In July 2031, a new chapter in the exploration of the Jovian system will begin with the arrival of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) at Jupiter. Launched on April 14 2024 as part of ESA’s Cosmic Vision programme, the mission aims to study Jupiter and its icy Galilean moons Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. Juice carries a whole suite of instruments for in-situ and remote ground observations, one of which is the Jovian plasma Dynamics and Composition analyser (JDC). As a part of the Particle Environment Package (PEP), the particle detector will measure the energy, mass, charge and arrival direction of ions and electrons in the Jovian magnetosphere. Spacecraft charging caused by interactions between the spacecraft and its surrounding plasma environment poses a significant problem for JDC because the electrostatic potential of the spacecraft accelerates/decelerates charged particles, resulting in distorted measurements, particularly for the lowest energy particles.  In this report, we show the results of spacecraft charging and instrument simulations performed in the Spacecraft Plasma Interaction System (SPIS) for the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosheath—two environments that Juice will encounter at the start of the cruise phase. We found that the conductive surfaces that cover the majority of the spacecraft become positively charged as a result of a large photoelectron current in both the solar wind and magnetosheath environments. We show that these surfaces are expected to reach potentials of 9 V in the solar wind and 4 V in the magnetosheath. The four radiators on Juice that are covered with dielectric paint and shaded by the sun shield become negatively charged in both simulated environments. The radiator potentials can be as low as -40 V in the solar wind and -100 V in the magnetosheath. We also conclude that due to blocking by the spacecraft main body, the ion population cannot be sampled in the solar wind unless a spacecraft roll is performed. Furthermore, due to the high ion f low energy, spacecraft charging will not influence JDC measurements in this environment.  In the magnetosheath, the ion population can be sampled by JDC, and we identified three distortion mechanisms: (1) repulsion by the main body, (2) attraction by two of the radiators, and (3) repulsion by the MAG boom. Of all the distortion modes, the one originating from a negatively charged (-67.8 V) radiator close to JDC is the strongest, affecting ions with energies above 80 eV. The least powerful but most prevalent mode is the repulsion of ions by the main body. Our results can be compared with future in-situ measurements to identify distortion mechanisms well ahead of the science phase in which the scientifically important measurements will be carried out.

The Auroral Large Imaging System (ALIS) was proposed in 1989 by Åke Steen as a joint Scandinavian ground-based nework of automated auroral imaging stations. The primary scientic objective was in the field of auroral physics, but it was soon realised that ALIS could be used in other fields, for example, studies of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSC), meteors, as well as other atmospheric phenomena. This report describes the design, operation and scientic results from a Swedish prototype of ALIS consisting of six unmanned remote-controlled stations located in a grid of about 50 km in northern Sweden. Each station is equipped with a sensitive high-resolution (1024 x 1024 pixels) unintensified monochromatic CCDimager. A six-position filter-wheel for narrow-band interference filters facilitates absolute spectroscopic measurements of, for example, auroral and airglow emissions. Overlapping fields-of-view resulting from the station baseline of about 50 km combined with the station field-of-view of 50° to 60°, enable triangulation as well as tomographic methods to be employed for obtaining altitude information of the observed phenomena. ALIS was probably one of the first instruments to take advantage of unintensi- fied (i.e. no image-intensifier) scientific-grade CCDs as detectors for spectroscopic imaging studies with multiple stations of faint phenomena such as aurora, airglow, etc. This makes absolute calibration a task that is as important as it is dificult. Although ALIS was primarily designed for auroral studies, the majority of the scientific results so far have, quite unexpectedly, been obtained from observations of HF pump-enhanced airglow (recently renamed Radio-Induced Aurora). ALIS made the first unambiguous observation of this phenomena at high-latitudes and the first tomography-like inversion of height profiles of the airglow regions. The scientific results so far include tomographic estimates of the auroral electron spectra, coordinated observations with satellite and radar, as well as studies of polar stratospheric clouds. An ALIS imager also participated in a joint project that produced the first ground-based daytime auroral images. Recently ALIS made spectroscopic observations of a Leonid meteor-trail and preliminary analysis indicates the possible detection of water in the Leonid.

