Stress wave analysis of high-voltage pulse discharge rock fragmentation based on plasma channel impedance model

High-voltage pulse discharge(HVPD)rock fragmentation controls a plasma channel forming inside the rock by adjusting the electrical parameters,electrode type,etc.In this work,an HVPD rock fragmentation test platform was built and the test waveforms were measured.Considering the effects of temperature,channel expansion and electromagnetic radiation,the impedance model of the plasma channel in the rock was established.The parameters and initial values of the model were determined by an iterative computational process.The model calculation results can reasonably characterize the development of the plasma channel in the rock and estimate the shock wave characteristics.Based on the plasma channel impedance model,the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the radial stress and tangential stress in the rock were calculated,and the rock fragmentation effect of the HVPD was analyzed.

The Plasma Channel Evolution Characteristics of Pulsed Flashlamps Working in an Array

This work is devoted to the study of plasma channel evolution characteristics in pulsed xenon flashlamps working in an array. Influencing factors on the plasma channel evolution process are studied, including pre-ionization pulse and neighbor fiashlamps. It has been found that neighbor flaShlamps affect the plasma channel by shaping the electric potential distribution, rather than by Lorentz force. Branching is observed in the plasma channels of the flashlamps in the middle of the array. Inconsistency also exists in the plasma channels of these flashlamps in different tests. The branching and inconsistency are both caused by the unique electric field distribution in these flashlamps. Besides, the pre-ionization pulse can help the main pulse plasma channel to develop more smoothly and faster, which will weaken the shock wave and benefit the mechanical strength of the flashlamp.

Enhanced laser-induced plasma channels in air

Plasma is a significant medium in high-energy density physics since it can hardly be damaged. For some applications such as plasma based backward Raman amplification （BRA）, uniform high-density and large-scale plasma channels are required. In the previous experiment, the plasma transverse diameter and density are 50-200 μm and 1-2 x 10^19 cm-3, here we enhance them to 0.8 mm and 8 x 10^19 cm-3, respectively. Moreover, the gradient plasma is investigated in our experiment. A proper plasma gradient can be obtained with suitable pulse energy and delay. The experimental results are useful for plasma physics and nonlinear optics.

Long Gap Discharge Guiding Experiments Using Strongly and Weakly Ionized Plasma Channels for Laser Triggered Lightning

A study to generate longer plasma channel was conucted to improve probability of triggered lightning. To generate the long laser plasma channel, a strongly and a weakly ionized plasma channels were used in series, a scheme called hybrid method. The strongly and the weakly ionized plasma channels were used for triggering an electrical leader and guiding the leader. The electrical leader propagated through the weakly ionized plasma. Then main discharge occurred between the electrodes. It is found that the streamer was accelerated with both the increase in the plasma density and the increase in an ambient electric field close to the plane electrode.

Pulsed high-current discharge in water:adiabatic model of expanding plasma channel and acoustic wave

This paper presents the results of a theoretical and experimental study of the use of a pulsed discharge in water to obtain a strong acoustic wave in a liquid medium.A discharge with a current amplitude of 10 kA,a duration of 400 ns,and an amplitude pulsed power of 280 MW in water at atmospheric pressure created an expanding acoustic wave with an amplitude of more than 100 MPa.To describe the formation of the discharge channel,an isothermal plasma model has been developed,which made it possible to calculate both the expansion dynamics of a high-current channel and the strong acoustic wave generated by it.Our calculations show that the number density of plasma in the channel reaches 10^(20) cm^(-3),while the degree of water vapor ionization is about 10%,and the channel wall extends with a velocity of 500 m s^(−1).The calculations for the acoustic wave are in good agreement with measurements.

Theoretical Analysis on Propagation of Electromagnetic Wave in Preformed Narrow Plasma Channel

In the plasma sheath a narrow plasma channel generated by ultraintense laser pulses is simplified as a special cylindrical and hollow plasma waveguide with the infinite thickness of the plasma cladding. The electromagnetic wave （EM） propagation properties of the plasma channel near the cutoff and far from the cutoff are considered. Theoretical analysis shows that TE0m and TM0m and hybrid modes emerge in the plasma channel, which is influenced by the normalized frequency parameter B and numerical aperture NA. The cutoffs of the various modes are approximated. Single-mode operation is possible without a high-frequency limitation in the channel.

