Search Publications
Plasma heating and particle acceleration in collisionless shocks through astrophysical observations
Miceli, M.
Supernova remnants (SNRs), the products of stellar explosions, are powerful astrophysical laboratories, which allow us to study the physics of collisionless shocks, thanks to their bright electromagnetic emission. Blast wave shocks generated by supernovae (SNe) provide us with an observational window to study extreme conditions, characterized by h…
Thermal instability and non-equilibrium in solar coronal loops: from coronal rain to long-period intensity pulsations
Antolin, Patrick
The complex interaction of the magnetic field with matter is the key to some of the most puzzling observed phenomena at multiple scales across the Universe, from tokamak plasma confinement experiments in the laboratory to the filamentary structure of the interstellar medium. A major astrophysical puzzle is the phenomenon of coronal heating, upon w…
Current sheets in planetary magnetospheres
Delcourt, Dominique; Zelenyi, Lev; Malova, Helmi +2 more
In this article we aim to highlight the problems related to the structure and stability of the comparatively thin current sheets that were relatively recently discovered by space missions in the magnetospheres of the Earth and planets, as well as in the solar wind. These magnetoplasma structures are universal in collisionless cosmic plasmas and ca…
The flux rope nature of coronal mass ejections
Vourlidas, Angelos
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are ejections of magnetized plasma from the solar corona. They are the most spectacular examples of explosive energy release on the Sun. Their magnetic structure is of particular importance because it determines their effects on the terrestrial magnetosphere. Here, I present recent observational evidence for the exist…
Correlated observations of intensified whistler waves and electron acceleration around the geostationary orbit
Zong, Qiugang; Su, Zhenpeng; Xiao, Fuliang +3 more
We report correlated observations of enhanced whistler waves and energetic electron acceleration collected by multiple satellites specifically near the geostationary orbit during the 7-10 November 2004 superstorms, together with multi-site observations of ULF wave power measured on the ground. Energetic (>0.6 MeV) electron fluxes are found to i…
BRIEF COMMUNICATION: Electron acceleration by whistler-mode waves around the magnetic null during 3D reconnection
Zong, Qiugang; He, Jiansen; Su, Zhenpeng +5 more
The magnetic field configuration around a magnetic null pair and its associated electron behavior during 3D magnetic reconnection have recently been reported from in situ observations. Electrons are suggested to be temporarily trapped in the central reconnection region as indicated by an electron density peak observed near the magnetic null (He J-…
Current filaments in turbulent magnetized plasmas
Sundkvist, D.; Martines, E.; Vianello, N. +18 more
Direct measurements of current density perturbations associated with non-linear phenomena in magnetized plasmas can be carried out using in situ magnetic measurements. In this paper we report such measurements for three different kinds of phenomena. Current density fluctuations in the edge density gradient region of a fusion plasma confined in rev…
Magnetic reconnection in space plasma
Retinò, Alessandro; Vaivads, Andris; André, Mats
The terrestrial magnetosphere is a natural laboratory where many important plasma processes can be studied in detail by using high-quality spacecraft measurements of electromagnetic fields and particle distribution functions over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. One such important process is magnetic reconnection. We discuss recent re…
Shear driven waves in the induced magnetosphere of Mars
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +12 more
We present measurements of oscillations in the electron density, ion density and ion velocity in the induced magnetosphere of Mars. The fundamental frequency of the oscillations is a few millihertz, but higher harmonics are present in the spectrum. The oscillations are observed in a region where there is a velocity shear in the plasma flow. The fu…
Simulation of zonal flow excitation by drift mode turbulence: applications to tokamaks and the magnetopause
Davies, J. A.; Vaivads, A.; Dunlop, M. W. +5 more
Recently, we investigated the interaction between broadband drift mode turbulence and zonal flows near the edge of a region of magnetized plasma (Trines et al 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 165002). Our simulation results showed the development of a zonal flow through the modulational instability of the drift wave distribution, as well as the existence …