<p>Magnetic reconnection is a universal process occurring at boundaries between magnetized plasmas, where changes in the topology of the magnetic field lead to the transport of charged particles across the boundaries and to the conversion of electromagnetic energy into kinetic and thermal energy of the particles. Reconnection occurs in laboratory plasmas, in solar system plasmas and it is considered to play a key role in many other space environments such as magnetized stars and accretion disks around stars and planets under formation. Magnetic reconnection is a multi-scale plasma process where the small spatial and temporal scales are strongly coupled to the large scales. Reconnection is initiated rapidly in small regions by microphysical processes but it affects very large volumes of space for long times. The best laboratory to experimentally study magnetic reconnection at different scales is the near-Earth space, the so-called Geospace, where Cluster spacecraft <i>in situ</i> measurements are available. The European Space Agency Cluster mission is composed of four-spacecraft flying in a formation and this allows, for the first time, simultaneous four-point measurements at different scales, thanks to the changeable spacecraft separation. In this thesis Cluster observations of magnetic reconnection in Geospace are presented both at large and at small scales. </p><p>At large temporal (a few hours) and spatial (several thousands km) scales, both fluid and kinetic evidence of reconnection is provided. The evidence consist of ions accelerated and transmitted across the Earth’s magnetopause. The observations show that component reconnection occurs at the magnetopause and that reconnection is continuous in time. </p><p>The microphysics of reconnection is investigated at smaller temporal (a few ion gyroperiods) and spatial (a few ion gyroradii) scales. Two regions are important for the microphysics: the X-region, around the X-line, where reconnection is initiated and the separatrix region, away from the X-line, where most of the energy conversion occurs. Observations of a separatrix region at the magnetopause are shown and the microphysics is described in detail. The separatrix region is shown to be highly structured and dynamic even away from the X-line.</p><p>Finally the discovery of magnetic reconnection in turbulent plasma is presented by showing, for the first time, <i>in situ</i> evidence of reconnection in a thin current sheet found in the turbulent plasma downstream of the quasi-parallel Earth’s bow shock. It is shown that turbulent reconnection is fast and that electromagnetic energy is converted into heating and acceleration of particles in turbulent plasma. It is also shown that reconnecting current sheets are abundant in turbulent plasma and that reconnection can be an efficient energy dissipation mechanism.</p>

Magnetic reconnection is a universal process occurring at boundaries between magnetized plasmas, where changes in the topology of the magnetic field lead to the transport of charged particles across the boundaries and to the conversion of electromagnetic energy into kinetic and thermal energy of the particles. Reconnection occurs in laboratory plasmas, in solar system plasmas and it is considered to play a key role in many other space environments such as magnetized stars and accretion disks around stars and planets under formation. Magnetic reconnection is a multi-scale plasma process where the small spatial and temporal scales are strongly coupled to the large scales. Reconnection is initiated rapidly in small regions by microphysical processes but it affects very large volumes of space for long times. The best laboratory to experimentally study magnetic reconnection at different scales is the near-Earth space, the so-called Geospace, where Cluster spacecraft in situ measurements are available. The European Space Agency Cluster mission is composed of four-spacecraft flying in a formation and this allows, for the first time, simultaneous four-point measurements at different scales, thanks to the changeable spacecraft separation. In this thesis Cluster observations of magnetic reconnection in Geospace are presented both at large and at small scales. At large temporal (a few hours) and spatial (several thousands km) scales, both fluid and kinetic evidence of reconnection is provided. The evidence consist of ions accelerated and transmitted across the Earth’s magnetopause. The observations show that component reconnection occurs at the magnetopause and that reconnection is continuous in time. The microphysics of reconnection is investigated at smaller temporal (a few ion gyroperiods) and spatial (a few ion gyroradii) scales. Two regions are important for the microphysics: the X-region, around the X-line, where reconnection is initiated and the separatrix region, away from the X-line, where most of the energy conversion occurs. Observations of a separatrix region at the magnetopause are shown and the microphysics is described in detail. The separatrix region is shown to be highly structured and dynamic even away from the X-line. Finally the discovery of magnetic reconnection in turbulent plasma is presented by showing, for the first time, in situ evidence of reconnection in a thin current sheet found in the turbulent plasma downstream of the quasi-parallel Earth’s bow shock. It is shown that turbulent reconnection is fast and that electromagnetic energy is converted into heating and acceleration of particles in turbulent plasma. It is also shown that reconnecting current sheets are abundant in turbulent plasma and that reconnection can be an efficient energy dissipation mechanism.