Low Resistance and Long Lifetime Plasma Channel Generated by Filamentation of Femtosecond Laser Pulses in Air

An experimental investigation of the length and resistance of the laser plasma channel generated by filamentation of fs laser pulses in air was presented. It was found that the length of the plasma channel was different from that of the laser filament. This phenomenon was commensurate with a special self-guide mechanism without ionization. Through increase of the laser energy the plasma channel could be prolonged and the resistance could be reduced. To get even lower resistance, more effective control would be needed over the multi-filament. The lifetime of the plasma channel was increased by a factor of 4.5 by pulse sequences, which were generated by detuning the regenerative amplifier in the chirped pulse amplification （CPA） laser system.

Generation of Preformed Plasma Channel for GeV-Scaled Electron Accelerator by Ablative Capillary Discharges

Generation of plasma channels by gated experimentally in details. A time-resolved low jitter ablative capillary discharges is investi- evolution and radial distributions of the electron density are measured, and proof-of-principle optical guiding experiment is conducted. A proper time window for optical guiding of a femtoseeond laser pulse is found. The generated low density, long plasma channel is believed to be useful in the applications as GeV-class channel-guided laser wakefield accelerators and compact X-ray femetoseeond coherent radiation sources.

PIC simulation of plasma properties in the discharge channel of a pulsed plasma thruster with flared electrodes

Plasma in the discharge channel of a pulsed plasma thruster(PPT) with flared electrodes is simulated by a self-developed two-dimensional code. The fully particle-in-cell method with Monte Carlo collision is employed to model the particle movement and collisions and investigate the plasma properties and acceleration process. Temporal and spatial variations of the electron density distribution and the ion velocity between electrodes are calculated and analyzed in detail.The computational results of the electron number density, which is in the order of 1023 m-3,show good agreements with experimental results of a PPT named ADD SIMP-LEX. The ion velocity distributions along the center line of the channel lead to a comprehensive understanding of ions accelerated by electromagnetic field. The electron distributions of PPT with discharge voltages varying from 1300 to 2000 V are compared. The diffusion of electrons presents strong dependency on discharge voltage and implies higher degree of ionization for higher voltage.

Laser-driven relativistic electron dynamics in a cylindrical plasma channel

The energy and trajectory of the electron, which is irradiated by a high-power laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel with a uniform positive charge and a uniform negative current, have been analyzed in terms of a single-electron model of direct laser acceleration. We find that the energy and trajectory of the electron strongly depend on the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse. The electron can be accelerated significantly only when the positive charge density, the negative current density, and the intensity of the laser pulse are in suitable ranges due to the dephasing rate between the wave and electron motion. Particularly, when their values satisfy a critical condition. the electron can stay in phase with the laser and gain the largest energy from the laser. With the enhancement of the electron energy, strong modulations of the relativistic factor cause a considerable enhancement of the electron transverse oscillations across the channel, which makes the electron trajectory become essentially three-dimensional, even if it is flat at the early stage of the acceleration.

Direct electron acceleration by chirped laser pulse in a cylindrical plasma channel

We study the dynamics of single electron in an inhomogeneous cylindrical plasma channel during the direct acceleration by linearly polarized chirped laser pulse.By adjusting the parameters of the chirped laser pulse and the plasma channel,we obtain the energy gain,trajectory,dephasing rate and unstable threshold of electron oscillation in the channel.The influences of the chirped factor and inhomogeneous plasma density distribution on the electron dynamics are discussed in depth.We find that the nonlinearly chirped laser pulse and the inhomogeneous plasma channel have strong coupled influence on the electron dynamics.The electron energy gain can be enhanced,the instability threshold of the electron oscillation can be lowered,and the acceleration length can be shortened by chirped laser,while the inhomogeneity of the plasma channel can reduce the amplitude of the chirped laser.

