| 1. |
- Dieckmann, Mark Eric, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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Particle-in-cell simulation of a mildly relativistic collision of an electron-ion plasma carrying a quasi-parallel magnetic field : Electron acceleration and magnetic field amplification at supernova shocks
- 2010
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 509:1, s. A89-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Plasma processes close to supernova remnant shocks result in the amplification of magnetic fields and in the acceleration of electrons, injecting them into the diffusive acceleration mechanism. Aims. The acceleration of electrons and the magnetic field amplification by the collision of two plasma clouds, each consisting of electrons and ions, at a speed of 0.5c is investigated. A quasi-parallel guiding magnetic field, a cloud density ratio of 10 and a plasma temperature of 25 keV are considered. Methods. A relativistic and electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation models the plasma in two spatial dimensions employing an ion-to-electron mass ratio of 400. Results. A quasi-planar shock forms at the front of the dense plasma cloud. It is mediated by a circularly left-hand polarized electromagnetic wave with an electric field component along the guiding magnetic field. Its propagation direction is close to that of the guiding field and orthogonal to the collision boundary. It has a frequency too low to be determined during the simulation time and a wavelength that equals several times the ion inertial length. These properties would be indicative of a dispersive Alfvén wave close to the ion cyclotron resonance frequency of the left-handed mode, known as the ion whistler, provided that the frequency is appropriate. However, it moves with the super-alfvénic plasma collision speed, suggesting that it is an Alfvén precursor or a nonlinear MHD wave such as a Short Large-Amplitude Magnetic Structure (SLAMS). The growth of the magnetic amplitude of this wave to values well in excess of those of the quasi-parallel guiding field and of the filamentation modes results in a quasi-perpendicular shock. We present evidence for the instability of this mode to a four wave interaction. The waves developing upstream of the dense cloud give rise to electron acceleration ahead of the collision boundary. Energy equipartition between the ions and the electrons is established at the shock and the electrons are accelerated to relativistic speeds. Conclusions. The magnetic fields in the foreshock of supernova remnant shocks can be amplified substantially and electrons can be injected into the diffusive acceleration, if strongly magnetised plasma subshells are present in the foreshock, with velocities an order of magnitude faster than the main shell.
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| 2. |
- Dieckmann, Mark Eric, et al.
(författare)
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PIC simulation of a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability in a circular rarefaction wave
- 2012
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Ingår i: New Journal of Physics. - London : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 1367-2630. ; 14:023007
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The expansion of an initially unmagnetized planar rarefaction wave has recently been shown to trigger a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability (TAWI), which can generate magnetic fields from noise levels. It is examined here whether the TAWI can also grow in a curved rarefaction wave. The expansion of an initially unmagnetized circular plasma cloud, which consists of protons and hot electrons, into a vacuum is modelled for this purpose with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. It is shown that the momentum transfer from the electrons to the radially accelerating protons can indeed trigger a TAWI. Radial current channels form and the aperiodic growth of a magnetowave is observed, which has a magnetic field that is oriented orthogonal to the simulation plane. The induced electric field implies that the electron density gradient is no longer parallel to the electric field. Evidence is presented here that this electric field modification triggers a second magnetic instability, which results in a rotational low-frequency magnetowave. The relevance of the TAWI is discussed for the growth of small-scale magnetic fields in astrophysical environments, which are needed to explain the electromagnetic emissions by astrophysical jets. It is outlined how this instability could be examined experimentally.
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| 3. |
- Sarri, Gianluca, et al.
(författare)
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Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation of the expansion of a plasma into a rarefied medium
- 2011
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Ingår i: New Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1367-2630. ; 13:7, s. 073023-1-073023-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The expansion of a dense plasma through a more rarefied ionized medium has been studied by means of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The initial conditions involve a density jump by a factor of 100, located in the middle of an otherwise equally dense electron-proton plasma with uniform proton and electron temperatures of 10 eV and 1keV, respectively. Simulations show the creation of a purely electrostatic collisionless shock together with an ion-acoustic soliton tied to its downstream region. The shock front is seen to evolve in filamentary structures consistently with the onset of the ion-ion instability. Meanwhile, an un-magnetized drift instability is triggered in the core part of the dense plasma. Such results explain recent laser-plasma experiments, carried out in similar conditions, and are of intrinsic relevance to non-relativistic shock scenarios in the solar and astrophysical systems.
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