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Compressible Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in the Earth's Magnetosheath: Estimation of the Energy Cascade Rate Using in situ Spacecraft Data

Sahraoui, F.; Huang, S. Y.; Hadid, L. Z. +1 more

The first estimation of the energy cascade rate |ɛ_C| of magnetosheath turbulence is obtained using the Cluster and THEMIS spacecraft data and an exact law of compressible isothermal magnetohydrodynamics turbulence. The mean value of |ɛ_C| is found to be close to 10^-13 J m^-3 s^-1 , at least 2 ord…

Fully Kinetic Simulation of 3D Kinetic Alfvén Turbulence

Grošelj, Daniel; Mallet, Alfred; Jenko, Frank +1 more

We present results from a three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation of plasma turbulence, resembling the plasma conditions found at kinetic scales of the solar wind. The spectral properties of the turbulence in the subion range are consistent with theoretical expectations for kinetic Alfvén waves. Furthermore, we calculate the local anisotropy…

Coherent Structures and Spectral Energy Transfer in Turbulent Plasma: A Space-Filter Approach

Sorriso-Valvo, L.; Retinò, A.; Califano, F. +1 more

Plasma turbulence at scales of the order of the ion inertial length is mediated by several mechanisms, including linear wave damping, magnetic reconnection, the formation and dissipation of thin current sheets, and stochastic heating. It is now understood that the presence of localized coherent structures enhances the dissipation channels and the …

Biermann-Battery-Mediated Magnetic Reconnection in 3D Colliding Plasmas

Fox, W.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Germaschewski, K. +5 more

Recent experiments have demonstrated magnetic reconnection between colliding plasma plumes, where the reconnecting magnetic fields were self-generated in the plasma by the Biermann-battery effect. Using fully kinetic 3D simulations, we show the full evolution of the magnetic fields and plasma in these experiments, including self-consistent magneti…