Dustin M. Fisher

Rotational temperature analysis of N2 by resonant enhanced multi-photon ionization with fluorescence detection

A non-invasive, optical technique to determine the rotational temperature of molecular nitrogen at atmospheric pressure by direct probing of the N2(X1Σg+,v=0) ground state with subsequent analysis of the rotational state distribution is presented. A tunable probe laser was scanned over resonant-enhanced, multi-photon ionization transitions initiating from various N2(X1Σg+,v=0,J″) states. At atmospheric pressure, the laser photo-ionization also induced N2+ fluorescence bands. Analysis of the relative fluorescence as a function of laser wavelength produced a calculated N2(X1Σg+,v=0,J″) rotational state distribution and determined the rotational temperature. The analysis also resulted in the assignment and tabulation of 11 previously unreported term energies for N2(b1Πu+,v=6) and N2(b1Πu-,v=6) for J′ > 22, based on the experimental data. The method resulted in temperature determinations for two experimental trials in atmospheric N2 gas flows at room temperature and 600 K that were in good agreement with ther...

Two-fluid biasing simulations of the large plasma device

External biasing of the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) and its impact on plasma flows and turbulence are explored for the first time in 3D simulations using the Global Braginskii Solver code. Without external biasing, the LAPD plasma spontaneously rotates in the ion diamagnetic direction. The application of a positive bias increases the plasma rotation in the simulations, which show the emergence of a coherent Kelvin Helmholtz (KH) mode outside of the cathode edge with poloidal mode number m ≃ 6 . Negative biasing reduces the rotation in the simulations, which exhibit KH turbulence modestly weaker than but otherwise similar to unbiased simulations. Biasing either way, but especially positively, forces the plasma potential inside the cathode edge to a spatially constant, KH-stable profile, leading to a more quiescent core plasma than the unbiased case. A moderate increase in plasma confinement and an associated steepening of the profiles are seen in the biasing runs. The simulations thus show that the applicat...

Three-dimensional two-fluid Braginskii simulations of the large plasma device

The Large Plasma Device (LAPD) is modeled using the 3D Global Braginskii Solver code. Comparisons to experimental measurements are made in the low-bias regime in which there is an intrinsic E × B rotation of the plasma. In the simulations, this rotation is caused primarily by sheath effects and may be a likely mechanism for the intrinsic rotation seen in LAPD. Simulations show strong qualitative agreement with the data, particularly the radial dependence of the density fluctuations, cross-correlation lengths, radial flux dependence outside of the cathode edge, and camera imagery. Kelvin Helmholtz (KH) turbulence at relatively large scales is the dominant driver of cross-field transport in these simulations with smaller-scale drift waves and sheath modes playing a secondary role. Plasma holes and blobs arising from KH vortices in the simulations are consistent with the scale sizes and overall appearance of those in LAPD camera images. The addition of ion-neutral collisions in the simulations at previously ...