Publications

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Below, by year, are the publications listed in the HAL open archive.

2011

On plasma rotation with toroidal magnetic field ripple and no external momentum input
- Fenzi C.
- Garbet X.
- Trier Elisée
- Hennequin Pascale
- Bourdelle C.
- Aniel Thierry
- Colledani G.
- Devynck P.
- Gil C.
- Gürcan Özgür D.
- Manenc L.
- Schneider M.
- Segui J.-L.
- Tore Supra Team
Nuclear Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 51, pp.103038. Ripple-induced thermal loss effect on plasma rotation is investigated in a set of Ohmic L-mode plasmas performed in Tore Supra, and comparisons with neoclassical predictions including ripple are performed. Adjusting the size of the plasma, the ripple amplitude has been varied from 0.5% to 5.5% at the plasma boundary, keeping the edge safety factor constant. The toroidal flow dynamics is understood as being likely dominated by turbulence transport driven processes at low ripple amplitude, while the ripple-induced toroidal friction becomes dominant at high ripple. In the latter case, the velocity tends remarkably towards the neoclassical prediction (counter-current rotation). The radial electric field is not affected by the ripple variation and remains well described by its neoclassical prediction. Finally, the poloidal velocity is of the order of the neoclassical prediction at high ripple amplitude, but significantly departs from it at low ripple. (10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103038)
DOI : 10.1088/0029-5515/51/10/103038
Discharge resistance and power dissipation in the self-pulsing regime of micro-hollow cathode discharges
- Lazzaroni Claudia
- Chabert Pascal
Plasma Sources Science and Technology, IOP Publishing, 2011, 20, pp.055004. Micro-hollow cathode discharges (MHCDs), driven by a dc voltage source, may operate in a self-pulsing regime during which the voltage and the current across the discharge are pulsed with a frequency of several tens of kilohertz. A model for the self-pulsing regime of MHCDs is proposed based on an equivalent electrical circuit of the whole device. The discharge itself is modeled by a non-linear resistance in series with an inductance, and it is placed in parallel with the capacitance of the electrodedielectricelectrode sandwich hosting the discharge micro-hole. The capacitance of the coaxial cable used to feed the device is also included. It is shown that a detailed comparison between theory and experiments allows the discharge non-linear resistance to be accurately determined. When the discharge current is maximum, this resistance is about 2500 Ω at 50 Torr and decreases to about 750 Ω at 150 Torr. The absorbed power is calculated throughout the self-pulsing cycle and may be above 100 W at the current peak, while the time-averaged power remains a fraction of a Watt. (10.1088/0963-0252/20/5/055004)
DOI : 10.1088/0963-0252/20/5/055004
Magnetic reconnection in the Jovian tail: X-line evolution and consequent plasma sheet structures
- Kasahara S.
- Kronberg E. A.
- Krupp N.
- Kimura T.
- Tao C.
- Badman S. V.
- Retinò Alessandro
- Fujimoto M.
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.11219. Magnetic reconnection in planetary magnetospheres plays important roles in energy and mass transfer in the steady state, and also possibly in transient large-scale disturbances. In this paper we report observations of a reconnection event in the Jovian magnetotail by the Galileo spacecraft on 17 June 1997. In addition to the tailward retreat of a main X-line, signatures of recurrent X-line formations are found by close examination of energetic particle anisotropies. Furthermore, detailed analyses of multi-instrumental data for this period provide various spatiotemporal features in the plasma sheet. A significant density decrease was detected in the central plasma sheet, indicative of the transition to lobe (open field line) reconnection from plasma sheet (closed field line) reconnection. When Galileo vertically swept through the plasma sheet, a velocity layer structure was observed. We also analyze a strong southward magnetic field which is similar to dipolarization fronts observed in the terrestrial magnetotail: the ion flow (450 km s-1) was observed behind the magnetic front, whose thickness of 10000-20000 km was of the order of ion inertial length. The electron anisotropy in this period suggests an anomalously high-speed electron jet, implying ion-electron decoupling behind the magnetic front. Particle energization was also seen associated with these structures. These observations suggest that X-line evolution and consequent plasma sheet structures are similar to those in the terrestrial magnetosphere, whereas their generality in the Jovian magnetosphere and influence on the magnetospheric/ionospheric dynamics including transient auroral events need to be further investigated with more events. (10.1029/2011JA016892)
DOI : 10.1029/2011JA016892
Landau and Non-Landau Linear Damping: Physics of the Dissipation
- Belmont Gérard
- Chust Thomas
- Mottez Fabrice
- Hess S.
Transport Theory and Statistical Physics, Taylor & Francis, 2011, 40 (6-7), pp.419-424. The linear Landau effect is revisited by the means of numerical simulations and analytical calculations. The existence of non-Landau solutions to the Vlasov-Poisson system is emphasized and the consistency of these solutions with respect to the arguments based on energy is investigated. The present article briefly summarizes the content of two articles already published on the subject and introduces a discussion based on the exchanges that occurred at Marseille during the Vlasovia meeting. (10.1080/00411450.2011.651055)
DOI : 10.1080/00411450.2011.651055
On the dispersion features of whistler waves in almost pure ion plasmas
- Lundin B. V.
