New insight into short wavelength solar wind fluctuations from Vlasov theory

The nature of solar wind (SW) turbulence below the proton gyroscale is a topic that is being investigated extensively nowadays. Although recent observations gave evidence of the dominance of Kinetic Alfv\'en Waves (KAW) at sub-ion scales with $\omega<{\omega_{ci}}$, other studies suggest that the KAW mode cannot carry the turbulence cascade down to electron scales and that the whistler mode (i.e., $\omega>\omega_{ci}$) is more relevant. Here, we propose to study key properties of the short wavelength plasma modes under realistic SW conditions, typically $\beta_i\gtrsim \beta_e\sim 1$ and for high oblique angles of propagation $80^\circ\leq \Theta_{\bf kB}<90^\circ$ as observed from the Cluster data. The linear properties of the plasma modes under these conditions are poorly known, which contrasts with the well-documented cold plasma limit and/or moderate oblique angles of propagation ($\Theta_{\bf kB} <80^\circ$). Based on linear solutions of the Vlasov kinetic theory, we discuss the relevance of each plasma mode (fast, Bernstein, KAW, whistler) in carrying the energy cascade down to electron scales. We show, in particular, that the shear Alfv\'en mode extends at scales $k\rho_i\gtrsim1$ following either a whistler mode ($\omega>\omega_{ci}$) or a KAW mode (with $\omega<\omega_{ci}$) depending on the anisotropy $k_\parallel/ k_\perp$. This contrasts with the well-accepted idea that the whistler branch develops as a continuation at high frequencies of the fast magnetosonic mode. We show, furthermore, that the whistler branch is more damped than the KAW one, which makes the latter a more relevant candidate to carry the energy cascade down to electron scales. We discuss how these new findings may facilitate resolution of the controversy concerning the nature of the small scale turbulence, and we discuss the implications for present and future spacecraft wave measurements in the SW.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Astrophysical Journa

BV technique for investigating 1-D interfaces

To investigate the internal structure of the magnetopause with spacecraft data, it is crucial to be able to determine its normal direction and to convert the measured time series into spatial profiles. We propose here a new single-spacecraft method, called the BV method, to reach these two objectives. Its name indicates that the method uses a combination of the magnetic field (B) and velocity (V) data. The method is tested on simulation and Cluster data, and a short overview of the possible products is given. We discuss its assumptions and show that it can bring a valuable improvement with respect to previous methods.Comment: submitted to JG

Basic Plasma Physics: the collisionless limit and the fluid-kinetic dilemma

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Reconnexion magnétique entre le vent solaire et la magnétosphère

International audienceDans le vent solaire, plasma et champ magnétique se déplacent ensemble à grande échelle. L'interface avec la magnétosphère terrestre est une frontière fine, la magnétopause, où il peut exister des échelles suffisamment petites pour dissocier les deux mouvements. Il en résulte un phénomène nommé "reconnexion magnétique" au cours duquel le plasma est fortement accéléré le long de la frontière. La mission MMS a des points forts qui en font le meilleur outil pour étudier ce phénomène : une résolution temporelle des mesures inégalée et des satellites très proches les uns des autres (environ 10 km, de l'ordre du rayon de Larmor des électrons)

Electric and magnetic contributions to spatial diffusion in collisionless plasmas

International audienceWe investigate the role played by the different self-consistent fluctuations for particle diffusion in a magnetized plasma. We focus especially on the contribution of the electric fluctuations and how it combines with the (already investigated) magnetic fluctuations and with the velocity fluctuations. For that issue, we compute with a hybrid code the value of the diffusion coefficient perpendicular to the mean magnetic field and its dependence on the particle velocity. This study is restricted to small to intermediate level of electromagnetic fluctuations and focuses on particle velocities on the order of few times the Alfvén speed. We briefly discuss the consequences for cosmic ray modulation and for the penetration of thermal solar wind particles in the Earth magnetosphere

First demonstration of an asymmetric kinetic equilibrium for a thin current sheet

International audienceThe modeling of steady state collisionless asymmetric tangential current layers is a challenging and poorly understood problem. For decades now, this difficulty has been limiting numerical models to approximate equilibria built with locally Maxwellian current layers and theoretical analyses to the very restricted Harris equilibrium. We show how the use of any distribution functions depending only on local macroscopic quantities results in a strong alteration of the current layer internal structure, which converges toward an unpredictable quasi-steady state with emission of ion scale perturbations. This transient can be explained in terms of ion kinetic and electron fluid physics. We demonstrate, for the first time, the validity of an asymmetric kinetic equilibrium model as well as its usability as an initial condition of hybrid kinetic simulations. This offers broad perspectives for the current sheet modeling, for which the early phase of instabilities can be studied within the kinetic formalism

Ion acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic and fluid aspects

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From Bi-Fluid to Hall-MHD Weak Turbulence: Hamiltonian Canonical Formulations

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Proton acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic mechanisms behind the fluid dynamics

International audienceThis paper investigates the proton kinetic mechanisms leading to the formation of plasma jets in antiparallel magnetic reconnection. In particular, the interaction of the protons with the Hall electric field in the proton non-ideal region is discussed. The study, based on a two-dimensional hybrid simulation, details the important role of the proton pressure force in the acceleration process and its role in maintaining open and steady the proton outflow channel. When no fluid closure is assumed, it is found that this force arises from a strong anisotropy in velocity space which comes from kinetic effect. By analyzing the distribution functions and the individual particle dynamics, it is shown that the mixing of protons bouncing in a divergent electrostatic potential well associated to the Hall effect statistically couples the two in-plane velocity components of the particles. This coupling results, from the macroscopic point of view, in off-diagonal components of the pressure tensor

Kinetic equilibrium for an asymmetric tangential layer, Physics of Plasmas

International audienceFinding kinetic (Vlasov) equilibria for tangential current layers is a long standing problem, especially in the context of reconnection studies, when the magnetic field reverses. Its solution is of pivotal interest for both theoretical and technical reasons when such layers must be used for initializing kinetic simulations. The famous Harris equilibrium is known to be limited to symmetric layers surrounded by vacuum, with constant ion and electron flow velocities, and with current variation purely dependent on density variation. It is clearly not suited for the magnetopause-like layers, which separate two plasmas of different densities and temperatures, and for which the localization of the current density j=n&#948;v is due to the localization of the electron-to-ion velocity difference &#948;v and not of the density n. We present here a practical method for constructing a Vlasov stationary solution in the asymmetric case, extending the standard theoretical methods based on the particle motion invariants. We show that, in the case investigated of a coplanar reversal of the magnetic field without electrostatic field, the distribution function must necessarily be a multi-valued function of the invariants to get asymmetric profiles for the plasma parameters together with a symmetric current profile. We show also how the concept of accessibility makes these multi-valued functions possible, due to the particle excursion inside the layer being limited by the Larmor radius. In the presented method, the current profile across the layer is chosen as an input, while the ion density and temperature profiles in between the two asymptotic imposed values are a result of the calculation. It is shown that, assuming the distribution is continuous along the layer normal, these profiles have always a more complex profile than the profile of the current density and extends on a larger thickness. The different components of the pressure tensor are also outputs of the calculation and some conclusions concerning the symmetries of this tensor are pointed out