Hasil untuk "Plasma physics. Ionized gases"

R. Kulsrud

In this book, a distinguished expert introduces plasma physics from the ground up, presenting it as a comprehensible field that can be grasped largely on the basis of physical intuition and qualitative reasoning, similar to other fields of physics. Plasmas are ionized gases that can be found in a hydrogen bomb explosion, the confinement chamber of an experimental fusion reactor, the solar corona, the aurora borealis, the interstellar medium, and the immediate vicinity of a gravitational black hole. Not surprisingly, plasma physics appears to consist of numerous topics arising independently from astrophysics, fusion physics, and other practical applications, and hence it remains a field poorly understood even by many astrophysicists. But, in fact, most of these topics can be approached from the same perspective, with a simple, physical intuition. Selecting simple examples and presenting them in a simultaneously intuitive and rigorous manner, Russell Kulsrud guides readers through a careful derivation of the results and allows them to think through the physics for themselves. Thus, they are better prepared for complex cases and more general results. The first eleven chapters present topics by their importance to plasma physics while the last three chapters emphasize the field's astrophysical applications, applying the results accrued earlier. Throughout, many problems illustrate the field's applications. Based on a course the author taught for many years, Plasma Physics for Astrophysics is intended for graduate students as well as for working astrophysicists.

Kenichi Yamazaki, Hiroyuki Yasui, Tsuyoshi Noguchi et al.

Atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (AP-PECVD) enables low-temperature coating in open air, yet the interplay between precursor activation and ambient-derived species remains unclear. Here, thin films from an amine precursor are deposited using a helium plasma and characterized by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). GC-MS indicates partial precursor conversion and formation of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing products, consistent with participation of ambient air and moisture. QCM identifies a limited precursor-concentration window in which mass increases monotonically during plasma exposure and remains constant after shutdown; outside this window, post-discharge mass loss occurs, indicating desorption of weakly bound species. XPS confirms carbon-rich films incorporating oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functionalities and complete substrate coverage at higher precursor concentrations.

Igor Kaganovich, Michael Tendler

Partially ionized plasma physics has attracted a lot of attention recently due to numerous technological applications made possible by the increased sophistication of computer modelling, the depth of the theoretical analysis, and the technological applications to a vast field of the manufacturing for computer components. The partially ionized plasma is characterized by a significant presence of neutral particles in contrast to fully ionized plasma. The theoretical analysis is based upon solutions of the kinetic Boltzmann equation yielding the non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function (EEDF) thereby emphasizing the difference with a fully ionized plasma. The impact of the effect on discharges in inert and molecular gases is described in detail yielding the complex nonlinear phenomena in plasma self-organization. A few examples of such phenomena are given including the non-monotonic EEDFs in the discharge afterglow in mixture of argon with the molecular gas NF3; the explosive generation of cold electron populations in capacitive discharges, hysteresis of EEDF in inductively coupled plasmas. Recently, highly advanced computer codes were developed in order to address the outstanding problems of plasma technology. These developments are briefly described in general terms.

I. Kaganovich, Michael Tendler

Partially ionized plasma physics has attracted increased attention recently due to numerous technological applications made possible by the increased sophistication of computer modelling, the depth of the theoretical analysis, and the technological applications to a vast field of manufacturing for computer components. Partially ionized plasma is characterized by a significant presence of neutral particles in contrast to the fully ionized plasma. The theoretical analysis is based upon solutions of the kinetic Boltzmann equation, yielding the non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution function (EEDF), thereby emphasizing the difference with a fully ionized plasma. The impact of the effect on discharges in inert and molecular gases is described in detail, yielding the complex nonlinear phenomena resulting in plasma selforganization. A few examples of such phenomena are given, including the non-monotonic EEDFs in the discharge afterglow in a mixture of argon with the molecular gas NF3; the explosive generation of cold electron populations in capacitive discharges, hysteresis of EEDF in inductively coupled plasmas. Recently, highly advanced computer codes were developed in order to address the outstanding challenges in plasma technology. These developments are briefly described in general terms.

Gianfranco Huaccho Zavala, Thomas Gheeraert, Thomas Gheeraert et al.