The effect of in-situ or redistributed stress on solute transport in fractured rocks is one of the major concerns for many subsurface engineering problems. However, it remains poorly understood due to the difficulties in experiments and numerical modeling. The main aim of this thesis is to systematically investigate the influences of stress on solute transport in fractured rocks, at scales of single fractures and fracture networks, respectively. For a single fracture embedded in a porous rock matrix, a closed-form solution was derived for modeling the coupled stress-flow-transport processes without considering damage on the fracture surfaces. Afterwards, a retardation coefficient model was developed to consider the influences of damage of the fracture surfaces during shear processes on the solute sorption. Integrated with particle mechanics models, a numerical procedure was proposed to investigate the effects of gouge generation and microcrack development in the damaged zones of fracture on the solute retardation in single fractures. The results show that fracture aperture changes have a significant influence on the solute concentration distribution and residence time. Under compression, the decreasing matrix porosity can slightly increase the solute concentration. The shear process can increase the solute retardation coefficient by offering more sorption surfaces in the fracture due to gouge generation, microcracking and gouge crushing. To study the stress effects on solute transport in fracture systems, a hybrid approach combing the discrete element method for stress-flow simulations and a particle tracking algorithm for solute transport was developed for two-dimensional irregular discrete fracture network models. Advection, hydrodynamic dispersion and matrix diffusion in single fractures were considered. The particle migration paths were tracked first by following the flowing fluid (advection), and then the hydrodynamic dispersion and matrix diffusion were considered using statistic methods. The numerical results show an important impact of stress on the solute transport, by changing the solute residence time, distribution and travel paths. The equivalent dispersion coefficient is scale dependent in an asymptotic or exponential form without stress applied or under isotropic compression conditions. Matrix diffusion plays a dominant role in solute transport when the hydraulic gradient is small. Outstanding issues and main scientific achievements are also discussed. / QC 20111011

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Ultuna : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

This diploma thesis was focused on study of barrier and transport properties of selected polyelectrolytes in hydrogel matrices by using diffusion techniques. The study of these properties was performed in horizontal diffusion cells where is observed the change in diffusion probe concentration over time. Diffusion experiments were performed on an agarose hydrogel with the addition of alginate, hyaluronic acid, polystyrene sulfonate, humic acids and as a model probe rhodamine 6G was used. Important parts of this thesis are also the methods which characterize the substances and hydrogel matrices such as rheology and potentiometric titration. The main aim of this diploma thesis was to investigate the effect of interactions between passing model dye (rhodamine 6G) and the appropriate gel (agarose + polyelectrolyte) on the fundamental diffusion parameters (effective diffusion coefficient, lag time, etc.).

In der vorliegenden Dissertation sollten die hydrogeochemischen Prozesse herausgearbeitet werden, die für die Wasserqualitätsänderung während eines ASR Experiments in Bolivar, Südaustralien und während der Versickerung in einem künstlichen Grundwasseranreicherungsbecken in Berlin von Bedeutung waren. Reaktive Stofftransportmodellierung des ASR Experiments in Bolivar, Südaustralien zeigte, dass die hydrochemischen Veränderungen in der direkten Umgebung des Injektionsbrunnens während der Speicherphase nur durch rapide Änderungen der Sauerstoff- und Nitrat reduzierenden Bakterienmasse erklärt werden können. Die hydrochemischen Veränderungen in größerer Distanz zum Injektionsbrunnen wurden überwiegend durch Ionenaustauschprozesse und Kalzitlösung verursacht. Geochemische und hydraulische Messungen unter einem Sickerbecken in Berlin zeigten, dass die beobachteten geochemischen Änderungen im Sickerwasser mit den periodisch auftretenden wassergesättigten/wasserungesättigen Bedingungen unter dem Becken einhergehen. Während der ungesättigten Periode wird Luft unter das Becken gezogen und führt zur plötzlichen Reoxidierung von bereits in der gesättigten Periode gebildeten Eisensulfiden und zur beschleunigten Mineralisation von sedimentärem organischem Kohlenstoff. Reaktive Stofftransportmodellierung auf größerer Skale zeigte, dass allein die saisonalen Temperaturunterschiede im Infiltrationswasser für die beobachtete zeitliche und räumliche Dynamik der Redoxzonen im weiteren Abstrom des Sickerbeckens verantwortlich sind. Das Abbauverhalten der Arzneimittelsubstanz Phenazon hängt ausschließlich von der Verfügbarkeit von gelöstem Sauerstoff und damit indirekt von der Wassertemperatur im Aquifer ab. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird deutlich, dass ein adäquates Verständnis der wasserqualitätsändernden Prozesse in künstlichen Anreicherungsystemen nur dann erreicht werden kann wenn Strömung, Transport und reaktive Prozesse, im Feld als auch in der Modellierung, simultan betrachtet werden. / In this thesis, three major studies were carried out in order to understand the key factors controlling the water quality changes that occurred during a reclaimed water Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) experiment at Bolivar, South Australia and during ponded infiltration in Berlin, Germany. Multi-component reactive transport modelling of the ASR experiment suggested that during the storage phase, dynamic changes in bacterial mass have a significant influence on the local geochemistry in the vicinity of the injection well. Water quality changes further away from the injection well were mainly driven by ion exchange and calcite dissolution. Geochemical and hydraulic measurements below an artificial recharge pond in Berlin, Germany, showed that the observed dynamic changes of the hydrochemistry within the seepage water are strongly linked to the periodic saturated/unsaturated hydraulic conditions below the pond. During unsaturated conditions, atmospheric oxygen penetrates from the pond margins to the centre below the pond, leading to (i) a sudden re-oxidation of sulphide minerals that have formed previously during saturated conditions and (ii) an enhanced mineralisation of sedimentary particulate organic carbon. Reactive transport modelling showed that at larger scale, seasonal temperature changes of the infiltration water are the key control for the observed temporal and spatial redox dynamics further downstream the recharge pond. Moreover, the degradation behaviour of the pharmaceutically residue phenazone solely depends on the availability of dissolved oxygen, and thus indirectly on the water temperature within the aquifer. Overall this thesis shows that a sound understanding and analysis of the key processes affecting the water quality changes during artificial recharge of groundwater could only be achieved when flow, transport and reactive processes are considered simultaneously, both in the field and during modelling.

