Polarization force (acting on a dust grain) and its modification by polarity of dust, non-isothermal (viz. non-thermal and trapped) ions, adiabaticity of electrons and ions, etc. have been investigated theoretically. It has been found that the polarization force is significantly modified by these effects, i.e. the magnitude of the polarization force is significantly decreased by the presence of non-thermal ions and by the adiabaticity of electrons and ions. On the other hand, it is significantly increased by the presence of trapped ions. It has been also shown that the magnitude of the polarization force is increased (decreased) by electric potential in the case of positively (negatively) charged dust. The relevance of our investigation to some space and astrophysical plasma situations is discussed.

This special issue of JPP features selected contributions from the 7th International Conference on the Physics of Dusty Plasmas (ICPDP 2014), held in New Delhi, India March 3–7, 2014.

The special issue ‘Collisions in collisionless plasmas’ is intended to provide a collection of relevant contributions from different scientific fields in plasma physics, including experiments, theory, and numerical modeling, focused on the role of collisions on the dynamical evolution of weakly collisional plasma systems.

It is established which of the Child–Langmuir collision law versions are most appropriate for describing the processes in the cathode sheath in the N2O. At low pressure (up to 0.3 Torr), the Child–Langmuir law version relating to the constant ion mobility holds. At N2O pressure values starting from 0.75 Torr and above, one has to employ the law version for which it is assumed that the ion mean free path within the cathode sheath is constant. In the intermediate pressure range (between 0.3 and 0.75 Torr), neither of the Child–Langmuir law versions gives a correct description of the cathode sheath of the glow discharge in the N2O.

Plasma physics is a large and fundamental area of physics, a subject that is intellectually rigorous and mathematically sophisticated and which has many applied branches. Because there are many applications, the field tends to suffer from compartmentalisation in people's minds, in terms of published output and institutional and funding arrangements. JPP will strive to be the intellectual home of those who think of plasma physics as a fundamental discipline.

A numerical study of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamics for Sweet–Parker current sheets that are subject to plasmoid instability is carried out. The effect of the initial upstream plasma-β on the critical Lundquist number Sc for the onset of plasmoid instability is studied. Our results indicate a weak dependence, with a value of Sc ≃ 1.5 × 104 in the limit of zero β, and a value of Sc ≃ 1 × 104 in the opposite high β regime (β ≫ 1). A similar dependence was previously obtained (Ni et al. 2012 Phys. Plasm. 19, 072902), but with a somewhat much larger variation, that can be largely attributed to the different configuration setup used in their study, and also to the definition of the Lundquist number. This conclusion does not depend significantly on the equilibrium used, i.e. both initial configurations with either plasma density or temperature spatial variations lead to very similar results. Finally, we show that the inner plasmoid structure appears as an under-dense hotted magnetic island, with a local temperature increase that is noticeably strengthened for low β cases.

The dust acoustic wave (DAW) was first discussed by P. K. Shukla in May of 1989 at the First Capri Workshop on Dusty Plasmas. In the past 25 years, the subsequent publication of the linear and nonlinear properties of the DAW (Rao, N. N., Shukla, P. K. and Yu, M. Y. 1990 Planet. Space Sci.38, 543) has generated and sustained a large body of theoretical and experimental research that has clarified the physics of collective effects in dusty plasmas. A unique feature of the DAW is that it can be observed (literally) using laser illumination and high-speed videography, revealing details of wave-particle interactions at an unprecedented single particle level. This paper attempts to review some of the contributions and extensions of dust acoustic wave physics, as well as identify recent findings that illustrate the potential importance of this dust wave in the agglomeration of dust particles.

A reduced four-dimensional (integrated over perpendicular velocity) gyrokinetic model of slab ion temperature gradient-driven turbulence is used to study the phase-space scales of free energy dissipation in a turbulent kinetic system over a broad range of background gradients and collision frequencies. Parallel velocity is expressed in terms of Hermite polynomials, allowing for a detailed study of the scales of free energy dynamics over the four-dimensional phase space. A fully spectral code – the DNA code – that solves this system is described. Hermite free energy spectra are significantly steeper than would be expected linearly, causing collisional dissipation to peak at large scales in velocity space even for arbitrarily small collisionality. A key cause of the steep Hermite spectra is a critical balance – an equilibration of the parallel streaming time and the nonlinear correlation time – that extends to high Hermite number n. Although dissipation always peaks at large scales in all phase space dimensions, small-scale dissipation becomes important in an integrated sense when collisionality is low enough and/or nonlinear energy transfer is strong enough. Toroidal full-gyrokinetic simulations using the Gene code are used to verify results from the reduced model. Collision frequencies typically found in present-day experiments correspond to turbulence regimes slightly favoring large-scale dissipation, while turbulence in low-collisionality systems like ITER and space and astrophysical plasmas is expected to rely increasingly on small-scale dissipation mechanisms. This work is expected to inform gyrokinetic reduced modeling efforts like Large Eddy Simulation and gyrofluid techniques.

Our goal is to gain new insights into the physics of wave overreflection phenomenon in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nonuniform/shear flows changing the existing trend/approach of the phenomenon study. The performed analysis allows to separate from each other different physical processes, grasp their interplay and, by this way, construct the basic physics of the overreflection in incompressible MHD flows with linear shear of mean velocity, U0=(Sy,0,0), that contain two different types of Alfvén waves. These waves are reduced to pseudo- and shear-Alfvén waves when wavenumber along Z-axis equals zero (i.e. when kz=0). Therefore, for simplicity, we labeled these waves as: P-Alfvén and S-Alfvén waves (P-AWs and S-AWs). We show that: (1) the linear coupling of counter-propagating waves determines the overreflection, (2) counter-propagating P-AWs are coupled with each other, while counter-propagating S-AWs are not coupled with each other, but are asymmetrically coupled with P-AWs; S-AWs do not participate in the linear dynamics of P-AWs, (3) the transient growth of S-AWs is somewhat smaller compared with that of P-AWs, (4) the linear transient processes are highly anisotropic in wave number space, (5) the waves with small streamwise wavenumbers exhibit stronger transient growth and become more balanced, (6) maximal transient growth (and overreflection) of the wave energy occurs in the two-dimensional case – at zero spanwise wavenumber.

To the end, we analyze nonlinear consequences of the described anisotropic linear dynamics – they should lead to an anisotropy of nonlinear cascade processes significantly changing their essence, pointing to a need of revisiting the existing concepts of cascade processes in MHD shear flows.

The physics process in a new kind of plasma magnetic field compression generator (MFCG) without the preliminary magnetic field is studied with a zero-dimensional theoretical model. It is found that the plasma liner is accelerated in the conduction stage and is decelerated in the compression stage. The geometry parameters of MFCG effect the load current amplification significantly. The geometry parameters need to be chosen carefully to make the acceleration space and the deceleration space being suitable for the generator circuit and the injected plasma liner to obtain the optimal amplification factor. For the given driven circuit, the typical amplification factor of load current is greater than 2.

In this contribution, we presented approaches for the determination of tokamak plasma column shift based on multipole moments and magnetic techniques. First, we presented analytical details for using this technique. Then, the principle of different models based on this technique for the design and fabrication of six coils will be presented: four modified Rogowski coils (two cosine coils and two sine coils) and two saddle coils (saddle sine coil and saddle cosine coil). Also, to compare the results, the flux loops technique is used. Because of continuous measurements of magnetic field distribution around the tokamak plasma using multipole coils, this technique gives us more reliable information about the plasma current displacement. Moreover, we deduced the plasma current and plasma boundary centers shift using the two semi-empirical techniques in the IR-T1 tokamak. First, the plasma current center is calculated from the vertical field coil characteristics. The calculation is made focusing on the vertical field coil current and voltage changes due to a horizontal displacement of the plasma column. Also, the plasma boundary center shift was measured from the external magnetic coils. The results from these two techniques are compared and discussed.

