Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process that alters the magnetic field topology and releases magnetic energy. Most numerical simulations and spacecraft observations assume a two-dimensional diffusion region, with the electron diffusion region (EDR) embedded in the same plane as the ion diffusion region (IDR) and a uniform guide field throughout. Using observations from Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we report a non-coplanar, knotted EDR in Earth's magnetotail current sheet. The reconnection plane of the knotted EDR deviates by approximately 38° from that of the IDR, with the guide field exhibiting both a 38° directional shift and a twofold increase in amplitude. Moreover, the Hall magnetic field is bipolar in the EDR but quadrupolar in the IDR, indicating different Hall current structures at electron and ion scales. These observations highlight the importance of three-dimensional effects and illustrate the complexity of multiscale coupling between the EDR and IDR during reconnection studies.1
David S. Tonoian, Xiaofei Shi, Anton V. Artemyev
et al.
Electron resonant scattering by high-frequency electromagnetic whistler-mode waves has been proposed as a mechanism for solar wind electron scattering and pre-acceleration to energies that enable them to participate in shock drift acceleration around the Earth's bow shock. However, observed whistler-mode waves are often sufficiently intense to resonate with electrons nonlinearly, which prohibits the application of quasi-linear diffusion theory. This is the second of two accompanying papers devoted to developing a new theoretical approach for quantifying the electron distribution evolution subject to multiple resonant interactions with intense whistler-mode wave-packets. In the first paper, we described a probabilistic approach, applicable to systems with short wave-packets. For such systems, nonlinear resonant effects can be treated by diffusion theory, but with diffusion rates different from those of quasi-linear diffusion. In this paper we generalize this approach by merging it with a mapping technique. This technique can be used to model the electron distribution evolution in the presence of significantly non-diffusive resonant scattering by intense long wave-packets. We verify our technique by comparing its predictions with results from a numerical integration approach.
The hydrogen atoms penetrate the heliosphere from the local interstellar medium, and while being ionized, they form the population of pickup protons. The distribution of pickup protons is modified by the adiabatic heating (cooling) induced by the solar wind plasma compression (expansion). In this study, we emphasize the importance of the adiabatic energy change in the inner heliosheath that is usually either neglected or considered improperly. The effect of this process on the energy and spatial distributions of pickup protons and energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), which originate in the charge exchange of pickup protons, has been investigated and quantified using a kinetic model. The model employs the global distributions of plasma and hydrogen atoms in the heliosphere from the simulations of a kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic model of solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium. The findings indicate that the adiabatic energy change is responsible for the broadening of the pickup proton velocity distribution and the significant enhancement of ENA fluxes (up to $\sim$5 and $\sim$20 times in the upwind and downwind directions at energies $\sim$1-2 keV for an observer at 1 au). It sheds light on the role of adiabatic energy change in explaining the discrepancies between the ENA flux observations and the results of numerical simulations.
Simon Opie, Daniel Verscharen, Christopher H. K. Chen
et al.
Using high-resolution data from Solar Orbiter, we investigate the plasma conditions necessary for the proton temperature anisotropy driven mirror-mode and oblique firehose instabilities to occur in the solar wind. We find that the unstable plasma exhibits dependencies on the angle between the direction of the magnetic field and the bulk solar wind velocity which cannot be explained by the double-adiabatic expansion of the solar wind alone. The angle dependencies suggest that perpendicular heating in Alfvénic wind may be responsible. We quantify the occurrence rate of the two instabilities as a function of the length of unstable intervals as they are convected over the spacecraft. This analysis indicates that mirror-mode and oblique firehose instabilities require a spatial interval of length greater than 2 to 3 unstable wavelengths in order to relax the plasma into a marginally stable state and thus closer to thermodynamic equilibrium in the solar wind. Our analysis suggests that the conditions for these instabilities to act effectively vary locally on scales much shorter than the correlation length of solar wind turbulence.
