scholarly journals Collisional polarization of molecular ions: a signpost of ambipolar diffusion

2020 ◽  
Vol 638 ◽  
pp. L7
Author(s):  
Boy Lankhaar ◽  
Wouter Vlemmings

Magnetic fields play a role in the dynamics of many astrophysical processes, but they are hard to detect. In a partially ionized plasma, a magnetic field works directly on the ionized medium but not on the neutral medium, which gives rise to a velocity drift between them: ambipolar diffusion. This process is suggested to be important in the process of star formation, but has never been directly observed. We introduce a method that could be used to detect ambipolar diffusion and the magnetic field that gives rise to it, where we exploit the velocity drift between the charged and neutral medium. By using a representative classical model of the collision dynamics, we show that molecular ions partially align themselves when a velocity drift is present between the molecular ion and its main collision partner H2. We demonstrate that ambipolar diffusion potently aligns molecular ions in regions denser than their critical density. We include a model for HCO+ and show that collisional polarization could be detectable for the ambipolar drifts predicted by numerical simulations of the inner protostellar disk regions. The polarization vectors are aligned perpendicular to the magnetic field direction projected on the plane of the sky.

2018 ◽  
Vol 615 ◽  
pp. A58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsi-Wei Yen ◽  
Bo Zhao ◽  
Patrick M. Koch ◽  
Ruben Krasnopolsky ◽  
Zhi-Yun Li ◽  
...  

Aims. Ambipolar diffusion can cause a velocity drift between ions and neutrals. This is one of the non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effects proposed to enable the formation of large-scale Keplerian disks with sizes of tens of au. To observationally study ambipolar diffusion in collapsing protostellar envelopes, we compare here gas kinematics traced by ionized and neutral molecular lines and discuss the implication on ambipolar diffusion. Methods. We analyzed the data of the H13CO+ (3–2) and C18O (2–1) emission in the Class 0 protostar B335 obtained with our ALMA observations. We constructed kinematical models to fit the velocity structures observed in the H13CO+ and C18O emission and to measure the infalling velocities of the ionized and neutral gas on a 100 au scale in B335. Results. A central compact (~1′′–2′′) component that is elongated perpendicular to the outflow direction and exhibits a clear velocity gradient along the outflow direction is observed in both lines and most likely traces the infalling flattened envelope. With our kinematical models, the infalling velocities in the H13CO+ and C18O emission are both measured to be 0.85 ± 0.2 km s−1 at a radius of 100 au, suggesting that the velocity drift between the ionized and neutral gas is at most 0.3 km s−1 at a radius of 100 au in B335. Conclusions. The Hall parameter for H13CO+ is estimated to be ≫1 on a 100 au scale in B335, so that H13CO+ is expected to be attached to the magnetic field. Our non-detection or upper limit of the velocity drift between the ionized and neutral gas could suggest that the magnetic field remains rather well coupled to the bulk neutral material on a 100 au scale in this source, and that any significant field-matter decoupling, if present, likely occurs only on a smaller scale, leading to an accumulation of magnetic flux and thus efficient magnetic braking in the inner envelope. This result is consistent with the expectation from the MHD simulations with a typical ambipolar diffusivity and those without ambipolar diffusion. On the other hand, the high ambipolar drift velocity of 0.5–1.0 km s−1 on a 100 au scale predicted in the MHD simulations with an enhanced ambipolar diffusivity by removing small dust grains, where the minimum grain size is 0.1 μm, is not detected in our observations. However, because of our limited angular resolution, we cannot rule out a significant ambipolar drift only in the midplane of the infalling envelope. Future observations with higher angular resolutions (~0. ′′1) are needed to examine this possibility and ambipolar diffusion on a smaller scale.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (A30) ◽  
pp. 120-120
Author(s):  
Hsi-Wei Yen ◽  
Bo Zhao ◽  
Patrick M. Koch

AbstractAmbipolar diffusion can cause a velocity drift between ions and neutrals. This is one of the non-ideal MHD effects proposed to enable the formation of large Keplerian disks with sizes of tens of au (Zhao et al. 2018). To observationally study ambipolar diffusion in collapsing protostellar envelopes, we analyzed the ALMA H13CO+ (3–2) and C18O (2–1) data of the protostar B335, which is a candidate source with efficient magnetic braking (Yen et al. 2015). We constructed kinematical models to fit the velocity structures observed in H13CO+ and C18O. With our kinematical models, the infalling velocities in H13CO+ and C18O are both measured to be 0.85 ± 0.2 km s−1 at a radius of 100 au, suggesting that the velocity drift between the ionized and neutral gas is at most 0.3 km s−1 at a radius of 100 au in B335. The Hall parameter for H13CO+ is estimated to be ≫1 on a 100 au scale in B335, so that H13CO+ is expected to be attached to the magnetic field. Our non-detection or upper limit of the velocity drift between the ionized and neutral gas could suggest that the magnetic field remains rather well coupled to the bulk neutral material on a 100 au scale in B335, and that any significant field-matter decoupling, if present, likely occurs only on a smaller scale, leading to an accumulation of magnetic flux and thus efficient magnetic braking in the inner envelope in B335.


