EFFECTS OF ELECTRON DRIFTS ON THE COLLISIONLESS DAMPING OF KINETIC ALFVÉN WAVES IN THE SOLAR WIND
| Autor: | Stuart D. Bale, Daniel Verscharen, Chadi Salem, Christopher H. K. Chen, Yuguang Tong |
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| Rok vydání: | 2015 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Differential equation Turbulence Astronomy and Astrophysics Plasma Electron Dissipation Kinetic energy Computational physics Solar wind Distribution function Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Physics - Space Physics Physics::Plasma Physics Space and Planetary Science Physics::Space Physics Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| Zdroj: | The Astrophysical Journal. 804:L36 |
| ISSN: | 2041-8213 |
| DOI: | 10.1088/2041-8205/804/2/l36 |
| Popis: | The collisionless dissipation of anisotropic Alfv\'enic turbulence is a promising candidate to solve the solar wind heating problem. Extensive studies examined the kinetic properties of Alfv\'en waves in simple Maxwellian or bi-Maxwellian plasmas. However, the observed electron velocity distribution functions in the solar wind are more complex. In this study, we analyze the properties of kinetic Alfv\'en waves in a plasma with two drifting electron populations. We numerically solve the linearized Maxwell-Vlasov equations and find that the damping rate and the proton-electron energy partition for kinetic Alfv\'en waves are significantly modified in such plasmas, compared to plasmas without electron drifts. We suggest that electron drift is an important factor to take into account when considering the dissipation of Alfv\'enic turbulence in the solar wind or other $\beta \sim 1$ astrophysical plasmas. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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