Showing papers on "Phase velocity published in 2015"

Direct observation of ultraslow hyperbolic polariton propagation with negative phase velocity

Abstract: Time-domain interferometry and near-field scanning microscopy are used to investigate infrared phonon polaritons exhibiting hyperbolic dispersion. Negative phase velocity and group velocity as small as 0.002c are confirmed. Polaritons with hyperbolic dispersion are key to many emerging photonic technologies, including subdiffraction imaging, sensing and spontaneous emission engineering1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Fundamental to their effective application are the lifetimes of the polaritons, as well as their phase and group velocities7,9. Here, we combine time-domain interferometry10 and scattering-type near-field microscopy11 to visualize the propagation of hyperbolic polaritons in space and time, allowing the first direct measurement of all these quantities. In particular, we study infrared phonon polaritons in a thin hexagonal boron nitride8,12,13 waveguide exhibiting hyperbolic dispersion and deep subwavelength-scale field confinement. Our results reveal—in a natural material—negative phase velocity paired with a remarkably slow group velocity of 0.002c and lifetimes in the picosecond range. While these findings show the polariton's potential for mediating strong light–matter interactions and negative refraction, our imaging technique paves the way to explicit nanoimaging of polariton propagation characteristics in other two-dimensional materials, metamaterials and waveguides.

Controlled steering of Cherenkov surface plasmon wakes with a one-dimensional metamaterial

Abstract: In the Cherenkov effect a charged particle moving with a velocity faster than the phase velocity of light in the medium radiates light that forms a cone with a half angle determined by the ratio of the two speeds. Here, we show that by creating a running wave of polarization along a one-dimensional metallic nanostructure consisting of subwavelength-spaced rotated apertures that propagates faster than the surface plasmon polariton phase velocity, we can generate surface plasmon wakes, a two-dimensional analogue of Cherenkov radiation. The running wave of polarization travels with a speed determined by the angle of incidence and the photon spin angular momentum of the incident radiation. By changing either one of these properties we demonstrate controlled steering of the Cherenkov surface plasmon wakes.

Shock‐induced prompt relativistic electron acceleration in the inner magnetosphere

Abstract: We present twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft observations of the effects of a solar wind shock impacting the magnetosphere on 8 October 2013. The event provides details both of the accelerating electric fields associated with the shock and the response of inner magnetosphere electron populations across a broad range of energies. During this period, the two Van Allen Probes observed shock effects from the vantage point of the dayside magnetosphere at radial positions of L = 3 and L = 5, at the location where shock-induced acceleration of relativistic electrons occurs. The extended (~1 min) duration of the accelerating electric field across a broad extent of the dayside magnetosphere, coupled with energy-dependent relativistic electron gradient drift velocities, selects a preferred range of energies (3–4 MeV) for the initial enhancement. Those electrons—whose drift velocity closely matches the azimuthal phase velocity of the shock-induced pulse—stayed in the accelerating wave as it propagated tailward and received the largest increase in energy. Drift resonance with subsequent strong ULF waves further accentuated this range of electron energies. Phase space density and positional considerations permit the identification of the source population of the energized electrons. Observations detail the promptness (<20 min), energy range (1.5–4.5 MeV), energy increase (~500 keV), and spatial extent (L* ~3.5–4.0) of the enhancement of the relativistic electrons. Prompt acceleration by impulsive shock-induced electric fields and subsequent ULF wave processes therefore comprises a significant mechanism for the acceleration of highly relativistic electrons deep inside the outer radiation belt as shown clearly by this event.

Evidence of thermal conduction suppression in a solar flaring loop by coronal seismology of slow-mode waves

Abstract: Analysis of a longitudinal wave event observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory is presented. A time sequence of 131 A images reveals that a C-class flare occurred at one footpoint of a large loop and triggered an intensity disturbance (enhancement) propagating along it. The spatial features and temporal evolution suggest that a fundamental standing slow-mode wave could be set up quickly after meeting of two initial disturbances from the opposite footpoints. The oscillations have a period of ~12 minutes and a decay time of ~9 minutes. The measured phase speed of 500 ± 50 km s−1 matches the sound speed in the heated loop of ~10 MK, confirming that the observed waves are of slow mode. We derive the time-dependent temperature and electron density wave signals from six AIA extreme-ultraviolet channels, and find that they are nearly in phase. The measured polytropic index from the temperature and density perturbations is 1.64 ± 0.08 close to the adiabatic index of 5/3 for an ideal monatomic gas. The interpretation based on a 1D linear MHD model suggests that the thermal conductivity is suppressed by at least a factor of 3 in the hot flare loop at 9 MK and above. The viscosity coefficient is determined by coronal seismology from the observed wave when only considering the compressive viscosity dissipation. We find that to interpret the rapid wave damping, the classical compressive viscosity coefficient needs to be enhanced by a factor of 15 as the upper limit.

