Magnetic pumping model for energizing superthermal particles applied to observations of the Earth's bow shock
| Autor: | Emily Lichko, Jan Egedal |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Astrophysical plasmas
Science Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena General Physics and Astronomy Trapping 01 natural sciences Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Plasma physics Space physics 0103 physical sciences Thermal Tube (fluid conveyance) lcsh:Science 010306 general physics 010303 astronomy & astrophysics Physics Multidisciplinary Spacecraft business.industry General Chemistry Bow shocks in astrophysics Magnetic flux Computational physics Solar wind Physics::Space Physics lcsh:Q Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission business |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Energetic particle generation is an important component of a variety of astrophysical systems, from seed particle generation in shocks to the heating of the solar wind. It has been shown that magnetic pumping is an efficient mechanism for heating thermal particles, using the largest-scale magnetic fluctuations. Here we show that when magnetic pumping is extended to a spatially-varying magnetic flux tube, magnetic trapping of superthermal particles renders pumping an effective energization method for particles moving faster than the speed of the waves and naturally generates power-law distributions. We validated the theory by spacecraft observations of the strong, compressional magnetic fluctuations near the Earth’s bow shock from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. Given the ubiquity of magnetic fluctuations in different astrophysical systems, this mechanism has the potential to be transformative to our understanding of how the most energetic particles in the universe are generated. Energetic particle generation is an important component of a variety of astrophysical systems. Here, the authors show when magnetic pumping is extended to a spatially-varying magnetic flux tube, magnetic trapping of superthermal particles renders pumping an effective energization method for particles moving faster than the speed of the waves. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|