AbstractThe fracture theory for auroral arcs, developed by the author since 1980, compares the decoupling of the magnetic field from the ionosphere by the auroral acceleration region (AAR) with the breaking of a solid rod. In the latter elastic energy stored by the bending is converted into kinetic energy of the stress release motion. Similarly, magnetic energy stored in sheared magnetic fields is temporarily converted into stress release motions and finally transported as Poynting flux into the AAR. The fracture theory has been especially applied to arcs embedded in the convection of the evening auroral oval. The present study subjects the different steps in the fracture process to a critical analysis in the light of new physical insights. This boils down to a revision of the illustrating cartoon used in the earlier publications, without having affecting the quantitative evaluations. The first revision concerns the height extent of the AAR. It must be largely increased. The second revision introduces a nearly 2‐D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) turbulence into the state of the AAR. This is supported by high‐altitude electric field data and leads to new view of auroral rays. The third revision describes the transition from the AAR to the ionosphere as structured by so‐called potential fingers, which contain substantial fractions of the total field‐parallel potential drop. The most important modification pertains to the average U‐shaped potential of a spontaneously propagating AAR. While the leading edge of the auroral current sheet is structured by stress release motions, the reverse flow in the rear section escapes simple interpretation. It is proposed that this flow is driven by a turbulent transport of reversed momentum from front to rear in response to the incompressibility of the magnetic field in the acceleration region. This leads to a revision of the field‐aligned currents and wavefield in the rear of the arc.
In this paper, by performing a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, we investigate magnetic reconnection in the downstream of a quasi-perpendicular shock. The shock is nonstationary, and experiences a cyclic reformation. At the beginning of reformation process, the shock front is relatively flat, and part of upstream ions are reflected by the shock front. The reflected ions move upward in the action of Lorentz force, which leads to the upward bending of magnetic field lines at the foot of the shock front, and then a current sheet is formed due to the squeezing of the bending magnetic field lines. The formed current sheet is brought toward the shock front by the solar wind, and the shock front becomes irregular after interacting with the current sheet. Both the current sheet brought by the solar wind and the current sheet associated with the shock front are then fragmented into many small filamentary current sheets. Electron-scale magnetic reconnection may occur in several of these filamentary current sheets when they are convected into the downstream, and magnetic islands are generated. A strong reconnection electric field and energy dissipation are also generated around the X line, and high-speed electron outflow is also formed.
Seong-Yeop Jeong, Daniel Verscharen, Robert T. Wicks
et al.
In this paper, we develop a model to describe the generalized wave-particle instability in a quasi-neutral plasma. We analyze the quasi-linear diffusion equation for particles by expressing an arbitrary unstable and resonant wave mode as a Gaussian wave packet, allowing for an arbitrary direction of propagation with respect to the background magnetic field. We show that the localized energy density of the Gaussian wave packet determines the velocity-space range in which the dominant wave-particle instability and counter-acting damping contributions are effective. Moreover, we derive a relation describing the diffusive trajectories of resonant particles in velocity space under the action of such an interplay between the wave-particle instability and damping. For the numerical computation of our theoretical model, we develop a mathematical approach based on the Crank-Nicolson scheme to solve the full quasi-linear diffusion equation. Our numerical analysis solves the time evolution of the velocity distribution function under the action of a dominant wave-particle instability and counteracting damping and shows a good agreement with our theoretical description. As an application, we use our model to study the oblique fast-magnetosonic/whistler instability, which is proposed as a scattering mechanism for strahl electrons in the solar wind. In addition, we numerically solve the full Fokker-Planck equation to compute the time evolution of the electron-strahl distribution function under the action of Coulomb collisions with core electrons and protons after the collisionless action of the oblique fast-magnetosonic/whistler instability.
Olga Alexandrova, Vamsee Krishna Jagarlamudi, Claudia Rossi
et al.
Turbulence develops in any stressed flow when the scales of the forcing are much larger than those of the dissipation. In neutral fluids, it consists of chaotic motions in physical space but with a universal energy spectrum in Fourier space. Intermittency (non-Gaussian statistics of fluctuations) is another general property and it is related to the presence of coherent structures. Space plasmas are turbulent as well. Here, we focus on the kinetic plasma scales, which are not yet well understood. We address the following fundamental questions: (1) Do the turbulent fluctuations at kinetic scales form a universal spectrum? and (2) What is the nature of the fluctuations? Using measurements in the solar wind we show that the magnetic spectra of kinetic turbulence at 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 AU from the Sun have the same shape as the ones close to the Earth orbit at 1 AU, indicating universality of the phenomenon. The fluctuations, which form this spectrum, are typically non-linearly interacting eddies that tend to generate magnetic filaments.
