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DOE OSTI2016

Nonlinear density excitations in a magnetorotating relativistic plasma with warm ions and non-Maxwellian electrons

Linear and nonlinear electrostatic ion acoustic waves in a weakly relativistic magnetorotating plasma in the presence of non-Maxwellian electrons and warm ions have been examined. The system under consideration has yielded two solutions, namely, the fast and slow acoustic modes which have been observed to depend on the streaming velocity, ion to electron temperature ratio, and the nonthermality parameter of the non-Maxwellian electrons. Using the multiple time scale analysis, we have derived the three dimensional nonlinear Zakharov–Kuznetsov equation and also presented its solution. Both compressive and rarefactive solitary structures have been found in consonance with the satellite observations. It has been observed that although the linear dispersion relation gives both fast and slow ion acoustic waves, the solitary structures form only for the fast acoustic mode. The dependence of the characteristics of the solitary structures on several plasma parameters has also been explored. The present investigation may be beneficial to understanding the rotating plasma environments such as those found in the planetary magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Statistical description of coalescing magnetic islands via magnetic reconnection

The physical picture of interacting magnetic islands provides a useful paradigm for certain plasma dynamics in a variety of physical environments, such as the solar corona, the heliosheath and the Earth's magnetosphere. In this work, we derive an island kinetic equation to describe the evolution of the island distribution function (in area and in flux of islands) subject to a collisional integral designed to account for the role of magnetic reconnection during island mergers. This equation is used to study the inverse transfer of magnetic energy through the coalescence of magnetic islands in two dimensions. We solve our island kinetic equation numerically for three different types of initial distribution: Dirac delta, Gaussian and power-law distributions. The time evolution of several key quantities is found to agree well with our analytical predictions: magnetic energy decays as $\tilde {t}^{-1}$ , the number of islands decreases as $\tilde {t}^{-1}$ and the averaged area of islands grows as $\tilde {t}$ , where $\tilde {t}$ is the time normalised to the characteristic reconnection time scale of islands. General properties of the distribution function and the magnetic energy spectrum are also studied. Finally, we discuss the underlying connection of our island-merger models to the (self-similar) decay of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2026

Statistical and temporal characteristics of sawtooth events

Magnetospheric sawtooth events are characterized by periodic particle injections and magnetic dipolarizations spread quasi-simultaneously across a wide range of magnetic local times. We present a comprehensive statistical study of magnetospheric sawtooth events (STEs) during solar cycle 24 (2008–2016), extending previous catalogs and enabling solar cycle comparisons. Our results confirm that STEs predominantly occur during the rising and declining phases of the solar cycle, and are strongly associated with geomagnetic storms. Superposed epoch analysis reveals near-simultaneous particle injections across all magnetic local time sectors, but magnetic field dipolarization confined to the midnight region. These results support a scenario in which nightside tail reconnection and enhanced convection are the primary drivers of sawtooth oscillations. The localization of magnetic dipolarizations during STEs challenges global instability interpretations and suggests that STEs represent a stormtime substorm mode triggered under specific solar wind and magnetotail conditions. Superposed epoch analyses also show enhanced oxygen content in the magnetosphere during sawtooth events, but do not show a significant difference from geomagnetic storms that do not exhibit periodic behavior.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Laboratory Study of Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection

A concise review is given on the past two decades’ results from laboratory experiments on collisionless magnetic reconnection in direct relation with space measurements, especially by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Highlights include spatial structures of electromagnetic fields in ion and electron diffusion regions as a function of upstream symmetry and guide field strength, energy conversion and partitioning from magnetic field to ions and electrons including particle acceleration, electrostatic and electromagnetic kinetic plasma waves with various wavelengths, and plasmoid-mediated multiscale reconnection. Combined with the progress in theoretical, numerical, and observational studies, the physics foundation of fast reconnection in collisionless plasmas has been largely established, at least within the parameter ranges and spatial scales that were studied. Immediate and long-term future opportunities based on multiscale experiments and space missions supported by exascale computation are discussed, including dissipation by kinetic plasma waves, particle heating and acceleration, and multiscale physics across fluid and kinetic scales.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

Magnetised Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the intermediate regime between subsonic and supersonic regimes

