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At least 271 records · Page 15

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NASA NTRS2020

Lower-Hybrid Drift Waves Driving Electron Nongyrotropic Heating and Vortical Flows in a Magnetic Reconnection Layer

We report measurements of lower-hybrid drift waves driving electron heating and vortical flows in an electron-scale reconnection layer under a guide field. Electrons accelerated by the electrostatic potential of the waves exhibit perpendicular and nongyrotropic heating. The vortical flows generate magnetic field perturbations comparable to the guide field magnitude. The measurements reveal a new regime of electron-wave interaction and how this interaction modifies the electron dynamics in the reconnection layer.

L.-J. Chen↗

DOE OSTI2020

Lower-Hybrid Drift Waves Driving Electron Nongyrotropic Heating and Vortical Flows in a Magnetic Reconnection Layer

Here, we report measurements of lower-hybrid drift waves driving electron heating and vortical flows in an electron-scale reconnection layer under a guide field. Electrons accelerated by the electrostatic potential of the waves exhibit perpendicular and nongyrotropic heating. The vortical flows generate magnetic field perturbations comparable to the guide field magnitude. The measurements reveal a new regime of electron-wave interaction and how this interaction modifies the electron dynamics in the reconnection layer.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2016

Parallel electric fields are inefficient drivers of energetic electrons in magnetic reconnection

We present two-dimensional kinetic simulations, with a broad range of initial guide fields, which isolate the role of parallel electric fields (E- ∥ ) in energetic electron production during collisionless magnetic reconnection. In the strong guide field regime, E- ∥ drives essentially all of the electron energy gains, yet fails to generate an energetic component. Here, we suggest that this is due to the weak energy scaling of particle acceleration from E- ∥ compared to that of a Fermi-type mechanism responsible for energetic electron production in the weak guide-field regime. Lastly, this result has important implications for energetic electron production in astrophysical systems and reconnection-driven dissipation in turbulence.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Excitation and propagation of electromagnetic fluctuations with ion-cyclotron range of frequency in magnetic reconnection laboratory experiment

Large-amplitude electromagnetic fluctuations of ion-cyclotron-frequency range are detected in a laboratory experiment inside the diffusion region of a magnetic reconnection with a guide field. The fluctuations have properties similar to kinetic Alfvén waves propagating obliquely to the guide field. Temporary enhancement of the reconnection rate is observed during the occurrence of the fluctuations, suggesting a relationship between the modification in the local magnetic structure given by these fluctuations and the intermittent fast magnetic reconnection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2016

MMS Observations of Large Guide Field Symmetric Reconnection Between Colliding Reconnection Jets at the Center of a Magnetic Flux Rope at the Magnetopause

We report evidence for reconnection between colliding reconnection jets in a compressed current sheet at the center of a magnetic flux rope at Earth's magnetopause. The reconnection involved nearly symmetric Inflow boundary conditions with a strong guide field of two. The thin (2.5 ion-skin depth (d(sub i) width) current sheet (at approximately 12 d(sub i) downstream of the X line) was well resolved by MMS, which revealed large asymmetries in plasma and field structures in the exhaust. Ion perpendicular heating, electron parallel heating, and density compression occurred on one side of the exhaust, while ion parallel heating and density depression were shifted to the other side. The normal electric field and double out-of-plane (bifurcated) currents spanned almost the entire exhaust. These observations are in good agreement with a kinetic simulation for similar boundary conditions, demonstrating in new detail that the structure of large guide field symmetric reconnection is distinctly different from antiparallel reconnection.

Oieroset, M.↗

DOE OSTI2011

Resonant alteration of propagation in guiding structures with complex Robin parameter and its magnetic-field-induced restoration

Highlights: > Solutions of the wave equation are analyzed for the confined circular geometry with complex Robin boundary conditions. > Sharp extremum is found in the energy dependence on the imaginary part of the extrapolation length. > Nonzero real part of the Robin length or/and magnetic field wipe out the resonance. - Abstract: Solutions of the scalar Helmholtz wave equation are derived for the analysis of the transport and thermodynamic properties of the two-dimensional disk and three-dimensional infinitely long straight wire in the external uniform longitudinal magnetic field B under the assumption that the Robin boundary condition contains extrapolation length {Lambda} with nonzero imaginary part {Lambda}{sub i}. As a result of this complexity, the self-adjointness of the Hamiltonian is lost, its eigenvalues E become complex too and the discrete bound states of the disk characteristic for the real {Lambda} turn into the corresponding quasibound states with their lifetime defined by the eigenenergies imaginary parts E{sub i}. Accordingly, the longitudinal flux undergoes an alteration as it flows along the wire with its attenuation/amplification being E{sub i}-dependent too. It is shown that, for zero magnetic field, the component E{sub i} as a function of the Robin imaginary part exhibits a pronounced sharp extremum with its magnitude being the largest for the zero real part {Lambda}{sub r} of the extrapolation length. Increasing magnitude of {Lambda}{sub r} quenches the E{sub i} - {Lambda}{sub i} resonance and at very large {Lambda}{sub r} the eigenenergies E approach the asymptotic real values independent of {Lambda}{sub i}. The extremum is also wiped out by the magnetic field when, for the large B, the energies tend to the Landau levels. Mathematical and physical interpretations of the obtained results are provided; in particular, it is shown that the finite lifetime of the disk quasibound states stems from the {Lambda}{sub i}-induced currents flowing through the sample boundary. Possible experimental tests of the calculated effect are discussed; namely, it is argued that it can be observed in superconductors by applying to them the external electric field E normal to the surface.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2013