This work presents the further development and application of the multi-physics coupled code Serpent/subchanflow for analyzing cores loaded with fuel assembly designs characterized by complex geometries, such as the VVR-KN fuel assembly. A high-detail steady-state analysis of one VVR-KN fuel assembly is presented and discussed. The VVR-KN is a plate-type fuel assembly, arranged coaxially with hexagonal fuel-plate tubes. Its particular geometry layout configuration challenges both their neutronic and thermal-hydraulic modeling. In this work, the versatility of Serpent’s multi-physics interface is exploited by using the unstructured mesh-based interface to update the properties of the fuel and coolant materials in a coupled neutronic/thermal-hydraulic simulation; these properties are solved and provided by the thermal-hydraulic code Subchanflow. Both neutronic and thermal-hydraulic models are developed for a single fuel assembly of 6.83 cm distance pitch and 60 cm active height, and state conditions for the simulations are defined. Typical material composition and main thermal properties for the fuel-meat (UO2-Al) and aluminum cladding (SAV-1) materials are extracted from references. This work paves the way for multi-physics analysis of research reactors with non-regular plates or subchannel geometries.

Lian Farhadian, Samira Amiri Khoshkar Vandani, Hai-Feng Ji

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma provides a solvent-free and energy-efficient approach for the in situ polymerization of styrene on cotton textiles. Traditional methods for polystyrene (PS) coating often require elevated temperatures, chemical initiators, or organic solvents, conditions that are incompatible with porous, heat-sensitive substrates such as cotton. In this work, we demonstrate that DBD plasma can initiate and sustain styrene polymerization directly on cotton fibers under ambient conditions. FT-IR spectroscopy confirms the consumption of the vinyl C=C bond and the formation of atactic, amorphous polystyrene. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the cotton coated with DBD polymerized PS exhibits enhanced thermal stability compared to cotton coated with commercial PS. Additionally, UV aging tests confirm that the plasma-deposited coating maintains its hydrophobicity after exposure to light. Together, these findings highlight DBD plasma as a sustainable and effective approach for producing hydrophobic, thermally robust, and UV-stable textile coatings without the need for solvents, initiators, or harsh processing conditions.

Jean de Dieu Nibigira, Richard Marchand

Predicting the behaviour of the Earth’s ionosphere is crucial for the ground-based and spaceborne technologies that rely on it. This paper presents a novel way of inferring ionospheric electron density profiles and electron temperature profiles using machine learning. The analysis is based on the Nearest Neighbour (NNB) and Radial Basis Function (RBF) regression models. Synthetic data sets used to train and validate these two inference models are constructed using the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI 2020) model with randomly chosen years (1987–2022), months (1–12), days (1–31), latitudes (−60 to 60°), longitudes (0, 360°), and times (0–23 h), at altitudes ranging from 95 to 600 km. The NNB and RBF models use the constructed ionosonde-like profiles to infer complete ISR-like profiles. The results show that the inference of ionospheric electron density profiles is better with the NNB model than with the RBF model, while the RBF model is better at inferring the electron temperature profiles. A major and unexpected finding of this research is the ability of the two models to infer full electron temperature profiles that are not provided by ionosondes using the same truncated electron density data set used to infer electron density profiles. NNB and RBF models generally over- or underestimate the inferred electron density and electron temperature values, especially at higher altitudes, but they tend to produce good matches at lower altitudes. Additionally, maximum absolute relative errors for electron density and temperature inferences are found at higher altitudes for both NNB and RBF models.

Weihua Jiang

This review article is the third of a three-article introductory series on virtual cathode oscillators. The first article has laid the theoretical ground for understanding the physical properties of the virtual cathode, and the second article has provided a numerical tool for studying virtual cathode oscillation. This third article focuses on the interaction between the electron beam and electromagnetic field. The virtual cathode oscillator has been studied for decades with the aim of developing it as high-power microwave source. The beam-field interaction has been one of the core issues that always perplexes both experimentalists and theorists. Using the physical model established in the first article and the numerical method described in the second article, this article is an attempt to answer some of the key questions based on a more comprehensive description of the device and its interaction process. This article is expected to serve as a reference for young researchers and students working on high-power microwaves and pulsed particle beams.

Guillaume L. Giudicelli, Guillaume L. Giudicelli, Fande Kong et al.

High fidelity simulations of nuclear systems generally require a multi-dimensional representation of the system. Advanced nuclear reactor cores are governed by multiple physical phenomena which should be all be resolved, and the coupling of these physics would also need to be resolved spatially in a high-fidelity approach, while lower fidelity may leverage integrated quantities for the coupling instead. Performing a spatially resolved multiphysics simulation can be done on a single mesh with a single coupled numerical system, but this requires catering to each equations’ time and spatial discretization needs. Instead, each physics, usually neutronics, thermal hydraulics and fuel performance, are solved individually with the discretization they require, and the equations are coupled by transferring fields between each solver. In our experience coupling applications within the MOOSE framework, mostly for advanced nuclear reactor analysis, there are several challenges to this approach, from non-conservation problems with dissimilar meshes, to losses in order of spatial accuracy. This paper presents the field transfer capabilities implemented in MOOSE, and numerous technical details such as mapping heuristics, conservation techniques and parallel algorithms. Examples are drawn from nuclear systems analysis cases to illustrate the techniques.

