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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Ultracold Neutral Plasma Expansion In Two Dimensions, E. A. Cummings, J. E. Daily, Dallin S. Durfee, Scott D. Bergeson Dec 2005

Ultracold Neutral Plasma Expansion In Two Dimensions, E. A. Cummings, J. E. Daily, Dallin S. Durfee, Scott D. Bergeson

Faculty Publications

An isothermal model of ultracold neutral plasma expansion is extended to systems without spherical symmetry. It is used to interpret new fluorescence measurements on ultracold neutral calcium plasmas. For a self-similar expansion, the fluid equations are solved both analytically and numerically. The density and velocity solutions are used to predict fluorescence signals induced by a laser beam weakly focused into the plasma. Despite the simplicity of the model, predicted fluorescence signals reproduce major features of the experimental data


Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira Dec 2005

Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We use extensive incoherent scatter radar observations made at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory between 1970 and 2003 to study and model empirically the equatorial zonal plasma drifts near the F region peak using Bernstein polynomials as base functions. Our quiet-time model results confirm that the daytime drifts are westward and are nearly season and solar cycle independent. The nighttime drifts are eastward, have larger magnitudes, and increase strongly with solar flux, particularly near equinox and December solstice. Enhanced geomagnetic activity drives small eastward perturbation drifts during the day and much larger westward disturbance drifts at night. The nighttime drift …


Erratum: Computing The M = 1 Diocotron Frequency Via An Equilibrium Calculation In Non-Neutral Plasmas, Ross L. Spencer May 2005

Erratum: Computing The M = 1 Diocotron Frequency Via An Equilibrium Calculation In Non-Neutral Plasmas, Ross L. Spencer

Faculty Publications

Equation 14 in this paper contains errors.


Optimal Reconstruction Of Magnetopause Structures From Cluster Data, H Hasegawa, B U. Ö Sonnerup, B Klecker, G Paschmann Mar 2005

Optimal Reconstruction Of Magnetopause Structures From Cluster Data, H Hasegawa, B U. Ö Sonnerup, B Klecker, G Paschmann

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction tech- nique, a single-spacecraft based data analysis method for recovering approximately two-dimensional (2-D) magneto- hydrostatic plasma/field structures in space, is improved to become a multi-spacecraft technique that produces a single field map by ingesting data from all four Cluster spacecraft into the calculation. The plasma pressure, required for the technique, is measured in high time resolution by only two of the spacecraft, C1 and C3, but, with the help of spacecraft po- tential measurements available from all four spacecraft, the pressure can be estimated at the other spacecraft as well via a relationship, established from C1 …


The Effects Of Electrode Geometry On Current Pulse Caused By Electrical Discharge Over An Ultra-Fast Laser Filament, Matthew Bubelnik Jan 2005

The Effects Of Electrode Geometry On Current Pulse Caused By Electrical Discharge Over An Ultra-Fast Laser Filament, Matthew Bubelnik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The time-resolved electrical conductivity of a short-pulse generated plasma filament in air was studied. Close-coupled metal electrodes were used to discharge the stored energy of a high-voltage capacitor and the resulting microsecond-scale electrical discharge was measured using fast current sensors. Significant differences in the time dependence of the current were seen with the two electrode geometries used. Using sharp-tipped electrodes additional peaks in the time-resolved conductivity were seen, relative to the single peak seen with spherical electrodes. We attribute these additional features to secondary electron collisional ionization brought about by field enhancement at the tips. Additional discrepancies in the currents …