The future fusion power plants that are based on magnetic confinement will deal with plasmas that inevitably contain energetic (non-thermal) particles. These particles come, for instance, from fusion reactions or from external heating of the plasma. Ensembles of energetic ions can excite eigenmodes in the Alfvén frequency range to such an extent that the resulting wave fields redistribute the energetic ions, and potentially eject them from the plasma. The redistribution of ions may cause a substantial reduction of heating efficiency. Understanding the dynamics of such instabilities is necessary to optimise the operation of fusion experiments and of future fusion power plants. Two models have been developed to simulate the interaction between energetic ions and Alfvén eigenmodes. One is a bump-on-tail model, of which two versions have been developed: one fully nonlinear and one quasilinear. The quasilinear version has a lower dimensionality of particle phase space than the nonlinear one. Unlike previous similar studies, the bump-on-tail model contains a decorrelation of the wave-particle phase in order to model stochasticity of the system. When the characteristic time scale for macroscopic phase decorrelation is similar to or shorter than the time scale of nonlinear wave-particle dynamics, the nonlinear and the quasilinear descriptions quantitatively agree. A finite phase decorrelation changes the growth rate and the saturation amplitude of the wave mode in systems with an inverted energy distribution around the wave-particle resonance. Analytical expressions for the correction of the growth rate and the saturation amplitude have been derived, which agree well with numerical simulations. A relatively weak phase decorrelation also diminishes frequency chirping events of the eigenmode. The second model is called FOXTAIL, and it has a wider regime of validity than the bump-on-tail model. FOXTAIL is able to simulate systems with multiple eigenmodes, and it includes effects of different individual particle orbits relative to the wave fields. Simulations with FOXTAIL and the nonlinear bump-on-tail model have been compared in order to determine the regimes of validity of the bump-on-tail model quantitatively. Studies of two-mode scenarios confirmed the expected consequences of a fulfillment of the Chirikov criterion for resonance overlap. The influence of ICRH on the eigenmode-energetic ion system has also been studied, showing qualitatively similar effects as seen by the presence of phase decorrelation. Another model, describing the efficiency of fast wave current drive, has been developed in order to study the influence of passive components close to the antenna, in which currents can be induced by the antenna generated wave field. It was found that the directivity of the launched wave, averaged over model parameters, was lowered by the presence of passive components in general, except for low values of the single pass damping of the wave, where the directivity was slightly increased, but reversed in the toroidal direction. / De framtida fusionskraftverken baserade på magnetisk inneslutning kommer att hantera plasmor som oundvikligen innehåller energetiska (icke-termiska) partiklar. Dessa partiklar kommer exempelvis från fusionsreaktioner eller från externa uppvärmningsmekanismer av plasmat. Ensembler av energetiska joner kan excitera egenmoder i Alfvén-frekvensområdet i en sådan utsträckning att de resulterande vågfälten omfördelar de energetiska jonerna i rummet, och potentiellt slungar ut jonerna ur plasmat. Omfördelningen av joner kan orsaka en väsentligen minskad uppvärmningseffekt. Det är nödvändigt att förstå dynamiken hos denna typ av instabilitet för att kunna optimera verkningsgraden hos experiment och hos framtida fusionskraftverk. Två modeller har utvecklats för att simulera interaktionen mellan energetiska joner och Alfvén-egenmoder. Den första är en bump-on-tail-modell, av vilken två versioner har utvecklats: en fullt icke-linjär och en kvasi-linjär. I den kvasi-linjära versionen har partiklarnas fasrum en lägre dimensionalitet än i den icke-linjära versionen. Till skillnad från tidigare liknande studier innehåller denna bump-on-tail-modell en dekorrelation av våg-partikelfasen för att modellera stokasticitet hos systemet. När den karakteristiska tidsskalan för makroskopisk fasdekorrelation är ungefär samma som eller kortare än tidsskalan för icke-linjär våg-partikeldynamik så stämmer den icke-linjära och den kvasi-linjära beskrivningen överens kvantitativt. En ändlig fasdekorrelation förändrar vågmodens tillväxthastighet och satureringsamplitud i system med en inverterad energifördelning omkring våg-partikelresonansen. Analytiska uttryck för korrektionen av tillväxthastigheten och satureringsamplituden har härletts, vilka stämmer väl överens med numeriska simuleringar. En relativt svag fasdekorrelation försvagar även "frequency chirping events" (snabba frekvensskiftningar i korttids-Fourier-transformen