Nonlinear propagation of an intense Laguerre-Gaussian laser pulse in a plasma channel

The nonlinear propagation of an intense Laguerre-Gaussian(LG)laser pulse in a parabolic preformed plasma channel is analyzed by means of the variational method.The evolution equation of the spot size is derived including the effects of relativistic self-focusing,preformed channel focusing,and ponderomotive self-channeling.The parametric conditions of the LG laser pulse and plasma channel for propagating with constant spot size,periodically focusing and defocusing oscillation,catastrophic focusing,and solitary waves are obtained.Compared with the laser pulse with fundamental Gaussian(FG)mode,it is found that the effect of vacuum diffraction is reduced by half and the effects of relativistic and wakefield focusing are decreased by a quarter due to the hollow transverse intensity profile of the LG laser pulse,while the effect of channel focusing is the same order of magnitude with that of the FG laser pulse.Thus,the matched condition for the intense LG laser pulse with constant spot size is released obviously,while the parameters of the laser and plasma for the existence of solitary waves nearly coincide with those of the FG laser pulse.

Plasma Characteristic of Lightning Discharge Channel

The plasma characteristics of a lightning discharge channel are reviewed.The spectrum of the natural lightning is investigated by employing the slit-less spectrograph.It is found that the spectrum characteristics are closely related to the intensity of the lightning discharge.The lines in the lightning spectrum are classified into essential lines and characteristic lines,according to the characteristics of lightning spectra with different intensities.The characteristics of the lightning channel and the radiation of the lighting plasma are analyzed in the visible and infrared regions.It is shown that,the visible spectrum of lightning is determined by the radiation generated from the early stage to the development of lightning,while the near-infrared spectrum is determined by the radiation generated after current of lightning reaches the peak.The channel temperature and the electron density are calculated using the information obtained from the lightning spectrum.Both the temperature and the density decrease with the increasing length of lightning channel.Moreover,X-rays and neutrons are produced in the process of lighting mainly due to the pinch effects.

Electron self-injection and acceleration in a hollow plasma channel driven by ultrashort intense laser pulses

The self-injection and acceleration of electrons in a hollow plasma channel driven by ultrashort intense laser pulses is investigated by Particle-in-Cell(PIC) simulations. It is shown that electrons from the bubble sheath will be self-injected into the hollow plasma channel and move radially towards the channel border due to the lack of focusing force in the hollow plasma channel. After several reflections near the channel wall by the strong focusing force, a self-injected electron bunch can be confined in the hollow plasma channel and quasi-phase-stably accelerated forward for the whole laser–plasma interaction process. These electrons using optical and plasma-related self-injection method can be self-organized to remain in the rear of the bubble, where the accelerating electric field is transversely uniform and nearly plateau along the propagation axis. Therefore, the self-injected electron bunch can be accelerated in a steady state without obvious oscillation and has a high quality with narrow energy spread and low divergence.

Numerical Simulation of Dual-Channel Communication of Column Plasma Antenna Excited by a Surface Wave

This paper focuses on the application of plasma as wireless antenna. In order to reveal the radiation characteristics of column plasma antenna, we chose the finite-difference time- domain （FDTD） numerical analysis method to simulate radiation impedance and efficiencies of each channel for a few sets of plasma densities and plasma collision frequencies. Simulation results demonstrate that a plasma antenna shares similar characteristics with a metallic antenna in radiation impedance and efficiency of each channel when an appropriate setting is adopted. Unlike a metallic antenna, a plasma antenna is capable of realizing such functions as dynamic reconfiguration, digital control and dual-channel communication. Thus it is possible to carry out dual-channel communication by plasma antenna, indicating a new path for modern intelligent communication.

