| 1. |
- Retino, Alessandro, et al.
(author)
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Solar wind test of the de Broglie-Proca massive photon with Cluster multi-spacecraft data
- 2016
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In: Astroparticle physics. - : Elsevier. - 0927-6505 .- 1873-2852. ; 82, s. 49-55
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Our understanding of the universe at large and small scales relies largely on electromagnetic observations. As photons are the messengers, fundamental physics has a concern in testing their properties, including the absence of mass. We use Cluster four spacecraft data in the solar wind at 1 AU to estimate the mass upper limit for the photon. We look for deviations from Ampere's law, through the curlometer technique for the computation of the magnetic field, and through the measurements of ion and electron velocities for the computation of the current. We show that the upper bound for m(gamma) lies between 1.4 x 10(-49) and 3.4 x 10(-51) kg, and thereby discuss the currently accepted lower limits in the solar wind.
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| 2. |
- Sorriso-Valvo, Luca, et al.
(author)
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Sign Singularity of the Local Energy Transfer in Space Plasma Turbulence
- 2019
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In: Frontiers in Physics. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-424X. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In weakly collisional space plasmas, the turbulent cascade provides most of the energy that is dissipated at small scales by various kinetic processes. Understanding the characteristics of such dissipative mechanisms requires the accurate knowledge of the fluctuations that make energy available for conversion at small scales, as different dissipation processes are triggered by fluctuations of a different nature. The scaling properties of different energy channels are estimated here using a proxy of the local energy transfer, based on the third-order moment scaling law for magnetohydrodynamic turbulence. In particular, the sign-singularity analysis was used to explore the scaling properties of the alternating positive-negative energy fluxes, thus providing information on the structure and topology of such fluxes for each of the different type of fluctuations. The results show the highly complex geometrical nature of the flux, and that the local contributions associated with energy and cross-helicity non-linear transfer have similar scaling properties. Consequently, the fractal properties of current and vorticity structures are similar to those of the Alfvenic fluctuations.
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| 3. |
- Sorriso-Valvo, Luca, et al.
(author)
-
Turbulence-Driven Ion Beams in the Magnetospheric Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability
- 2019
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In: Physical Review Letters. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 122:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The description of the local turbulent energy transfer and the high-resolution ion distributions measured by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission together provide a formidable tool to explore the cross-scale connection between the fluid-scale energy cascade and plasma processes at subion scales. When the small-scale energy transfer is dominated by Alfvenic, correlated velocity, and magnetic field fluctuations, beams of accelerated particles are more likely observed. Here, for the first time, we report observations suggesting the nonlinear wave-particle interaction as one possible mechanism for the energy dissipation in space plasmas.
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