av egenmodens amplitudutveckling) hos egenmoden. Den andra modellen, kallad FOXTAIL, har ett mycket bredare giltighetsområde än bump-on-tail-modellen. FOXTAIL kan simulera system med flera egenmoder, och den inkluderar effekter av olika enskilda partikelbanor relativt vågfälten. Simuleringar med FOXTAIL och med bump-on-tail-modellen har jämförts för att kvantitativt bestämma bump-on-tail-modellens giltighetsområde. Studier av scenarier med två egenmoder bekräftar de förväntade effekterna av när Chirikov-kriteriet för resonansöverlapp uppfylls. Även inflytandet av ICRH på dynamiken mellan egenmoder och energetiska joner har studerats, vilket har visat kvalitativt liknande effekter som har observerats i närvaron av fasdekorrelation. En annan modell, vilken beskriver effektiviteten hos "fast wave current drive" (strömdrivning med snabba magnetosoniska vågor), har utvecklats för att studera inflytandet av passiva komponenter nära antennen, i vilka strömmar kan induceras av vågfälten som genereras av antennen. Det visades att den utskickade vågens direktivitet, medelvärdesbildat över modellparametrar, generellt sett minskade vid närvaron av passiva komponenter, förutom vid låg "sinlge pass damping" (dämpning av vågen vid propagering genom hela plasmat), då direktiviteten istället ökade något, men bytte tecken i toroidal riktning. / <p>QC 20160927</p>

<p>DESCARTES is a light-weight, balloon-borne grab sampler for stratospheric long-lived tracers developed at the University of Cambridge. 33 flights have been performed with two versions of the instrument at northern latitudes by the DESCARTES team at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) in Kiruna during the years 1997-2000.</p><p>The general interest in long-lived stratospheric tracers is to study the general global circulation of air in the stratosphere and the exchange between the stratosphere and troposphere. In the study of chemical ozone depletion in the stratosphere, long-lived tracers serve as an important reference to distinguish between the variations in ozone of dynamical and chemical origin.</p><p>This thesis focuses on calibrations and quality assessment of the measurements made with the third version of the DESCARTES instrument based at IRF. Two different general approaches to make calibrations are discussed. Uncertainty estimations for both of these methods are made and the results are tested by laboratory methods and by comparisons to other instruments, including comparisons between two versions of DESCARTES. Analyzed and calibrated flight data for all successful flights are presented.</p><p>The basic principle of the instrument is to chemically adsorb a number of tracers (in practice only CFC-11 is measured) in an adsorption bed of Carboxen in a micro trap through which the sampled air is driven by a pump. After recovery the adsorbed species in the trap is desorbed by electrical heating of the trap and analysed by gas chromatography.</p><p>The resulting estimated mixing ratios from the instrument are directly dependent on the adsorption of the sampled species being quantitative in the traps. Laboratory experiments are described using two traps in series, where the performance of the first is tested by sampling the breakthrough by the second. A model is developed to recreate these tests in order to be able to compensate for breakthrough during flights. The model showed that the adsorption in the traps is not explained by simple chromatographic theory and the results allow us only to give an estimation of the uncertainty due to breakthrough.</p> / <p>DESCARTES är ett lätt ballongburet provtagningsinstrument för stratosfäriska spårgaser. Det är utvecklat vid universitetet i Cambridge. DESCARTES-teamet vid Institutet för rymdfysik (IRF) i Kiruna har under åren 1997-2000 genomfört 33 flygningar med två olika versioner av instrumentet från nordliga latituder.</p><p>Det generella intresset av långlivade stratosfäriska spårgaser är att studera den globala cirkulationen i stratosfären och utbytet av luft mellan stratosfären och troposfären. För studier av den kemiska ozonnedbrytningen i stratosfären spelar långlivade spårgaser en avgörande roll som referens för att skilja mellan variation i ozonkoncentrationen av kemiskt och dynamiskt ursprung.</p><p>Denna avhandling fokuserar på kalibrering och kvalitetssäkring av mätningar gjorda med den tredje versionen av DESCARTES-instrumentet hemmahörande vid IRF. Två i grunden olika kalibreringsförfaranden för instrumentet behandlas. Osäkerhetsuppskattningar är gjorda för båda dessa metoder och resultaten är prövade i laboratorietester. Dessutom jämförs resultaten från två versioner av DESCARTES och andra instrument. Analyserade data från samtliga lyckade flygningar presenteras.