The standard classical description of non-laminar charged particle beams in paraxial approximation is extended to the context of two wave theories. The first theory that we discuss (Fedele R. and Shukla, P. K. 1992 Phys. Rev. A45, 4045. Tanjia, F. et al. 2011 Proceedings of the 38th EPS Conference on Plasma Physics, Vol. 35G. Strasbourg, France: European Physical Society) is based on the Thermal Wave Model (TWM) (Fedele, R. and Miele, G. 1991 Nuovo Cim. D13, 1527.) that interprets the paraxial thermal spreading of beam particles as the analog of quantum diffraction. The other theory is based on a recently developed model (Fedele, R. et al. 2012a Phys. Plasmas19, 102106; Fedele, R. et al. 2012b AIP Conf. Proc.1421, 212), hereafter called Quantum Wave Model (QWM), that takes into account the individual quantum nature of single beam particle (uncertainty principle and spin) and provides collective description of beam transport in the presence of quantum paraxial diffraction. Both in quantum and quantum-like regimes, the beam transport is governed by a 2D non-local Schrödinger equation, with self-interaction coming from the nonlinear charge- and current-densities. An envelope equation of the Ermakov–Pinney type, which includes collective effects, is derived for both TWM and QWM regimes. In TWM, such description recovers the well-known Sacherer's equation (Sacherer, F. J. 1971 IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.NS-18, 1105). Conversely, in the quantum regime and in Hartree's mean field approximation, one recovers the evolution equation for a single-particle spot size, i.e. for a single quantum ray spot in the transverse plane (Compton regime). We demonstrate that such quantum evolution equation contains the same information as the evolution equation for the beam spot size that describes the beam as a whole. This is done heuristically by defining the lowest QWM state accessible by a system of non-overlapping fermions. The latter are associated with temperature values that are sufficiently low to make the single-particle quantum effects visible on the beam scale, but sufficiently high to make the overlapping of the single-particle wave functions negligible. This lowest QWM state constitutes the border between the fundamental single-particle Compton regime and the collective quantum and thermal regimes at larger (nano- to micro-) scales. Comparing it with the beam parameters in the existing accelerators, we find that it is feasible to achieve nano-sized beams in advanced compact machines.

This paper examines the electrostatic shielding in plasmas, and resolves inconsistencies about what the Debye length really is. Two different interpretations of the Debye length are currently used: (1) The potential energy approximately equals the thermal energy, and (2) the ratio of the shielded to the unshielded potential drops to 1/e. We examine these two interpretations of the Debye length for equilibrium plasmas described by the Boltzmann distribution, and non-equilibrium plasmas (e.g. space plasmas) described by kappa distributions. We study three dimensionalities of the electrostatic potential: 1-D potential of linear symmetry for planar charge density, 2-D potential of cylindrical symmetry for linear charge density, and 3-D potential of spherical symmetry for a point charge. We resolve critical inconsistencies of the two interpretations, including: independence of the Debye length on the dimensionality; requirement for small charge perturbations that is equivalent to weakly coupled plasmas; correlations between ions and electrons; existence of temperature for non-equilibrium plasmas; and isotropic Debye shielding. We introduce a third Debye length interpretation that naturally emerges from the second statistical moment of the particle position distribution; this is analogous to the kinetic definition of temperature, which is the second statistical moment of the velocity distribution. Finally, we compare the three interpretations, identifying what information is required for theoretical/experimental plasma-physics research: Interpretation 1 applies only to kappa distributions; Interpretation 2 is not restricted to any specific form of the ion/electron distributions, but these forms have to be known; Interpretation 3 needs only the second statistical moment of the positional distribution.

Nonlinear translational symmetric equilibria with up to quartic flux terms in free functions, reversed magnetic shear, and sheared flow are constructed in two ways: (i) quasi-analytically by an ansatz, which reduces the pertinent generalized Grad–Shafranov equation to a set of ordinary differential equations and algebraic constraints which is then solved numerically, and (ii) completely numerically by prescribing analytically a boundary having an X-point. This latter case presented in Sec. 4 is relevant to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project. The equilibrium characteristics are then examined by means of pressure, safety factor, current density, and electric field. For flows parallel to the magnetic field, the stability of the equilibria constructed is also examined by applying a sufficient condition. It turns out that the equilibrium nonlinearity has a stabilizing impact, which is slightly enhanced by the sheared flow. In addition, the results indicate that the stability is affected by the up-down asymmetry.

Using the Sagdeev pseudopotential method, the properties of negative dust-acoustic supersolitons are investigated in a plasma comprising cold negative dust and Boltzmann and Cairns non-thermal positive ions. Supersolitons have electric field profiles with additional wiggles on traditional bipolar structures, and their existence requires pseudopotentials having two sub-wells before a root is reached. Once the existence ranges are determined in parameter space, typical pseudopotential, supersoliton and electric field profiles can be easily generated. Their characteristics are very robust and yield dust and dust-ion-acoustic supersolitons in a wide range of compositional models and parameter ranges.

Dispersion relations for longitudinal and transverse dust lattice waves in two-dimensional hexagonal dust crystals of negatively charged particles were investigated and compared for two different interaction types, namely, Coulomb and screened Yukawa potentials. Results showed that the interaction type and the wave propagation direction change the characteristics of the dispersion relation as well as the group velocity. The screening parameter is also found to reduce the mode frequencies.