Abstract. Observations of the terrestrial ion transport and budget in the magnetosphere are reviewed, with stress on low energy ions in the high-altitude polar region and inner magnetosphere, for which Cluster significantly improved the knowledge. Outflowing ions from the ionosphere are classified into three types in terms of energy: (1) as cold ions refilling the plasmasphere faster than Jeans escape, (2) as cold supersonic ions such as the polar wind, and (3) as suprathermal ions energized by wave-particle interaction or parallel potential acceleration. Majority of the suprathermal ions are further energized at higher altitudes becoming hot with much higher velocity than the escape velocity even for heavy ions. This makes heavy ions in this category more abundant than cold refilling or cold supersonic flow. The immediate destination of these terrestrial ions varies from the plasmasphere, the inner magnetosphere including those entering to the ionosphere in the other, the magnetotail, and the solar wind (magnetosheath and cusp/plasma mantle). Due to time variable return from the magnetotail, ions with different routes and energy meet in the inner magnetosphere, making it a zoo of different types of ions in both energy and energy distribution. This zoo is not yet completely entangled, and includes many unanswered phenomena such as mass-dependent energization although the mass-independent drift theory is well justified. Nearly half of heavy ions in this zoo also finally escape to space, mainly due to magnetopause shadowing (overshooting of ion drift beyond the magnetopause) and charge exchange near the mirror altitude where the exospheric neutral density is the highest. The amount of heavy ions mixing with the solar wind is already the same or larger than that into the magnetotail, and is large enough to directly extract the solar wind kinetic energy in the cusp/plasma mantle through the mass-loading effect and drive the cusp current system. Considering the past solar and solar wind conditions, ion escape might have even influenced the evolution of the terrestrial biosphere.
The decay of the solar wind helium to hydrogen temperature ratio due to Coulomb thermalization can be used to measure how far from the Sun strong preferential ion heating occurs. Previous work has shown that a zone of preferential ion heating, resulting in mass-proportional temperatures, extends about $20-40 R_\odot$ from the Sun on average. Here we look at the motion of the outer boundary of this zone with time and compare it to other physically meaningful distances. We report that the boundary moves in lockstep with the Alfvén point over the solar cycle, contracting and expanding with solar activity with a correlation coefficient of better than 0.95 and with an RMS difference of $4.23 R_\odot$. Strong preferential ion heating apparently is predominatly active below the Alfvén point. To definitively identify the underlying preferential heating mechanisms, it will be necessary to make in situ measurements of the local plasma conditions below the Alfvén surface. We predict Parker Solar Probe (PSP) will be the first spacecraft to directly observe this heating in action, but only a couple of years after launch as activity increases, the zone expands, and PSP's perihelion drops.
Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) possess a high destructive potential as they pose multiple radiation hazards on Earth and onboard spacecrafts. The present work continues a series started with the paper by Borovikov et al.(2018) describing a computational tool to simulate and, potentially, predict the SEP threat based on the observations of the Sun. Here we present the kinetic model coupled with the globalMHD model for the Solar Corona (SC) and Inner Heliosphere (IH), which was described in the first paper in the series. At the heart of the coupled model is a self-consistent treatment of the Alfven wave turbulence. The turbulence not only heats corona, powers and accelerates the solar wind, but also serves as the main agent to scatter the SEPs and thus controls their acceleration and transport. The universal character of the turbulence in the coupled model provides a realistic description of the SEP transport by using the level of turbulence as validated with the solar wind and coronal plasma observations. At the same time, the SEP observations at 1 AU can be used to validate the model for turbulence in the IH, since the observed SEPs have witnessed this turbulence on their way through the IH.
