ColdPlasma · Plasma waves

Ordinary waves and the plasma cutoff

Four ordinary electromagnetic waves oscillate across a uniform magnetic field. Their electric field is parallel to the background field, so the electrons feel no magnetic force in this polarization. Measured frequencies follow the cold-plasma dispersion relation ω2=ωp2+c2k2,ωp=c=1.\omega^2=\omega_p^2+c^2k^2,\qquad \omega_p=c=1. Initially Ez(x,0)=0.02n{1,2,4,8}cos(nx/4)E_z(x,0)=0.02\sum_{n\in\{1,2,4,8\}}\cos(nx/4) and the magnetic perturbation and current vanish. The dispersion curve approaches the plasma-frequency cutoff as the wavelength grows; below it, a uniform cold plasma has no propagating ordinary mode.

Four measured ordinary-wave frequencies on the cold-plasma dispersion curve, with their electric-field oscillations
Actual output from the script below. Interactive controls are available in the plot above.Open graph in a new tab ↗
Space-time map of four superposed ordinary electromagnetic waves
The longer waves oscillate near the plasma frequency; shorter waves oscillate faster.Open graph in a new tab ↗

Physical problem

Electromagnetic waves above the plasma cutoff

PDEs solved by model:

Cold-plasma current:

Faraday's law:

Ampère's law:

where denotes an inhomogeneous background.

Simulation geometry

Domain used in this run

The actual Cuboid geometry reconstructed from this run's metadata. Switch between the 3D view and physical-coordinate slices.

Domain

Cuboid

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Parameters

ParameterValueDescription
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Performance

Profiling

Struphy's built-in scope-profiler instruments every propagator, pusher and solver call — these are the real per-call timings from the run above.

Durations

Gantt (rank 0)

Region statistics

RegionCountAvg (s)Min (s)Max (s)Total (s)

Complete source

Simulation script

Download .py

Requires Struphy with compiled kernels and Plotly. Run struphy compile once, then execute python ordinary-mode-dispersion.py.

"""Ordinary electromagnetic waves and the plasma-frequency cutoff.

For k perpendicular to B0 and E parallel to B0, the cold-plasma O mode obeys
omega**2 = omega_p**2 + c**2*k**2. Four standing modes are evolved together;
their frequencies are measured independently from electric-field zero crossings.
This periodic initial-value experiment measures propagating modes, not reflection
from an interface. The cutoff is the k -> 0 limit of the dispersion relation.

Reference: https://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/315/Waveshtml/node75.html
Requires the pinned Struphy with compiled kernels (`struphy compile`).
"""

import numpy as np

from struphy import DerhamOptions, EnvironmentOptions, Simulation, Time, domains, equils, grids, perturbations
from struphy.models import ColdPlasma
from struphy.linear_algebra.solver import SolverParameters

stem = "ordinary-mode-dispersion"
length = 8.0 * np.pi
mode_numbers = (1, 2, 4, 8)
amplitude = 0.02  # electric-field amplitude per mode
wavenumbers = 2.0 * np.pi * np.array(mode_numbers) / length
frequencies = np.sqrt(1.0 + wavenumbers**2)  # c = omega_p = 1
model = ColdPlasma(alpha=1.0, epsilon=1.0)
for propagator in (model.propagators.maxwell, model.propagators.ohm, model.propagators.jxb):
    propagator.options = propagator.Options(solver_params=SolverParameters(tol=1e-12))
model.em_fields.e_field.add_perturbation(
    perturbations.ModesCos(ls=mode_numbers, amps=(amplitude,) * len(mode_numbers),
                           comp=2, Lx=length, given_in_basis="physical"),
)
domain = domains.Cuboid(r1=length)
grid = grids.TensorProductGrid(num_elements=(64, 1, 1))
derham_opts = DerhamOptions(degree=(3, 1, 1))
time_opts = Time(dt=0.02, Tend=30.0, split_algo="Strang")
sim = Simulation(
    model=model, name="Ordinary waves and the plasma cutoff",
    description=(
        "Four ordinary electromagnetic waves oscillate across a uniform magnetic field. "
        "Their electric field is parallel to the background field, so the electrons feel no "
        "magnetic force in this polarization. Measured frequencies follow the cold-plasma dispersion relation"
        r" $$\omega^2=\omega_p^2+c^2k^2,\qquad \omega_p=c=1.$$"
        r" Initially :math:`E_z(x,0)=0.02\sum_{n\in\{1,2,4,8\}}\cos(nx/4)` and the magnetic perturbation and current vanish. "
        "The dispersion curve approaches the plasma-frequency cutoff as the wavelength grows; "
        "below it, a uniform cold plasma has no propagating ordinary mode."
    ),
    env=EnvironmentOptions(out_folders="struphy_gallery_runs", sim_folder="ordinary_mode_dispersion"),
    time_opts=time_opts, domain=domain, grid=grid, derham_opts=derham_opts,
    equil=equils.HomogenSlab(B0z=1.0, n0=1.0),
)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    from plotly.subplots import make_subplots
    from _gallery import export_profiling, merge_metadata, save_extra_figure, save_figure, space_time_figure

    output = sim.run(profiling_activated=True)
    output.pproc(physical=True)
    field = output.evaluate("em_fields/e_field_xyz").isel(component=2, e2=0, e3=0)
    energy = output.evaluate("total_energy")
    times, x = field.t.values, field.e1.values * length
    if not np.isfinite(field.values).all() or not np.isfinite(energy.values).all() or not np.isclose(times[-1], time_opts.Tend):
        raise RuntimeError("The ordinary-mode run is incomplete or non-finite")
    # Drop the repeated endpoint of the periodic spatial evaluation grid.
    basis = np.cos(wavenumbers[:, None] * x[None, :-1])
    signals = 2.0 * field.values[:, :-1] @ basis.T / (len(x) - 1)
    measured = []
    for signal in signals.T:
        crossing = np.flatnonzero(np.diff(np.signbit(signal)))
        if crossing.size < 4:
            raise RuntimeError("Too few zero crossings to measure an ordinary-mode frequency")
        roots = times[crossing] - signal[crossing] * np.diff(times)[crossing] / np.diff(signal)[crossing]
        measured.append(float(np.pi / np.mean(np.diff(roots))))
    measured = np.array(measured)
    reference = amplitude * np.cos(times[:, None] * frequencies[None, :])
    frequency_error = float(np.max(np.abs(measured / frequencies - 1.0)))
    mode_error = float(np.max(np.abs(signals - reference)) / amplitude)
    energy_drift = float(np.max(np.abs(energy.values / energy.values[0] - 1.0)))
    if frequency_error > 0.01 or mode_error > 0.1 or energy_drift > 1e-6:
        raise RuntimeError(f"Ordinary-mode check failed: frequency={frequency_error:.3g}, field={mode_error:.3g}, energy={energy_drift:.3g}")

    figure = make_subplots(rows=1, cols=2, horizontal_spacing=0.13,
                           subplot_titles=("Dispersion and cutoff", "Four independently measured modes"))
    k = np.linspace(0, 2.2, 200)
    figure.add_scatter(x=k, y=np.sqrt(1 + k**2), name="ω² = 1 + k²", line={"color": "#222"}, row=1, col=1)
    figure.add_scatter(x=wavenumbers, y=measured, mode="markers", name="Measured frequencies",
                       marker={"size": 10, "color": "#d62828"}, row=1, col=1)
    figure.add_hrect(y0=0, y1=1, fillcolor="#168aad", opacity=0.08, line_width=0, row=1, col=1)
    figure.add_hline(y=1, line_dash="dot", annotation_text="ω_p: cutoff", row=1, col=1)
    for j, color in enumerate(("#168aad", "#d62828", "#f77f00", "#6a4c93")):
        figure.add_scatter(x=times, y=signals[:, j] / amplitude + 2.5 * j, name=f"k = {wavenumbers[j]:g}",
                           line={"color": color}, row=1, col=2)
        figure.add_scatter(x=times[::25], y=reference[::25, j] / amplitude + 2.5 * j, mode="markers",
                           name="Exact oscillation", showlegend=j == 0,
                           marker={"color": "#222", "symbol": "circle-open", "size": 4}, row=1, col=2)
    figure.update_xaxes(title_text="k c / ω_p", row=1, col=1)
    figure.update_yaxes(title_text="ω / ω_p", range=[0, 2.5], row=1, col=1)
    figure.update_xaxes(title_text="t ω_p", row=1, col=2)
    figure.update_yaxes(title_text="E-mode / A + vertical offset", row=1, col=2)
    figure.update_layout(title="Ordinary electromagnetic waves in a cold plasma", template="plotly_white",
                         legend={"orientation": "h", "y": -0.2}, margin={"l": 70, "r": 30, "t": 100, "b": 140})
    save_figure(figure, stem, height=650)
    space_time = space_time_figure(field, space="e1", x_values=x, xaxis_title="x",
                                   title="Superposed ordinary waves: E_z(x, t)", colorbar_title="E_z")
    figures = [save_extra_figure(space_time, stem, "space-time", alt="Space-time map of four superposed ordinary electromagnetic waves",
                                caption="The longer waves oscillate near the plasma frequency; shorter waves oscillate faster.")]
    merge_metadata(stem, measuredFrequencies=measured.tolist(), exactFrequencies=frequencies.tolist(),
                   maxFrequencyError=frequency_error, maxModeError=mode_error, maxEnergyDrift=energy_drift,
                   figures=figures, **export_profiling(sim, stem))

See the post-processing guide for more ways to inspect the result.