Plasma-density modification by means of pulsed-beam CIV in the ionosphere

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5797529

Lai, S T; McNeil, W J; Murad, E

Alfvens critical ionization velocity (CIV) discharge gives rise to rapid increase in electron density. The existence of CIV has been proven in the laboratory. If CIV occurs in space, there would be important consequences. Not only would electromagnetic wave propagation be affected by the enhanced plasma density, but there would also be important implications in spacecraft contamination. In attempts to prove CIV in space, many researchers used the barium shaped charged explosion method. The results have been mostly negative with two exceptions. We propose a modified CIV space experiment by means of a multiple pulse beam (MPB) of neutral atoms. We use the 'particle-in-cell' method to simulate CIV in a MPB under ionospheric conditions. A single or MPB neutral beam with seed ionization develops the modified two-stream instability which energizes the electrons. When the electrons become hot enough, they ionize the neutrals in the beam. Numerical simulation results of single and multiple pulse cases are compared, revealing the enhanced ionization for the MPB case.

• Research Organization: Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5797529
• Report Number(s): AD-A-231111/6/XAB; GL-TR--90-0337
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATOMS
BEAM INJECTION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTAMINATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
INSTABILITY
IONIZATION
IONOSPHERE
LEPTONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
MODIFICATIONS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA INSTABILITY
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SIMULATION
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION