arXiv subjects

Gunsu Yun

Publications and source records attributed to Gunsu Yun.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Non-thermal electron cyclotron emission during runaway plateau in tokamak disruptions from a highly anisotropic dielectric tensor

During the runaway plateau phase in a tokamak, a cold background electron temperature of O(1 eV) forbids the onset of kinetic instability due to strong collisional damping. Nevertheless, non-thermal ECE anomalies at the level of 100 eV to keV have been observed in this phase without externally injected waves. To explore this, we characterize a highly anisotropic hot plasma medium with a Gaussian pitch-angle distribution. We derive an analytic hot plasma dielectric tensor, yielding direct expressions for the non-thermal emission coefficients and the kinetic instability drive rate. These analytic forms are verified against the KIAT and SYNO codes at small pitch-angle spread and are numerically complemented at large pitch-angle spread. Using the method of images, we define a fictitious global temperature of the entire plasma medium as measured by a horizontal ECE system. Because this representative medium temperature can exceed the keV level, the radiative temperature measured under incomplete wall reflection can be highly non-thermal without invoking any kinetic instability. This interpretation provides a conceptual basis for quantitative validation against experimental ECE measurements under realistic conditions.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Nanosecond-resolved 266 nm Mach-Zehnder interferometry for electron-density measurements of dense plasmas generated in supercritical fluids

We developed a nanosecond-resolved 266 nm Mach-Zehnder interferometer for electron-density measurements of dense laser-produced plasmas generated in 100-bar supercritical-fluid (SCF) helium. A 1064 nm pump pulse was focused into the SCF helium medium, and the plasma-induced phase shift of a 266 nm UV probe beam was recorded using an ICCD-based interferometric imaging system. Plasma-arm-only and reference-arm-only images were used to normalize raw interferograms and improve the effective fringe visibility. The corrected interferograms were analyzed using a two-dimensional Fourier-transform method to reconstruct phase-shift maps, which were converted into line-integrated electron-density distributions through the plasma dispersion relation. Assuming cylindrical symmetry, Abel inversion was applied to the plasma with the largest line-integrated electron density, yielding a maximum local electron density of approximately $2.5\times10^{18}~\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$. The measurement fidelity was evaluated by considering free-free absorption of the probe beam, probe-beam refraction by plasma electron density gradients, and effect of finite-collision-frequency effects on the plasma dielectric response. These estimates indicate that the inferred electron density is not altered by more than an order of magnitude under the present experimental conditions. The present system demonstrates the applicability of 266 nm UV interferometry to nanosecond-resolved density diagnostics of dense plasmas in high-pressure supercritical fluids.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Interfacial transport driven by electrohydrodynamic instability at the plasma-liquid interface

Interfacial dynamics play a central role in transport processes across the plasma-liquid interface. While the strong electric field in the plasma sheath can destabilize the liquid surface and induce species transfer from the liquid into the plasma, the mechanistic relationship between surface instability and interfacial transport remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the transport of sodium species in an atmospheric-pressure helium plasma in contact with a negatively DC-biased NaCl electrolyte using high-speed imaging, laser Mie scattering, and optical emission spectroscopy. The results show that Na transport is mediated by droplet emission from the liquid surface and proceeds through three sequential stages: surface deformation, Taylor cone formation, and electrospray. The threshold voltage required for Na I optical emission decreases with decreasing surface tension, in good agreement with the marginal condition for electrohydrodynamic (EHD) instability predicted by linear perturbation analysis. These findings demonstrate that EHD-driven droplet emission is the primary mechanism carrying sodium ions from the liquid into the plasma, where they are neutralized and excited. More broadly, this work establishes surface instability as the active transport channel governing the injection of dissolved species from the liquid into the plasma, creating a unique reaction network of plasma chemistry.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Firewall effect on electron acceleration by R-waves and parallel electric fields

We report an unanticipated electron dynamics in a classical setting of a uniform magnetic field, a parallel electric field, and a right-handed circularly polarized wave (R-wave). The setting admits a natural trajectory that a particle accelerated by the electric field reaches a Doppler-shifted cyclotron resonance and becomes trapped in the resonance space. Remarkably, once it becomes resonantly trapped, the electron undergoes reversal of parallel acceleration together with perpendicular energization, despite the parallel electric field remaining constant. This counterintuitive behavior has important implications for particle scattering in various laboratory and space plasmas. Applied to fusion devices, particle-in-cell simulations show that an externally injected R-wave can act as a firewall suppressing further runaway-electron acceleration.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Experimental evidence of non-equilibrium phase separation in supercritical fluids

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) have long been considered homogeneous and structureless, yet recent studies suggest the existence of transient, liquid-like clusters under dynamic processes. In this study, we provide experimental evidence of semi-stable non-equilibrium phase separation in SCFs through opacity measurements and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). By investigating the thermophysical properties of helium, argon, and krypton during adiabatic expansion, we show that cooling dynamics vary significantly among species, influencing cluster formation. Neutron scattering measurements reveal distinct variations in signal intensity, supporting that the clusters slowly dissolve into the background with a surprisingly long time scale of tens of minutes. Given that SCFs in industrial applications frequently experience dynamic, non-equilibrium conditions rather than in strict thermodynamic equilibrium, our results provide crucial insights with potential implications for advanced material processing, energy systems, and chemical engineering.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Solvated Electrons and Hydroxyl Radicals at the Plasma-Liquid Interface

While hydroxyl radicals ($\cdot$OH) play an important role as potent oxidizing agents in various plasma applications, their high reactivity confines them to a thin layer at the plasma-liquid interface, posing challenges in comprehending the intricate generation and transport processes. Similarly, solvated electrons ($\mathrm{e_{aq}}$), highly reactive reducing agents, are expected to exhibit distribution beneath the liquid surface and interact with $\cdot$OH in the thin layer. In this study, we have determined the penetration depth and concentration of ($\mathrm{e_{aq}}$) at the interface between an atmospheric argon plasma plume and an electrolyte anode via a lock-in amplification absorbance measurement. With bias voltages from 1000 to 2500 V, the penetration depth remains approximately 10 nm, and the peak concentration near the surface reaches 1 mM. Diffusion is the primary mechanism for $\cdot$OH generation in the electrolyte, with most $\cdot$OH reacting with ($\mathrm{e_{aq}}$) at the interface, thus influencing the ($\mathrm{e_{aq}}$) distribution. In contrast, the electrolyte cathode significantly boosts $\cdot$OH generation, leading to rapid recombination into hydrogen peroxide.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2005

Dynamic and Stagnating Plasma Flow Leading to Magnetic Flux Tube Collimation

Highly collimated, plasma-filled magnetic flux tubes are frequently observed on galactic, stellar and laboratory scales. We propose that a single, universal magnetohydrodynamic pumping process explains why such collimated, plasma-filled magnetic flux tubes are ubiquitous. Experimental evidence from carefully diagnosed laboratory simulations of astrophysical jets confirms this assertion and is reported here. The magnetohydrodynamic process pumps plasma into a magnetic flux tube and the stagnation of the resulting flow causes this flux tube to become collimated.

physics.plasm-ph↗