Lower hybrid drift instability at a dipolarization front

Abstract: We present observations of a reconnection jet front detected by the Cluster satellites in the magnetotail of Earth, which are commonly referred to as dipolarization fronts. We investigate in detail electric field structures observed at the front which have frequency in the lower hybrid range and amplitudes reaching 40 mV/m. We determine the frequency and phase velocity of these structures in the reference frame of the front and identify them as a manifestation of the lower hybrid drift instability (LHDI) excited at the sharp density gradient at the front. The LHDI is observed in the nonlinear stage of its evolution as the electrostatic potential of the structures is comparable to ∼ 10% of the electron temperature. The front appears to be a coherent structure on ion and MHD scales, suggesting existence of a dynamic equilibrium between excitation of the LHDI and recovery of the steep density gradient at the front.

Broadband surface-wave transformation cloak

Abstract: Guiding surface electromagnetic waves around disorder without disturbing the wave amplitude or phase is in great demand for modern photonic and plasmonic devices, but is fundamentally difficult to realize because light momentum must be conserved in a scattering event. A partial realization has been achieved by exploiting topological electromagnetic surface states, but this approach is limited to narrow-band light transmission and subject to phase disturbances in the presence of disorder. Recent advances in transformation optics apply principles of general relativity to curve the space for light, allowing one to match the momentum and phase of light around any disorder as if that disorder were not there. This feature has been exploited in the development of invisibility cloaks. An ideal invisibility cloak, however, would require the phase velocity of light being guided around the cloaked object to exceed the vacuum speed of light—a feat potentially achievable only over an extremely narrow band. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally show that the bottlenecks encountered in previous studies can be overcome. We introduce a class of cloaks capable of remarkable broadband surface electromagnetic waves guidance around ultrasharp corners and bumps with no perceptible changes in amplitude and phase. These cloaks consist of specifically designed nonmagnetic metamaterials and achieve nearly ideal transmission efficiency over a broadband frequency range from 0+ to 6 GHz. This work provides strong support for the application of transformation optics to plasmonic circuits and could pave the way toward high-performance, large-scale integrated photonic circuits.

Observations and mode identification of sausage waves in a magnetic pore

Abstract: Aims. We aim to determine the phase speed of an oscillation in a magnetic pore using only intensity images at one height. The observations were obtained using the CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter at the Swedisch 1-m Solar Telescope and show variations in both cross-sectional area and intensity in a magnetic pore. Methods. We have designed and tested an observational method to extract the wave parameters that are important for seismology. We modelled the magnetic pore as a straight cylinder with a uniform plasma both inside and outside the flux tube and identify different wave modes. Using analytic expressions, we are able to distinguish between fast and slow modes and obtain the phase speed of the oscillations. Results. We found that the observed oscillations are slow modes with a phase speed around 5 km s-1. We also have strong evidence that the oscillations are standing harmonics.

Experimental study on plunging breaking waves in deep water

Abstract: This study presents a unique data set that combines measurements of velocities and void fraction under an unsteady deep water plunging breaker in a laboratory. Flow properties in the aerated crest region of the breaking wave were measured using modified particle image velocimetry (PIV) and bubble image velocimetry (BIV). Results show that the maximum velocity in the plunging breaker reached 1.68C at the first impingement of the overturning water jet with C being the phase speed of the primary breaking wave, while the maximum velocity reached 2.14C at the beginning of the first splash-up. A similarity profile of void fraction was found in the successive impinging and splash-up rollers. In the highly foamy splashing roller, the increase of turbulent level and vorticity level were strongly correlated with the increase of void fraction when the range of void fraction was between 0 and 0.4 (from the trough level to approximately the center of the roller). The levels became constant when void fraction was greater than 0.5. The mass flux, momentum flux, kinetic energy, potential energy, and total energy were computed and compared with and without the void fraction being accounted for. The results show that all the mean and turbulence properties related to the air-water mixture are considerably overestimated unless void fraction is considered. When including the density variation due to the air bubbles, the wave energy dissipated exponentially a short distance after breaking; about 54% and 85% of the total energy dissipated within one and two wavelengths beyond the breaking wave impingement point, respectively.

