Engineering topics

Ergun, Robert E.

Publications and source records attributed to Ergun, Robert E..

13 records

DOE OSTI2023

Particle Acceleration by Magnetic Reconnection in Geospace

Particles are accelerated to very high, non-thermal energies during explosive energy-release phenomena in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma environments. While it has been established that magnetic reconnection plays an important role in the dynamics of Earth’s magnetosphere, it remains unclear how magnetic reconnection can further explain particle acceleration to non-thermal energies. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of particle acceleration by magnetic reconnection in Earth’s magnetosphere. With improved resolutions, recent spacecraft missions have enabled detailed studies of particle acceleration at various structures such as the diffusion region, separatrix, jets, magnetic islands (flux ropes), and dipolarization front. With the guiding-center approximation of particle motion, many studies have discussed the relative importance of the parallel electric field as well as the Fermi and betatron effects. However, in order to fully understand the particle acceleration mechanism and further compare with particle acceleration in solar and astrophysical plasma environments, there is a need for further investigation of, for example, energy partition and the precise role of turbulence.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2022

Properties and Acceleration Mechanisms of Electrons Up To 200 keV Associated With a Flux Rope Pair and Reconnection X-Lines Around It in Earth's Plasma Sheet

The properties and acceleration mechanisms of electrons (<200 keV) associated with a pair of tailward traveling flux ropes and accompanied reconnection X-lines in Earth's plasma sheet are investigated with MMS measurements. Energetic electrons are enhanced on both boundaries and core of the flux ropes. The power-law spectra of energetic electrons near the X-lines and in flux ropes are harder than those on flux rope boundaries. Theoretical calculations show that the highest energy of adiabatic electrons is a few keV around the X-lines, tens of keV immediately downstream of the X-lines, hundreds of keV on the flux rope boundaries, and a few MeV in the flux rope cores. The X-lines cause strong energy dissipation, which may generate the energetic electron beams around them. The enhanced electron parallel temperature can be caused by the curvature-driven Fermi acceleration and the parallel electric potential. Betatron acceleration due to the magnetic field compression is strong on flux rope boundaries, which enhances energetic electrons in the perpendicular direction. Electrons can be trapped between the flux rope pair due to mirror force and parallel electric potential. Electrostatic structures in the flux rope cores correspond to potential drops up to half of the electron temperature. The energetic electrons and the electron distribution functions in the flux rope cores are suggested to be transported from other dawn-dusk directions, which is a 3-dimensional effect. The acceleration and deceleration of the Betatron and Fermi processes appear alternately indicating that the magnetic field and plasma are turbulent around the flux ropes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Magnetic Reconnection in Three Dimensions: Modeling and Analysis of Electromagnetic Drift Waves in the Adjacent Current Sheet

Magnetic reconnection at the subsolar magnetopause is persistently accompanied by strong fluctuations of the magnetic field (B), plasma density (n), and all components of the electric field (E) and current (J). The strongest fluctuations are at frequencies below the lower hybrid frequency and observed in a thin, intense current sheet adjacent to the electron diffusion region. In this current sheet, the background magnitudes of B and n are changing considerably, creating an inhomogeneous plasma environment. In this paper, we show that the fluctuations in B and n are consistent with an oscillatory displacement of the current sheet in the surface normal direction. The displacement is propagating parallel to the magnetic reconnection X-line. Wavelengths are on the order of or longer than the thickness of the current sheet to which they are confined, so we label these waves electromagnetic drift waves. E and J fluctuations are more complex than a simple displacement. They have significant variations in the component along B, which suggest that the drift waves also may be confined along B. The current sheet is supported by an electron drift driven by normal electric field, which, in turn, is balanced by an ion pressure gradient. We suggest that wave growth comes from an instability related to the drift between the electrons and ions. We discuss the possibility that drift waves can displace or penetrate into the electron diffusion region giving magnetic reconnection three-dimensional structure. Drift waves may corrugate the X-line, possibly breaking the X-line and generating turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Local Excitation of Whistler Mode Waves and Associated Langmuir Waves at Dayside Reconnection Regions

