4,780 research outputs found
Supersonic turbulence in 3D isothermal flow collision
Colliding supersonic bulk flows shape observable properties and internal
physics of various astrophysical objects, like O-star winds, molecular clouds,
galactic sheets, binaries, or gamma-ray bursts. Using numerical simulations, we
show that the bulk flows leave a clear imprint on the collision zone, its mean
properties and the turbulence it naturally develops. Our model setup consists
of 3D head-on colliding isothermal hydrodynamical flows with Mach numbers
between 2 and 43. Simulation results are in line with expectations from
self-similarity: root mean square Mach numbers (Mrms) scale linearly with
upstream Mach numbers, mean densities remain limited to a few times the
upstream density. The density PDF is not log-normal. The turbulence is
inhomogeneous: weaker in the zone center than close to the confining shocks. It
is anisotropic: while Mrms is generally supersonic, Mrms transverse to the
upstream flow is always subsonic. We argue that uniform, isothermal, head-on
colliding flows generally disfavor isotropic, supersonic turbulence. The
anisotropy carries over to other quantities like the density variance - Mach
number relation. Structure functions differ depending on whether they are
computed along a line-of-sight perpendicular or parallel to the upstream flow.
We suggest that such line-of-sight effects should be kept in mind when
interpreting turbulence characteristics derived from observations.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, 4 tables, accepted by Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Relativistic magnetic reconnection in collisionless ion-electron plasmas explored with particle-in-cell simulations
Magnetic reconnection is a leading mechanism for magnetic energy conversion
and high-energy non-thermal particle production in a variety of high-energy
astrophysical objects, including ones with relativistic ion-electron plasmas
(e.g., microquasars or AGNs) - a regime where first principle studies are
scarce. We present 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of low
ion-electron plasmas under relativistic conditions, i.e., with inflow magnetic
energy exceeding the plasma rest-mass energy. We identify outstanding
properties: (i) For relativistic inflow magnetizations (here ), the reconnection outflows are dominated by thermal agitation instead of
bulk kinetic energy. (ii) At large inflow electron magnetization (), the reconnection electric field is sustained more by bulk inertia than by
thermal inertia. It challenges the thermal-inertia-paradigm and its
implications. (iii) The inflows feature sharp transitions at the entrance of
the diffusion zones. These are not shocks but results from particle ballistic
motions, all bouncing at the same location, provided that the thermal velocity
in the inflow is far smaller than the inflow E cross B bulk velocity. (iv)
Island centers are magnetically isolated from the rest of the flow, and can
present a density depletion at their center. (v) The reconnection rates are
slightly larger than in non-relativistic studies. They are best normalized by
the inflow relativistic Alfv\'en speed projected in the outflow direction,
which then leads to rates in a close range (0.14-0.25) thus allowing for an
easy estimation of the reconnection electric field.Comment: Submitted to A&
The energetics of relativistic magnetic reconnection: ion-electron repartition and particle distribution hardness
Collisionless magnetic reconnection is a prime candidate to account for
flare-like or steady emission, outflow launching, or plasma heating, in a
variety of high-energy astrophysical objects, including ones with relativistic
ion-electron plasmas. But the fate of the initial magnetic energy in a
reconnection event remains poorly known: what is the amount given to kinetic
energy, the ion/electron repartition, and the hardness of the particle
distributions? We explore these questions with 2D particle-in-cell simulations
of ion-electron plasmas. We find that 45 to 75% of the total initial magnetic
energy ends up in kinetic energy, this fraction increasing with the inflow
magnetization. Depending on the guide field strength, ions get from 30 to 60%
of the total kinetic energy. Particles can be separated into two populations
that only weakly mix: (i) particles initially in the current sheet, heated by
its initial tearing and subsequent contraction of the islands; and (ii)
particles from the background plasma that primarily gain energy via the
reconnection electric field when passing near the X-point. Particles (ii) tend
to form a power-law with an index , that
depends mostly on the inflow Alfv\'en speed and magnetization
of species , with for electrons to for increasing .
