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The general oblique instability for a relativistic electron beam propagating through a warm and resistive plasma is investigated fully kinetically by a variable rotation method. Analysis shows that the electrostatic part of the oblique instability is attenuated and eventually stabilized by collisional effects. However, the electromagnetic part of the oblique instability (EMOI) is enhanced. Since the current-filamentation instability as a special case of the EMOI has a larger growth rate, it becomes dominant in the collisional case as shown in our two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. While the beam diverges in the collisionless case, it can become magnetically collimated in the collisional case due to stabilization of the electrostatic instabilities when the initial beam spreading angle is less than certain magnitude such as a dozen degrees. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4736980]

The effect of minor addition of 3d transition metals on the formation enthalpy (△H) and electronic structure of MgH2 have been studied using first-principle calculations, and considering the phonon-calculated zero point energy. The results indicate that the partial substitution of Mg atoms by 3d transition metal atoms increases the formation enthalpy of MgH2. Both formation enthalpy and Mulliken population analysis showed that the ability to destabilize MgH2 generally increases with the atomic number, except Mn and Zn, which have half-filled and completely filled 3d orbital states. The destabilization of MgH2 by partially alloying 3d elements was due to relatively stronger covalent bonds between 3d elements and the H atom, and a weaker ionic bond between Mg and H in the alloyed material with respect to pure MgH2. Based on electronic structure analyses, MgH2 and MgH2 alloyed with Ti, Fe, and Zn show no spin magnetism, while MgH2 alloyed with Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu show spin magnetism. In the MgH2-3d...

Using opened reentrant cone silicon targets, we have demonstrated the effect of micro focusing of fast electrons generated in intense laser-plasma interactions. When an intense femtosecond laser pulse is focused tightly onto one of the side walls of the cone, fast electron beam emitted along the side wall is observed. When a line focus spot, which is long enough to irradiate both of the side walls of the cone simultaneously, is used, two electron beams emitted along each side wall, respectively, are observed. The two beams should cross each other near the open tip of the cone, resulting in micro focusing. We use a two-dimensional Particle-In-Cell code to simulate the electron emission both in opened and closed cone targets. The simulation results of the opened cone targets are in agreement with the experimental observation while the results of the closed cone targets do not show the micro focusing effect.