In the Earth’s dayside reconnection boundary layer, whistler mode waves coincide with magnetic field openings and the formation of the resultant anisotropic electrons. Depending on the energy range of anisotropic electrons, whistlers can grow at frequencies in the upper and/or lower band. Observations show that whistler mode waves modulate Langmuir wave amplitude as they propagate toward the X line. Observations of whistler mode wave phase and Langmuir waves packets, as well as coincident electron measurements, reveal that whistler mode waves can accelerate electrons via Landau resonance at locations where E || is antiparallel to the wave propagation direction. The accelerated electrons produce localized beams, which subsequently drive the periodically modulated Langmuir waves. The close association of those two wave modes reveals the microscale electron dynamics in the exhaust region, and the proposed mechanism could potentially be applied to explain the modulation events observed in planetary magnetospheres and in the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2018

Statistical Study of the Properties of Magnetosheath Lion Roars

Lion roars are narrowband whistler wave emissions that have been observed in several environments, such as planetary magnetosheaths, the Earth's magnetosphere, the solar wind, downstream of interplanetary shocks, and the cusp region. We present measurements of more than 30,000 such emissions observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft with high‐cadence (8,192 samples/s) search coil magnetometer data. A semiautomatic algorithm was used to identify the emissions, and an adaptive interval algorithm in conjunction with minimum variance analysis was used to determine their wave vector. The properties of the waves are determined in both the spacecraft and plasma rest frame. The mean wave normal angle, with respect to the background magnetic field (B(sub 0)), plasma bulk flow velocity (V(sub b)), and the coplanarity plane (V(sub b) × B(sub 0)) are 23°, 56°, and 0°, respectively. The average peak frequencies were ∼31% of the electron gyrofrequency (ω(sub ce)) observed in the spacecraft frame and ∼18% of ω(sub ce) in the plasma rest frame. In the spacecraft frame, ∼99% of the emissions had a frequency <ω(sub ce), while 98% had a peak frequency <0.72 ω(sub ce) in the plasma rest frame. None of the waves had frequencies lower than the lower hybrid frequency, ω. From the probability density function of the electron plasma β(sub e), the ratio between the electron thermal and magnetic pressure, ∼99.6% of the waves were observed with β(sub e)<4 with a large narrow peak at 0.07 and two smaller, but wider, peaks at 1.26 and 2.28, while the average value was ∼1.25.

Magnetosheath emissions↗

DOE OSTI2018

On Multiple Hall-Like Electron Currents and Tripolar Guide Magnetic Field Perturbations During Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves

Two magnetopause current sheet crossings with tripolar guide magnetic field signatures were reported by multiple Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft during Kelvin-Helmholtz wave activity. The two out-of-plane magnetic field depressions of the tripolar guide magnetic field are largely supported by the observed in-plane electron currents, which are reminiscent of two clockwise Hall current loop systems. A comparison with a three-dimensional kinetic simulation of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves and vortex-induced reconnection indicates that MMS likely encountered the two Hall magnetic field depressions on either side of a magnetic reconnection X-line. Moreover, MMS observed an out-of-plane current reversal and a corresponding in-plane magnetic field rotation at the center of one of the current sheets, suggesting the presence of two adjacent flux ropes. The region inside one of the ion-scale flux ropes was characterized by an observed decrease of the total magnetic field, a strong axial current, and significant enhancements of electron density and parallel electron temperature. The flux rope boundary was characterized by currents opposite this axial current, strong in-plane and converging electric fields, parallel electric fields, and weak electron-frame Joule dissipation. These return current region observations may reflect a need to support the axial current rather than representing local reconnection signatures in the absence of any exhausts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Parallel electron heating in the magnetospheric inflow region: Electron Heating in Reconnection

We analyzed 20 reconnection events observed by the Magnetosphere MultiScale mission, finding that in a subregion of the magnetospheric inflow, the electron temperature parallel to the magnetic field (T e|| ) decreases toward the separatrix with increasing densities. Such Te|| variation is not consistent with the heating through the parallel potential mechanism for magnetospheric electrons. Associated with the change in T e|| , low-energy gyrotropic magnetosheath-like electrons are observed. These electrons may come from the magnetosheath, penetrate to the magnetospheric side possibly due to waves in the lower hybrid frequency range, and do not experience as much energization as those from deeper in the magnetosphere. In addition, as T e|| decreases, the high-energy field-aligned phase-space densities decrease or fluctuate significantly over time. Wave-particle interaction might produce energy conversion and cause the high-energy phase-space density variations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave

Alfvén waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors. Through measurement of charged particles and electromagnetic fields with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, we utilize Earth’s magnetosphere as a plasma physics laboratory. Here we confirm the conservative energy exchange between the electromagnetic field fluctuations and the charged particles that comprise an undamped kinetic Alfvén wave. Electrons confined between adjacent wave peaks may have contributed to saturation of damping effects via nonlinear particle trapping. As a result, the investigation of these detailed wave dynamics has been unexplored territory in experimental plasma physics and is only recently enabled by high-resolution MMS observations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2016

Two-Scale Ion Meandering Caused by the Polarization Electric Field During Asymmetric Reconnection

Ion velocity distribution functions (VDFs) from a particle-in-cell simulation of asymmetric reconnection are investigated to reveal a two-scale structure of the ion diffusion region (IDR). Ions bouncing in the inner IDR are trapped mainly by the electric field normal to the current sheet (N direction), while those reaching the outer IDR are turned back mainly by the magnetic force. The resulting inner layer VDFs have counter-streaming populations along N with decreasing counter-streaming speeds away from the midplane while maintaining the out-of-plane speed, and the outer layer VDFs exhibit crescent shapes toward the out-of-plane direction. Observations of the above VDF features and the normal electric fields provide evidence for the two-scale meandering motion.

Wang, Shan↗

NASA NTRS2016

MMS Multipoint Electric Field Observations of Small-Scale Magnetic Holes

Small-scale magnetic holes (MHs), local depletions in magnetic field strength, have been observed multiple times in the Earths magnetosphere in the bursty bulk flow (BBF) braking region. This particular subset of MHs has observed scale sizes perpendicular to the background magnetic field (B) less than the ambient ion Larmor radius (p(sib i)). Previous observations by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) indicate that this subset of MHs can be supported by a current driven by the E x B drift of electrons. Ions do not participate in the E x B drift due to the small-scale size of the electric field. While in the BBF braking region, during its commissioning phase, the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft observed a small-scale MH. The electric field observations taken during this event suggest the presence of electron currents perpendicular to the magnetic field. These observations also suggest that these currents can evolve to smaller spatial scales.

Goodrich, Katherine A.↗

DOE OSTI2015

Kinetic Alfvén waves and particle response associated with a shock-induced, global ULF perturbation of the terrestrial magnetosphere

On 2 October 2013, the arrival of an interplanetary shock compressed the Earth's magnetosphere and triggered a global ULF (ultra low frequency) oscillation. Furthermore, the Van Allen Probe B spacecraft observed this large-amplitude ULF wave in situ with both magnetic and electric field data. Broadband waves up to approximately 100 Hz were observed in conjunction with, and modulated by, this ULF wave. Detailed analysis of fields and particle data reveals that these broadband waves are Doppler-shifted kinetic Alfvén waves. This event then suggests that magnetospheric compression by interplanetary shocks can induce abrupt generation of kinetic Alfvén waves over large portions of the inner magnetosphere, potentially driving previously unconsidered wave-particle interactions throughout the inner magnetosphere during the initial response of the magnetosphere to shock impacts.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2013

Variation of Langmuir wave polarization with electron beam speed in type III radio bursts

Observations by the twin STEREO spacecraft of in-situ electric field waveforms and radio signatures associated with type III radio bursts have demonstrated that the polarization of electron beam-driven waves near the local plasma frequency depends strongly on the speed of the driving electron beam. We expand upon a previous study by including all radio bursts with in-situ waveforms observed by STEREO in 2011. The expanded data set contains five times more radio bursts (35 up from 7) and three times as many Langmuir waves (663 up from 168). While this expanded study supports the results of the original study, that faster (slower) beam electrons drive waves with strong (weak) electric fields perpendicular to the local magnetic field, the larger data set emphasizes that the observation of strong perpendicular electric fields at high electron beam speeds is probabilistic rather than definite. This property supports the interpretation of wave polarization dependence on beam speed as Langmuir/z-mode waves shifted to small wave number through interaction with turbulent solar wind density fluctuations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS2005

Cusp Dynamics-Particle Acceleration by Alfven Waves

Successful results were obtained from this research project. This investigation answered and/or made progresses on each of the four important questions that were proposed: (1) How do Alfven waves propagate on dayside open field lines? (2) How are precipitating electrons influenced by propagating Alfven waves? (3) How are various cusp electron distributions generated? (4) How are Alfven waves modified by electrons? During the first year of this investigation, the input parameters, such as density and temperature altitude profiles, of the gyrofluid code on the cusp field lines were constructed based on 3-point satellite observations. The initial gyrofluid result was presented at the GEM meeting by Dr. Samuel Jones.

Ergun, Robert E.↗