A self-consistent multi-component model of plasma turbulence and kinetic neutral dynamics for the simulation of the tokamak boundary

A self-consistent model is presented for the simulation of a multi-component plasma in the tokamak boundary. A deuterium plasma is considered, with the plasma species that include electrons, deuterium atomic ions and deuterium molecular ions, while the deuterium atoms and molecules constitute the neutral species. The plasma and neutral models are coupled via a number of collisional interactions, which include dissociation, ionization, charge-exchange and recombination processes. The derivation of the three-fluid drift-reduced Braginskii equations used to describe the turbulent plasma dynamics is presented, including its boundary conditions. The kinetic advection equations for the neutral species are also derived, and their numerical implementation discussed. The first results of multi-component plasma simulations carried out by using the GBS code are then presented and analyzed, being compared with results obtained with the single-component plasma model.

Nonclassical properties and entanglement generation in an optical cavity containing two atomic Bose–Einstein condensates

We consider the model of a weakly driven optical cavity containing two clouds of atomic Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs). Nonclassical photon correlations and correlations between the two atomic BECs are investigated under different cavity conditions including strong atom-field coupling and bad cavity regime. We show that the nonlinear interatom collisional interactions in BEC leads to a significant loss of cavity light coherence. Various types of nonclassical properties are investigated such as sub-Poissonian statistics, antibunching and entanglement. We show that the entanglement can be generated between BECs and the cavity field. The time evolution of entanglement is also numerically studied.

Generation of various classes of entangled states in a two-mode Bose–Einstein condensate under the influence of interatom collisions

In this paper, we generate some new classes of entangled states of a bimodal Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC), a pair of tunnel-coupled BEC, in the presence of two- and three-body elastic as well as mode-exchange collisions. The Hamiltonian of the considered system is very complicated, moreover, it can be fortunately transformed into a simple form using a two-mode displacement operator. After introducing the general form of the time evolved state, various classes of entangled states are generated. Indeed, the influence of different orders of tunneling strengths on the generated entangled states has been studied. Depending on the tunneling strength constants, two-, three- and four-partite entangled states are generated, all of which are superposition states of macroscopic number of BEC atoms. Considering three-particle collision dramatically changes the generated entangled states. Moreover, in particular cases, the resulted states are non-entangled. Also, we show that tunneling and collisional interactions can be manipulated to generate a pair of atomic entangled coherent states (quasi-Bell states). In addition, it is observed that the degree of entanglement for two-partite entangled states can be tuned via the number of BEC atoms, i.e. the corresponding concurrences tend to their maximum value by increasing the atoms in both modes of system.

Massive star formation in W51 A triggered by cloud–cloud collisions

W$\, 51\,$A is one of the most active star-forming regions in the Milky Way, and includes copious amounts of molecular gas with a total mass of ${\sim }6\times 10^{5}\, M_{\odot }$. The molecular gas has multiple velocity components over ∼20 km s−1, and interactions between these components have been discussed as the mechanism that triggered the massive star formation in W$\, 51\,$A. In this paper, we report on an observational study of the molecular gas in W$\, 51\,$A using the new 12CO, 13CO, and C18O (J = 1–0) data covering a 1${^{\circ}_{.}}$4 × 1${^{\circ}_{.}}$0 area of W$\, 51\,$A obtained with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope at 20′ resolution. Our CO data resolved four discrete velocity clouds with sizes and masses of ∼30 pc and 1.0–$1.9\times 10^{5}\, M_{\odot }$ around radial velocities of 50, 56, 60, and 68 km s−1. Toward the central part of the Hii region complex G49.5−0.4 in W$\, 51\,$A, in which the bright stellar clusters IRS 1 and IRS 2 are located, we identified four C18O clumps having sizes of ∼1 pc and column densities of higher than 1023 cm−2, which are each embedded within the four velocity clouds. These four clumps are concentrated within a small area of 5 pc, but show a complementary distribution on the sky. In the position–velocity diagram, these clumps are connected with each other by bridge features having weak intensities. The high intensity ratios of 13CO (J = 3–2)$/$(J = 1–0) also indicate that these four clouds are associated with the Hii regions, including IRS 1 and IRS 2. We also reveal that, in the other bright Hii region complex G49.4−0.3, the 50, 60, and 68 km s−1 clouds show a complementary distribution, with two bridge features connecting between the 50 and 60 km s−1 clouds and the 60 and 68 km s−1 clouds. An isolated compact Hii region G49.57−0.27 located ∼15 pc north of G49.5−0.4 also shows a complementary distribution and a bridge feature. The complementary distribution on the sky and the broad bridge feature in the position–velocity diagram suggest collisional interactions among the four velocity clouds in W$\, 51\,$A. The timescales of the collisions can be estimated to be several 0.1 Myr as crossing times of the collisions, which are consistent with the ages of the Hii regions measured from the sizes of the Hii regions with the 21 cm continuum data. We discuss a scenario of cloud–cloud collisions and massive star formation in W$\, 51\,$A by comparing these with recent observational and theoretical studies of cloud–cloud collision.

Laboratory testing of granular kinetic theory for intense bed load transport

Collisional interactions in a sheared granular body are typical for intense bed load transport and they significantly affect behavior of flow carrying bed load grains. Collisional mechanisms are poorly understood and modelling approaches seldom accurately describe reality. One of the used approaches is the kinetic theory of granular flows. It offers constitutive relations for local shear-induced collision-based granular quantities - normal stress, shear stress and fluctuation energy - and relates them with local grain concentration and velocity. Depth distributions of the local granular quantities produced by these constitutive relations have not been sufficiently verified by experiment for the condition of intense bed load transport in open channels and pressurized pipes. In this paper, results from a tilting-flume facility including measured velocity distribution and deduced concentration distribution (approximated as linear profiles) are used to calculate distributions of the collision-based quantities by the constitutive relations and hence to test the ability of the kinetic-theory constitutive relations to predict conditions observed in these collision-dominated flows. This test indicates that the constitutive relations can be successfully applied to model the local collisional transport of solids at positions where the local concentration is not lower than approximately 0.18 and not higher than approximately 0.47.

Stochastic Particle Dynamics

Dense fluids and liquids molecules are in constant interaction; hence, they do not fit into the Boltzmann’s picture of a clearcut separation between free-streaming and collisional interactions. Since the interactions are soft and do not involve large scattering angles, an effective way of describing dense fluids is to formulate stochastic models of particle motion, as pioneered by Einstein’s theory of Brownian motion and later extended by Paul Langevin. Besides its practical value for the study of the kinetic theory of dense fluids, Brownian motion bears a central place in the historical development of kinetic theory. Among others, it provided conclusive evidence in favor of the atomistic theory of matter. This chapter introduces the basic notions of stochastic dynamics and its connection with other important kinetic equations, primarily the Fokker–Planck equation, which bear a complementary role to the Boltzmann equation in the kinetic theory of dense fluids.

Foreword

Most of the distribution functions in the universe, including those for mass, energy, and structure of components like dark matter, galaxy clusters, galaxies, magnetic fields, cosmic rays, star clusters, and stars, have power-law shapes suggesting a lack of definite scales in their formation processes. As these scale-free behaviors are obtained without fine-tuning, they are by definition self-organized, which raises fascinating questions regarding the respective roles of long-range (gravity) and short-range (collisional) interactions. These questions touch on the interaction between dark matter, baryons, cosmic rays and magnetic fields, the importance of scales where the power-laws break down, the observed deviations from power-laws, and the range of scales that are truly coupled. Computer simulations now include a large enough range of scales to reproduce some of these power-laws, and recent theoretical analyses attempt to unify them.

CO₂(<i>ν</i>₂)-O quenching rate coefficient derived from coincidental SABER/TIMED and Fort Collins lidar observations of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere

Among the processes governing the energy balance in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), the quenching of CO2(ν2)-O vibrational levels by collisions with O atoms plays an important role. However, there is a factor of 3–4 discrepancy between various measurements of the CO2-O quenching rate coefficient, kVT. We retrieve kVT in the altitude region 80–110 km from coincident SABER/TIMED and Fort Collins sodium lidar observations by minimizing the difference between measured and simulated broadband limb 15 μm radiances. The retrieved kVT varies from about 5 × 10−12 cm3 s−1 at 87 km to about 7 × 10−12 cm3 s−1 at 104 km. A detailed consideration of retrieval errors and uncertainties indicates deficiency in current understanding the non-LTE formation mechanism of atmospheric 15 μm radiances. An updated mechanism of CO2-O collisional interactions is suggested.

Theory and simulations of whistler wave propagation

A linear theory of whistler waves is developed within the paradigm of a two-dimensional incompressible electron magnetohydrodynamics model. Exact analytic wave solutions are obtained for small-amplitude whistler waves that exhibit magnetic field topological structures consistent with the observations and our simulations in a linear regime. In agreement with experiment, we find that the parallel group velocity of the wave is large compared to its perpendicular counterpart. Numerical simulations of collisional interactions demonstrate that the wave magnetic field either coalesces or repels depending upon the polarity of the associated current. In the nonlinear regime, our simulations demonstrate that the evolution of the wave magnetic field is governed essentially by the nonlinear Hall force.