Core turbulence behavior moving from ion-temperature-gradient regime towards trapped-electron-mode regime in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak and comparison with gyrokinetic simulation

Abstract: Additional electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) is used in an ion-temperature-gradient instability dominated regime to increase R/LTe in order to approach the trapped-electron-mode instability regime. The radial ECRH deposition location determines to a large degree the effect on R/LTe. Accompanying scale-selective turbulence measurements at perpendicular wavenumbers between k⊥ = 4–18 cm−1 (k⊥ρs = 0.7–4.2) show a pronounced increase of large-scale density fluctuations close to the ECRH radial deposition location at mid-radius, along with a reduction in phase velocity of large-scale density fluctuations. Measurements are compared with results from linear and non-linear flux-matched gyrokinetic (GK) simulations with the gyrokinetic code GENE. Linear GK simulations show a reduction of phase velocity, indicating a pronounced change in the character of the dominant instability. Comparing measurement and non-linear GK simulation, as a central result, agreement is obtained in the shape of radial turbulence...

Mass transfer effects on linear wave propagation in diluted bubbly liquids

Abstract: This article investigates the importance of mass transfer effects in the effective acoustic properties of diluted bubbly liquids. The classical theory for wave propagation in bubbly liquids for pure gas bubbles is extended to capture the influence of mass transfer on the effective phase speed and attenuation of the system. The vaporization flux is shown to be important for systems close to saturation conditions and low frequencies. We derive a general expression for the transfer function that relates bubble radius and pressure changes solving the linear version of the conservation equations inside, outside and at the bubble interface. Simplified expressions for various limiting situations are derived in order to get further insight about the validity of common assumptions typically applied in bubble dynamic models. The relevance of the vapor content, the mass transfer flux across the interface and the effect of the bubble interface temperature variations is discussed in terms of characteristic nondimensional numbers. Finally we derive the various conditions that must be satisfied in order to reach the low frequency limit solutions where the phase speed does no longer depend on the forcing frequency.

Scaling of detonation velocity in cylinder and slab geometries for ideal, insensitive and non-ideal explosives

Abstract: Experiments were conducted to characterize the detonation phase-velocity dependence on charge thickness for two-dimensional detonation in condensed-phase explosive slabs of PBX 9501, PBX 9502 and ANFO. In combination with previous diameter-effect measurements from a cylindrical rate-stick geometry, these data permit examination of the relative scaling of detonation phase velocity between axisymmetric and two-dimensional detonation. We find that the ratio of cylinder radius ( ) to slab thickness ( ) at each detonation phase velocity ( ) is such that . The variation in the scaling is investigated with two detonation shock dynamics (DSD) models: a lower-order model relates the normal detonation velocity to local shock curvature, while a higher-order model includes the effect of front acceleration and transverse flow. The experimentally observed ( ) scaling behaviour for PBX 9501 and PBX 9502 is captured by the lower-order DSD theory, revealing that the variation in the scale factor is due to a difference in the slab and axisymmetric components of the curvature along the shock in the cylindrical geometry. The higher-order DSD theory is required to capture the observed ( ) scaling behaviour for ANFO. An asymptotic analysis of the lower-order DSD formulation describes the geometric scaling of the detonation phase velocity between the cylinder and slab geometries as the detonation phase velocity approaches the Chapman–Jouguet value.

Reference characterisation of sound speed and attenuation of the IEC agar-based tissue-mimicking material up to a frequency of 60 MHz.

Abstract: To support the development of clinical applications of high-frequency ultrasound, appropriate tissue-mimicking materials (TMMs) are required whose acoustic properties have been measured using validated techniques. This paper describes the characterisation of the sound speed (phase velocity) and attenuation coefficient of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) agar-based TMM over the frequency range 1 to 60 MHz. Measurements implemented a broadband through-transmission substitution immersion technique over two overlapping frequency ranges, with co-axially aligned 50 MHz centre-frequency transducers employed for characterisation above 15 MHz. In keeping with usual practice employed within the technical literature, thin acoustic windows (membranes) made of 12-μm-thick Mylar protected the TMM from water damage. Various important sources of uncertainty that could compromise measurement accuracy have been identified and evaluated through a combination of experimental studies and modelling. These include TMM sample thickness, measured both manually and acoustically, and the influence of interfacial losses that, even for thin protective membranes, are significant at the frequencies of interest. In agreement with previous reports, the attenuation coefficient of the IEC TMM exhibited non-linear frequency dependence, particularly above 20 MHz, yielding a value of 0.93 ± 0.04 dB cm(-1) MHz(-1) at 60 MHz, derived at 21 ± 0.5°C. For the first time, phase velocity, measured with an estimated uncertainty of ±3.1 m s(-1), has been found to be dispersive over this extended frequency range, increasing from 1541 m s(-1) at 1 MHz to 1547 m s(-1) at 60 MHz. This work will help standardise acoustic property measurements, and establishes a reference measurement capability for TMMs underpinning clinical applications at elevated frequencies.

Surface Waves Supported by Metasurfaces With Self-Complementary Geometries

Abstract: This paper investigates the fundamental dispersion properties of surface waves (SWs) supported by a class of metasurfaces (MTSs) that consists of a planar layer made of metal patches and apertures with self-complementary geometries. When the MTS is suspended in free space, the supported SW is ${\rm TM}$ or ${\rm TE}$ depending on whether the vertexes of the metallic parts are interconnected or not, whereas the phase velocity is equal in the two cases. A simple analytical model, that depends only on the geometry, is derived to predict the dispersion curves for a quite general class of geometries. The proposed model is also extended to cases in which the MTSs are printed on a grounded or ungrounded dielectric slab, by using an equivalent dielectric constant. Comparisons with dispersion curves obtained through full-wave simulations confirm the accuracy of the model all over the Brillouin region. Finally, it is shown that connecting or disconnecting the metal patches along a given path allows for a confinement of the SWs on such a path. An experimental validation of this concept is also presented. This feature provides the possibility of controlling the wave's direction of propagation by changing the vertexes status by means of miniaturized switches or optical control.

Focusing on Plates: Controlling Guided Waves using Negative Refraction.

Abstract: Elastic waves are guided along finite structures such as cylinders, plates, or rods through reflection, refraction and mode conversion at the interfaces. Such wave propagation is ubiquitous in the world around us and studies of elastic waveguides first emerged in the later part of the 19th century. Early work on elastic waveguides revealed the presence of backward propagating waves, in which the phase velocity and group velocity are anti-parallel. While backward wave propagation exists naturally in very simple finite elastic media, there has been remarkably little attention paid to this phenomenon. Here we report the development of a tunable acoustic lens in an isotropic elastic plate showing negative refraction over a finite acoustic frequency bandwidth. As compared to engineered acoustic materials such as phononic crystals and metamaterials, the design of the acoustic lens is very simple, with negative refraction obtained through thickness changes rather than internal periodicity or sub-wavelength resonant structures. A new class of acoustic devices, including resonators, filters, lenses and cloaks, may be possible through topography optimization of elastic waveguide structures to exploit the unique properties of backward waves.

Lithospheric instability and the source of the Cameroon Volcanic Line: Evidence from Rayleigh wave phase velocity tomography

Abstract: The Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) is a 1800 km long volcanic chain, extending SW-NE from the Gulf of Guinea into Central Africa, that lacks the typical age progression exhibited by hot spot-related volcanic tracks. This study investigates the upper mantle seismic structure beneath the CVL and surrounding regions to constrain the origin of volcanic lines that are poorly described by the classic plume model. Rayleigh wave phase velocities are measured at periods from 20 to 182 s following the two-plane wave methodology, using data from the Cameroon Seismic Experiment, which consists of 32 broadband stations deployed between 2005 and 2007. These phase velocities are then inverted to build a model of shear wave velocity structure in the upper mantle beneath the CVL. Results show that phase velocities beneath the CVL are reduced at all periods, with average velocities beneath the CVL deviating more than –2% from the regional average and +4% beneath the Congo Craton. This distinction is observed for all periods but is less pronounced for the longest periods measured. Inversion for shear wave velocity structure indicates a tabular low velocity anomaly directly beneath the CVL at depths of 50 to at least 200 km and a sharp vertical boundary with faster velocities beneath the Congo Craton. These observations demonstrate widespread infiltration or erosion of the continental lithosphere beneath the CVL, most likely caused by mantle upwelling associated with edge-flow convection driven by the Congo Craton or by lithospheric instabilities that develop due to the nearby edge of the African continent.

