Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas

Partially ionized plasmas are widely present in astrophysical and space plasmas, and ion-neutral collisions have an important impact on the plasma dynamics, such as electrostatic wave propagation. In this work, the excitation and propagation characteristics of electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves...

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Main Authors: Junnan Jiang, Yu Liu, Wenlong Huang, Minchi Li, Rong Jin, Pengcheng Yu, Jiuhou Lei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9019
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author Junnan Jiang
Yu Liu
Wenlong Huang
Minchi Li
Rong Jin
Pengcheng Yu
Jiuhou Lei
author_facet Junnan Jiang
Yu Liu
Wenlong Huang
Minchi Li
Rong Jin
Pengcheng Yu
Jiuhou Lei
author_sort Junnan Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Partially ionized plasmas are widely present in astrophysical and space plasmas, and ion-neutral collisions have an important impact on the plasma dynamics, such as electrostatic wave propagation. In this work, the excitation and propagation characteristics of electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves were experimentally studied in a partially ionized plasma. The EIC waves were launched via a grid antenna, and two types of EIC waves were observed to be excited and propagated. In partially ionized plasmas with weak ion–neutral collisions, it was found that the EIC wave propagation is dominated by ion motion, resembling the classical EIC wave. However, in plasmas with strong ion–neutral collisions, experiments revealed for the first time that EIC wave propagation can be dominated by neutral motion, which leads to an increase in the collisional EIC wave’s phase velocity. Additionally, the EIC wave dispersion relationships under collisions were determined to reveal the underlying processes responsible for the observations. This work verified that collisional EIC waves can gain energy from neutrals in partially ionized plasmas, which suggests that ion‒neutral collisions in the Earth and planetary ionosphere and solar atmosphere have a more complex impact on plasma wave propagation than previously thought.
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institution DOAJ
issn 1538-4357
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publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher IOP Publishing
record_format Article
series The Astrophysical Journal
spelling doaj-art-4a77c509209048eb930aca5a5116610d2025-08-20T02:48:43ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-01977214210.3847/1538-4357/ad9019Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized PlasmasJunnan Jiang0https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2729-6882Yu Liu1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6085-9365Wenlong Huang2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7525-7335Minchi Li3https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1799-8446Rong Jin4https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8242-1663Pengcheng Yu5https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7333-3434Jiuhou Lei6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4374-5083Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cnDeep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cn; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology/CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment/Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Astronautical Science and Technology , Harbin, 150006, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Computer Science and Technology, Anhui Engineering Laboratory for Industrial Internet Intelligent Applications and Security, Anhui University of Technology , Ma’anshan, Anhui, 243002, People’s Republic of ChinaDeep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cnDeep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cnDeep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cnDeep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China ; yliu001@ustc.edu.cn, leijh@ustc.edu.cn; CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology/CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment/Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory, University of Science and Technology of China , Hefei, 230026, People’s Republic of China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Astronautical Science and Technology , Harbin, 150006, People’s Republic of ChinaPartially ionized plasmas are widely present in astrophysical and space plasmas, and ion-neutral collisions have an important impact on the plasma dynamics, such as electrostatic wave propagation. In this work, the excitation and propagation characteristics of electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves were experimentally studied in a partially ionized plasma. The EIC waves were launched via a grid antenna, and two types of EIC waves were observed to be excited and propagated. In partially ionized plasmas with weak ion–neutral collisions, it was found that the EIC wave propagation is dominated by ion motion, resembling the classical EIC wave. However, in plasmas with strong ion–neutral collisions, experiments revealed for the first time that EIC wave propagation can be dominated by neutral motion, which leads to an increase in the collisional EIC wave’s phase velocity. Additionally, the EIC wave dispersion relationships under collisions were determined to reveal the underlying processes responsible for the observations. This work verified that collisional EIC waves can gain energy from neutrals in partially ionized plasmas, which suggests that ion‒neutral collisions in the Earth and planetary ionosphere and solar atmosphere have a more complex impact on plasma wave propagation than previously thought.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9019Solar atmosphereSpace plasmasPlanetary ionospheresEarth ionosphere
spellingShingle Junnan Jiang
Yu Liu
Wenlong Huang
Minchi Li
Rong Jin
Pengcheng Yu
Jiuhou Lei
Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
The Astrophysical Journal
Solar atmosphere
Space plasmas
Planetary ionospheres
Earth ionosphere
title Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
title_full Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
title_fullStr Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
title_full_unstemmed Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
title_short Plasma Waves Can Gain Energy from Neutrals in Partially Ionized Plasmas
title_sort plasma waves can gain energy from neutrals in partially ionized plasmas
topic Solar atmosphere
Space plasmas
Planetary ionospheres
Earth ionosphere
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad9019
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AT rongjin plasmawavescangainenergyfromneutralsinpartiallyionizedplasmas
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