This paper considers an abstract third‐order equation in a Hilbert space that is motivated by, and ultimately directed to, the “concrete” Moore–Gibson–Thompson Equation arising in high‐intensity ultrasound. In its simplest form, with certain specific values of the parameters, this third‐order abstract equation (with unbounded free dynamical operator) is not well‐posed. In general, however, in the present physical model, a suitable change of variable permits one to show that it has a special structural decomposition, with a precise, hyperbolic‐dominated driving part. From this, various attractive dynamical properties follow: s.c. group generation; a refined spectral analysis to include a specifically identified point in the continuous spectrum of the generator (so that it does not have compact resolvent) as an accumulation point of eigenvalues; and a consequent theoretically precise exponential decay with the same decay rate in various function spaces. In particular, the latter is explicit and sharp up to a finite number of (stable) eigenvalues of finite multiplicity. A computer‐based analysis confirms the theoretical spectral analysis findings. Moreover, it shows that the dynamic behavior of these unaccounted for finite‐dimensional eigenvalues are the ones that ultimately may dictate the rate of exponential decay, and which can be estimated with arbitrarily preassigned accuracy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The aim of this work was to investigate possible mechanisms of sterilization by low-temperature gas plasma: spore destruction by plasma is compared with etching of synthetic polymers. Bacillus subtilis spores were inoculated at the bottom of glass vials and subjected to different plasma gas compositions (O(2), O(2)/Ar, O(2)/H(2), CO(2), and O(2)/CF(4)), all known to etch polymers. O(2)/CF(4) plasma exhibited much higher efficacy than all other gases or gas mixtures tested, with a more than 5 log decrease in 7.5 min, compared with a 2 log decrease with pure oxygen. Examination by scanning electron microscopy showed that spores were significantly etched after 30 min of plasma exposure, but not completely. We speculate about their etch resistance compared with that of synthetic polymers on the basis of their morphology and complex coating structure. In contrast to so-called in-house plasma, sterilization by Sterrad(R) tended to increase the observed spores' size; chemical modification (oxidation), rather than etching, is believed to be the sterilization mechanism of Sterrad(R).

Standing and traveling shear Alfvén waves contribute to electron acceleration and parallel electric field formation on auroral field lines in the Earth’s magnetosphere. In this paper, the self-consistent coupled Vlasov–Maxwell system for shear Alfvén waves is solved in one dimension. The Vlasov equation is gyro-averaged in order to minimize the number of dimensions in the problem, and to avoid numerical problems with the direct evaluation of the parallel electric field, the electron distribution function is described in terms of a spatial coordinate along the field line, the magnetic moment, and the canonical parallel momentum per unit mass. Some preliminary studies of shear Alfvén wave pulses propagating in a uniform magnetic field on model auroral field lines are presented with an emphasis on the kinetic electron response and the parallel electric field. It is shown that when the full parallel electron dynamics are included, wave–particle interactions result in intensification of the parallel electric field and significant heating of the electrons. It is also demonstrated the acceleration of electrons to speeds of the order of twice the wave phase speed, which has been shown by previous calculations. The results are compared with recent observations made by both the NASA Fast Auroral Snapshot and the Freja satellites.

Abstract. In this paper we present results concerning periods and polarizations of cold plasma ultra-low frequency (ULF) guided Alfvén waves in a non-axisymmetric geomagnetic field. The background geomagnetic field is approximated by a compressed dipole for which we propose a simple description in terms of Euler potentials. This study is motivated by the problem of outer-radiation belt electron acceleration by ULF waves, for which the polarization of the wave is of paramount importance. We consider an approximation appropriate to decoupled Alfvénic waves and find that the polarization of the waves can change significantly with local time. Therefore, the ULF wave's contribution to the MeV electron energization process can be localized in space.