- Krafft C.
Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 18, pp.102114. It is shown that in a multi-ion plasma of moderate density enriched by a large amount of negatively charged ions and/or heavy particulates, the lower cutoff frequencies of the electron whistler and the Z-mode (extraordinary) waves tend to each other, approaching the ion plasma frequency omegapi. The evolution of the dispersion curves omega(k, theta) of both wave modes is studied as a function of the relative electron density, beginning from the case of a moderate density plasma with comparable values of electron gyro- and plasma frequencies and omegapi essentially exceeding the ions' gyrofrequencies. When the fraction of free electrons is very small the transparency frequency domain of the electron whistler mode becomes very narrow, being located in the vicinity of omegapi. If the negatively charged ions have the smallest specific charges among other ion species then, under similar conditions, the so-called crossover effect and the accompanying polarization sense reverse can occur at frequencies essentially greater than the ions' gyrofrequencies. The revealed effects are characteristic of plasmas with excess of electronegative gas molecules or dust particulates highly adhesive to electrons, i.e., almost pure ion plasmas and/or pair-ion plasmas with extra small fractions of free electrons. Moreover, it is found that the vanishingly small electron fraction providing the same value of the electron whistler ion cutoff frequency normalized to the ion plasma frequency is essentially less for pair fullerene C60 /- than for pair hydrogen H /- plasmas. The technique to determine omegapi using the evolution of the whistler wave magnetic field polarization ellipse is also described. (10.1063/1.3650075)
DOI : 10.1063/1.3650075
Kelvin-Helmholtz waves under southward interplanetary magnetic field
- Hwang K.-J.
- Kuznetsova M. M.
- Sahraoui Fouad
- Goldstein M. L.
- Lee E.
- Parks G. K.
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.8210. The Kelvin-Helmholtz waves have been observed along the Earth's low-latitude magnetopause and have been suggested to play a certain role in the entry of solar wind plasma into Earth's magnetosphere. In situ observations of the KH waves (KHW) and, in particular, a nonlinear stage of the KH instability, i.e., rolled-up KH vortices (KHVs), have been reported to occur preferentially for northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Using Cluster data, we present the first in situ observation of nonlinearly developed KHW during southward IMF. The analysis reveals that there is a mixture of less-developed and more-developed KHW that shows inconsistent variations in scale size and the magnetic perturbations in the context of the expected evolution of KH structures. A coherence analysis implies that the observed KHW under southward IMF appear to be irregular and intermittent. These irregular and turbulent characteristics are more noticeable than previously reported KHW events that have been detected preferentially during northward IMF. This suggests that under southward IMF KHVs become easily irregular and temporally intermittent, which might explain the preferential in situ detection of KHVs when the IMF is northward. MHD simulation of the present event shows that during southward IMF dynamically active subsolar environments can cause KHV that evolve with considerable intermittency. The MHD simulations appear to reproduce well the qualitative features of the Cluster observations. (10.1029/2011JA016596)
DOI : 10.1029/2011JA016596
Three-dimensional spatial structures of solar wind turbulence from 10 000-km to 100-km scales
- Narita Y.
- Glassmeier K.-H.
- Goldstein M. L.
- Motschmann U.
- Sahraoui Fouad
Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.1731-1738. Using the four Cluster spacecraft, we have determined the three-dimensional wave-vector spectra of fluctuating magnetic fields in the solar wind. Three different solar wind intervals of Cluster data are investigated for this purpose, representing three different spatial scales: 10 000 km, 1000 km, and 100 km. The spectra are determined using the wave telescope technique (k-filtering technique) without assuming the validity of Taylor's frozen-in-flow hypothesis nor are any assumptions made as to the symmetry properties of the fluctuations. We find that the spectra are anisotropic on all the three scales and the power is extended primarily in the directions perpendicular to the mean magnetic field, as might be expected of two-dimensional turbulence, however, the analyzed fluctuations are not axisymmetric. The lack of axisymmetry invalidates some earlier techniques using single spacecraft observations that were used to estimate the percentage of magnetic energy residing in quasi-two-dimensional power. However, the dominance of two-dimensional turbulence is consistent with the relatively long mean free paths of cosmic rays in observed in the heliosphere. On the other hand, the spectra also exhibit secondary extended structures oblique from the mean magnetic field direction. We discuss possible origins of anisotropy and asymmetry of solar wind turbulence spectra. (10.5194/angeo-29-1731-2011)
DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-1731-2011
Energy budgets in collisionless magnetic reconnection: Ion heating and bulk acceleration
- Aunai Nicolas
- Belmont Gérard
- Smets Roch
Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 18, pp.122901. This paper investigates the energy transfer in the process of collisionless antiparallel magnetic reconnection. Using two-dimensional hybrid simulations, we measure the increase of the bulk and thermal kinetic energies and compare it to the loss of magnetic energy through a contour surrounding the ion decoupling region. It is shown, for both symmetric and asymmetric configurations, that the loss of magnetic energy is not equally partitioned between heating and acceleration. The heating is found to be dominant and the partition ratio depends on the asymptotic parameters, and future investigations will be needed to understand this dependence. (10.1063/1.3664320)
DOI : 10.1063/1.3664320
Numerical analysis of electronegative plasma in the extraction region of negative hydrogen ion sources
- Kuppel S.
