MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Imaging Plasma Waves and Particles

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该奖项将支持获取激光照明/高速视频成像仪器，这些仪器将允许研究3D粒子悬浮物中的粒子运动和尘埃等离子体的集体行为，即对波模式的研究，包括目前可用的以30帧/秒运行的商用摄像机无法解决的频率成分。获得能够以每秒数千帧的速度记录图像的摄像机，将允许详细研究在等离子体中自激或在外部调制放电参数的同步频率上激发的尘埃波模式。增强功率和稳定性的激光器，加上图像增强器和高速摄像机，将使LIF系统具有目前无法获得的信噪比。这种强大的诊断将允许对新的非线性波结构进行多点相关研究，以及对非常小振幅的线性波的检测。此次收购将对等离子体物理学的其他领域产生跨学科的影响，包括聚变能和天体物理学，以及生物技术和软凝聚态物质。随着对波粒相互作用理解的增加以及对尘埃等离子体和软凝聚态物质物理学更详细的理解，进行更敏感和更详细的测量的能力将得以实现。波粒相互作用问题是等离子体物理学中的一个核心问题，它影响着空间和天体物理等离子体以及聚变等离子体。尘埃等离子体在太空（土星环）和天体物理（行星状星云）等离子体以及材料加工中使用的等离子体中无处不在。该仪器所支持的研究将作为大学教育使命的一部分进行。这包括研究生的硕士和博士论文研究，以及物理学本科生作为学士学位要求的一部分进行的研究项目。实验室中现代化研究设备的存在对于吸引和留住优秀学生的能力至关重要。pi与本科学院的研究人员以及其他大学的同事保持合作努力，这些同事是性别和种族上代表性不足的群体的成员。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This award will support acquisition of laser illumination/high-speed video imaging instruments that will allow for the study of particle motion in 3D particle suspensions and the collective behavior of dusty plasmas, i.e., studies of wave modes, includes frequency components that cannot be resolved with presently available commercial video cameras operating at 30 frames/s. Acquisition of video cameras that can record images at thousands of frames/s will permit detailed studies of dust wave modes that are either self-excited in the plasma or excited at frequencies synchronized by external modulation of discharge parameters. A laser with increased power and stability coupled with an image intensifier and high speed video camera will result in an LIF system with a signal-to-noise ratio that is presently unavailable. This powerful diagnostic will permit multi-point correlation studies of new nonlinear wave structures as well as the detection of linear waves of very small amplitude.The science enabled by this acquisition will have an interdisciplinary impact in other areas of plasma physics, including fusion energy and astrophysics, as well as biotechnology and soft condensed matter. The ability to make more sensitive and detailed measurements will be realized as an increase in the understanding of wave-particle interactions and a more detailed understanding of physics of dusty plasmas and soft condensed matter. The wave-particle interaction problem is a central issue in plasma physics which impacts space and astrophysical plasmas as well as fusion plasmas. Dusty plasmas are ubiquitous in space (Saturn's rings) and astrophysical (planetary nebula) plasmas as well as plasmas used in materials processing. The research enabled by this instrumentation will be conducted as part of the educational mission of the University. This includes MS and PhD thesis research of graduate students and research projects conducted by undergraduate physics students as part of the BS degree requirements. The presence of modern research equipment in laboratories is essential to the ability to attract and retain top students. The PIs maintain collaborative efforts with researchers at undergraduate colleges as well as with colleagues at other universities who are members of underrepresented groups by gender and ethnicity.