Abstract The cold atmospheric plasma jets change their character when interacting with the different surfaces. Since such interaction is the primary area of plasma jet applications, it is essential ...to monitor the process. The non-linearity of the RF plasma slit jet (PSJ) was analyzed using the VI probes and a novel method, the non-intrusive antenna measurements. Regardless of the experimental setup and gas mixture (Ar, Ar/O 2 , Ar/N 2 ), the PSJ frequency spectrum consisted of the following main features: dominant fundamental frequency peak, relatively strong odd harmonics, and significantly weaker even harmonics. The lowest degree of non-linearity was recorded for the Ar PSJ ignited against a grounded target. Admixing a molecular gas increased the discharge non-linearity. It was attributed to the enhancement of secondary electron emission from the dielectric surfaces. In addition to the non-linearity analysis, the antenna spectra were for the first time used to determine the semi-quantitative values of the PSJ-radiated electric field. The electric fields decreased by a factor of 2 after the admixing of nitrogen and oxygen molecular gases. Out of the studied targets, the highest electric fields were observed when plasma impinged on the grounded targets, followed by the floating target (2× lower) and the PSJ ignited in the open space configuration (4× lower than in the grounded target configuration).
A design study has been performed for a positron beam with an energy of 500 MeV to be realized at the applied physics area of the Mainz Microtron MAMI. Positrons will be created after pair conversion ...of bremsstrahlung, produced by the 855 MeV electron beam at MAMI in a tungsten converter target. From the two conceivable geometries (1) pair conversion in the bremsstrahlung converter target itself, and (2) bremsstrahlung pair conversion in a separated lead foil, the former was considered in detail. Positrons will be energy selected within an outside open electron beam-line bending magnet, and bent back by an additional sector magnet. Magnetic focusing elements in between are designed to prepare in a well shielded positron target chamber about 6 m away from the target a beam with horizontal and vertical emittances of
ϵ
v
= 0.055
π
mm mrad (1
σ
), and
ϵ
h
=
0.12
π
mm mrad (1
σ
), respectively, for a 10
μ
m thick amorphous tungsten target and negligible momentum spread. At an accepted positron band width of 1 MeV, spots are expected vertically with an angular spread of 0.064 mrad and a size of 5.0 mm (FWHM), and horizontally with an angular spread of 0.64 mrad and a size of 7.7 mm (FWHM). The positron yield amounts to 13.1 per second, 1 MeV positron energy band width, and 1 nA electron beam current.
Graphic abstract
This paper presents a design, analysis and optimization of birdcage resonators employed in a novel radiofrequency plasma source. Three resonators were simulated and fabricated. The resonators differ ...in their design and in the different materials of used dielectric – polyimide and polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). The resonance frequency of fabricated samples possesses a maximal error of 2.2 % compared to the simulated values. The performance in plasma excitation is related to the electrical parameters, while the best performing resonator (PTFE-based) exhibits the maximum real impedance of 644.3 Ω at the resonance frequency and the 799.5 V/m electric field strength. This resonator shows the best power efficiency in a plasma ignition experiment. The resonator ignited the discharge at ca. 1 Pa of ambient air atmosphere with only 0.34 W of input radiofrequency power.
Nuclear power plants are one of the largest producers of electricity. To remotely transmit this energy, they use the transformation of electrical voltage to higher levels using power transformers. ...Decommissioning such a transformer result in very high financial losses. One of the influences affecting the life and function of transformers is the activity of so-called partial discharges (PD). One of the electrical allocutions of partial discharges is the emission of broadband electromagnetic signals in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band. This specific manifestation of partial discharge is used by the UHF method of partial discharge detection, which is very useful in terms of evaluating the state of insulation. In this paper we present methods for simulating partial discharges in transformer oil. Very thin cannulas and gas with lower electrical strength than air was used to develop the bubbles to reduce the voltage required to form PD. A simulation device for the generation of partial discharges has been proposed, realized in a vessel filled with transformer oil, in which gas bubbles with lower electrical strength are formed, in which the discharge activity will be initiated by means of electrodes with a spherical cross-section. This arrangement is supplemented by measuring apparatus for sensing, recording and subsequent analysis of signals emitted by PD. In the simulation program Ansys Maxwell, simulations of the gas bubble between the electrodes in the transformer oil were performed. The work also deals with the comparison of the achieved results for different antennas in the time and frequency domain.