Eberhard Altstadt, Frank Bergner, Jann-Erik Brandenburg et al.

Neutron irradiation causes embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels. Post-irradiation annealing is capable of partly or fully restoring the unembrittled condition. While annealing at high temperatures (e.g., 475°C) was successfully applied to extend the lifetime of operating VVER-440 reactors, the benefit of annealing at lower temperatures (e.g., 343°C–the maximum to which the primary cooling water can be heated) is a matter of debate. In this study, neutron-irradiated VVER-440 RPV base metal and weld were exposed to isothermal annealing at 343°C up to 2,000 h. Given the limited amount of material, the degree of recovery was estimated in terms of Vickers hardness, the ductile-brittle transition temperature derived from small punch tests, and the master curve reference temperature derived from fracture mechanics tests of mini samples. For the base metal, small-angle neutron scattering was applied to underpin the findings at the nm-scale. We have found significant partial recovery in both materials after annealing for 300 h or longer. The variations of the degree of recovery are critically discussed and put into the context of wet annealing.

Alice Perrin, Dai Hamaguchi, Josina W. Geringer et al.

High strength, high conductivity copper alloys that can resist creep at high temperatures are one of the primary candidates for efficient heat exchangers in fusion reactors. Cu–Cr–Nb–Zr (CCNZ) alloys, which were designed to improve the strength and creep life of ITER Cu–Cr–Zr (CCZ) reference alloys, have been found to have comparable electrical conductivity and tensile properties to CCZ alloys. The measured creep rupture times for these improved alloys is about ten times higher than the ITER reference alloys at 90–125 MPa at 500 °C. However, the effects of neutron irradiation on these alloys, and the ensuing material properties, have not been studied; thus, their utility in a fusion reactor environment is not well understood. This study characterizes the room temperature mechanical and electrical properties of a neutron-irradiated CCNZ alloy and compares them to a neutron-irradiated ITER reference heat sink CCZ alloy. Tensile specimens were neutron irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to 5 dpa between 250 °C and 325 °C. Post-irradiation characterization included electrical resistivity measurements, hardness, and tensile tests. Microstructural evaluation used scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and atom probe tomography to characterize the irradiation-produced changes in the microstructure and investigate the mechanistic processes leading to post-irradiation properties. Transmutation calculations were validated with composition measurements from atom probe data and used to calculate contributions to the increased electrical resistivity measured after irradiation. Comparisons with CCZ alloys in the same irradiation heat found that the post-irradiated CCNZ and CCZ alloys had comparable electrical resistivity. Although CCNZ alloys suffered more irradiation hardening than CCZ, the overall tensile behavior deviated very little from non-irradiated values in the temperature range studied.

Camille J. Palmer, Jordan Northrop, Todd S. Palmer et al.

The detailed behavior of neutrons in a rapidly changing time-dependent physical system is a challenging computational physics problem, particularly when using Monte Carlo methods on heterogeneous high-performance computing architectures. A small number of algorithms and code implementations have been shown to be performant for time-independent (fixed source and k-eigenvalue) Monte Carlo, and there are existing simulation tools that successfully solve the time-dependent Monte Carlo problem on smaller computing platforms. To bridge this gap, a time-dependent version of ORNL’s Shift code has been recently developed. Shift’s history-based algorithm on CPUs, and its event-based algorithm on GPUs, have both been observed to scale well to very large numbers of processors, which motivated the extension of this code to solve time-dependent problems. The validation of this new capability requires a comparison with time-dependent neutron experiments. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) pulsed sphere benchmark experiments were simulated in Shift to validate both the time-independent as well as new time-dependent features recently incorporated into Shift. A suite of pulsed-sphere models was simulated using Shift and compared to the available experimental data and simulations with MCNP. Overall results indicate that Shift accurately simulates the pulsed sphere benchmarks, and that the new time-dependent modifications of Shift are working as intended. Validated exascale neutron transport codes are essential for a wide variety of future multiphysics applications.

Shunya Hashimoto, Hideo Fukuhara, Endre J. Szili et al.