</p><p>Den grundläggande principen för instrumentet är att pumpa luftprover genom en fälla som innehåller en bädd av det kemiska adsorptionsmaterialet Carboxen, som adsorberar ett antal spårgaser. När instrumentet hämtats tillbaka efter en flygning gasas de adsorberade ämnena i fällan ut genom att fällan upphettas på elektrisk väg. De utgasade ämnena analyseras med gaskromatografi. I praktiken kan endast CFC-11 analyseras.</p><p>Den slutgiltiga bestämningen av blandningsförhållandet från instrumentet är direkt beroende av att adsorptionen i fällorna för de ämnen man vill undersöka är fullständig. En serie laboratorieexperiment har genomförts där två likadana fällor kopplats efter varandra. På så sätt har tillförlitligheten av den första fällan kunnat studeras genom att uppmäta hur mycket som bryter igenom till den andra fällan. En modell har utvecklats för att förstå resultatet av dessa tester och kunna kompensera för eventuella genombrott vid provtagning under flygningar. Modellen visade att adsorptionen i fällorna inte kan förklaras med enkel kromatografisk teori. Resultaten ger endast möjlighet att bedöma osäkerheten i mätningarna till följd av risken för genombrott.</p>

<p>This thesis treats interaction between electromagnetic waves and localized plasma oscillations. Two specific physical systems are considered, namely artificially excited magnetic field-aligned irregularities (striations) and naturally excited lower hybrid solitary structures (LHSS). Striations are mainly density depletions of a few percent that are observed when a powerful electromagnetic wave, a pump wave, is launched into the ionosphere. The striations are formed by upper hybrid (UH) oscillations that are localized in the depletion where they are generated by the linear conversion of the pump field on the density gradients. However, the localization is not complete as the UH oscillation can convert to a propagating electromagnetic Z mode wave. This process, termed Z mode leakage, causes damping of the localized UH oscillation. The Z mode leakage is investigated and the theory predicts non-Lorentzian skewed shapes of the resonances for the emitted Z mode radiation. Further, the interaction between individual striations facilitated by the Z mode leakage is investigated. The LHSS are observed by spacecraft in the ionosphere and magnetosphere as localized waves in the lower hybrid (LH) frequency range that coincides with density cavities. The localized waves are immersed in non-localized wave activity. The excitation of localized waves with frequencies below LH frequency is modelled by scattering of electromagnetic magnetosonic (MS) waves off a preexisting density cavity. It is shown analytically that an incident MS wave with frequency less than the minimum LH frequency inside the cavity is focused to localized waves with left-handed rotating wave front. In addition, the theory is shown to be consistent with observations by the Freja satellite. For frequencies between the minimum LH frequency inside the cavity and the ambient LH frequency, the MS wave is instead mode converted and excites pressure driven LH oscillations. This process is studied in a simplified geometry.</p>

This thesis treats interaction between electromagnetic waves and localized plasma oscillations. Two specific physical systems are considered, namely artificially excited magnetic field-aligned irregularities (striations) and naturally excited lower hybrid solitary structures (LHSS). Striations are mainly density depletions of a few percent that are observed when a powerful electromagnetic wave, a pump wave, is launched into the ionosphere. The striations are formed by upper hybrid (UH) oscillations that are localized in the depletion where they are generated by the linear conversion of the pump field on the density gradients. However, the localization is not complete as the UH oscillation can convert to a propagating electromagnetic Z mode wave. This process, termed Z mode leakage, causes damping of the localized UH oscillation. The Z mode leakage is investigated and the theory predicts non-Lorentzian skewed shapes of the resonances for the emitted Z mode radiation. Further, the interaction between individual striations facilitated by the Z mode leakage is investigated. The LHSS are observed by spacecraft in the ionosphere and magnetosphere as localized waves in the lower hybrid (LH) frequency range that coincides with density cavities. The localized waves are immersed in non-localized wave activity. The excitation of localized waves with frequencies below LH frequency is modelled by scattering of electromagnetic magnetosonic (MS) waves off a preexisting density cavity. It is shown analytically that an incident MS wave with frequency less than the minimum LH frequency inside the cavity is focused to localized waves with left-handed rotating wave front. In addition, the theory is shown to be consistent with observations by the Freja satellite. For frequencies between the minimum LH frequency inside the cavity and the ambient LH frequency, the MS wave is instead mode converted and excites pressure driven LH oscillations. This process is studied in a simplified geometry.