A seasonal and long-term analysis of the vertical structure of currents in the nearshore is conducted to determine the role of the wind in driving currents and consequently affecting littoral transport processes. Approximately ten years (January, 2002 – October, 2011) of nearshore current profiles are examined using the data collected with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed off of Spessard Holland North Beach Park located in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Additionally, wind data collected with a directional anemometer from September, 2002, until October, 2008, are used to further characterize the long-term hydrodynamic forcing. With the shoreline oriented nominally 17o west of magnetic north, both the current profiles and the wind vectors have been rendered into longshore and cross-shore components. The water level record from a NOAA tide station located at the Trident Pier at nearby Port Canaveral is utilized in establishing the water depth and conditioning the data for statistical analysis. Monthly mean vertical profiles reveal that during the winter months the surface currents are usually toward the south, and toward the north in the summer. In spring and fall, they are mixed, demonstrating a clear seasonality in both direction and intensity of the longshore current. Subjecting the longshore and cross-shore current data to Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis reveals that the first spatial Eigenfunction accounts for more than 98% of the variability in the vertical profile of the longshore current, and more than 86% of the variability in the profile of the cross-shore current. However, there is a rotation of the current to the right (clockwise) with the rotation angle increasing and the variance decreasing with depth below the surface. The spiral structure of the water column follows a surface Ekman veering, but for very shallow water. The upper layer of the current is almost aligned with the direction of the wind. Monthly correlations between 2-hour average time series of longshore current and 2-hour average time series of wind speed reveal the seasonal patterns of the wind and longshore current in which the upper layer of the water column is highly correlated with the longshore component of the wind speed for most of the year and slightly less correlated for the lower layer of the water column. Most importantly, on average, wave height (Hmo) is larger when the longshore current is heading to the south (Hmo=0.95 m) than when the current is going to the north (Hmo=0.73 m). Additionally, there is a stronger correlation between southerly directed currents and incident wave energy flux than northerly directed currents and wave energy flux. These results indicate that the net long-term north-to-south sediment transport known to characterize the region is heavily influenced by wind-driven currents.

Diese Arbeit stützt sich auf die theoretische und experimentelle Untersuchung der Thermodiffusion im Magnetfeld. Bei magnetischen Flüssigkeiten als kolloidalen Suspensionen versteht man unter der Thermodiffusion einen durch einen Temperaturgradienten angestoßenen unidirektionalen Partikeltransport, der zur Separation des Fluids führt. Beschrieben wird die Thermodiffusion theoretisch über das Konzentrationsprofil der Partikel in Abhängigkeit von Zeit und Ort in einer Fluidschicht. Die Experimente detektieren die Separation des Fluids über die Konzentrationsdifferenz zwischen zwei Fluidkammern. Die Bestimmung des Soret-Koeffizienten erfolgt über einen Datenfit zwischen experimentellen und theoretischen Daten. Für das kerosinbasierte Ferrofluid EMG905 wurden zwei Effekte festgestellt. Bei kleinen Magnetfeldstärken wandern die Partikel zum kalten Rand der Schicht (ST>0), bei steigenden Feldstärken kehrt sich diese Richtung um (ST<0). Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen zur Thermodiffusion gehen dann in eine lineare Stabilitätsanalyse einer Ferrofluidschicht bei anliegendem Temperaturgradienten und Magnetfeld ein. Dabei wird festgestellt, dass die kritische Rayleigh-Zahl als charakteristische Größe zum Einsetzen von Konvektion von dem Soret-Koeffizienten abhängt. Ist letzterer positiv, wird das Einsetzen von Konvektion begünstigt, ist er wiederum negativ, so kann Konvektion vollständig unterdrückt werden.

