1. |
- Arrowsmith, C. D., et al.
(author)
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Generating ultradense pair beams using 400 GeV/c protons
- 2021
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In: Physical Review Research. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 2643-1564. ; 3:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An experimental scheme is presented for generating low-divergence, ultradense, relativistic, electron-positron beams using 400 GeV/c protons available at facilities such as HiRadMat and AWAKE at CERN. Preliminary Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations demonstrate the possibility of generating beams containing 10(13)-10(14) electron-positron pairs at sufficiently high densities to drive collisionless beam-plasma instabilities, which are expected to play an important role in magnetic field generation and the related radiation signatures of relativistic astrophysical phenomena. The pair beams are quasineutral, with size exceeding several skin depths in all dimensions, allowing the examination of the effect of competition between transverse and longitudinal instability modes on the growth of magnetic fields. Furthermore, the presented scheme allows for the possibility of controlling the relative density of hadrons to electron-positron pairs in the beam, making it possible to explore the parameter spaces for different astrophysical environments.
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2. |
- Arrowsmith, C. D., et al.
(author)
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Laboratory realization of relativistic pair-plasma beams
- 2024
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Relativistic electron-positron plasmas are ubiquitous in extreme astrophysical environments such as black-hole and neutron-star magnetospheres, where accretion-powered jets and pulsar winds are expected to be enriched with electron-positron pairs. Their role in the dynamics of such environments is in many cases believed to be fundamental, but their behavior differs significantly from typical electron-ion plasmas due to the matter-antimatter symmetry of the charged components. So far, our experimental inability to produce large yields of positrons in quasi-neutral beams has restricted the understanding of electron-positron pair plasmas to simple numerical and analytical studies, which are rather limited. We present the first experimental results confirming the generation of high-density, quasi-neutral, relativistic electron-positron pair beams using the 440 GeV/c beam at CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator. Monte Carlo simulations agree well with the experimental data and show that the characteristic scales necessary for collective plasma behavior, such as the Debye length and the collisionless skin depth, are exceeded by the measured size of the produced pair beams. Our work opens up the possibility of directly probing the microphysics of pair plasmas beyond quasi-linear evolution into regimes that are challenging to simulate or measure via astronomical observations.
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3. |
- Trines, R. M. G. M., et al.
(author)
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Applications of the wave kinetic approach : from laser wakefields to drift wave turbulence
- 2009
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In: Physics of Plasmas. - : AIP Publishing. - 1070-664X .- 1089-7674. ; 16:5, s. 055904-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonlinear wave-driven processes in plasmas are normally described by either a monochromatic pump wave that couples to other monochromatic waves or as a random phase wave coupling to other random phase waves. An alternative approach involves a random or broadband pump coupling to monochromatic and/or coherent structures in the plasma. This approach can be implemented through the wave kinetic model. In this model, the incoming pump wave is described by either a bunch (for coherent waves) or a sea (for random phase waves) of quasiparticles. This approach has been applied to both photon acceleration in laser wakefields and drift wave turbulence in magnetized plasma edge configurations. Numerical simulations have been compared to experiments, varying from photon acceleration to drift mode-zonal flow turbulence, and good qualitative correspondences have been found in all cases.
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4. |
- Trines, R. M. G. M., et al.
(author)
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Applications of the wave kinetic approach : from laser wakefields to drift wave turbulence
- 2010
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In: Journal of Plasma Physics. - 0022-3778 .- 1469-7807. ; 76:6, s. 903-914
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nonlinear wave-driven processes in plasmas are normally described by either a monochromatic pump wave that couples to other monochromatic waves, or as a random phase wave coupling to other random phase waves. An alternative approach involves a random or broadband pump coupling to monochromatic and/or coherent structures in the plasma. This approach can be implemented through the wave-kinetic model. In this model, the incoming pump wave is described by either a bunch (for coherent waves) or a sea (for random phase waves) of quasi-particles. This approach has been applied to both photon acceleration in laser wakefields and drift wave turbulence in magnetized plasma edge configurations. Numerical simulations have been compared to experiments, varying from photon acceleration to drift mode-zonal flow turbulence, and good qualitative correspondences have been found in all cases.
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5. |
- Trines, R. M. G. M., et al.
(author)
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Simulation of zonal flow excitation by drift mode turbulence : applications to tokamaks and the magnetopause
- 2008
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In: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0741-3335 .- 1361-6587. ; 50:12, s. 124048-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, we investigated the interaction between broadband drift mode turbulence and zonal flows near the edge of a region of magnetized plasma (Trines et al 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 165002). Our simulation results showed the development of a zonal flow through the modulational instability of the drift wave distribution, as well as the existence of solitary zonal flow structures about an ion gyroradius wide, drifting towards steeper relative density gradients. Both the growth rate of the turbulence and the particle/energy transport across the plasma boundary can be stabilized by adjusting the plasma density gradient. This spontaneous formation of solitary wave structures has also been found in Cluster satellite observations (Trines et al 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 99 205006), confirming our earlier theoretical predictions. We will discuss the consequences of our results for our understanding of the Earth's magnetopause, as well as for the study of zonal flows in tokamaks.
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