Particle trajectories in model current sheets. i - analytical solutions.
Approximate analytical solutions of particle trajectories in model current sheets where electric field is uniform, perpendicular to magnetic field
PARTICLE TRAJECTORY↗
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Fine-scale structure of the Jovian magnetotail current sheet
During the outbound leg of its passage through the Jovian magnetosphere in the Voyager 2 spacecraft observed 50 traversals of the magnetotail current sheet during a 10 day period at distances between 30 and 130 R sub j. Analysis of these observations shown that the Jovian tail sheet tends to lie approximately parallel to the ecliptic plane and to oscillate about the tail axis with the 10 hour planetary rotation period. The magnetic structure near and within the current sheet was variable with time and distance from Jupiter, but generally corresponded to one of the following: (1) simple rotation of field across the sheet, with an approximately southward direction in the sheet (generally northward beyond a distance from Jupiter of approximately 84 R sub j; (2) field having a southward component in a broad region near the sheet, but northward in a restricted region at the sheet itself; or (3) a clear bipolar variation of the sheet normal field component as the sheet was crossed (i.e., the field became northward and then southward, or vice versa, in crossing the sheet).
Behannon, K. W.↗
Multiple heliospheric current sheets and coronal streamer belt dynamics
The occurrence of multiple directional discontinuities in the coronal streamer belt at sector boundary crossings in the heliosphere, often ascribed to waves or kinks in the heliospheric current sheet, may alternatively be attributed to a network of extended current sheets from multiple helmet streamers with a hierarchy of sizes at the base of the corona. Frequent transient outflows from these helmets can account for a variety of signatures observed at sector boundaries, including ordered field rotations, planar magnetic structures and sandwichlike plasma structure.
Crooker, N. U.↗
Numerical study of the current sheet and PSBL in a magnetotail model
The current sheet and plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) in a magnetotail model are discussed. A test particle code is used to study the response of ensembles of particles to a two-dimensional, time-dependent model of the geomagnetic tail, and test the proposition (Coroniti, 1985a, b; Buchner and Zelenyi, 1986; Chen and Palmadesso, 1986; Martin, 1986) that the stochasticity of the particle orbits in these fields is an important part of the physical mechanism for magnetospheric substorms. The realistic results obtained for the fluid moments of the particle distribution with this simple model, and their insensitivity to initial conditions, is consistent with this hypothesis.
Doxas, I.↗
The influence of the heliospheric current sheet and angular separation on flare accelerated solar wind
A complete set of major flares was used to investigate the effect of the heliospheric current sheet on the magnitude of the flare associated disturbance measured at Earth. It was also found that the angular separation tended to result in a smaller disturbance. Thirdly, it was determined that flares tend to occur near the heliospheric current sheet.
Henning, H. M.↗
The current sheet in Jupiter's magnetosphere
A theoretical model is presented for the plasma in the Jovian magnetosphere whose pressure is comparable to the corotational energy density. The model predicts a thin current sheet of 1 Jupiter radius to 2 Jupiter radii half-thickness. The current sheet lies almost precisely in the magnetic equatorial plane and is not appreciably warped as suggested previously.
Goertz, C. K.↗
The current sheet in Jupiter's magnetosphere
A theoretical model is presented for the plasma in the Jovian magnetosphere whose pressure is comparable to the corotational energy density. The model is consistent with a thin current sheet of half thickness equal to 1 or 2 Jupiter radii. The current sheet lies almost precisely in the magnetic equatorial plane and is not appreciably warped, as has been suggested previously. Warping would occur only if the plasma pressure were much less than the corotational energy density
Goertz, C. K.↗
The influence of the heliospheric current sheet and angular separation on flare-accelerated solar wind
A complete set of major flares was used to investigate the effect of the heliospheric current sheet on the magnitude of the flare associated disturbance measured at earth. It was also found that the angular separation tended to result in a smaller disturbance. Thirdly, it was determined that flares tend to occur near the heliospheric current sheet.
