Spectroscopy peculiarities of thermal plasma of electric arc discharge between electrodes with Zn admixtures

Plasma of the free burning electric arc between Ag–SnO₂–ZnO composite electrodes as well as brass electrodes were investigated. The plasma temperature distributions were obtained by Boltzmann plot method involving Cu I, Ag I or Zn I spectral line emissions. The electron density distributions were obtained from the width and from absolute intensity of spectral lines. The laser absorption spectroscopy was used for measurement of copper atom concentration in plasma. Plasma equilibrium composition was calculated using two independent groups of experimental values (temperature and copper atom concentration, temperature and electron density). It was found that plasma of the free burning electric arc between brass electrodes is in local thermodynamical equilibrium. The experimental verification of the spectroscopic data of Zn I spectral lines was carried out.     

Experimental study on plasma jet deflection and energy extraction with MHD control

This paper presents an integrated research scheme for vector deflection and energy extraction in a gas plasma jet under Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) control. A MHD-controlled thrust-vector test rig was used to conduct the experimental research. A gas plasma was obtained by injecting ionization seeds of Cs₂CO₃ into the combustion chamber via artificially forced ionization. The effects of the gas temperature and ionization seed mass fraction on the plasma jet deflection and energy extraction were experimentally verified under an applied magnetic field. The experimental results were analyzed theoretically. The results showed that the deflection amplitude of the gas plasma jet and the extracted voltage signal intensity increased with increasing gas temperature and the ionization seed mass fraction. The extracted dynamic voltage signals proved that the ionization seeds of Cs₂CO₃ induced gas ionization at 1173 K. The experiment verified that it is feasible to simultaneously achieve jet deflection and extract energy under the action of an external magnetic field.     

预燃式等离子体射流点火器工作特性实验研究

为解决发动机点火包线小于飞行包线的实际问题,提供等离子体点火技术在航空发动机中的工程应用新思路,论文设计了一种预燃式等离子体射流点火器,实验研究了放电特性和射流特性。结果表明,预燃式等离子体射流点火器与空气等离子体射流点火器相比,在提升射流能量降低电源功率方面有着较大的优势,电流相同时通入甲烷在较大流量时可减小驱动电源功率,总流量为44L/min时,减幅可达14.99%;同时预燃式等离子体射流较空气等离子体射流稳定,且射流长度增加,扩大了点火面积,有利于点火。     

Modeling of ionospheric scintillation at low-latitude

The presence and movement of plasma density fluctuations in the F-region of the ionosphere are studied by monitoring phase and amplitude of radio waves propagating through the region. In this paper, we have used weak scattering theory and assumed the plasma density fluctuations to behave like phase changing diffraction screen. Appropriate relations for scintillation index S₄, and phase variance δ? are derived and computed for different parameters of the plasma density irregularities of the ionosphere. SROSS-C2 satellite in situ measurements of plasma density fluctuations, which provide direct information about the structure and morphology of irregularities that are responsible for scintillation of radio waves, were used first time to develop a scintillation model for low latitude. It is observed that the scintillation index S₄ and phase variance δ? depends on the strength of the plasma turbulence. Finally, the results obtained from modeling are compared and discussed with the available recent results.     

Structure and kinetic properties of slow-mode shocks associated with magnetic reconnection in the near-Earth magnetotail

We study the structure and kinetic properties of slow-mode shocks near the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) associated with magnetic reconnection by Cluster observation. The presence of slow-mode shocks is confirmed by traditional Rankine–Hugoniot (RH) analysis and Monte-Carlo shock fitting method. The Walén analysis, applied to the tailward flow associated with slow-mode shocks, also supports that plasma was accelerated across a Petschek-type slow-mode shock connected to the diffusion region. Back-streaming ions were observed on the shock layer, and cold ions were accelerated and heated by slow-mode shocks. In addition, whistler and electrostatic solitary waves were observed around the slow-mode shocks. These waves might be excited by the observed field-aligned electron beams near the shocks.     