A precise measurement of the differential cross sections dσ/dΩ and the linearly polarized photon beam asymmetry Σ_{3} for Compton scattering on the proton below pion threshold has been performed with ...a tagged photon beam and almost 4π detector at the Mainz Microtron. The incident photons were produced by the recently upgraded Glasgow-Mainz photon tagging facility and impinged on a cryogenic liquid hydrogen target, with the scattered photons detected in the Crystal Ball/TAPS setup. Using the highest statistics Compton scattering data ever measured on the proton along with two effective field theories (both covariant baryon and heavy-baryon) and one fixed-t dispersion relation model, constraining the fits with the Baldin sum rule, we have obtained the proton electric and magnetic polarizabilities with unprecedented precision: α_{E1}=10.99±0.16±0.47±0.17±0.34, β_{M1}=3.14±0.21±0.24±0.20±0.35; in units of 10^{-4} fm^{3} where the errors are statistical, systematic, spin polarizability dependent, and model dependent.
We report a measurement of the spin polarization of the recoiling neutron in deuterium photodisintegration, utilizing a new large acceptance polarimeter within the Crystal Ball at MAMI. The measured ...photon energy range of 300-700 MeV provides the first measurement of recoil neutron polarization at photon energies where the quark substructure of the deuteron plays a role, thereby providing important new constraints on photodisintegration mechanisms. A very high neutron polarization in a narrow structure centered around E_{γ}∼570 MeV is observed, which is inconsistent with current theoretical predictions employing nucleon resonance degrees of freedom. A Legendre polynomial decomposition suggests this behavior could be related to the excitation of the d^{*}(2380) hexaquark.
We report a first measurement of the double-polarisation observable, Cx′, in π+ photoproduction off the proton. The Cx′ double-polarisation observable represents the transfer of polarisation from a ...circularly polarised photon beam to the recoiling neutron. The MAMI circularly polarised photon beam impinged on a liquid deuterium target cell, with reaction products detected in the Crystal Ball calorimeter. Ancillary apparatus surrounding the target provided tracking, particle identification and determination of recoil nucleon polarisation. The Cx′ observable is determined for photon energies 800-1400 MeV, providing new constraints on models aiming to elucidate the spectrum and properties of nucleon resonances. This is the first determination of any polarisation observable from the beam-recoil group of observables for this reaction. Inclusion of the new data in the database of the SAID partial wave analysis shifted the solution to a new global minima which, not only gives better agreement with the current data, but also improves the description of a range of other single and double polarisation observables for charged pion photoproduction.
Photoproduction of π0π±-pairs from quasifree nucleons bound in the deuteron has been investigated to study the helicity dependence of this reaction. Measurements with a liquid deuterium target were ...used to extract the unpolarized cross sections for reactions on protons and neutrons. A deuterated, longitudinally polarized solid-butanol target, together with a circularly polarized photon beam, determined the double polarization observable E. From these results the spin-dependent cross sections σ1/2 and σ3/2, corresponding to the anti-parallel and parallel spin configurations of the beam photon and target nucleon, have been derived. The measurements were performed at the Mainz MAMI accelerator with tagged, circularly-polarized photon beams produced via bremsstrahlung from longitudinally polarized electron beams. The reaction products were detected with an almost 4π solid-angle covering calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors, supplemented by plastic scintillation detectors for charged particle identification. The results are sensitive to sequential decays of nucleon resonances via intermediate states and also to the decay of nucleon resonances by emission of charged ρ mesons, and are compared to recent model results.
This paper deals with an analysis of the electric field inside birdcage resonators and discusses the geometric optimization of such resonators, emphasizing the electrical parameters. Firstly, we ...chose several different values of capacitors. For each capacitor value, parametric optimization was used to find the right geometry, for which the fundamental resonance mode lies at the frequency of interest (433 MHz). The numerical analysis results were employed as the basis for fabricating birdcage resonator prototypes. The prototypes' parameters were measured using a vector network analyzer. Thus, we obtained a series of resonators working at similar frequencies (the deviation between the measured and the simulated values in dependence on the coil geometry is evaluated). The measured parameters and the simulated field distributions are compared and discussed with regard to the electrical properties of the resonators, electric field intensity, and homogeneity. The possible applications (such as an electric propulsion engine) are discussed.
A first measurement of the polarisation transfer from a circularly-polarised photon to the final state neutron (Cx′n) in deuterium photodisintegration has been carried out. This quantity is ...determined over the photon energy range 370 – 700 MeV and for neutron centre-of-mass breakup angles ∼45−120∘. The polarisation of the final state neutrons was determined by an ancillary large-acceptance nucleon polarimeter, surrounding a cryogenic liquid deuterium target within the Crystal Ball detector at MAMI. The polarimeter characterised (n,p) charge exchange of the ejected neutrons to determine their polarisation. The new Cx′n data are also compared to a theoretical model based on nucleonic and nucleon resonance degrees of freedom constrained by the current world-database of deuterium photodisintegration measurements. Structures in Cx′n observed in the region of the d⁎(2380) could not be explained by conventional models of deuteron photodisintegration.
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