The highest particle Lorentz factor, for ions or electrons, increases roughly
linearly with time for all the relativistic simulations. This is faster, and
the spectra can be harder, than for collisionless shock acceleration. We
discuss applications to microquasar and AGN coronae, to extragalactic jets, and
to radio lobes. We point out situations where effects such as Compton drag or
pair creation are important.Comment: 15 pages, submitted to A&
Lithium depletion in solar-like stars: effect of overshooting based on realistic multi-dimensional simulations
We study lithium depletion in low-mass and solar-like stars as a function of
time, using a new diffusion coefficient describing extra-mixing taking place at
the bottom of a convective envelope. This new form is motivated by
multi-dimensional fully compressible, time implicit hydrodynamic simulations
performed with the MUSIC code. Intermittent convective mixing at the convective
boundary in a star can be modeled using extreme value theory, a statistical
analysis frequently used for finance, meteorology, and environmental science.
In this letter, we implement this statistical diffusion coefficient in a
one-dimensional stellar evolution code, using parameters calibrated from
multi-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of a young low-mass star. We propose
a new scenario that can explain observations of the surface abundance of
lithium in the Sun and in clusters covering a wide range of ages, from
50 Myr to 4 Gyr. Because it relies on our physical model of convective
penetration, this scenario has a limited number of assumptions. It can explain
the observed trend between rotation and depletion, based on a single additional
assumption, namely that rotation affects the mixing efficiency at the
convective boundary. We suggest the existence of a threshold in stellar
rotation rate above which rotation strongly prevents the vertical penetration
of plumes and below which rotation has small effects. In addition to providing
a possible explanation for the long standing problem of lithium depletion in
pre-main sequence and main sequence stars, the strength of our scenario is that
its basic assumptions can be tested by future hydrodynamic simulations.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Apar-T: code, validation, and physical interpretation of particle-in-cell results
We present the parallel particle-in-cell (PIC) code Apar-T and, more
importantly, address the fundamental question of the relations between the PIC
model, the Vlasov-Maxwell theory, and real plasmas.
First, we present four validation tests: spectra from simulations of thermal
plasmas, linear growth rates of the relativistic tearing instability and of the
filamentation instability, and non-linear filamentation merging phase. For the
filamentation instability we show that the effective growth rates measured on
the total energy can differ by more than 50% from the linear cold predictions
and from the fastest modes of the simulation.
Second, we detail a new method for initial loading of Maxwell-J\"uttner
particle distributions with relativistic bulk velocity and relativistic
temperature, and explain why the traditional method with individual particle
boosting fails.
Third, we scrutinize the question of what description of physical plasmas is
obtained by PIC models. These models rely on two building blocks:
coarse-graining, i.e., grouping of the order of p~10^10 real particles into a
single computer superparticle, and field storage on a grid with its subsequent
finite superparticle size. We introduce the notion of coarse-graining dependent
quantities, i.e., quantities depending on p. They derive from the PIC plasma
parameter Lambda^{PIC}, which we show to scale as 1/p. We explore two
implications. One is that PIC collision- and fluctuation-induced thermalization
times are expected to scale with the number of superparticles per grid cell,
and thus to be a factor p~10^10 smaller than in real plasmas. The other is that
the level of electric field fluctuations scales as 1/Lambda^{PIC} ~ p. We
provide a corresponding exact expression.
Fourth, we compare the Vlasov-Maxwell theory, which describes a phase-space
fluid with infinite Lambda, to the PIC model and its relatively small Lambda.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figures, accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Tourist and Viral Mobilities Intertwined: Clustering COVID-19-Driven Travel Behaviour of Rural Tourists in South Tyrol, Italy
Travel patterns have dramatically changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism has been both a vector and a victim of the disease. This paper explores the pandemic’s impact on rural tourism, using the theoretical framework of the “mobilities turn” to investigate issues of corporeal and communicative travel found between the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 874 guests visiting the Italian region of South Tyrol, where rural tourism is the norm, identified different patterns of physical travel and approaches to collecting on-site information on COVID-19. Results from a principal component analysis (PCA) and a cluster analysis highlighted at least two different approaches from visitors to the region: the first is more cautious, mostly practiced by domestic tourists, with limited mobility on-site, coupled with a need for information; the second is instead a more adventurous approach, with higher on-site mobility, more use of sustainable forms of transport and less interest in data evidence on COVID-19. Implications for rural tourism and its future are discussed. The hypothesis of an inverse relationship between corporeal and communicative travel needs further exploration in future research
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