DESCARTES is a light-weight, balloon-borne grab sampler for stratospheric long-lived tracers developed at the University of Cambridge. 33 flights have been performed with two versions of the instrument at northern latitudes by the DESCARTES team at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) in Kiruna during the years 1997-2000. The general interest in long-lived stratospheric tracers is to study the general global circulation of air in the stratosphere and the exchange between the stratosphere and troposphere. In the study of chemical ozone depletion in the stratosphere, long-lived tracers serve as an important reference to distinguish between the variations in ozone of dynamical and chemical origin. This thesis focuses on calibrations and quality assessment of the measurements made with the third version of the DESCARTES instrument based at IRF. Two different general approaches to make calibrations are discussed. Uncertainty estimations for both of these methods are made and the results are tested by laboratory methods and by comparisons to other instruments, including comparisons between two versions of DESCARTES. Analyzed and calibrated flight data for all successful flights are presented. The basic principle of the instrument is to chemically adsorb a number of tracers (in practice only CFC-11 is measured) in an adsorption bed of Carboxen in a micro trap through which the sampled air is driven by a pump. After recovery the adsorbed species in the trap is desorbed by electrical heating of the trap and analysed by gas chromatography. The resulting estimated mixing ratios from the instrument are directly dependent on the adsorption of the sampled species being quantitative in the traps. Laboratory experiments are described using two traps in series, where the performance of the first is tested by sampling the breakthrough by the second. A model is developed to recreate these tests in order to be able to compensate for breakthrough during flights. The model showed that the adsorption in the traps is not explained by simple chromatographic theory and the results allow us only to give an estimation of the uncertainty due to breakthrough. / DESCARTES är ett lätt ballongburet provtagningsinstrument för stratosfäriska spårgaser. Det är utvecklat vid universitetet i Cambridge. DESCARTES-teamet vid Institutet för rymdfysik (IRF) i Kiruna har under åren 1997-2000 genomfört 33 flygningar med två olika versioner av instrumentet från nordliga latituder. Det generella intresset av långlivade stratosfäriska spårgaser är att studera den globala cirkulationen i stratosfären och utbytet av luft mellan stratosfären och troposfären. För studier av den kemiska ozonnedbrytningen i stratosfären spelar långlivade spårgaser en avgörande roll som referens för att skilja mellan variation i ozonkoncentrationen av kemiskt och dynamiskt ursprung. Denna avhandling fokuserar på kalibrering och kvalitetssäkring av mätningar gjorda med den tredje versionen av DESCARTES-instrumentet hemmahörande vid IRF. Två i grunden olika kalibreringsförfaranden för instrumentet behandlas. Osäkerhetsuppskattningar är gjorda för båda dessa metoder och resultaten är prövade i laboratorietester. Dessutom jämförs resultaten från två versioner av DESCARTES och andra instrument. Analyserade data från samtliga lyckade flygningar presenteras. Den grundläggande principen för instrumentet är att pumpa luftprover genom en fälla som innehåller en bädd av det kemiska adsorptionsmaterialet Carboxen, som adsorberar ett antal spårgaser. När instrumentet hämtats tillbaka efter en flygning gasas de adsorberade ämnena i fällan ut genom att fällan upphettas på elektrisk väg. De utgasade ämnena analyseras med gaskromatografi. I praktiken kan endast CFC-11 analyseras. Den slutgiltiga bestämningen av blandningsförhållandet från instrumentet är direkt beroende av att adsorptionen i fällorna för de ämnen man vill undersöka är fullständig. En serie laboratorieexperiment har genomförts där två likadana fällor kopplats efter varandra. På så sätt har tillförlitligheten av den första fällan kunnat studeras genom att uppmäta hur mycket som bryter igenom till den andra fällan. En modell har utvecklats för att förstå resultatet av dessa tester och kunna kompensera för eventuella genombrott vid provtagning under flygningar. Modellen visade att adsorptionen i fällorna inte kan förklaras med enkel kromatografisk teori. Resultaten ger endast möjlighet att bedöma osäkerheten i mätningarna till följd av risken för genombrott.