Low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma jets are generally considered a safe medical technology with no significant long-term side effects in clinical studies reported to date. However, there are studies emerging that show plasma jets can cause significant side effects in the form of skin burns under certain conditions. Therefore, with a view of developing safer plasma treatment approaches, in this study we have set out to provide new insights into the cause of these skin burns and how to tailor plasma treatments to mitigate these effects. We discovered that joule heating by the plasma bullet currents is responsible for creating skin burns during helium plasma jet treatment of live mice. These burns can be mitigated by treating the mice at a further distance so that the visible plasma plume does not contact the skin. Under these treatment conditions we also show that the plasma jet treatment still retains its medically beneficial property of producing reactive oxygen species in vivo. Therefore, treatment distance is an important parameter for consideration when assessing the safety of medical plasma treatments.

Daniela Freyer, Melanie Pannach, Wolfgang Voigt

For geochemical calculations of solubility equilibria between Sorel phases, Mg(OH)2, and oceanic salt solutions, the polythermal THEREDA dataset (based on the HMW model at 25°C) was extended. With both models, H+ solution concentrations in equilibrium with Mg(OH)2(s) and the 3-1-8 Sorel phase at 25°C can be calculated in good agreement. In contrast, calculated OH− solution concentrations do not agree. Using the solubility constants (lg Ks) determined up to 60°C in Part I of this work, together with available solubility isotherms up to 120°C, temperature functions for the 3-1-8 phase (25°C–100°C), 2-1-4 phase (60°C–120°C), and 9-1-4 phase (100°C–120°C) were derived. In order to accurately model the OH− solution concentrations, it was necessary to implement the solution species Mg3(OH)42+ (∆RGm° temperature function) in addition to the MgOH+ already contained in the previous model. Finally, fitting Pitzer mixing coefficients for both species now allow the calculation of the solubility equilibria of Mg(OH)2(s) and the Sorel phases in agreement with the experimental data in the Mg-Cl-OH-H2O and Na-Mg-Cl-OH-H2O systems.

Mikaela J. Surace, Jimmy Murillo-Gelvez, Mobish A. Shaji et al.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic organofluorine surfactants that are resistant to typical methods of degradation. Thermal techniques along with other novel, less energy-intensive techniques are currently being investigated for the treatment of PFAS-contaminated matrices. Non-equilibrium plasma is one technique that has shown promise for the treatment of PFAS-contaminated water. To better tailor non-equilibrium plasma systems for this application, knowledge of the energy required for mineralization, and in turn the roles that plasma reactive species and heat can play in this process, would be useful. In this study, fundamental thermodynamic equations were used to estimate the enthalpies of reaction (480 kJ/mol) and formation (−4640 kJ/mol) of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, a long-chain legacy PFAS) in water. This enthalpy of reaction estimate indicates that plasma reactive species alone cannot catalyze the reaction; because the reaction is endothermic, energy input (e.g., heat) is required. The estimated enthalpies were used with HSC Chemistry software to produce a model of PFOA defluorination in a 100 mg/L aqueous solution as a function of enthalpy. The model indicated that as enthalpy of the reaction system increased, higher PFOA defluorination, and thus a higher extent of mineralization, was achieved. The model results were validated using experimental results from the gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) treatment of PFOA or PFOS-contaminated water using argon and air, separately, as the plasma gas. It was demonstrated that PFOA and PFOS mineralization in both types of plasma required more energy than predicted by thermodynamics, which was anticipated as the model did not take kinetics into account. However, the observed trends were similar to that of the model, especially when argon was used as the plasma gas. Overall, it was demonstrated that while energy input (e.g., heat) was required for the non-equilibrium plasma degradation of PFOA in water, a lower energy barrier was present with plasma treatment compared to conventional thermal treatments, and therefore mineralization was improved. Plasma reactive species, such as hydroxyl radicals (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mo>⋅</mo><mi>OH</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) and/or hydrated electrons (e⁻_(aq)), though unable to accelerate an endothermic reaction alone, likely served as catalysts for PFOA mineralization, helping to lower the energy barrier. In this study, the activation energies (E_a) for these species to react with the alpha C–F bond in PFOA were estimated to be roughly 1 eV for hydroxyl radicals and 2 eV for hydrated electrons.