Kinetic simulations of plasmoid chain dynamics

The dynamics of a plasmoid chain is studied with three dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations. The evolution of the system with and without a uniform guide field, whose strength is 1/3 the asymptotic magnetic field, is investigated. The plasmoid chain forms by spontaneous magnetic reconnection: the tearing instability rapidly disrupts the initial current sheet generating several small-scale plasmoids that rapidly grow in size coalescing and kinking. The plasmoid kink is mainly driven by the coalescence process. It is found that the presence of guide field strongly influences the evolution of the plasmoid chain. Without a guide field, a main reconnection site dominates and smaller reconnection regions are included in larger ones, leading to an hierarchical structure of the plasmoid-dominated current sheet. On the contrary in presence of a guide field, plasmoids have approximately the same size and the hierarchical structure does not emerge, a strong core magnetic field develops in the center of the plasmoid in the direction of the existing guide field, and bump-on-tail instability, leading to the formation of electron holes, is detected in proximity of the plasmoids.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

ALIGNMENT BETWEEN FLATTENED PROTOSTELLAR INFALL ENVELOPES AND AMBIENT MAGNETIC FIELDS

We present 350 {mu}m polarization observations of four low-mass cores containing Class 0 protostars: L483, L1157, L1448-IRS2, and Serp-FIR1. This is the second paper in a larger survey aimed at testing magnetically regulated models for core-collapse. One key prediction of these models is that the mean magnetic field in a core should be aligned with the symmetry axis (minor axis) of the flattened young stellar object inner envelope (aka pseudodisk). Furthermore, the field should exhibit a pinched or hourglass-shaped morphology as gravity drags the field inward toward the central protostar. We combine our results for the four cores with results for three similar cores that were published in the first paper from our survey. An analysis of the 350 {mu}m polarization data for the seven cores yields evidence of a positive correlation between mean field direction and pseudodisk symmetry axis. Our rough estimate for the probability of obtaining by pure chance a correlation as strong as the one we found is about 5%. In addition, we combine together data for multiple cores to create a source-averaged magnetic field map having improved signal-to-noise ratio, and this map shows good agreement between mean field direction and pseudodisk axis (they are within 15 Degree-Sign ). We also see hints of a magnetic pinch in the source-averaged map. We conclude that core-scale magnetic fields appear to be strong enough to guide gas infall, as predicted by the magnetically regulated models. Finally, we find evidence of a positive correlation between core magnetic field direction and bipolar outflow axis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Comment on “Nonideal Fields Solve the Injection Problem in Relativistic Reconnection”

Sironi (hereafter S22) reported the correlation between high-energy particles and their crossings of regions with electric field larger than magnetic field (E > B regions) in kinetic simulations of relativistic magnetic reconnection. They claim that E > B regions (for vanishing guide fields) accelerate particles to the injection energy γ inj ~ σ (magnetization). S22 shows that if test particles are reset to low energies in E > B regions, injection is suppressed. Here, we reexamine these claims using a simulation resembling the reference case in S22 with no guide field. We show that E > B regions contribute very little to injection (~ 10% γ inj ) as they only host particles for a short duration. The energization before any E > B crossings has a comparable contribution, indicating E > B regions are not unique for pre-acceleration. A new test-particle simulation that zeroes out E during E > B does not strongly influence injection. We suggest that the procedure to exclude E > B acceleration in S22 partly removes acceleration outside E > B, leading to a false conclusion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

BAYESIAN ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE HARMONIC OSCILLATIONS IN THE SOLAR CORONA

The detection of multiple mode harmonic kink oscillations in coronal loops enables us to obtain information on coronal density stratification and magnetic field expansion using seismology inversion techniques. The inference is based on the measurement of the period ratio between the fundamental mode and the first overtone and theoretical results for the period ratio under the hypotheses of coronal density stratification and magnetic field expansion of the wave guide. We present a Bayesian analysis of multiple mode harmonic oscillations for the inversion of the density scale height and magnetic flux tube expansion under each of the hypotheses. The two models are then compared using a Bayesian model comparison scheme to assess how plausible each one is given our current state of knowledge.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

FAN-SHAPED JETS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONNECTION SIMULATION AS A MODEL OF UBIQUITOUS SOLAR JETS

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process in space and astrophysical plasmas in which the oppositely directed magnetic field changes its connectivity and eventually converts its energy into kinetic and thermal energy of the plasma. Recently, ubiquitous jets (for example, chromospheric anemone jets, penumbral microjets, umbral light bridge jets) have been observed by the Solar Optical Telescope on board the satellite Hinode. These tiny and frequently occurring jets are considered to be a possible evidence of small-scale ubiquitous reconnection in the solar atmosphere. However, the details of three-dimensional (3D) magnetic configuration are still not very clear. Here, we propose a new model based on 3D simulations of magnetic reconnection using a typical current sheet magnetic configuration with a strong guide field. The most interesting feature is that the jets produced by the reconnection eventually move along the guide field lines. This model provides a fresh understanding of newly discovered ubiquitous jets and moreover a new observational basis for the theory of astrophysical magnetic reconnection.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

A magnetic-bottle multi-electron-ion coincidence spectrometer

A novel multi-electron-ion coincidence spectrometer developed on the basis of a 1.5 m-long magnetic-bottle electron spectrometer is presented. Electrons are guided by an inhomogeneous magnetic field to a detector at the end of the flight tube, while a set of optics is used to extract counterpart ions to the same detector, by a pulsed inhomogeneous electric field. This setup allows ion detection with high mass resolution, without impairing the high collection efficiency for electrons. The performance of the coincidence spectrometer was tested with double ionization of carbon disulfide, CS{sub 2} {yields} CS{sub 2}{sup 2+} + e{sup -} + e{sup -}, in ultrashort intense laser fields (2.8 x 10{sup 13} W/cm{sup 2}, 280 fs, 1030 nm) to clarify the electron correlation below the rescattering threshold.