Similar to the enhanced low-dose-rate sensitivity (ELDRS) effect of ionization damage, an enhanced low-flux senstivity (ELFS) effect has been reported in ions/neutron irradiation on n-type silicon or PNP transistors. However, the existing mechanism and simulation dominated by the diffusion dynamics give much higher transition flux than the experimental observations. In this work, we develop a new model based on the annealing of defect clusters for the ELFS effect. Simulations considering Si-interstitial-mediated inter-cluster interactions during their annealing processes successfully reproduce the ELFS effect. The ratio of Si interstitials captured by defect clusters to those dissipating off on the sample edges or re-merging into the bulk is found as the key parameter dominating the enhancement factor (EF) of the ELFS effect. We also establish a compact parametric model based on the mechanism, which is found to provide a good quantitative description of the experimental results. The model predicts the existence of nonsensitive regions at sufficiently low and high fluxes as well as a non-trivial fluence and temperature dependence of the enhancement factor.
Lightning was detected by Voyager 2 at Uranus and Neptune, and weaker electrical processes also occur throughout planetary atmospheres from galactic cosmic ray (GCR) ionisation. Lightning is an indicator of convection, whereas electrical processes away from storms modulate cloud formation and chemistry, particularly if there is little insolation to drive other mechanisms. The ice giants appear to be unique in the Solar System in that they are distant enough from the Sun for GCR-related mechanisms to be significant for clouds and climate, yet also convective enough for lightning to occur. This paper reviews observations (both from Voyager 2 and Earth), data analysis and modelling, and considers options for future missions. Radio, energetic particle and magnetic instruments are recommended for future orbiters, and Huygens-like atmospheric electricity sensors for in situ observations. Uranian lightning is also expected to be detectable from terrestrial radio telescopes.
Luca Sorriso-Valvo, Denise Perrone, Oreste Pezzi
et al.
The nature of the cross-scale connections between the inertial range turbulent energy cascade and the small-scale kinetic processes in collisionless plasmas is explored through the analysis of two-dimensional Hybrid Vlasov-Maxwell numerical simulation (HVM), with alpha particles, and through a proxy of the turbulent energy transfer rate, namely the Local Energy Transfer rate (LET). Correlations between pairs of variables, including those related to kinetic processes and to deviation from Maxwellian distributions, are first evidenced. Then, the general properties and the statistical scaling laws of the LET are described, confirming its reliability for the description of the turbulent cascade and revealing its textured topology. Finally, the connection between such proxy and the diagnostic variables is explored using conditional averaging, showing that several quantities are enhanced in the presence of large positive energy flux, and reduced near sites of negative flux. These observations can help determining which processes are involved in the dissipation of energy at small scales, as for example ion-cyclotron or mirror instabilities typically associated with perpendicular anisotropy of temperature.
We perform a statistical assessment of solar wind stability at 1 AU against ion sources of free energy using Nyquist's instability criterion. In contrast to typically employed threshold models which consider a single free-energy source, this method includes the effects of proton and He$^{2+}$ temperature anisotropy with respect to the background magnetic field as well as relative drifts between the proton core, proton beam, and He$^{2+}$ components on stability. Of 309 randomly selected spectra from the Wind spacecraft, $53.7\%$ are unstable when the ion components are modeled as drifting bi-Maxwellians; only $4.5\%$ of the spectra are unstable to long-wavelength instabilities. A majority of the instabilities occur for spectra where a proton beam is resolved. Nearly all observed instabilities have growth rates $γ$ slower than instrumental and ion-kinetic-scale timescales. Unstable spectra are associated with relatively-large He$^{2+}$ drift speeds and/or a departure of the core proton temperature from isotropy; other parametric dependencies of unstable spectra are also identified.
A methodology is presented for the differential drag control of a large fleet of propulsion-less satellites deployed in the same orbit. The controller places satellites into a constellation with specified angular offsets and zero-relative speed. Time optimal phasing is achieved by first determining an appropriate relative placement, i.e. the order of the satellites. A second optimization problem is then solved as a large coupled system to find the drag command profile required for each satellite. The control authority is the available ratio of low-drag to high-drag ballistic coefficients of the satellites when operating in their background mode. The controller is able to successfully phase constellations with up to 100 satellites in simulations. On-orbit performance of the controller is demonstrated by phasing the Planet Flock 2p constellation of twelve cubesats launched in June 2016 into a 510 km sun-synchronous orbit.