| 1. |
- Franci, Luca, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling MMS Observations at the Earth's Magnetopause with Hybrid Simulations of Alfvenic Turbulence
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 898:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations of plasma turbulence generated by a Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) event at the Earth's magnetopause are compared with a high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) hybrid direct numerical simulation of decaying plasma turbulence driven by large-scale balanced Alfvenic fluctuations. The simulation, set up with four observation-driven physical parameters (ion and electron betas, turbulence strength, and injection scale), exhibits a quantitative agreement on the spectral, intermittency, and cascade-rate properties with in situ observations, despite the different driving mechanisms. Such agreement demonstrates a certain universality of the turbulent cascade from magnetohydrodynamic to sub-ion scales, whose properties are mainly determined by the selected parameters, also indicating that the KH instability-driven turbulence has a quasi-2D nature. The fact that our results are compatible with the validity of the Taylor hypothesis, in the whole range of scales investigated numerically, suggests that the fluctuations at sub-ion scales might have predominantly low frequencies. This would be consistent with a kinetic Alfven wave-like nature and/or with the presence of quasi-static structures. Finally, the third-order structure function analysis indicates that the cascade rate of the turbulence generated by a KH event at the magnetopause is an order of magnitude larger than in the ambient magnetosheath.
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| 2. |
- Lewis, Harry C., et al.
(författare)
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Magnetospheric Multiscale measurements of turbulent electric fields in earth's magnetosheath : How do plasma conditions influence the balance of terms in generalized Ohm's law?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Physics of Plasmas. - : AIP Publishing. - 1070-664X .- 1089-7674. ; 30:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Turbulence is ubiquitous within space plasmas, where it is associated with numerous nonlinear interactions. Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) provides the unique opportunity to decompose the electric field (E) dynamics into contributions from different linear and nonlinear processes via direct measurements of the terms in generalized Ohm's law. Using high-resolution multipoint measurements, we compute the magnetohydrodynamic ( E MHD ), Hall ( E Hall ), electron pressure ( E P e ), and electron inertia ( E inertia ) terms for 60 turbulent magnetosheath intervals, to uncover the varying contributions to the dynamics as a function of scale for different plasma conditions. We identify key spectral characteristics of the Ohm's law terms: the Hall scale, k Hall , where E Hall becomes dominant over E MHD ; the relative amplitude of E P e to E Hall , which is constant in the sub-ion range; and the relative scaling of the nonlinear and linear components of E MHD and of E Hall , which are independent of scale. We find expressions for the characteristics as a function of plasma conditions. The underlying relationship between turbulent fluctuation amplitudes and ambient plasma conditions is discussed. Depending on the interval, we observe that E MHD and E Hall can be dominated by either nonlinear or linear dynamics. We find that E P e is dominated by its linear contributions, with a tendency for electron temperature fluctuations to dominate at small scales. The findings are not consistent with existing linear kinetic Alfvén wave theory for isothermal fluctuations. Our work shows how contributions to turbulent dynamics change in different plasma conditions, which may provide insight into other turbulent plasma environments.
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| 3. |
- Trotta, Domenico, et al.
(författare)
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Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Observed at 0.07 and 0.7 au by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 962:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and Solar Orbiter (SolO) missions opened a new observational window in the inner heliosphere, which is finally accessible to direct measurements. On 2022 September 5, a coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven interplanetary (IP) shock was observed as close as 0.07 au by PSP. The CME then reached SolO, which was radially well-aligned at 0.7 au, thus providing us with the opportunity to study the shock properties at different heliocentric distances. We characterize the shock, investigate its typical parameters, and compare its small-scale features at both locations. Using the PSP observations, we investigate how magnetic switchbacks and ion cyclotron waves are processed upon shock crossing. We find that switchbacks preserve their V-B correlation while compressed upon the shock passage, and that the signature of ion cyclotron waves disappears downstream of the shock. By contrast, the SolO observations reveal a very structured shock transition, with a population of shock-accelerated protons of up to about 2 MeV, showing irregularities in the shock downstream, which we correlate with solar wind structures propagating across the shock. At SolO, we also report the presence of low-energy (similar to 100 eV) electrons scattering due to upstream shocklets. This study elucidates how the local features of IP shocks and their environments can be very different as they propagate through the heliosphere.
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