1998 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 937-939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhiko Sakai ◽  
Hiroshi Ohkubo ◽  
Yasushi Nakamura

A 3 T superconducting magnet has been designed and constructed for magnetic Compton-profile (MCP) measurements with the new capabilities that the magnetic field direction can be altered quickly (within 5 s) and liquid-He refill is not required for more than one week. For the latter capability, two refrigerators have been directly attached to the cryostat to maintain the low temperature of the radiation shields and for the recondensation of liquid He. The system has been satisfactorily operated for over one week.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeny D. Filippov ◽  
Sergey S. Makarov ◽  
Konstantin F. Burdonov ◽  
Weipeng Yao ◽  
Guilhem Revet ◽  
...  

AbstractWe analyze, using experiments and 3D MHD numerical simulations, the dynamic and radiative properties of a plasma ablated by a laser (1 ns, 10$$^{12}$$ 12 –10$$^{13}$$ 13 W/cm$$^2$$ 2 ) from a solid target as it expands into a homogeneous, strong magnetic field (up to 30 T) that is transverse to its main expansion axis. We find that as early as 2 ns after the start of the expansion, the plasma becomes constrained by the magnetic field. As the magnetic field strength is increased, more plasma is confined close to the target and is heated by magnetic compression. We also observe that after $$\sim 8$$ ∼ 8  ns, the plasma is being overall shaped in a slab, with the plasma being compressed perpendicularly to the magnetic field, and being extended along the magnetic field direction. This dense slab rapidly expands into vacuum; however, it contains only $$\sim 2\%$$ ∼ 2 % of the total plasma. As a result of the higher density and increased heating of the plasma confined against the laser-irradiated solid target, there is a net enhancement of the total X-ray emissivity induced by the magnetization.


1967 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1599-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otto Klüber

A stationary discharge is produced bya current flowing parallel to the magnetic field ofa cylindrical coil. In the region where the field is homogeneous the pressure in the plasma column is much higher than that in the surrounding neutral gas. This is mainly caused by diamagnetic ring currents, as is shown by measuring the magnetic flux due to these currents. Two effects are primarily responsible for the ring currents in this region: The already known effect of the ambipolar diffusion across the magnetic field anda thermomagnetic effect, called NERNST effect, whose influence on the pressure build-up ofa plasma has not been investigated hitherto. Other phenomena causing ring currents occur in the plasma near the coil ends and outside the field coil.


1997 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 799-800
Author(s):  
Craig H. Smith ◽  
Christopher M. Wright ◽  
David K. Aitken ◽  
Patrick F. Roche

AbstractWe present the results from mid-infrared spectro-polarimetric observations of a number of bi-polar outflow sources. The specto-polarimetric data provides information on the polarization mechanism and the magnetic field direction. The field direction in the disks of the observed sources is most often normal to the ambient field direction and lies in the plane of the disk, indicating a toroidal rather than poloidal field configuration.


Universe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efrain J. Ferrer ◽  
Aric Hackebill

We discuss how a magnetic field can affect the equation of state of a many-particle neutron system. We show that, due to the anisotropy in the pressures, the pressure transverse to the magnetic field direction increases with the magnetic field, while the one along the field direction decreases. We also show that in this medium there exists a significant negative field-dependent contribution associated with the vacuum pressure. This negative pressure demands a neutron density sufficiently high (corresponding to a baryonic chemical potential of μ = 2.25 GeV) to produce the necessary positive matter pressure that can compensate for the gravitational pull. The decrease of the parallel pressure with the field limits the maximum magnetic field to a value of the order of 10 18 G, where the pressure decays to zero. We show that the combination of all these effects produces an insignificant variation of the system equation of state. We also found that this neutron system exhibits paramagnetic behavior expressed by the Curie’s law in the high-temperature regime. The reported results may be of interest for the astrophysics of compact objects such as magnetars, which are endowed with substantial magnetic fields.


Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Wei Song ◽  
Yu-Zhang Fan ◽  
Yu Hua ◽  
Wei-Feng Sun

By means of magnetization treatments at ambient temperature and elevated temperatures, the nano- and micron-bismuth ferrate/low density polyethylene (BiFeO3/LDPE) dielectric composites are developed to explore the material processing method to modify the crystalline morphology, magnetic and dielectric properties. The magnetic field treatment can induce the dipole in the LDPE macromolecular chain which leads to preferred orientation of polyethylene crystal grains to the direction of the magnetization field. The surface morphology of the materials measured by atomic force microscope (AFM) implies that the LDPE macromolecular chains in BiFeO3/LDPE composites have been orderly arranged and form thicker lamellae accumulated with a larger spacing after high temperature magnetization, resulting in the increased dimension and orientation of spherulites. The residual magnetization intensities of BiFeO3/LDPE composites have been significantly improved by magnetization treatments at ambient temperature. After this magnetization at ambient temperature, the MR of nano- and micron-BiFeO3/LDPE composites approach to 4.415 × 10−3 and 0.690 × 10−3 emu/g, respectively. The magnetic moments of BiFeO3 fillers are arranged parallel to the magnetic field direction, leading to appreciable enhancement of the magnetic interactions between BiFeO3 fillers, which will inhibit the polarization of the electric dipole moments at the interface between BiFeO3 fillers and the LDPE matrix. Therefore, magnetization treatment results in the lower dielectric constant and higher dielectric loss of BiFeO3/LDPE composites. It is proven that the magnetic and dielectric properties of polymer dielectric composites can be effectively modified by the magnetization treatment in the melt blending process of preparing composites, which is expected to provide a technical strategy for developing magnetic polymer dielectrics.


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