Exposure of Equal-Channel Angular Extruded Tungsten to Deuterium Plasma

Surface morphology and deuterium retention in ultrafine-grained tungsten fabricated by equal-channel angular pressing（ECAP） have been examined after exposure to a low energy,high-flux deuterium（D） plasma at fluences of 3×10^24 D/m^2 and 1×10^25 D/m^2 in a temperature range of 100 ℃-150 ℃.The methods used were scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and thermal desorption spectroscopy（TDS）.Sparse and small blisters（0.1 μm） were observed by SEM after D plasma irradiation on every irradiated surface;yet they did not exhibit significant structure or plasma fluence dependence.Larger blisters or protrusions appeared after subsequent TDS heating up to 1000 ℃.The TDS results showed a single D desorption peak at 220℃ for all samples and the D retention increased with increasing numbers of extrusion passes,i.e.,the decrease of grain sizes.The increased D retention in this low temperature range should be attributed to the faster diffusion of D along the larger volume fraction of grain boundaries introduced by ECAP.

Dual-Channel Communication of Column Plasma Antenna Excited by a Surface Wave——Actualization and Simulation of Radiation Pattern

Along with the introduction of the concept of dual-channel communication,we utilized the finite-difference time-domain（FDTD） method to simulate and measure the radiation pattern under certain plasma densities and plasma collision frequencies.Results show that under certain settings,the radiation pattern of a plasma antenna resembles that of a metallic antenna.In contrast to a metallic antenna,a plasma antenna possesses other functionalities,such as dynamic reconfiguration and digital controllability.The data from simulation are similar to the measurement results,indicating that column plasma antenna can realize dual-channel communication.This work confirms the viability of realizing dual-channel communication by column plasma antenna,which adds a new but promising method for modern intelligent communication.

脉冲放电破岩等离子体通道长度预测方法

针对高压脉冲放电破岩电弧等离子体通道长度难以预测的问题,构建了高压脉冲放电破岩综合试验平台,测量了花岗岩-自来水组合介质下电弧等离子体通道发展特性及典型电流、电压参数,提取了不同电极间距和脉冲放电次数下岩石表面形成的破碎区域。基于能量平衡方程建立了岩石中电弧等离子体通道的阻抗模型,采用迭代优化算法获取阻抗模型参数的近似最优解,模型计算结果与试验结果的相对误差小于7%。基于优化参数,利用实测电流电压数据预测了等离子体通道的长度。模型预测的等离子体通道长度与实测值的绝对误差均处于毫米量级,且两者的相对误差小于10%,为高压脉冲放电破岩系统电源-电极负载的匹配设计提供了理论支撑。

一种新型等离子体通道的时变电阻模型

为了准确分析水下放电过程中等离子体通道电阻的实际变化规律,进而更精确地计算通道沉积能量、电声转换效率等物理量,首先基于水下放电的等离子体通道电阻的“U”型曲线,构建了一种时变电阻函数,通过数据拟合的方式,确定了函数中的参数;然后,将时变电阻函数代入到以通道电流为变量的二阶变系数微分方程中,通过龙格-库塔数值算法得到通道电流的数值解;最后,使用改进的余弦相似度作为评价指标,比较了仿真电流与实测电流的差异。结果表明:仿真电流与实测电流吻合度高,验证了时变电阻模型的有效性。

基于锥形等离子体通道的百拍瓦激光脉冲整形及重离子加速

利用粒子模拟程序研究了百拍瓦极端光场条件下,锥形等离子体通道对激光脉冲的整形和重离子加速的影响.研究发现,由于非线性干涉和聚焦效应,锥形等离子体通道能够整形激光脉冲时空波形并增强激光强度.对于强度为5.46×10^(22)W/cm^(2)、束腰半径为10μm的线偏振激光入射夹角θ=10°的锥形等离子体通道,可获得紧聚焦(束腰半径<1μm)、超高强度(强度提高6倍)的整形激光.利用该激光加速通道末端的超薄平靶发现,辐射反作用力能够有效地抑制由于电子加热和激光强度横向不均匀引起的超薄平靶横向膨胀,延长超薄平靶透明时间,使得金离子得到充分加速,最终可获得截止能量高达约240 GeV的金离子.研究结果有望为未来百PW激光重离子加速实验方案设计及其在核-核碰撞中的应用研究提供理论参考.