Search Publications
Revealing the sub-structures of the magnetic reconnection separatrix via particle-in-cell simulation
Deng, X. H.; Huang, S. Y.; Yuan, Z. G. +7 more
Magnetic separatrix is an important boundary layer separating the inflow and outflow regions in magnetic reconnection. In this article, we investigate the sub-structures of the separatrix region by using two-and-half dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation. The separatrix region can be divided into two sub-regions in terms of the i…
Magnetised Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the intermediate regime between subsonic and supersonic regimes
Henri, P.; Califano, F.; Pegoraro, F. +1 more
The understanding of the dynamics at play at the Earth's Magnetopause, the boundary separating the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind plasmas, is of primary importance for space plasma modeling. We focus our attention on the low latitude flank of the magnetosphere where the velocity shear between the magnetosheath and the magnetospheric plas…
Coupling between whistler waves and slow-mode solitary waves
Le Contel, O.; Tenerani, A.; Califano, F. +1 more
The interplay between electron- and ion-scale phenomena is of general interest for both laboratory and space plasma physics. In this paper, we investigate the linear coupling between whistler waves and slow magnetosonic solitons through two-fluid numerical simulations. Whistler waves can be trapped in the presence of inhomogeneous external fields …
Ring-shaped velocity distribution functions in energy-dispersed structures formed at the boundaries of a proton stream injected into a transverse magnetic field: Test-kinetic results
Voitcu, Gabriel; Echim, Marius M.
In this paper, we discuss the formation of ring-shaped and gyro-phase restricted velocity distribution functions (VDFs) at the edges of a cloud of protons injected into non-uniform distributions of the electromagnetic field. The velocity distribution function is reconstructed using the forward test-kinetic method. We consider two profiles of the e…
A simulation approach of high-frequency electrostatic waves found in Saturn's magnetosphere
Koen, Etienne J.; Collier, Andrew B.; Maharaj, Shimul K.
Using a particle-in-cell simulation, the characteristics of electron plasma and electron acoustic waves are investigated in plasmas containing an ion and two electron components. The electron velocities are modeled by a combination of two κ distributions. The model applies to the extended plasma sheet region in Saturn's magnetosphere where the coo…
Current sheet oscillations in the magnetic filament approach
Semenov, V. S.; Erkaev, N. V.; Biernat, H. K.
Magnetic filament approach is applied for modeling of nonlinear "kink"-like flapping oscillations of thin magnetic flux tubes in the Earth's magnetotail current sheet. A discrete approximation for the magnetic flux tube was derived on a basis of the Hamiltonian formulation of the problem. The obtained system of ordinary differential equations was …
Phase diagram for magnetic reconnection in heliophysical, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas
Ji, Hantao; Daughton, William
Recent progress in understanding the physics of magnetic reconnection is conveniently summarized in terms of a phase diagram which organizes the essential dynamics for a wide variety of applications in heliophysics, laboratory, and astrophysics. The two key dimensionless parameters are the Lundquist number and the macrosopic system size in units o…
A weakened cascade model for turbulence in astrophysical plasmas
Howes, G. G.; Dorland, W.; Tenbarge, J. M.
A refined cascade model for kinetic turbulence in weakly collisional astrophysical plasmas is presented that includes both the transition between weak and strong turbulence and the effect of nonlocal interactions on the nonlinear transfer of energy. The model describes the transition between weak and strong MHD turbulence and the complementary tra…
Linear and nonlinear Landau resonance of kinetic Alfvén waves: Consequences for electron distribution and wave spectrum in the solar wind
Crabtree, C.; Rudakov, L.; Mithaiwala, M. +1 more
Kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence in solar wind is considered and it is shown that non-Maxwellian electron distribution function has a significant effect on the dynamics of solar wind plasmas. Linear Landau damping leads to the formation of a plateau in the parallel electron distribution function which diminishes the Landau damping rate significantly…
Electron dynamics in two-dimensional asymmetric anti-parallel reconnection
Pritchett, P. L.; Egedal, J.; Daughton, W. +1 more
Kinetic simulations and spacecraft observations have documented strong anisotropy in the electron distribution function during magnetic reconnection. The level and role of electron pressure anisotropy is investigated for asymmetric geometries applicable to reconnection in the day-side magnetopause. A previously derived analytic model for the press…