Transient reflectance of photoexcited Cd 3 As 2

Abstract: We report ultrafast transient-grating measurements of crystals of the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal cadmium arsenide, Cd3As2, at both room temperature and 80 K. After photoexcitation with 1.5-eV photons, charge-carriers relax by two processes, one of duration 500 fs and the other of duration 3.1 ps. By measuring the complex phase of the change in reflectance, we determine that the faster signal corresponds to a decrease in absorption, and the slower signal to a decrease in the light's phase velocity, at the probe energy. We attribute these signals to electrons' filling of phase space, first near the photon energy and later at lower energy. We attribute their decay to cooling by rapid emission of optical phonons, then slower emission of acoustic phonons. We also present evidence that both the electrons and the lattice are strongly heated.

Comparison of HF radar measurements with Eulerian and Lagrangian surface currents

Abstract: High-frequency (HF) radar-derived ocean currents are compared with in situ measurements to conclude if the radar observations include effects of surface waves that are of second order in the wave amplitude. Eulerian current measurements from a high-resolution acoustic Doppler current profiler and Lagrangian measurements from surface drifters are used as references. Directional wave spectra are obtained from a combination of pressure sensor data and a wave model. Our analysis shows that the wave-induced Stokes drift is not included in the HF radar-derived currents, that is, HF radars measure the Eulerian current. A disputed nonlinear correction to the phase velocity of surface gravity waves, which may affect HF radar signals, has a magnitude of about half the Stokes drift at the surface. In our case, this contribution by nonlinear dispersion would be smaller than the accuracy of the HF radar currents, hence no conclusion can be made. Finally, the analysis confirms that the HF radar data represent an exponentially weighted vertical average where the decay scale is proportional to the wavelength of the transmitted signal.

Numerical simulation of fast-mode magnetosonic waves excited by plasmoid ejections in the solar corona

Abstract: The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory has directly imaged the fast-propagating magnetosonic waves (FMWs) successively propagating outward along coronal magnetic funnels. In this study we perform a numerical investigation of the excitation of FMWs in the interchange reconnection scenario, with footpoint shearing flow being used to energize the system and drive the reconnection. The modeling results show that as a result of magnetic reconnection, the plasma in the current sheet is heated up by Joule dissipation to similar to 10 MK and is ejected rapidly, developing the hot outflows. Meanwhile, the current sheet is torn into plasmoids, which are shot quickly both upward and downward. When the plasmoids reach the outflow regions, they impact and collide with the ambient magnetic field there, which consecutively launches FMWs. The FMWs propagate outward divergently away from the impact regions, with a phase speed of the Alfven speed of similar to 1000 km s(-1). In the k-omega. diagram of the Fourier wave power, the FMWs display a broad frequency distribution with a straight ridge that represents the dispersion relation. With the WKB approximation, at the distance of 15Mm from the wave source region, we estimate the energy flux of FMWs to be E similar to 7.0 x 10(6) erg cm(-2) s(-1), which is similar to 50 times smaller than the energy flux related to the tube-channeled reconnection outflow. These simulation results indicate that energetically and dynamically the outflow is far more important than the waves.