M. E. Capoulat, M. E. Capoulat, M. E. Capoulat et al.

The global effort to establish Accelerator-Based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (AB-BNCT) facilities involves various accelerator technologies and neutron-producing targets, each characterized by different properties of the primary beam and neutron spectra they generate. With an emphasis on long-term sustainability, it is essential to minimize the production of residual radioactivity to the lowest possible level, particularly given their intended use in a hospital environment. This paper aims to quantitatively assess the residual radioactivity in these facilities, taking into account both primary and secondary activation. Primary activation primarily arises from the interaction of the proton or deuteron beam and the neutron-producing target. Secondary activation results from neutron-induced reactions on the elements exposed to the neutron flux, with the Beam Shaping Assembly (BSA) being the most exposed one. To assess activation, we evaluated a representative group of target-BSA configurations. Primary activation was calculated based on cross-sectional data and the corresponding target materials. Neutron activation was assessed using Monte Carlo simulations with the MCNP 6.1 code. Regarding target activation, our findings indicate that 9Be targets working with protons of less than 10 MeV represent the cleanest option, while 7Li targets working with protons lead to the highest activation levels. As for BSA activation, the neutron energy is a crucial factor. In the case of standard BSA materials, higher neutron energy results in an increased number of potential reactions that produce radioactive products. Additionally, our findings suggest that radioactivity induced by impurities and minor components in alloyed materials cannot be disregarded and must be taken into account in radioactivity calculations. In summary, this research provides a comprehensive analysis of activation of the commonly used targets and BSA materials, aimed at contributing to the optimization of AB-BNCT facilities from a radiological perspective.

Rupen Chatterjee

Plasma physics is the state of matter, which consists of charged particles. Plasma is usually produced by heating a gas so that the electrons are separated from the atom or molecule from which it is made. Upper ionization can be performed using high power laser or microwave lighting. Plasma occurs naturally in stars and space. In physics, a plasma is an electrical conductor that has the same number of positively and negatively charged particles. What happens when atoms of a gas are ionized. It is sometimes called the fourth state of matter. Unlike rigid bodies, liquids and gases, negative ions are often carried by electrons. Every work has a reverse side. Positive charges are usually carried by atoms or molecules that do not have identical electrons. In some rare but curious cases, the missing electrons of one type of atom or molecule bond with another. As a result, positive and negative ions are present in the plasma. The most severe cases of this type occur when the dust is low. But as dust particles, they are added in a state known as plasma dust. The peculiarity of the state of the plasma is due to the value of the electrical and magnetic energy acting on the plasma. Affects all types of matter, except for gravitational attraction. Because the electromagnetic force can work over long distances. Therefore, the plasma acts as a fluid group. Although the particles rarely collide. Almost all visible objects in the Universe are in the plasma state. Most of them are found in sunlight and stars in this form. And the space between planets and stars, auroras, lightning and arcades are also plasma. Available with both plasma and fluorescent lamps. In addition to the rigid crystalline structure of the metal, among many other phenomena and objects, the Earth itself is immersed in a thin plasma. Called the solar wind and surrounded by a dense plasma called the ionosphere.

Viktor Burdovitsin, Ilya Bakeev, Kirill Karpov et al.

We describe our investigations of a plasma-cathode electron source designed for the deposition of oxide coatings by the electron-beam evaporation of dielectric materials. Tests carried out using oxygen as the working gas showed that the source is operable without a change in parameters for at least ten hours of continuous operation. The current–voltage characteristics of the hollow-cathode plasma source in oxygen displayed a monotonically increasing character, and the voltage dependence of the discharge current was exponential. At the same time, for argon, nitrogen, and helium, the discharge voltage remained unchanged over a current ranging from 0.1 A to 1 A. A possible reason for these differences is the formation of oxides on the electrode surfaces for operation in the oxygen, impeding the discharge operation and requiring higher voltages for the same current as the other gases. The dependencies of the electron beam current on the accelerating voltage were monotonically increasing curves for all the gases except for helium, for which the beam current remained unchanged with increasing voltage over a range from two to ten kilovolts.

Wanxia Zhao, Zeyad T. Alwahabi

A non-thermal plasma, air purification device (PlasmaShield^®, MD250, Keswick, SA, Australia), was investigated using spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy. The emission spectra were measured with two spatial dimensions to analyze and identify the transition lines of excited NO–γ (A²Σ–X²Π), N₂ (C³Π–B³Π), and N₂⁺ (B²Σ–X²Σ) systems. The N₂ emission band at 337 and 316 nm were used to determine the spatially resolved vibrational temperature of N₂ molecules, <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msubsup><mi>T</mi><mrow><mi>v</mi><mi>i</mi><mi>b</mi></mrow><mrow><msub><mi>N</mi><mn>2</mn></msub></mrow></msubsup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>. It was found that the average N₂ vibrational temperatures in the x and y directions are almost the same. Two key operating parameters, supplied power and air flow, influence the N₂ vibrational temperature. The results demonstrate that applying higher supplied power increases the vibrational temperature, while changes in air flow velocity do not affect the vibrational temperature values. The phenomenological plasma temperature (PPT) was also estimated from the N₂ vibrational temperature. It was observed that PlasmaShield^® generates excited N₂ and NO only within a narrow region around the discharge electrode tip (with peak intensity below 100 µm from the tip). The study also shows no presence of excited OH*, O*, and other radicals.