Experiments for the development of fusion power that are based on magnetic confinement deal with plasmas that inevitably contain energetic (non-thermal) particles. These particles come e.g. from fusion reactions or from external heating of the plasma. Ensembles of energetic ions can excite plasma waves in the Alfvén frequency range to such an extent that the resulting wave fields redistribute the energetic ions, and potentially eject them from the plasma. The redistribution of ions may cause a substantial reduction heating efficiency, and it may damage the inner walls and other components of the vessel. Understanding the dynamics of such instabilities is necessary to optimise the operation of fusion experiments and of future fusion power plants. A Monte Carlo model that describes the nonlinear wave-particle dynamics in a toroidal plasma has been developed to study the excitation of the abovementioned instabilities. A decorrelation of the wave-particle phase is added in order to model stochasticity of the system (e.g. due to collisions between particles). Based on the nonlinear description with added phase decorrelation, a quasilinear version of the model has been developed, where the phase decorrelation has been replaced by a quasilinear diffusion coefficient in particle energy. When the characteristic time scale for macroscopic phase decorrelation becomes similar to or shorter than the time scales of nonlinear wave-particle dynamics, the two descriptions quantitatively agree on a macroscopic level. The quasilinear model is typically less computationally demanding than the nonlinear model, since it has a lower dimensionality of phase space. In the presented studies, several effects on the macroscopic wave-particle dynamics by the presence of phase decorrelation have been theoretically and numerically analysed, e.g. effects on the growth and saturation of the wave amplitude, and on the so called frequency chirping events with associated hole-clump pair formation in particle phase space. Several effects coming from structures of the energy distribution of particles around the wave-particle resonance has also been studied. / <p>QC 20150330</p>

Collisionless shocks are widespread phenomena in the universe, and understanding the mechanisms behind their energy dissipation, with a rare number of collisions between particles, remains a significant unresolved question. The Earth’s bow shock provides an excellent opportunity to study this phenomena in situ. For high Mach number shocks, the shock cannot be sustained without partial reflection of the incoming ions. At higher Mach numbers, the shock surface starts to exhibit non-stationary behaviours, meaning that the shock surface starts evolving. One such behaviour is known as shock reformation, where a new shock forms upstream of an existing one. This study aims to investigate shock reformation using data obtained from NASA’s MMS mission, which offers precise measurements with high spatial and temporal resolutions through its constellation of four spacecraft. Using the MMS shocks database (Lalti et al., 2022), the gradient of the magnetic field magnitude is computed to infer non-stationary behaviour and identify potential instances of shock reformation and other shock behaviours. Through the analysis of the MMS measurements, some insight into the non-stationary characteristics of shocks is obtained using the gradient of the magnetic field. However, further analysis is needed in order to refine the method of identifying non-stationary behaviour of shocks, for future applications. / Kollisionsfria chocker är ett vanligt fenomen som förekommer i universum, och att förstå hur energidissipation inträffar i chocker med ett fåtal kollisioner mellan partikar är ett olöst problem. Jordens bogchock utger en bra möjlighet att studera detta på plats med mätningar från rymdfarkoster. Detta projekt försöker studera delar av jordens bogchock och undersöka dess dynamic. För chocker med högt machtal, måste en del av jonerna från solvinden reflekteras för att chocken ska skunna upprätthållas. Vid högre machtal kan chockytan visa icke-stationära beteenden, vilket innebär att den börjar förändras. Ett exempel på sådant beteende är chockreformation, där en ny chock formas framför en befintlig chock. Denna studie har som mål att undersöka chockreformation med hjälp av data som erhållits från NASA:s MMS-uppdrag, vilket erbjuder precisa mätningar med hög rumslig och tidsmässig upplösning genom sin konstellation av fyra rymdfarkoster. Genom användning av MMS-shockdatabasen (Lalti et al., 2022) beräknades gradienten av magnetfältets magnitud för att härleda icke-stationärt beteende och identifierade potentiella fall av chockreformation och andra beteenden. Genom analys av MMS-mätningarna erhölls viss insikt i de icke-stationära egenskaperna hos chocker med hjälp av gradienten av magnetfältet, men ytterligare analys krävs för att förbättra metoden för framtida tillämpningar.

Technological evolution and mass production is impacting the Earth daily due to global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, where the biggest factor is the emission of carbon dioxide mostly caused by the burning of fossil fuel and industrial processes. Therefore, alternatives for substituting the use of fossil fuel in industries are extremely important. This thesis project investigates the method of using plasma technology using a plasma burner  which is electrically generated and could be an ideal solution for industrial metallurgical, chemical and mechanical processes due to its unique characteristics such as high energy densities, extremely high temperatures, rapid heating of surfaces and melting materials with a small installation size. Using the software COMSOL Multiphysics, a 2D model geometry is set up to simulate and investigate the behavior of the plasma burner by varying different parameters to improve the performance of the plasma burner. The results are based on simulations and no experiments were performed. However, we visited RISE ETC to observe and learn about the plasma burner model. At last, a geometry investigation was done by calculating the thermal efficiency to designate the most efficient geometry.