The understanding of the dynamics at play at the Earth's Magnetopause, the boundary separating the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind plasmas, is of primary importance for space plasma modeling. We focus our attention on the low latitude flank of the magnetosphere where the velocity shear between the magnetosheath and the magnetospheric plasmas is the energetic source of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. On the shoulder of the resulting vortex chain, different secondary instabilities are at play depending on the local plasma parameters and compete with the vortex pairing process. Most important, secondary instabilities, among other magnetic reconnection, control the plasma mixing as well as the entry of solar wind plasma in the magnetosphere. We make use of a two-fluid model, including the Hall term and the electron mass in the generalized Ohm's law, to study the 2D non-linear evolution of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetosheath-magnetosphere interface, in the intermediate regime between subsonic and supersonic regimes. We study the saturation mechanisms, depending on the density jump across the shear layer and the magnetic field strength in the plane. In the presence of a weak in-plane magnetic field, the dynamics of the Kelvin-Helmholtz rolled-up vortices self-consistently generates thin current sheets where reconnection instability eventually enables fast reconnection to develop. Such a system enables to study guide field multiple-island collisionless magnetic reconnection as embedded in a large-scale dynamic system, unlike the classical static, ad hoc reconnection setups. In this regime, reconnection is shown to inhibit the vortex pairing process. This study provides a clear example of nonlinear, cross-scale, collisionless plasma dynamics.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Implementation of a drive cylinder for low collisional experiments on magnetic reconnection

For most laboratory plasma experiments, Coulomb collisions between the particle species are sufficiently frequent that the particle distribution functions are relaxed to a near-Maxwellian form. This hampers the applicability of such experiments to phenomena observed in tenuous and near-collisionless space plasma. The Terrestrial Reconnection EXperiment (TREX) at the Wisconsin Plasma Physics Laboratory aims to study collisionless reconnection for parameters relevant to the Earth’s magnetosphere. To reduce the role of collisional effects, a reconnection Drive Cylinder has been developed, which increases both the effective system size of the TREX configuration and the rate at which reconnection can be driven. These two effects now permit TREX to reach a kinetic reconnection regime where collisional effects are minimized. The Drive Cylinder is comprised of 12 single loop drive-coils connected in parallel to a 10 kV capacitor bank. Insulated sheets of aluminum are applied to smooth the magnetic fields and enhance the drive efficiency. Following is a description of the technical details and performance of the Drive Cylinder.

Instruments & Instrumentation↗

DOE OSTI2015

DISSECTING MAGNETAR VARIABILITY WITH BAYESIAN HIERARCHICAL MODELS

Neutron stars are a prime laboratory for testing physical processes under conditions of strong gravity, high density, and extreme magnetic fields. Among the zoo of neutron star phenomena, magnetars stand out for their bursting behavior, ranging from extremely bright, rare giant flares to numerous, less energetic recurrent bursts. The exact trigger and emission mechanisms for these bursts are not known; favored models involve either a crust fracture and subsequent energy release into the magnetosphere, or explosive reconnection of magnetic field lines. In the absence of a predictive model, understanding the physical processes responsible for magnetar burst variability is difficult. Here, we develop an empirical model that decomposes magnetar bursts into a superposition of small spike-like features with a simple functional form, where the number of model components is itself part of the inference problem. The cascades of spikes that we model might be formed by avalanches of reconnection, or crust rupture aftershocks. Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling augmented with reversible jumps between models with different numbers of parameters, we characterize the posterior distributions of the model parameters and the number of components per burst. We relate these model parameters to physical quantities in the system, and show for the first time that the variability within a burst does not conform to predictions from ideas of self-organized criticality. We also examine how well the properties of the spikes fit the predictions of simplified cascade models for the different trigger mechanisms.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2013

Modulational instability of spin modified quantum magnetosonic waves in Fermi-Dirac-Pauli plasmas

A theoretical and numerical study of the modulational instability of large amplitude quantum magnetosonic waves (QMWs) in a relativistically degenerate plasma is presented. A modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived by using the reductive perturbation method. The modulational instability regions of the QMWs and the corresponding growth rates are significantly affected by the relativistic degeneracy parameter, the Pauli spin magnetization effects, and the equilibrium magnetic field. The dynamics and nonlinear saturation of the modulational instability of QMWs are investigated numerically. It is found that the increase of the relativistic degeneracy parameter can increase the growth rate of the instability, and the system is saturated nonlinearly by the formation of envelope solitary waves. The current investigation may have relevance to astrophysical magnetized compact objects, such as white dwarfs and pulsar magnetospheres.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Coupled ion acoustic and drift waves in magnetized superthermal electron-positron-ion plasmas

Linear and nonlinear coupled drift-ion acoustic waves are investigated in a nonuniform magnetoplasma having kappa distributed electrons and positrons. In the linear regime, the role of kappa distribution and positron content on the dispersion relation has been highlighted; it is found that strong superthermality (low value of κ) and addition of positrons lowers the phase velocity via decreasing the fundamental scalelengths of the plasmas. In the nonlinear regime, first, coherent nonlinear structure in the form of dipoles and monopoles are obtained and the boundary conditions (boundedness) in the context of superthermality and positron concentrations are discussed. Second, in case of scalar nonlinearity, a Korteweg–de Vries-type equation is obtained, which admit solitary wave solution. It is found that both compressive and rarefactive solitons are formed in the present model. The present work may be useful to understand the low frequency electrostatic modes in inhomogeneous electron positron ion plasmas, which exist in astrophysical plasma situations such as those found in the pulsar magnetosphere.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2013