Externally driven plasmaspheric ULF waves observed by the Van Allen Probes

Abstract: We analyze data acquired by the Van Allen Probes on 8 November 2012, during a period of extended low geomagnetic activity, to gain new insight into plasmaspheric ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. The waves exhibited strong spectral power in the 5–40 mHz band and included multiharmonic toroidal waves visible up to the eleventh harmonic, unprecedented in the plasmasphere. During this wave activity, the interplanetary magnetic field cone angle was small, suggesting that the waves were driven by broadband compressional ULF waves originating in the foreshock region. This source mechanism is supported by the tailward propagation of the compressional magnetic field perturbations at a phase velocity of a few hundred kilometers per second that is determined by the cross-phase analysis of data from the two spacecraft. We also find that the coherence and phase delay of the azimuthal components of the magnetic field from the two spacecraft strongly depend on the radial separation of the spacecraft and attribute this feature to field line resonance effects. Finally, using the observed toroidal wave frequencies, we estimate the plasma mass density for L = 2.6–5.8. By comparing the mass density with the electron number density that is estimated from the spectrum of plasma waves, we infer that the plasma was dominated by H+ ions and was distributed uniformly along the magnetic field lines. The electron density is higher than the prediction of saturated plasmasphere models, and this “super saturated” plasmasphere and the uniform ion distribution are consistent with the low geomagnetic activity that prevailed.

Love wave propagation in a piezoelectric layer overlying in an inhomogeneous elastic half-space:

Abstract: The present paper is devoted to study the propagation of Love wave in a piezoelectric layer overlying an inhomogeneous half-space. This paper deals with two different piezoelectric layers, one is an electrically open and another is an electrically short circuit. As mathematical tools, the method of separation of variables and Whittaker’s function are applied to obtain the dispersion equation of Love wave. In a particular case the dispersion equation reduces to the classical equation of Love wave when the layer is not piezoelectric and half-space is homogeneous. The numerical values of the dimensionless phase velocities are calculated and presented graphically to illustrate the effects of inhomogeneity, piezoelectricity and dielectric constants. It is observed that the phase velocities decrease with the increase of inhomogeneity parameters and electricity constant. It is also found that the phase velocity increases with the increases of the dielectric constant. Graphical user interface software has been de...

Rotation and Magnetic Field Effect on Surface Waves Propagation in an Elastic Layer Lying over a Generalized Thermoelastic Diffusive Half-Space with Imperfect Boundary

Abstract: The aim of the present investigation is to study the effects of magnetic field, relaxation times, and rotation on the propagation of surface waves with imperfect boundary. The propagation between an isotropic elastic layer of finite thickness and a homogenous isotropic thermodiffusive elastic half-space with rotation in the context of Green-Lindsay (GL) model is studied. The secular equation for surface waves in compact form is derived after developing the mathematical model. The phase velocity and attenuation coefficient are obtained for stiffness, and then deduced for normal stiffness, tangential stiffness and welded contact. The amplitudes of displacements, temperature, and concentration are computed analytically at the free plane boundary. Some special cases are illustrated and compared with previous results obtained by other authors. The effects of rotation, magnetic field, and relaxation times on the speed, attenuation coefficient, and the amplitudes of displacements, temperature, and concentration are displayed graphically.

Wave gradiometry and its link with Helmholtz equation solutions applied to USArray in the eastern U.S.

Abstract: Wave gradiometry is an array processing technique utilizing the shape of seismic wavefields captured by USArray TA stations to determine fundamental wave propagation characteristics. We first explore a compatibility relation that links the displacement spatial gradients to seismogram displacements and velocities through two unknown coefficients, A→ and B→. These coefficients are solved for through iterative, damped least squares inversion to provide estimates of phase velocity, back azimuth, radiation pattern, and geometrical spreading. We show that the A→ coefficient corresponds to the gradient of logarithmic amplitude, and the B→ coefficient corresponds approximately to the local wave slowness. A→ and B→ vector fields are interpolated to explore a second compatibility relation through solutions to the Helmholtz equation. For most wavefields passing through the eastern U.S., we show that the A→ coefficients are generally orthogonal to the B→ coefficients. Where they are not completely orthogonal, there is a strong positive correlation between ∇·B→ and changes in geometrical spreading, which can be further linked with areas of strong energy focusing and defocusing. We finally obtain isotropic Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps for 15 periods between 20 and 150 s, by stacking results from 37 earthquakes, which show a velocity change along the approximate boundary of the early Paleozoic continental margin. We also observe two low-velocity anomalies, one centered over the central Appalachians where Eocene basaltic volcanism has occurred and the other within the northeastern U.S., possibly associated with the Great Meteor Hotspot track.

