April 15-17

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Abstracts

Author: Hong Qin
Requested Type: Pre-Selected Invited
Submitted: 2019-03-23 13:08:10

Co-authors: Alexander S. Glasser, Yicheng Fu, Jianyuan Xiao

Contact Info:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton Uni
PPPL, Princeton University
Princeton, NJ   08543
USA

Abstract Text:
Parity-Time (PT) symmetry pertains to the fundamental question of quantum theory: What are observables? It was recently pointed out [1] that conservative classical systems governed by Newton’s second law admit PT-symmetry, and classical instabilities, such as the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, in conservative classical systems occur when and only when PT-symmetry breaks spontaneously. In the present study, we demonstrate using a fluid model that this is the case for the drift wave instabilities in magnetized plasmas. Discovering the mechanism of spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking in the drift wave instabilities enables new tools that are especially effective in high dimensional and complicated parameter space. For example, the ion-temperature-gradient instability is analyzed for the first time with finite Larmor radius effect and ion density gradient from the fluid model. *H. Qin, A.S. Glasser and Y. Fu are supported by the U.S. DOE(DE-AC02-09CH11466).

[1] H. Qin et al., Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is the result of parity-time symmetry, arXiv:1810.11460, Phys. of Plasmas 26, 032102(2019).

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