Dust-acoustic solitary waves in a four-component adiabatic magnetized dusty plasma

Theoretical investigation has been made on obliquely propagating dust-acoustic (DA) solitary waves (SWs) in a magnetized dusty plasma which consists of non-inertial adiabatic electron and ion fluids, and inertial negatively as well as positively charged adiabatic dust fluids. The reductive perturbation method has been employed to derive the Korteweg-de Vries equation which admits a solitary wave solution for small but finite amplitude limit. It has been shown that the basic features (speed, height, thickness, etc.) of such DA solitary structures are significantly modified by adiabaticity of plasma fluids, opposite polarity dust components, and the obliqueness of external magnetic field. The SWs have been changed from compressive to rarefactive depending on the value of {mu} (a parameter determining the number of positive dust present in this plasma model). The present investigation can be of relevance to the electrostatic solitary structures observed in various dusty plasma environments (viz. cometary tails, upper mesosphere, Jupiter's magnetosphere, etc.)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Comparison of formulas for resonant interactions between energetic electrons and oblique whistler-mode waves

Test particle simulation is a useful method for studying both linear and nonlinear wave-particle interactions in the magnetosphere. The gyro-averaged equations of particle motion for first-order and other cyclotron harmonic resonances with oblique whistler-mode waves were first derived by Bell [J. Geophys. Res. 89, 905 (1984)] and the most recent relativistic form was given by Ginet and Albert [Phys. Fluids B 3, 2994 (1991)], and Bortnik [Ph.D. thesis (Stanford University, 2004), p. 40]. However, recently we found there was a (−1){sup l−1} term difference between their formulas of perpendicular motion for the lth-order resonance. This article presents the detailed derivation process of the generalized resonance formulas, and suggests a check of the signs for self-consistency, which is independent of the choice of conventions, that is, the energy variation equation resulting from the momentum equations should not contain any wave magnetic components, simply because the magnetic field does not contribute to changes of particle energy. In addition, we show that the wave centripetal force, which was considered small and was neglect in previous studies of nonlinear interactions, has a profound time derivative and can significantly enhance electron phase trapping especially in high frequency waves. This force can also bounce the low pitch angle particles out of the loss cone. We justify both the sign problem and the missing wave centripetal force by demonstrating wave-particle interaction examples, and comparing the gyro-averaged particle motion to the full particle motion under the Lorentz force.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2011

Wave dispersion in a counterstreaming, relativistic thermal, magnetized, electron-positron plasma

The dispersion equation is analyzed for waves in a strongly magnetized, electron-positron plasma in which counterstreaming electrons and positrons have a relativistic thermal distribution in their respective rest frames, for propagation parallel to the magnetic field. We derive the response tensor for the medium, demonstrate the dispersion curves for different temperatures, and discuss the differences from the cold-plasma case. Application to the case of pulsar magnetospheres is discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Rotation‐Controlled Diurnal Evolution of Uranus' Asymmetric Bow Shock at Equinox

Uranus possesses the most extreme magnetic and rotational geometry in the solar system, resulting in a uniquely dynamic and asymmetric interaction between its magnetosphere and the solar wind. Here we investigate the diurnal evolution of the Uranian bow shock (BS) at equinox using global multifluid magnetohydrodynamic simulations constrained by Voyager 2 observations. The BS structure and variability are quantified using the stand‐off distance, terminator distance, flaring parameter, and BS parameter, enabling a systematic assessment of its global asymmetry over one planetary rotation. Our results show that the BS exhibits pronounced diurnal asymmetry that is primarily controlled by planetary rotation. Even under steady upstream solar wind conditions, the BS undergoes periodic expansion and contraction, reflecting rotation‐driven reconfiguration of the planetary magnetospheric topology. This diurnal modulation represents a remarkably large asymmetry in planetary BS geometry within the solar system. These results establish planetary rotation as the intrinsic primary driver of Uranus' BS dynamics at equinox and provide essential constraints for the design and formulation of future space missions to the ice giants. These findings also offer a unique framework for understanding shock physics in the abundant population of ice‐giant exoplanets.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Mid-Range Science Objectives for the Event Horizon Telescope

