Observations of whistler mode waves with nonlinear parallel electric fields near the dayside magnetic reconnection separatrix by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission

We show observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission of whistler mode waves in the Earth's low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) during a magnetic reconnection event. The waves propagated obliquely to the magnetic field toward the X line and were confined to the edge of a southward jet in the LLBL. Bipolar parallel electric fields interpreted as electrostatic solitary waves (ESW) are observed intermittently and appear to be in phase with the parallel component of the whistler oscillations. The polarity of the ESWs suggests that if they propagate with the waves, they are electron enhancements as opposed to electron holes. The reduced electron distribution shows a shoulder in the distribution for parallel velocities between 17,000 and 22,000 km/s, which persisted during the interval when ESWs were observed, and is near the phase velocity of the whistlers. This shoulder can drive Langmuir waves, which were observed in the high-frequency parallel electric field data

Cold ions of ionospheric origin observed at the dayside magnetopause and their effects on magnetic reconnection

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause is one of the most important mechanisms that efficiently transfers solar wind particles, momentum, and energy into the magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause is usually asymmetric since the plasma and magnetic field properties are quite different in the magnetosphere and the magnetosheath. Cold dense plasma, originating either directly from the ionosphere or from the plasmasphere, has often been observed at the adjacent magnetopause. These cold plasmas may affect reconnection since they modify the plasma properties on the magnetospheric side significantly. This dissertation presents case and statistical studies of the characteristics of the cold ions observed at the dayside magnetopause by using Cluster spacecraft datasets. The plasmaspheric plumes have been distinguished from the ionospheric outows using ion pitch angle distributions. The ionospheric outows feature unidirectional or bidirectional field-aligned pitch angle distributions, whereas the plasmaspheric plumes are characterized by 90° pitch angle distributions. The occurrence rates of the plasmaspheric plumes and ionospheric outows and their dependence on the solar wind/Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) conditions have been investigated. It is found that the occurrence rate of plasmaspheric plume or ionospheric plasma strongly depends on the solar wind/IMF conditions. In particular, plasmaspheric plumes tend to occur during southward IMF while ionospheric outows tends to occur during northward IMF. The occurrence rate of the plasmaspheric plumes is significantly higher on the duskside than that on the dawnside, indicating that the plasmaspheric plumes may lead to a dawn-dusk asymmetry of dayside reconnection. Furthermore, this dissertation investigates the behavior of the cold dense plasma of ionospheric origin during magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause. The motion of cold plasmaspheric ions entering the reconnection region differs from that of warmer magnetosheath and magnetospheric ions. In contrast to the warmer ions, which are probably accelerated by reconnection near the subsolar magnetopause, the colder ions are simply entrained by E x B drift at high latitudes on the recently reconnected magnetic field lines. This indicates that plasmaspheric ions can sometimes play a very limited role in magnetic reconnection process. Finally, this dissertation examines a controlling factor that leads to the asymmetric reconnection geometry at the magnetopause. It is demonstrated that the separatrix and ow boundary angles are greater on the magnetosheath side than on the magnetospheric side of the magnetopause, probably due to the stronger density asymmetry rather than magnetic field asymmetry at this boundary

Laboratory simulations of solar prominence eruptions

Spheromak technology is exploited to create laboratory simulations of solar prominence eruptions. It is found that the initial simulated prominences are arched, but then bifurcate into twisted secondary structures which appear to follow fringing field lines. A simple model explains many of these topological features in terms of the trajectories of field lines associated with relaxed states, i.e., states satisfying [del] × B = lambda B. This model indicates that the field line concept is more fundamental than the flux tube concept because a field line can always be defined by specifying a starting point whereas attempting to define a flux tube by specifying a starting cross section typically works only if lambda is small. The model also shows that, at least for plasma evolving through a sequence of force-free states, the oft-used line-tying concept is in error. Contrary to the predictions of line-tying, direct integration of field line trajectories shows explicitly that when lambda is varied, both ends of field lines intersecting a flux-conserving plane do not remain anchored to fixed points in that plane. Finally, a simple explanation is provided for the S-shaped magnetic structures often seen on the sun; the S shape is shown to be an automatic consequence of field line arching and the parallelism between magnetic field and current density for force-free states

Long-time discrete particle effects versus kinetic theory in the self-consistent single-wave model

The influence of the finite number N of particles coupled to a monochromatic wave in a collisionless plasma is investigated. For growth as well as damping of the wave, discrete particle numerical simulations show an N-dependent long time behavior resulting from the dynamics of individual particles. This behavior differs from the one due to the numerical errors incurred by Vlasov approaches. Trapping oscillations are crucial to long time dynamics, as the wave oscillations are controlled by the particle distribution inhomogeneities and the pulsating separatrix crossings drive the relaxation towards thermal equilibrium.Comment: 11 pages incl. 13 figs. Phys. Rev. E, in pres

Decay of Quantum Accelerator Modes

Experimentally observable Quantum Accelerator Modes are used as a test case for the study of some general aspects of quantum decay from classical stable islands immersed in a chaotic sea. The modes are shown to correspond to metastable states, analogous to the Wannier-Stark resonances. Different regimes of tunneling, marked by different quantitative dependence of the lifetimes on 1/hbar, are identified, depending on the resolution of KAM substructures that is achieved on the scale of hbar. The theory of Resonance Assisted Tunneling introduced by Brodier, Schlagheck, and Ullmo [9], is revisited, and found to well describe decay whenever applicable.Comment: 16 pages, 11 encapsulated postscript figures (figures with a better resolution are available upon request to the authors); added reference for section

Understanding the behavior of Prometheus and Pandora

We revisit the dynamics of Prometheus and Pandora, two small moons flanking Saturn's F ring. Departures of their orbits from freely precessing ellipses result from mutual interactions via their 121:118 mean motion resonance. Motions are chaotic because the resonance is split into four overlapping components. Orbital longitudes were observed to drift away from Voyager predictions, and a sudden jump in mean motions took place close to the time at which the orbits' apses were antialigned in 2000. Numerical integrations reproduce both the longitude drifts and the jumps. The latter have been attributed to the greater strength of interactions near apse antialignment (every 6.2 years), and it has been assumed that this drift-jump behavior will continue indefinitely. We re-examine the dynamics by analogy with that of a nearly adiabatic, parametric pendulum. In terms of this analogy, the current value of the action of the satellite system is close to its maximum in the chaotic zone. Consequently, at present, the two separatrix crossings per precessional cycle occur close to apse antialignment. In this state libration only occurs when the potential's amplitude is nearly maximal, and the 'jumps' in mean motion arise during the short intervals of libration that separate long stretches of circulation. Because chaotic systems explore the entire region of phase space available to them, we expect that at other times the system would be found in states of medium or low action. In a low action state it would spend most of the time in libration, and separatrix crossings would occur near apse alignment. We predict that transitions between these different states can happen in as little as a decade. Therefore, it is incorrect to assume that sudden changes in the orbits only happen near apse antialignment.Comment: 22 pages, 13 figs, Icarus accepte