Models for traveling waves in multi-fluid plasmas give essential insight into fully nonlinear wave structures in plasmas, not readily available from either numerical simulations or from weakly nonlinear wave theories. We illustrate these ideas using one of the simplest models of an electron–proton multi-fluid plasma for the case where there is no magnetic field or a constant normal magnetic field present. We show that the traveling waves can be reduced to a single first-order differential equation governing the dynamics. We also show that the equations admit a multi-symplectic Hamiltonian formulation in which both the space and time variables can act as the evolution variable. An integral equation useful for calculating adiabatic, electrostatic solitary wave signatures for multi-fluid plasmas with arbitrary mass ratios is presented. The integral equation arises naturally from a fluid dynamics approach for a two fluid plasma, with a given mass ratio of the two species (e.g. the plasma could be an electron–proton or an electron–positron plasma). Besides its intrinsic interest, the integral equation solution provides a useful analytical test for numerical codes that include a proton–electron mass ratio as a fundamental constant, such as for particle in cell (PIC) codes. The integral equation is used to delineate the physical characteristics of ion acoustic traveling waves consisting of hot electron and cold proton fluids.

Ion acoustic solitary waves and periodic waves in an unmagnetized plasma with superthermal (kappa-distributed) electrons and positrons are investigated through a non-perturbative approach. Model equations are transformed to a planar dynamical system. Then by using the bifurcations of phase portraits of this planar dynamical system, we have established that our model has solitary wave and periodic wave solutions. We have obtained two analytical solutions for these solitary and periodic waves depending on the parameters. From these solitary wave and periodic wave solutions, we have shown the combined effects of temperature ratio (σ) of electrons and positrons, spectral index (κ), speed of the traveling wave (v), and density ratio (p) of positrons and electrons on the characteristics of ion acoustic solitary and periodic waves. The spectral index, density ratio, speed of the traveling wave, and temperature ratio significantly affect the characteristics of ion acoustic solitary and periodic structures. The present study might be helpful to understand the salient features of nonlinear ion acoustic solitary and periodic structures in the interstellar medium.

Tokamak edge plasma was analyzed by applying the multifractal detrend fluctuation analysis (MF-DFA) technique. This method has found wide application in the analysis of correlations and characterization of scaling behavior of the time-series data in physiology, finance, and natural sciences. The time evolution of the ion saturation current (Is), the floating potential fluctuation (Vf), the poloidal electric field (Ep), and the radial particle flux (Γr) has been measured by using a set of Langmuir probes consisting of four tips on the probe head. The generalized Hurst exponents (h(q)), local fluctuation function (Fq(s)), the Rényi exponents (τ(q)) as well as the multifractal spectrum f(αh) have been calculated by applying the MF-DFA method to Is, Vf, and the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuation signal. Furthermore, we perform the shuffling and the phase randomization techniques to detect the sources of multifractality. The nonlinearity shape of τ(q) reveals a multifractal behavior of the time-series data. The results show that in the presence of biasing, Is, Vf, Ep, and Γr reduce about 25%, 90%, 70%, and 50%, respectively, compared with the situation with no biasing. Also, they reduce about 15%, 90%, 35%, and 25%, respectively, after resonant helical magnetic field (RHF) application. In the presence of biasing or RHF, the amplitude of the power spectrum of Is, Vf, Γr, and MHD activity reduce remarkably in all the ranges of frequency, while their h(q) increase. The values of h(q) have been restricted between 0.6 and 0.68. These results are evidence of the existence of long-range correlations in the plasma edge turbulence. They also show the self-similar nature of the plasma edge fluctuations. Biasing or RHF reduces the amount of Fq(s). The multifractal spectrum width of Is, Vf, and MHD fluctuation amplitude reduce about 60%, 70%, and 42%, respectively, by applying biasing. In the presence of RHF, their width reduces about 60%, 85%, and 75%, respectively. It means that biasing and RHF reduce the degree of multifractality.

Knowledge of the structure of coronal magnetic field originating from the photosphere is relevant to the understanding of many solar activity phenomena, e.g. flares, solar prominences, coronal loops, and coronal heating. In most of the existing literature, these loop-like magnetic structures are modeled as force-free magnetic fields (FFMF) without any plasma flow. In this paper, we present several exact solution classes for nonlinear FFMF, in both translational and axisymmetric geometries. The solutions are considered for their possible relevance to astrophysics and solar physics problems. These are used to illustrate arcade-type magnetic field structures of the photosphere and twisted magnetic flux ropes through the coronal mass ejections (CMEs), as well as magnetic confinement fusion plasmas.