Saturation mechanism of the Weibel instability in weakly magnetized plasmas

The saturation mechanism of the Weibel instability is investigated theoretically by considering the evolution of currents in numerous cylindrical beams that are generated in the initial stage of the instability. Based on a physical model of the beams, it is shown that the magnetic field strength attains a maximum value when the currents in the beams evolve into the Alfven current and that there exist two saturation regimes. The theoretical prediction of the magnetic field strength at saturation is in good agreement with the results of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations for a wide range of initial anisotropy.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, REVTeX. Accepted for publication in Phys. Plasma

Nonrelativistic collisionless shocks in weakly magnetized electron--ion plasmas: two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation of perpendicular shock

A two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation is performed to investigate weakly magnetized perpendicular shocks with a magnetization parameter of 6 x 10^-5, which is equivalent to a high Alfv\'en Mach number M_A of ~130. It is shown that current filaments form in the foot region of the shock due to the ion-beam--Weibel instability (or the ion filamentation instability) and that they generate a strong magnetic field there. In the downstream region, these current filaments also generate a tangled magnetic field that is typically 15 times stronger than the upstream magnetic field. The thermal energies of electrons and ions in the downstream region are not in equipartition and their temperature ratio is T_e / T_i ~ 0.3 - 0.4. Efficient electron acceleration was not observed in our simulation, although a fraction of the ions are accelerated slightly on reflection at the shock. The simulation results agree very well with the Rankine-Hugoniot relations. It is also shown that electrons and ions are heated in the foot region by the Buneman instability (for electrons) and the ion-acoustic instability (for both electrons and ions). However, the growth rate of the Buneman instability is significantly reduced due to the relatively high temperature of the reflected ions. For the same reason, ion-ion streaming instability does not grow in the foot region.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

A Possible Origin of Magnetic Fields in Galaxies and Clusters: Strong Magnetic fields at z~10?

We propose that strong magnetic fields should be generated at shock waves associated with formation of galaxies or clusters of galaxies by the Weibel instability, an instability in collisionless plasmas. The strength of the magnetic fields generated through this mechanism is close to the order of those observed in galaxies or clusters of galaxies at present. If the generated fields do not decay rapidly, this indicates that strong amplification of magnetic fields after formation of galaxies or clusters of galaxies is not required. This mechanism could have worked even at a redshift of ~10, and therefore the generated magnetic fields may have affected the formation of stars in protogalaxies. This model will partially be confirmed by future observations of nearby clusters of galaxies. Mechanisms that preserve the magnetic fields for a long time without considerable decay are discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA