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Waves In Plasmas
In plasma physics, waves in plasmas are an interconnected set of particles and fields which propagate in a periodically repeating fashion. A plasma is a quasineutral, electrically conductive fluid. In the simplest case, it is composed of electrons and a single species of positive ions, but it may also contain multiple ion species including negative ions as well as neutral particles. Due to its electrical conductivity, a plasma couples to electric and magnetic fields. This complex of particles and fields supports a wide variety of wave phenomena. The electromagnetic fields in a plasma are assumed to have two parts, one static/equilibrium part and one oscillating/perturbation part. Waves in plasmas can be classified as electromagnetic or electrostatic according to whether or not there is an oscillating magnetic field. Applying Faraday's law of induction to plane waves, we find \mathbf \times \tilde = \omega \tilde, implying that an electrostatic wave must be purely longitudinal. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plasma Physics
Plasma () is a state of matter characterized by the presence of a significant portion of charged particles in any combination of ions or electrons. It is the most abundant form of ordinary matter in the universe, mostly in stars (including the Sun), but also dominating the rarefied intracluster medium and intergalactic medium. Plasma can be artificially generated, for example, by heating a neutral gas or subjecting it to a strong electromagnetic field. The presence of charged particles makes plasma electrically conductive, with the dynamics of individual particles and macroscopic plasma motion governed by collective electromagnetic fields and very sensitive to externally applied fields. The response of plasma to electromagnetic fields is used in many modern devices and technologies, such as plasma televisions or plasma etching. Depending on temperature and density, a certain number of neutral particles may also be present, in which case plasma is called partially ioni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upper Hybrid Oscillation
In plasma physics, an upper hybrid oscillation is a mode of oscillation of a magnetized plasma. It consists of a longitudinal motion of the electrons perpendicular to the magnetic field with the dispersion relation : \omega^2 = \omega_^2 + \omega_^2 + 3 k^2 v_^2 , where (in cgs units) :\omega_ = (4\pi n_ee^2/m_e)^ is the electron plasma frequency, and :\omega_ = eB/ is the electron cyclotron frequency. This oscillation is closely related to the plasma oscillation found in unmagnetized plasmas or parallel to the magnetic field, where the ωpe term arises from the electrostatic Coulomb restoring force and the 3''k''²''v''e,th² term arises from the restoring force of electron pressure. In the upper hybrid oscillation there is an additional restoring force due to the Lorentz force. Consider a plane wave where all perturbed quantities vary as exp(''i''(''kx''-ω''t'')). If the displacement in the direction of propagation is δx, then :v_x = -i\omega\delta :f_y = nev_x B_z/c = -i\o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plasma Parameters
Plasma parameters define various characteristics of a plasma, an electrically conductive collection of charged and neutral particles of various species (electrons and ions) that responds ''collectively'' to electromagnetic forces. Such particle systems can be studied statistically, i.e., their behaviour can be described based on a limited number of global parameters instead of tracking each particle separately. Fundamental The fundamental plasma parameters in a steady state are * the number density n_s of each particle species s present in the plasma, * the temperature T_s of each species, * the mass m_s of each species, * the charge q_s of each species, * and the magnetic flux density B. Using these parameters and physical constants, other plasma parameters can be derived. Other All quantities are in Gaussian ( cgs) units except energy E and temperature T which are in electronvolts. For the sake of simplicity, a single ionic species is assumed. The ion mass is expresse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plasma Frequency
Plasma oscillations, also known as Langmuir waves (after Irving Langmuir), are rapid oscillations of the electron density in conducting media such as plasmas or metals in the ultraviolet region. The oscillations can be described as an instability in the dielectric function of a free electron gas. The frequency depends only weakly on the wavelength of the oscillation. The quasiparticle resulting from the quantization of these oscillations is the ''plasmon''. Langmuir waves were discovered by American physicists Irving Langmuir and Lewi Tonks in the 1920s. They are parallel in form to Jeans instability waves, which are caused by gravitational instabilities in a static medium. Mechanism Consider an electrically neutral plasma in equilibrium, consisting of a gas of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons. If one displaces by a tiny amount an electron or a group of electrons with respect to the ions, the Coulomb force pulls the electrons back, acting as a resto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speed Of Light
The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted , is a universal physical constant exactly equal to ). It is exact because, by international agreement, a metre is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of second. The speed of light is invariant (physics), the same for all observers, no matter their relative velocity. It is the upper limit for the speed at which Information#Physics_and_determinacy, information, matter, or energy can travel through Space#Relativity, space. All forms of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light, travel at the speed of light. For many practical purposes, light and other electromagnetic waves will appear to propagate instantaneously, but for long distances and sensitive measurements, their finite speed has noticeable effects. Much starlight viewed on Earth is from the distant past, allowing humans to study the history of the universe by viewing distant objects. When Data communication, comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wave Number
In the physical sciences, the wavenumber (or wave number), also known as repetency, is the spatial frequency of a wave. Ordinary wavenumber is defined as the number of wave cycles divided by length; it is a physical quantity with dimension of reciprocal length, expressed in SI units of cycles per metre or reciprocal metre (m−1). Angular wavenumber, defined as the wave phase divided by time, is a quantity with dimension of angle per length and SI units of radians per metre. They are analogous to temporal frequency, respectively the '' ordinary frequency'', defined as the number of wave cycles divided by time (in cycles per second or reciprocal seconds), and the ''angular frequency'', defined as the phase angle divided by time (in radians per second). In multidimensional systems, the wavenumber is the magnitude of the ''wave vector''. The space of wave vectors is called ''reciprocal space''. Wave numbers and wave vectors play an essential role in optics and the physics of w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio signals (sound), radio waves, and light. The interval of time between events is called the period. It is the reciprocal of the frequency. For example, if a heart beats at a frequency of 120 times per minute (2 hertz), its period is one half of a second. Special definitions of frequency are used in certain contexts, such as the angular frequency in rotational or cyclical properties, when the rate of angular progress is measured. Spatial frequency is defined for properties that vary or cccur repeatedly in geometry or space. The unit of measurement of frequency in the International System of Units (SI) is the hertz, having the symbol Hz. Definitions and units For cyclical phenomena such as oscillations, waves, or for examp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magnetosonic Wave
In physics, magnetosonic waves, also known as magnetoacoustic waves, are low-frequency Compression (physics), compressive waves driven by mutual interaction between an electrically conducting fluid and a magnetic field. They are associated with Compression (physics), compression and rarefaction of both the fluid and the magnetic field, as well as with an Magnetic tension, effective tension that acts to straighten bent magnetic field lines. The properties of magnetosonic waves are highly dependent on the angle between the wavevector and the equilibrium magnetic field and on the relative importance of fluid and magnetic processes in the medium. They only propagate with frequencies much smaller than the ion cyclotron or ion plasma frequencies of the medium, and they are Dispersion relation, nondispersive at small amplitudes. There are two types of magnetosonic waves, fast magnetosonic waves and slow magnetosonic waves, which—together with Alfvén waves—are the normal modes of idea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfvén Wave
In plasma physics, an Alfvén wave, named after Hannes Alfvén, is a type of plasma wave in which ions oscillate in response to a restoring force provided by an Magnetic tension force, effective tension on the magnetic field lines. Definition An Alfvén wave is a low-frequency (compared to the ion gyrofrequency) travelling oscillation of the ions and magnetic field in a Plasma (physics), plasma. The ion mass density provides the inertia and the magnetic field line tension provides the restoring force. Alfvén waves propagate in the direction of the magnetic field, and the motion of the ions and the perturbation of the magnetic field are transverse to the direction of propagation. However, Alfvén waves existing at oblique incidences will smoothly change into magnetosonic waves when the propagation is perpendicular to the magnetic field. Alfvén waves are Dispersion relation, dispersionless. Alfvén velocity The low-frequency relative permittivity \varepsilon of a magnetized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polarization (waves)
, or , is a property of transverse waves which specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the wave. One example of a polarized transverse wave is vibrations traveling along a taut string, for example, in a musical instrument like a guitar string. Depending on how the string is plucked, the vibrations can be in a vertical direction, horizontal direction, or at any angle perpendicular to the string. In contrast, in longitudinal waves, such as sound waves in a liquid or gas, the displacement of the particles in the oscillation is always in the direction of propagation, so these waves do not exhibit polarization. Transverse waves that exhibit polarization include electromagnetic waves such as light and radio waves, gravitational waves, and transverse sound waves ( shear waves) in solids. An electromagnetic wave such as light consists of a coupled oscillating el ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electromagnetic Electron Wave
In plasma physics, an electromagnetic electron wave is a wave in a plasma which has a magnetic field component and in which primarily the electrons oscillate. In an unmagnetized plasma, an electromagnetic electron wave is simply a light wave modified by the plasma. In a magnetized plasma, there are two modes perpendicular to the field, the O and X modes, and two modes parallel to the field, the R and L waves. Waves in an unmagnetized plasma Langmuir Wave The Langmuir wave is a purely longitudinal wave, that is, the wave vector is in the same direction as the E-field. It is an electrostatic wave; as such, it doesn't have an oscillating magnetic field. A plasma consists of charged particles which react to electric fields, in contrast with dielectric matter. When electrons in a uniform, homogeneous plasma are perturbed from their equilibrium position, a charge separation occurs creating an electric field which acts as restoring force on the electrons. Since electrons have inertia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