The effect of superluminal phase velocity on electron acceleration in a powerful electromagnetic wave

Abstract: In this paper, we examine the effect that electromagnetic dispersion has on the motion of an electron in a relativistically strong plane wave. We obtain an analytic solution for the electron momentum and check this solution against direct numerical integration of the equations of motion. The solution shows that even a relatively small difference between the phase velocity of the wave, vp, and the speed of light, c, can significantly alter the electron dynamics if the normalized wave amplitude a0 exceeds 2c/(vp−c). At this amplitude, the maximum longitudinal electron momentum scales only linearly with a0, as opposed to a02. We also show that at this amplitude the impact of an accelerating longitudinal electric field and electron pre-acceleration is negated by the superluminous phase velocity of the wave. This has implications for the potential of Direct Laser Acceleration of electrons. We point out that electromagnetic dispersion can arise from both propagation in a plasma and from propagating the laser in...

Kinetic theory of dust ion acoustic waves in a kappa-distributed plasma

Abstract: Using a kinetic theory approach, dust ion acoustic (DIA) waves are investigated in an unmagnetized collisionless plasma with kappa-distributed electrons and ions, and Maxwellian dust grains of constant charge. Both analytical and numerical results, the latter following from the full solution of the associated dispersion relation, are presented, and a comparison is made. The effects of the ion and electron spectral indices, as well as the species' density ( ne/ni) and temperature ( Te/Ti) ratios, on the dispersion and damping of the waves are considered. In the long wavelength regime, increases in both the electron spectral index (κe) and the dust density fraction (reduced f=ne/ni) lead to an increase in phase velocity. The range in wavelength over which modes are weakly damped increases with an increase in Te/Ti. However, the ion spectral index, κi, does not have a significant effect on the dispersion or damping of DIA waves.

Nonperturbational surface-wave inversion: A Dix-type relation for surface waves

Abstract: We extend the approach underlying the well-known Dix equation in reflection seismology to surface waves. Within the context of surface wave inversion, the Dix-type relation we derive for surface waves allows accurate depth profiles of shear-wave velocity to be constructed directly from phase velocity data, in contrast toperturbational methods. The depth profiles can subsequently be used as an initial model for nonlinear inversion. We provide examples of the Dix-type relation for under-parameterized and over-parameterized cases. In the under-parameterized case, we use the theory to estimate crustal thickness, crustal shear-wave velocity, and mantle shear-wave velocity across the Western U.S. from phase velocity maps measured at 8-, 20-, and 40-s periods. By adopting a thin-layer formalism and an over-parameterized model, we show how a regularized inversion based on the Dix-type relation yields smooth depth profiles of shearwave velocity. In the process, we quantitatively demonstrate the depth sensitivity of surface-wave phase velocity as a function of frequency and the accuracy of the Dix-type relation. We apply the over-parameterized approach to a nearsurface data set within the frequency band from 5 to 40 Hz and find overall agreement between the inverted model and the result of full nonlinear inversion.

Surface impedance concept for modeling conductor roughness

Abstract: The Gradient Model describes skin effect in rough surfaces even at frequencies, where classical skin depth decreases to the order of surface roughness. It models microscopic roughness as a continous transition of conductivity perpendicular to the mean surface. This is justified by the fact, that roughness feature sizes are much smaller than the wavelength, so a propagating wave effectively interacts with a surface showing a conductivity gradient. As this interaction can be quantitatively described by field theory, the Gradient Model not only correctly predicts the loss increased due to surface roughness, but also roughness impact on phase velocity and characteristic impedance of transmission lines. The new concept presented here derives a complex surface impedance from the Gradient Model, reflecting both loss and propagation effects. This surface impedance can easily be applied as boundary condition in commercial field solvers and significantly increases their prediction power.

Regularization of a sharp shock by the defocusing nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abstract: The defocusing nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation is studied for a family of step-like initial data with piecewise constant amplitude and phase velocity with a single jump discontinuity at the origin. Riemann–Hilbert and steepest descent techniques are used to study the long-time/zero-dispersion limit of the solutions to NLS associated to this family of initial data. We show that the initial discontinuity is regularized in the long time/zero-dispersion limit by the emergence of five distinct regions in the (x, t) half-plane. These are left, right, and central plane waves separated by a rarefaction wave on the left and a slowly modulated elliptic wave on the right. Rigorous derivations of the leading order asymptotic behavior and error bounds are presented.