Radial evolution of intermittent heat flux in solar coronal holes

International audienceRecently, we suggested that the source of ion heating in solar coronal holes is small-scale reconnection events (microflares) at the coronal base. The microflares launch intermittent heat flux up into the corona exciting ion cyclotron waves through a plasma microinstability. The ions are heated by these waves during the microflare bursts and then evolve with no energy input between the bursts. The overall coronal heating by this mechanism is a summed effect of all microflare bursts during the expansion time of the solar wind and adiabatic cooling between the microflares. The intermittent heat flux produced by the microflares was modeled as electron beams with constant speed and temperature for simplicity. In this paper, we consider a more sophisticated model of the heat flux taking into account the action of the mirror force and the charge separation electric field on the beam particles. We show that the radial evolution of the heat flux is determined mainly by the beam expansion along the magnetic field roughly at the root mean square velocity of the beam particles, while the variation of the beam bulk speed and thermal energy is less important

Oscillatory disintegration of a trans-Alfvenic shock: A magnetohydrodynamic simulation

Nonlinear evolution of a trans-Alfvenic shock wave (TASW), at which the flow velocity passes over the Alfven velocity, is computed in a magnetohydrodynamic approximation. The analytical theory suggests that an infinitesimal perturbation of a TASW results in its disintegration, i.e., finite variation of the flow, or transformation into some other unsteady configuration. In the present paper, this result is confirmed by numerical simulations. It is shown that the disintegration time is close to its minimum value equal to the shock thickness divided by a relative velocity of the emerging secondary structures. The secondary TASW that appears after the disintegration is again unstable with respect to disintegration. When the perturbation has a cyclic nature, the TASW undergoes oscillatory disintegration, during which it repeatedly transforms into another TASW. This process manifests itself as a train of shock and rarefaction waves, which consecutively emerge at one edge of the train and merge at the other edge.Comment: REVTEX, 8 pages, 13 PostScript figures, uses epsfig.st

Roles of Fast-Cyclotron and Alfven-Cyclotron Waves for the Multi-Ion Solar Wind

Using linear Vlasov theory of plasma waves and quasi-linear theory of resonant wave-particle interaction, the dispersion relations and the electromagnetic field fluctuations of fast and Alfven waves are studied for a low-beta multi-ion plasma in the inner corona. Their probable roles in heating and accelerating the solar wind via Landau and cyclotron resonances are quantified. We assume that (1) low-frequency Alfven and fast waves have the same spectral shape and the same amplitude of power spectral density; (2) these waves eventually reach ion cyclotron frequencies due to a turbulence cascade; (3) kinetic wave-particle interaction powers the solar wind. The existence of alpha particles in a dominant proton/electron plasma can trigger linear mode conversion between oblique fast-whistler and hybrid alpha-proton cyclotron waves. The fast-cyclotron waves undergo both alpha and proton cyclotron resonances. The alpha cyclotron resonance in fast-cyclotron waves is much stronger than that in Alfven-cyclotron waves. For alpha cyclotron resonance, an oblique fast-cyclotron wave has a larger left-handed electric field fluctuation, a smaller wave number, a larger local wave amplitude, and a greater energization capability than a corresponding Alfven-cyclotron wave at the same wave propagation angle \theta, particularly at $80^\circ$ < \theta < $90^\circ$. When Alfven-cyclotron or fast-cyclotron waves are present, alpha particles are the chief energy recipient. The transition of preferential energization from alpha particles to protons may be self-modulated by differential speed and temperature anisotropy of alpha particles via the self-consistently evolving wave-particle interaction. Therefore, fast-cyclotron waves as a result of linear mode coupling is a potentially important mechanism for preferential energization of minor ions in the main acceleration region of the solar wind.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

The Linear Instability of Astrophysical Flames in Magnetic Fields

Supernovae of Type Ia are used as standard candles for cosmological observations despite the as yet incomplete understanding of their explosion mechanism. In one model, these events are thought to result from subsonic burning in the core of an accreting Carbon/Oxygen white dwarf that is accelerated through flame wrinkling and flame instabilities. Many such white dwarfs have significant magnetic fields. Here we derive the linear effects of such magnetic fields on one flame instability, the well-known Landau-Darrieus instability. When the magnetic field is strong enough that the flame is everywhere sub-Alfvenic, the instability can be greatly suppressed. Super-Alfvenic flames are much less affected by the field, with flames propagating parallel to the field somewh at destabilized, and flames propagating perpendicular to the field somewhat stabili zed. Trans-Alfvenic parallel flames, however, like trans-Alfvenic parallel shocks, are seen to be non-evolutionary; understanding the behavior of these flames will require careful numerical simulation.Comment: 31 pp, 11 fig, submitted to Ap

Kinetic Turbulence

The weak collisionality typical of turbulence in many diffuse astrophysical plasmas invalidates an MHD description of the turbulent dynamics, motivating the development of a more comprehensive theory of kinetic turbulence. In particular, a kinetic approach is essential for the investigation of the physical mechanisms responsible for the dissipation of astrophysical turbulence and the resulting heating of the plasma. This chapter reviews the limitations of MHD turbulence theory and explains how kinetic considerations may be incorporated to obtain a kinetic theory for astrophysical plasma turbulence. Key questions about the nature of kinetic turbulence that drive current research efforts are identified. A comprehensive model of the kinetic turbulent cascade is presented, with a detailed discussion of each component of the model and a review of supporting and conflicting theoretical, numerical, and observational evidence.Comment: 31 pages, 3 figures, 99 references, Chapter 6 in A. Lazarian et al. (eds.), Magnetic Fields in Diffuse Media, Astrophysics and Space Science Library 407, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg (2015

Solar Wind Turbulence and the Role of Ion Instabilities

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Large-Eddy Simulations of Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence in Heliophysics and Astrophysics

We live in an age in which high-performance computing is transforming the way we do science. Previously intractable problems are now becoming accessible by means of increasingly realistic numerical simulations. One of the most enduring and most challenging of these problems is turbulence. Yet, despite these advances, the extreme parameter regimes encountered in space physics and astrophysics (as in atmospheric and oceanic physics) still preclude direct numerical simulation. Numerical models must take a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach, explicitly computing only a fraction of the active dynamical scales. The success of such an approach hinges on how well the model can represent the subgrid-scales (SGS) that are not explicitly resolved. In addition to the parameter regime, heliophysical and astrophysical applications must also face an equally daunting challenge: magnetism. The presence of magnetic fields in a turbulent, electrically conducting fluid flow can dramatically alter the coupling between large and small scales, with potentially profound implications for LES/SGS modeling. In this review article, we summarize the state of the art in LES modeling of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ows. After discussing the nature of MHD turbulence and the small-scale processes that give rise to energy dissipation, plasma heating, and magnetic reconnection, we consider how these processes may best be captured within an LES/SGS framework. We then consider several special applications in heliophysics and astrophysics, assessing triumphs, challenges,and future directions

Secondary Proton Beam Instability in a Turbulent Solar Wind at 50 R ⊙

We investigate a secondary proton beam instability coexisting with the ambient solar wind turbulence at 50 R _☉ . Three-dimensional hybrid numerical simulations (particle ions and a quasi-neutralizing electron fluid) are carried out with the plasma parameters in the observed range. In the turbulent background, the particle distribution function, in particular the slope of the “bump-on-tail” responsible for the instability, is time-dependent and inhomogeneous. The presence of the turbulence substantially reduces the growth rate and saturation level of the instability. We derive magnetic power spectra from the observational data and perform a statistical analysis to evaluate the average turbulence intensity at 50 R _☉ . This information is used to link the observed frequency spectrum to the wavenumber spectrum in the simulations. We verify that Taylor’s frozen-in hypothesis is valid for this purpose to a sufficient extent. To reproduce the typical magnetic power spectrum of the instability observed concurrently with the background turbulence, an artificial spacecraft probe is run through the simulation box. The thermal-ion instabilities are often seen as power elevations in the kinetic range of scales above an extrapolation of the turbulence spectrum from larger scales. We show that the elevated power in the simulations is much higher than the background level. Therefore, the turbulence at the average intensity does not obscure the secondary proton beam instability, as opposed to the solar wind at 1 au, in which the ambient turbulence typically obscures thermal-ion instabilities