied torque, to trigger a transition to significantly higher temperature and
flow gradients.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
Suppression of turbulence and subcritical fluctuations in differentially rotating gyrokinetic plasmas
Differential rotation is known to suppress linear instabilities in fusion
plasmas. However, even in the absence of growing eigenmodes, subcritical
fluctuations that grow transiently can lead to sustained turbulence. Here
transient growth of electrostatic fluctuations driven by the parallel velocity
gradient (PVG) and the ion temperature gradient (ITG) in the presence of a
perpendicular ExB velocity shear is considered. The maximally simplified case
of zero magnetic shear is treated in the framework of a local shearing box.
There are no linearly growing eigenmodes, so all excitations are transient. The
maximal amplification factor of initial perturbations and the corresponding
wavenumbers are calculated as functions of q/\epsilon (=safety factor/aspect
ratio), temperature gradient and velocity shear. Analytical results are
corroborated and supplemented by linear gyrokinetic numerical tests. For
sufficiently low values of q/\epsilon (<7 in our model), regimes with fully
suppressed ion-scale turbulence are possible. For cases when turbulence is not
suppressed, an elementary heuristic theory of subcritical PVG turbulence
leading to a scaling of the associated ion heat flux with q, \epsilon, velocity
shear and temperature gradient is proposed; it is argued that the transport is
much less stiff than in the ITG regime.Comment: 36 pages in IOP latex style; 12 figures; submitted to PPC
Star formation in galaxies at z~4-5 from the SMUVS survey: a clear starburst/main-sequence bimodality for Halpha emitters on the SFR-M* plane
We study a large galaxy sample from the Spitzer Matching Survey of the
UltraVISTA ultra-deep Stripes (SMUVS) to search for sources with enhanced 3.6
micron fluxes indicative of strong Halpha emission at z=3.9-4.9. We find that
the percentage of "Halpha excess" sources reaches 37-40% for galaxies with
stellar masses log10(M*/Msun) ~ 9-10, and decreases to <20% at log10(M*/Msun) ~
10.7. At higher stellar masses, however, the trend reverses, although this is
likely due to AGN contamination. We derive star formation rates (SFR) and
specific SFR (sSFR) from the inferred Halpha equivalent widths (EW) of our
"Halpha excess" galaxies. We show, for the first time, that the "Halpha excess"
galaxies clearly have a bimodal distribution on the SFR-M* plane: they lie on
the main sequence of star formation (with log10(sSFR/yr^{-1})<-8.05) or in a
starburst cloud (with log10(sSFR/yr^{-1}) >-7.60). The latter contains ~15% of
all the objects in our sample and accounts for >50% of the cosmic SFR density
at z=3.9-4.9, for which we derive a robust lower limit of 0.066 Msun yr^{-1}
Mpc^{-3}. Finally, we identify an unusual >50sigma overdensity of z=3.9-4.9
galaxies within a 0.20 x 0.20 sq. arcmin region. We conclude that the SMUVS
unique combination of area and depth at mid-IR wavelengths provides an
unprecedented level of statistics and dynamic range which are fundamental to
reveal new aspects of galaxy evolution in the young Universe.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 1 table. Re-submitted to the ApJ, after
addressing referee report. Main changes with respect to v1: a new section and
a new appendix have been added to investigate further the origin and
robustness of the sSFR bimodality. No conclusion change
(3R,4R,5R)-5-(Acetamidomethyl)-N-benzyl-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydrofuran-3-carboxamide
X-ray crystallographic analysis with Cu Kα radiation established the relative configurations of the stereogenic centers in the title compound, C15H20N2O5, and clarified mechanistic ambiguities in the synthesis. The conformation of the five-membered ring approximates twisted, about a C—O bond. The absolute configuration of this carbon-branched dipeptide isostere was known based on the use of d-ribose as the starting material. Refinement of the Flack parameter gave an ambiguous result but the refined Hooft parameter is in agreement with the assumed (d-ribose) absolute structure. The crystal structure consists of N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonded bi-layers, with the terminal methyl and phenyl groups forming a hydrophobic inter-layer interface. Some weak C—H⋯O interactions are also present
Fast and slow two-fluid magnetic reconnection
We present a two-fluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model of quasi-stationary,
two-dimensional magnetic reconnection in an incompressible plasma composed of
electrons and ions. We find two distinct regimes of slow and fast reconnection.
The presence of these two regimes can provide a possible explanation for the
initial slow build up and subsequent rapid release of magnetic energy
frequently observed in cosmic and laboratory plasmas.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Recommended from our members
Eastward propagation of a plasma convection enhancement following a southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field
On October 27th 1984, high-latitude ionospheric convection was observed by the European incoherent scatter (EISCAT) radar. For a nine-hour period, simultaneous observations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) were obtained sunward of the Earth's bow shock. During this period, the IMF abruptly turned southward, having previously been predominantly northward for approximately three hours, and a strong enhancement in convection was observed 11 ± 1 minutes later. Using the very high time resolution of the EISCAT data, it is shown that the convection enhancement propagated eastward, around the afternoon magnetic local time sector, at a speed of the order of 1 kms−1. These results are interpreted in terms of the effects of an onset of steady IMF-geomagnetic field merging and are the first to show how a new pattern of enhanced convection is established in the high latitude ionosphere
Considering Fluctuation Energy as a Measure of Gyrokinetic Turbulence
In gyrokinetic theory there are two quadratic measures of fluctuation energy,
left invariant under nonlinear interactions, that constrain the turbulence. The
recent work of Plunk and Tatsuno [Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 165003 (2011)] reported
on the novel consequences that this constraint has on the direction and
locality of spectral energy transfer. This paper builds on that work. We
provide detailed analysis in support of the results of Plunk and Tatsuno but
also significantly broaden the scope and use additional methods to address the
problem of energy transfer. The perspective taken here is that the fluctuation
energies are not merely formal invariants of an idealized model
(two-dimensional gyrokinetics) but are general measures of gyrokinetic
turbulence, i.e. quantities that can be used to predict the behavior of the
turbulence. Though many open questions remain, this paper collects evidence in
favor of this perspective by demonstrating in several contexts that constrained
spectral energy transfer governs the dynamics.Comment: Final version as published. Some cosmetic changes and update of
reference
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