The first images of the black holes in Sagittarius A* and M87* have created a wide range of new scientific opportunities in gravitational physics, compact objects, and relativistic astrophysics. We discuss here the scientific opportunities that arise from the rich data sets that have already been obtained and the new data sets that will be obtained, exploiting a wide range of technical advances, including observational agility, receiver upgrades, and the addition of new stations. This document provides a 5-year framework for Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) science structured around four fundamental questions that are used to prioritize the analysis of existing data, guide technical upgrades, and determine the optimal use of future observational opportunities with EHT, ALMA, and multi-wavelength facilities. Through enhancements over this period, the EHT will create the first movie of M87* connecting black hole and jet physics, provide detailed studies of the structure and dynamics of Sgr A*, characterize the magnetospheres of both systems through polarimetric imaging, and explore the spacetime properties of black holes with greater precision and range.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Hybrid Alfven resonant mode generation in the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system

Feedback unstable Alfven waves involving global field-line oscillations and the ionospheric Alfven resonator (IAR) were comprehensively studied to clarify their properties of frequency dispersion, growth rate, and eigenfunctions. It is discovered that a new mode called here the hybrid Alfven resonant (HAR) mode can be destabilized in the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling system with a realistic Alfven velocity profile. The HAR mode found in a high frequency range over 0.3 Hz is caused by coupling of IAR modes with strong dispersion and magnetospheric cavity resonances. The harmonic relation of HAR eigenfrequencies is characterized by a constant frequency shift from those of IAR modes. The three modes are robustly found even if effects of two-fluid process and ionospheric collision are taken into account and thus are anticipated to be detected by magnetic field observations in a frequency range of 0.3-1 Hz in auroral and polar-cap regions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2011

Weak turbulence theory of the nonlinear evolution of the ion ring distribution

The nonlinear evolution of an ion ring instability in a low {beta} magnetospheric plasma is considered. The evolution of the two-dimensional ring distribution is essentially quasilinear. Ignoring nonlinear processes the timescale for the quasilinear evolution is the same as for the linear instability 1/1{tau}{sub QL{approx}{gamma}L{tau}QL{approx}{gamma}L}. However, when nonlinear processes become important, a new timescale becomes relevant to the wave saturation mechanism. Induced nonlinear scattering of the lower-hybrid waves by plasma electrons is the dominant nonlinearity relevant for plasmas in the inner magnetosphere and typically occurs on the timescale 1/1{tau}{sub NL{approx}{omega}}(M/m)W/WnTnT{tau}{sub NL{approx}{omega}}(M/m)W/WnTnT, where W is the wave energy density, nT is the thermal energy density of the background plasma, and M/Mmm is the ion to electron mass ratio, which has the consequence that the wave amplitude saturates at a low level, and the timescale for quasilinear relaxation is extended by orders of magnitude.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2011

Perspectives on Gamma-Ray Pulsar Emission

Pulsars are powerful sources of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. This paper highlights some theoretical insights into non-thermal, magnetospheric pulsar gamma-ray radiation. These advances have been driven by NASA's Fermi mission, launched in mid-2008. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) instrument on Fermi has afforded the discrimination between polar cap and slot gap/outer gap acceleration zones in young and middle-aged pulsars. Altitude discernment using the highest energy pulsar photons will be addressed, as will spectroscopic interpretation of the primary radiation mechanism in the LAT band, connecting to both polar cap/slot gap and outer gap scenarios. Focuses will mostly be on curvature radiation and magnetic pair creation, including population trends that may afford probes of the magnetospheric accelerating potential.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Occurrence of high-beta superthermal plasma events in the close environment of Jupiter's bow shock as observed by Ulysses

The ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic field pressure (or of their energy densities) which is known as the plasma parameter 'beta'({beta}) has important implications to the propagation of energetic particles and the interaction of the solar wind with planetary magnetospheres. Although in the scientific literature the contribution of the superthermal particles to the plasma pressure is generally assumed negligible, we deduced, by analyzing energetic particles and magnetic field measurements recorded by the Ulysses spacecraft, that in a series of events, the energy density contained in the superthermal tail of the particle distribution is comparable to or even higher than the energy density of the magnetic field, creating conditions of high-beta plasma. More explicitly, in this paper we analyze Ulysses/HI-SCALE measurements of the energy density ratio (parameter {beta}{sub ep}) of the energetic ions'(20 keV to {approx}5 MeV) to the magnetic field's in order to find occurrences of high-beta ({beta}{sub ep}>1) superthermal plasma conditions in the environment of the Jovian magnetosphere, which is an interesting plasma laboratory and an important source of emissions in our solar system. In particular, we examine high-beta ion events close to Jupiter's bow shock, which are produced by two processes: (a) bow shock ion acceleration and (b) ion leakage from the magnetosphere.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