<p align="justify"><p>Depuis les premiers développements de la physique statistique réalisés au 19ème siècle, nombreux ont été les travaux dédiés à la relation entre les processus macroscopiques em>irréversibles</em>(tels que les phénomènes de transport) et les propriétés de la dynamique <em>réversible</em> des atomes et des molécules. Depuis deux décennies, l'<em>hypothèse du chaos microscopique</em> nous en apporte une plus grande compréhension. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux propriétés de <em>viscosité</em>. <br /><br /><p><p>Dans ce travail, nous considérons des systèmes périodiques de particules en interaction. Nous proposons une nouvelle méthode de calcul de la viscosité valable pour tous systèmes périodiques, quel que soit le potentiel d'interaction considéré. Cette méthode est basée sur la formule dérivée par Helfand exprimant la viscosité en fonction de la variance du <em>moment de Helfand</em> croissant linéairement dans le temps.<br /><br /><p><p><p>Dans les années nonante, il a été démontré qu'un système composé de seulement deux particules présente déjà de la viscosité. Les deux disques <em>durs</em> interagissent en collisions élastiques dans un domaine carré ou hexagonal avec des conditions aux bords périodiques. Nous appliquons notre méthode de calcul des propriétés de viscosité dans les deux réseaux. Nous donnons également une explication qualitative des résultats obtenus. <br /><br /><p><p>L'étude de la relation entre les propriétés de viscosité et les grandeurs du chaos microscopique représente l'une des principales tâches de cette thèse. Dans ce contexte, le <em>formalisme du taux d'échappement</em> joue un rôle majeur. Ce formalisme établit une relation directe entre cette grandeur et la viscosité. Nous étudions numériquement cette relation et la comparaison avec les résultats obtenus par notre méthode sont excellents. <br /><br /><p><p><p>D'autre part, le formalisme du taux d'échappement suppose l'existence d'un <em>répulseur fractal</em>. Après avoir mis en évidence son existence, nous appliquons le formalisme proposant une formule exprimant la viscosité en termes de l'exposant de Lyapunov du système (mesurant le caractère chaotique de la dynamique)et de la dimension fractale du répulseur. L'étude numérique de cette relation dans le modèle à deux disques durs est réalisée avec succès et sont en excellent accord avec les relations obtenus précédemment. <br /><br /><p><p>Enfin, nous nous penchons sur les systèmes composés de <em>N</em> disques durs ou sphères dures. Après une étude de l'équation d'état et des propriétés chaotiques, nous avons exploré les propriétés de viscosité dans ces systèmes. Les données numériques obtenues sont en très bon accord avec les prévisions théoriques d'Enskog. D'autre part, nous avons utilisé notre méthode de calcul de la viscosité dans des systèmes de Lennard-Jones. De plus, nous avons proposé une méthode analogue pour le calcul numérique de la <em>conduction thermique</em>. Nos résultats sont en très bon accord avec ceux obtenus par la méthode de Green-Kubo.<p></p><p><p><br /><br /><p><p><p align="justify"><p>In this thesis, we first devote a section on the history of the concept of irreversibility; of the hydrodynamics, branch of physics in which the viscosity appears; of the kinetic theory of gases establishing relationships between the microscopic dynamics and macroscopic processes like viscosity; and, finally, the interest brought in statistical mechanics of irreversible processes by the theory of chaos, more precisely, the microscopic chaos. We propose a method based on the Helfand moment in order to calculate the viscosity properties in systems of particles with periodic boundary conditions. We apply this method to the simplest system in which viscosity already exists: the two-hard-disk model. The escape-rate formalism, establishing a direct relation between chaotic quantities of the microscopic dynamics (e.g. Lyapunov exponents, fractal dimensions, etc.), is applied in this system. The results are in excellent agreement with those obtained by our Helfand-moment method. We extend the calculation of the viscosity properties to systems with more than two hard balls. Finally, we compute viscosity as well as thermal conductivity thanks to our own method also based on the Helfand moment.<p></p> / Doctorat en sciences, Spécialisation physique / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished