984 research outputs found
Long Term Evolution of Magnetic Turbulence in Relativistic Collisionless Shocks
We study the long term evolution of magnetic fields generated by an initially
unmagnetized collisionless relativistic shock. Our 2D particle-in-cell
numerical simulations show that downstream of such a Weibel-mediated shock,
particle distributions are approximately isotropic, relativistic Maxwellians,
and the magnetic turbulence is highly intermittent spatially, nonpropagating,
and decaying. Using linear kinetic theory, we find a simple analytic form for
these damping rates. Our theory predicts that overall magnetic energy decays
like with , which compares favorably with
simulations, but predicts overly rapid damping of short wavelength modes.
Magnetic trapping of particles within the magnetic structures may be the origin
of this discrepancy. We conclude that initially unmagnetized relativistic
shocks in electron-positron plasmas are unable to form persistent downstream
magnetic fields. These results put interesting constraints on synchrotron
models for the prompt and afterglow emission from GRBs.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, contributed talk at the workshop: High Energy
Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows (HEPRO), Dublin, 24-28 September 2007;
Downsampled version for arXiv. Full resolution version available at
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~pchang/proceedings.pd
A Self-Consistent Marginally Stable State for Parallel Ion Cyclotron Waves
We derive an equation whose solutions describe self-consistent states of
marginal stability for a proton-electron plasma interacting with
parallel-propagating ion cyclotron waves. Ion cyclotron waves propagating
through this marginally stable plasma will neither grow nor damp. The
dispersion relation of these waves, {\omega} (k), smoothly rises from the usual
MHD behavior at small |k| to reach {\omega} = {\Omega}p as k \rightarrow
\pm\infty. The proton distribution function has constant phase-space density
along the characteristic resonant surfaces defined by this dispersion relation.
Our equation contains a free function describing the variation of the proton
phase-space density across these surfaces. Taking this free function to be a
simple "box function", we obtain specific solutions of the marginally stable
state for a range of proton parallel betas. The phase speeds of these waves are
larger than those given by the cold plasma dispersion relation, and the
characteristic surfaces are more sharply peaked in the v\bot direction. The
threshold anisotropy for generation of ion cyclotron waves is also larger than
that given by estimates which assume bi-Maxwellian proton distributions.Comment: in press in Physics of Plasma
The Sun's Preferred Longitudes and the Coupling of Magnetic Dynamo Modes
Observations show that solar activity is distributed non-axisymmetrically,
concentrating at "preferred longitudes". This indicates the important role of
non-axisymmetric magnetic fields in the origin of solar activity. We
investigate the generation of the non-axisymmetric fields and their coupling
with axisymmetric solar magnetic field. Our kinematic generation (dynamo) model
operating in a sphere includes solar differential rotation, which approximates
the differential rotation obtained by inversion of helioseismic data, modelled
distributions of the turbulent resistivity, non-axisymmetric mean helicity, and
meridional circulation in the convection zone. We find that (1) the
non-axisymmetric modes are localised near the base of the convection zone,
where the formation of active regions starts, and at latitudes around
; (2) the coupling of non-axisymmetric and axisymmetric modes
causes the non-axisymmetric mode to follow the solar cycle; the phase relations
between the modes are found. (3) The rate of rotation of the first
non-axisymmetric mode is close to that determined in the interplanetary space.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Constraining the neutrino magnetic moment with anti-neutrinos from the Sun
We discuss the impact of different solar neutrino data on the
spin-flavor-precession (SFP) mechanism of neutrino conversion. We find that,
although detailed solar rates and spectra allow the SFP solution as a
sub-leading effect, the recent KamLAND constraint on the solar antineutrino
flux places stronger constraints to this mechanism. Moreover, we show that for
the case of random magnetic fields inside the Sun, one obtains a more stringent
constraint on the neutrino magnetic moment down to the level of \mu_\nu \lsim
few \times 10^{-12}\mu_B, similar to bounds obtained from star cooling.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Quasi-linear analysis of the extraordinary electron wave destabilized by runaway electrons
Runaway electrons with strongly anisotropic distributions present in
post-disruption tokamak plasmas can destabilize the extraordinary electron
(EXEL) wave. The present work investigates the dynamics of the quasi-linear
evolution of the EXEL instability for a range of different plasma parameters
using a model runaway distribution function valid for highly relativistic
runaway electron beams produced primarily by the avalanche process. Simulations
show a rapid pitch-angle scattering of the runaway electrons in the high energy
tail on the time scale. Due to the wave-particle
interaction, a modification to the synchrotron radiation spectrum emitted by
the runaway electron population is foreseen, exposing a possible experimental
detection method for such an interaction
Vlasov simulation in multiple spatial dimensions
A long-standing challenge encountered in modeling plasma dynamics is
achieving practical Vlasov equation simulation in multiple spatial dimensions
over large length and time scales. While direct multi-dimension Vlasov
simulation methods using adaptive mesh methods [J. W. Banks et al., Physics of
Plasmas 18, no. 5 (2011): 052102; B. I. Cohen et al., November 10, 2010,
http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2010.DPP.NP9.142] have recently shown
promising results, in this paper we present an alternative, the Vlasov Multi
Dimensional (VMD) model, that is specifically designed to take advantage of
solution properties in regimes when plasma waves are confined to a narrow cone,
as may be the case for stimulated Raman scatter in large optic f# laser beams.
Perpendicular grid spacing large compared to a Debye length is then possible
without instability, enabling an order 10 decrease in required computational
resources compared to standard particle in cell (PIC) methods in 2D, with
another reduction of that order in 3D. Further advantage compared to PIC
methods accrues in regimes where particle noise is an issue. VMD and PIC
results in a 2D model of localized Langmuir waves are in qualitative agreement
Relativistic Landau damping of longitudinal waves in isotropic pair plasmas
Landau damping is described in relativistic electron-positron
plasmas. Relativistic electron-positron plasma theory contains
important new effects when compared with classical plasmas. For
example, there are undamped superluminal wave modes arising from
both a continuous and discrete mode structure, the former even in
the classical limit. We present here a comprehensive analytical
treatment of the general case resulting in a compact and useful
form for the dispersion relation. The classical pair-plasma case
is addressed, for completeness, in an appendix
Electron cyclotron resonance near the axis of the gas-dynamic trap
Propagation of an extraordinary electromagnetic wave in the vicinity of
electron cyclotron resonance surface in an open linear trap is studied
analytically, taking into account inhomogeneity of the magnetic field in
paraxial approximation. Ray trajectories are derived from a reduced dispersion
equation that makes it possible to avoid the difficulty associated with a
transition from large propagation angles to the case of strictly longitudinal
propagation. Our approach is based on the theory, originally developed by the
Zvonkov and Timofeev [1], who used the paraxial approximation for the magnetic
field strength, but did not consider the slope of the magnetic field lines,
which led to considerable error, as has been recently noted by Gospodchikov and
Smolyakova [2]. We have found ray trajectories in analytic form and
demonstrated that the inhomogeneity of both the magnetic field strength and the
field direction can qualitatively change the picture of wave propagation and
significantly affect the efficiency of electron cyclotron heating of a plasma
in a linear magnetic trap. Analysis of the ray trajectories has revealed a
criterion for the resonance point on the axis of the trap to be an attractor
for the ray trajectories. It is also shown that a family of ray trajectories
can still reach the resonance point on the axis if the latter generally repels
the ray trajectories.
As an example, results of general theory are applied to the electron
cyclotron resonance heating experiment which is under preparation on the Gas
Dynamic Trap in the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics [3]
Nonlinear dispersion of stationary waves in collisionless plasmas
A nonlinear dispersion of a general stationary wave in collisionless plasma
is obtained in a non-differential form from a single-particle
oscillation-center Hamiltonian. For electrostatic oscillations in nonmagnetized
plasma, considered as a paradigmatic example, the linear dielectric function is
generalized, and the trapped particle contribution to the wave frequency shift
is found analytically as a function of the wave amplitude .
Smooth distributions yield , as usual. However,
beam-like distributions of trapped electrons result in different power laws, or
even a logarithmic nonlinearity, which are derived as asymptotic limits of the
same dispersion relation
Collisionless Magnetic Reconnection via Alfven Eigenmodes
We propose an analytic approach to the problem of collisionless magnetic
reconnection formulated as a process of Alfven eigenmodes' generation and
dissipation. Alfven eigenmodes are confined by the current sheet in the same
way that quantum mechanical waves are confined by the tanh^2 potential. The
dynamical time scale of reconnection is the system scale divided by the
eigenvalue propagation velocity of the n=1 mode. The prediction of the n=1 mode
shows good agreement with the in situ measurement of the
reconnection-associated Hall fields
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