Henning, H. M.↗
Collisional tearing instability in the current sheet with a low magnetic Lundquist number
An MHD model is used to calculate the growth rate of the collisional tearing mode instability in a current layer with a Lundquist number in the range 3-100,000. The maximum growth rate is found to be a function of the Alfven transit time in the current sheet and the Lundquist number. When the Lundquist number is below 50, the growth rate asymptotically approaches a value of about -0.075/transit time. The discovery of the dependence of the asymptotic value is considered to be of use in studies of the current sheet in the diffusion region of a magnetic reconnection configuration, where the Lundquist number will be in the range 2-100.
Lee, L. C.↗
Macroscale coherence of the heliospheric current sheet: Pioneers 10 and 11 comparisons
We use the near radial alignments of Pioneers 10 and 11 during 1974 to study the macroscale geometry of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). The interval of near alignment gave eight analyzable cases of encounters of both spacecraft with the same HCS and one case in which the IMP and Pioneer 11 spacecraft, while nearly radially aligned, encountered the same current sheet. The degree of macroscale coherence of the HCS was judged by comparing observed solar wind speeds against solar wind speeds calculated on the bases of HCS encounter times and ideal Parker spiral geometry. The correlation coefficient between the two sets of speeds is 0.53. The difference between the calculated and observed speeds can be understood in terms of observed deviations from ideal spiral geometry in the ecliptic plane or in terms of typical corrections to the calculations from small latitudinal factors. One case, however, defies explanation in these terms. This range of behavior demonstrates that the HCS is a useful probe of heliospheric dynamics.
Siscoe, George↗
A numerical simulation of magnetic reconnection and radiative cooling in line-tied current sheets
Radiative MHD equations are used for an optically thin plasma to carry out a numerical experiment related to the formation of 'postflare' loops. The numerical experiment starts with a current sheet that is in mechanical and thermal equilibrium but is unstable to both tearing-mode and thermal-condensation instabilities. The current sheet is line-tied at one end to a photospheric-like boundary and evolves asymmetrically. The effects of thermal conduction, resistivity variation, and gravity are ignored. In general, reconnection in the nonlinear stage of the tearing-mode instability can strongly affect the onset of condensations unless the radiative-cooling time scale is much smaller than the tearing-mode time scale. When the ambient plasma is less than 0.2, the reconnection enters a regime where the outflow from the reconnection region is supermagnetosonic with respect to the fast-mode wave speed. In the supermagnetosonic regime the most rapidly condensing regions occur downstream of a fast-mode shock that forms where the outflow impinges on closed loops attached to the photospheric-like boundary. A similar shock-induced condensation might occur during the formation of 'postflare' loops.
Forbes, T. G.↗
Structure of current sheets in magnetic holes at 1 AU
Current density profiles in several types of interplanetary magnetic holes have been calculated using high-resolution Imp 6 magnetic field data (12.5 vector measurements/s), assuming that the currents flow in planar sheets and that the magnetic field varies only in the direction normal to the sheet. The planarity was verified in four holes which were observed by two suitably spaced spacecraft. Four types of simple magnetic holes are discussed, in which B varies nearly monotonically on each side of the hole. In two of the holes, B varies in intensity but not in direction as a result of currents normal to B. In the other two holes, B changes in both magnitude and direction as a result of currents both normal and parallel to B. The observed structures are found to be qualitatively consistent with the models of Burlaga and Lemaire (1978). Examples of complex irregular magnetic holes are also presented, and they are shown to contain multiple current sheets in which currents flow parallel to one another at various angles with respect to B. There is no model of such magnetic holes at present.
Fitzenreiter, R. J.↗
Mutual Inductance Problem for a System Consisting of a Current Sheet and a Thin Metal Plate
Rapid inspection of aircraft structures for flaws is of vital importance to the commercial and defense aircraft industry. In particular, inspecting thin aluminum structures for flaws is the focus of a large scale R&D effort in the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) community. Traditional eddy current methods used today are effective, but require long inspection times. New electromagnetic techniques which monitor the normal component of the magnetic field above a sample due to a sheet of current as the excitation, seem to be promising. This paper is an attempt to understand and analyze the magnetic field distribution due to a current sheet above an aluminum test sample. A simple theoretical model, coupled with a two dimensional finite element model (FEM) and experimental data will be presented in the next few sections. A current sheet above a conducting sample generates eddy currents in the material, while a sensor above the current sheet or in between the two plates monitors the normal component of the magnetic field. A rivet or a surface flaw near a rivet in an aircraft aluminum skin will disturb the magnetic field, which is imaged by the sensor. Initial results showed a strong dependence of the flaw induced normal magnetic field strength on the thickness and conductivity of the current-sheet that could not be accounted for by skin depth attenuation alone. It was believed that the eddy current imaging method explained the dependence of the thickness and conductivity of the flaw induced normal magnetic field. Further investigation, suggested the complexity associated with the mutual inductance of the system needed to be studied. The next section gives an analytical model to better understand the phenomenon.
Fulton, J. P.↗
Electrostatic Solitary Waves in the Solar Wind: Evidence for Instability at Solar Wind Current Sheets
A strong spatial association between bipolar electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) and magnetic current sheets (CSs) in the solar wind is reported here for the first time. This association requires that the plasma instabilities (e.g., Buneman, electron two stream) which generate ESWs are preferentially localized to solar wind CSs. Distributions of CS properties (including shear angle, thickness, solar wind speed, and vector magnetic field change) are examined for differences between CSs associated with ESWs and randomly chosen CSs. Possible mechanisms for producing ESW-generating instabilities at solar wind CSs are considered, including magnetic reconnection.
Electrostatic Solitary Waves↗
Cosmic rays near the heliospheric current sheet
A discussion of full, three-dimensional model simulations of the solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays, including drift, is presented. Particular emphasis is on the variation of the cosmic-ray intensity near the heliospheric current sheet. It is shown that the model quite naturally produces a negative gradient away from a wavy current sheet as seen by an observer on the earth. It is concluded that recent observations of Newkirk and Lockwood (1981) are not in conflict with these model results, and hence are consistent with modulation models in which drift plays an important role.
Kota, J.↗
The Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Energizing Protons and Heavier Ions at the Heliospheric Current Sheet
During near-Sun crossings of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed populations of high-energy protons and heavier ions, indicating possible energization by magnetic reconnection up to 10 s–100 s keV nucleon −1 . Here we study ion acceleration by magnetic reconnection at the HCS. To estimate ion energization, we solve the Parker transport equation coupled to a large-scale 2D MHD reconnection simulation. We find that multiple ion species develop power-law distributions with both spectral index and high-energy cutoff E max consistent with in situ data. By accounting for the injection physics determined by kinetic simulations, we confirm that the charge-to-mass ratio scales as E max ∝ (Q/M) α with α ∼ 0.8–1.1, approximately consistent with PSP measurements in the broader range α ∼ 0.6–1.7. In the limit where ions are injected at the same energy per nucleon, α can be as low as ∼0.3. These findings further support the role of magnetic reconnection in producing high-energy heavy ions at the HCS.
Murtas, Giulia [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, W↗
Current sheet magnetic model for the solar corona
Solar corona current sheet magnetic model, computing polar plume orientations and radial and nonradial streamers
Schatten, K. H.↗
Current sheet collapse in a plasma focus.
Collapse of the current sheets in a plasma focus has been recorded simultaneously through slits parallel and perpendicular to the symmetry axis in the streak mode. The dark period following the collapse is due to the plasma moving out of the field of view. Microdensitometric measurements of intensity variation also support this conclusion. A large anisotropy is also found in the x-ray radiation pattern. Effects of different vacuum vessels were investigated.
Jalufka, N. W.↗