The relationship between plasma effects and cosmic radiation studied with TriTel-LMP measurements during the ESEO mission

The main point of the paper is to use the simultaneous measurements of the energetic particle flux by TriTel and those of electron density by a Langmuir probe to study the question of to what extent solar electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation (galactic cosmic rays, particle precipitation from the radiation belts) are responsible for the ionization of the atmosphere. The electron density measured by the Langmuir probe is the sum of the ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation and that due to the corpuscular radiation. The ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation may be computed. The flux of energetic particles in an energy range may be determined by taking the difference between the threshold energy of the TriTel telescopes and the energy corresponding to the local cut-off rigidity. As the ESEO satellite will have a quasi-polar and circular orbit, the cut-off rigidity will change from low to high latitudes, thus enabling the assignment of different energy bands for the telescopes. Thus, it will be possible to determine which energy bands of particle produce ionization at different latitudes.     

Particle simulation of grid system for krypton ion thrusters

The transport processes of plasmas in grid systems of krypton (Kr) ion thrusters at different acceleration voltages were simulated with a 3D-PIC model, and the result was compared with xenon (Xe) ion thrusters. The variation of the screen grid transparency, the accelerator grid current ratio and the divergence loss were explored. It is found that the screen grid transparency increases with the acceleration voltage and decreases with the beam current, while the accelerator grid current ratio and divergence loss decrease first and then increase with the beam current. This result is the same with Xe ion thrusters. Simulation results also show that Kr ion thrusters have more advantages than Xe ion thrusters, such as higher screen grid transparency, smaller accelerator grid current ratio, larger cut-off current threshold, and better divergence loss characteristic. These advantages mean that Kr ion thrusters have the ability of operating in a wide range of current. Through comprehensive analyses, it can be concluded that using Kr as propellant is very suitable for a multi-mode ion thruster design.     

Implication of multiple dipolarization event near 9 RE for the physics of substorms

In 2001, 2002 and 2003, the Polar spacecraft probed the near equatorial plasma sheet at 9 R_E near local midnight. Using the magnetic field observations, the signatures at substorm onsets are studied. Close to the flux pile-up region, the Polar spacecraft readily detects the dipolarization front, especially for pseudo onsets. An event with two distinct onsets has been examined. The signatures are found to be consistent with the multiple-onset model suggested by Russell [Russell, C.T. How northward turnings of the IMF can lead to substorm expansion onsets. Geophys. Res. Lett. 27, 3257–3259, 2000] which is a modified Near-Earth Neutral Line (NENL) model. Another similar event is also examined showing the effects of different Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) conditions upon substorms. Moreover, ground effects can be very weak compared to in situ observations, especially for pseudo onsets, because these signatures appear to be localized and not global.     

Antiparticle content in the magnetosphere

In the present work we assess the stable and transient antiparticle content of planetary magnetospheres, and subsequently we consider their capture and application to high delta-v space propulsion. We estimate the total antiparticle mass contained within the Earth’s magnetosphere to assess the expediency of such usage. Using Earth’s magnetic field region as an example, we have considered the various source mechanisms that are applicable to a planetary magnetosphere, the confinement duration versus transport processes, and the antiparticle loss mechanisms. We have estimated the content of the trapped population of antiparticles magnetically confined following production in the exosphere due to nuclear interactions between high energy cosmic rays (CR) and constituents of the residual planetary upper atmosphere.The galactic antiprotons that directly penetrate into the Earth’s magnetosphere are themselves secondary by its nature, i.e. produced in nuclear reactions of the cosmic rays passing through the interstellar matter. These antiproton fluxes are modified, dependent on energy, when penetrating into the heliosphere and subsequently into planetary magnetospheres. During its lifetime in the Galaxy, CR pass through the small grammage of the interstellar matter where they produce secondary antiprotons. In contrast to this, antiprotons generated by the same CR in magnetosphere are locally produced at a path length of several tens g/cm² of matter in the ambient planetary upper atmosphere. Due to the latter process, the resulting magnetically confined fluxes significantly exceed the fluxes of the galactic antiprotons in the Earth’s vicinity by up to two orders of magnitude at some energies.The radiation belt antiparticles can possibly be extracted with an electromagnetic-based “scoop” device. The antiparticles could be concentrated by and then stored within the superimposed magnetic field structure of such a device. In future developments, it is anticipated that the energy of the captured antiparticles (both rest energy and kinetic energy) can be adapted for use as a fuel for propelling spacecraft to high velocities for remote solar system missions.