- Matsushita D.
- Hatayama A.
- Bacal M.
Journal of Applied Physics, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 109 (1), pp.013305. This numerical study focuses on the physical mechanisms involved in the extraction of volume-produced H− ions from a steady state laboratory negative hydrogen ion source with one opening in the plasma electrode (PE) on which a dc-bias voltage is applied. A weak magnetic field is applied in the source plasma transversely to the extracted beam. The goal is to highlight the combined effects of the weak magnetic field and the PE bias voltage (upon the extraction process of H− ions and electrons). To do so, we focus on the behavior of electrons and volume-produced negative ions within a two-dimensional model using the particle-in-cell method. No collision processes are taken into account, except for electron diffusion across the magnetic field using a simple random-walk model at each time step of the simulation. The results show first that applying the magnetic field (without PE bias) enhances H− ion extraction, while it drastically decreases the extracted electron current. Secondly, the extracted H− ion current has a maximum when the PE bias is equal to the plasma potential, while the extracted electron current is significantly reduced by applying the PE bias. The underlying mechanism leading to the above results is the gradual opening by the PE bias of the equipotential lines towards the parts of the extraction region facing the PE. The shape of these lines is due originally to the electron trapping by the magnetic field. (10.1063/1.3530454)
DOI : 10.1063/1.3530454
Electron-cylotron maser radiation from electron holes: upward current region
- Treumann R. A.
- Baumjohann W.
- Pottelette R.
Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.1885-1904. Electron holes are suggested to be an important source for generation of electron-cyclotron maser radiation. We demonstrate that electron holes generated in a ring-horseshoe distribution in the auroral-kilometric radiation source region have the capacity to emit band-limited radiation. The radiation is calculated in the proper frame of a circular model hole and shown to be strictly perpendicular in this frame. Its bandwidth under auroral conditions is of the order of ~1 kHz, which is a reasonable value. It is also shown that much of the drift of fine structure in the radiation can be interpreted as Doppler shift. Estimates based on data are in good agreement with theory. Growth and absorption rates have been obtained for the emitted radiation. However, the growth rate of a single hole obtained under conservative conditions is small, too small for reproducing the observed fine structure flux. Trapping of radiation inside the hole for the hole's lifetime helps amplifying the radiation additionally but introduces other problems. This entire set of questions is discussed at length and compared to radiation from the global horseshoe distribution. The interior of the hole produces a weak absorption at slightly higher frequency than emission. The absorptivity is roughly two orders of magnitude below the growth rate of the radiation thus being weak even when the emission and absorption bands overlap. Transforming to the stationary observer's frame it is found that the radiation becomes oblique against the magnetic field. For approaching holes the radiated frequencies may even exceed the local electron cyclotron frequency. (10.5194/angeo-29-1885-2011)
DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-1885-2011
Evolution of micro-turbulence characteristics with collisionality at the tokamak core-edge interface
- Vermare Laure
- Hennequin Pascale
- Gürcan Özgür D.
- Honoré Cyrille
- Berionni Vincent
- Bourdelle C.
- Casati A.
- Clairet F.
- Garbet X.
- Giacalone J-C.
- Sabot R.
- Tore Supra Team
, 2011, oral.
A generalization of the rocket formula and its application to advanced space propulsion systems
- Nasi L.
- Raimbault Jean-Luc
Acta Astronautica, Elsevier, 2011, 68 (1-2), pp.34-38. A generalized rocket formula is derived from a first principles approach. The resulting expression of the thrust is applied to advanced space propulsion systems and a possible link between the asymptotic propellant velocity and the velocity at thruster exit is given. An estimation of the thrust modification due to spacecraftplume interactions is also considered. (10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.07.015)
DOI : 10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.07.015
Oxidation of NO into NO2 by surface adsorbed O atoms
- Guaitella Olivier
- Hübner M.
- Marinov Daniil
- Guerra V.
- Pintassilgo C.D.
- Welzel S.
- Röpcke J.
- Rousseau Antoine
Contributions to Plasma Physics, Wiley-VCH Verlag, 2011, 51 (2-3), pp.176-181. Plasma-surface interactions are increasingly recognised as a key factor in explaining molecule production and conversion processes. In order to scrutinise such effects well-defined surface and gas phase conditions are required. Hence, the inner surface of a Pyrex tube was treated by a capacitively coupled RF plasma at low pressure. The post-plasma oxidation of gas mixtures containing 1 % NO into NO2 has been studied by means of quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral range. The plasma pre-treatment experiments with oxygen containing precursors suggest O atom adsorption on the Pyrex tube with a surface density of 2.7 x 1014 cm2. A simple kinetic model was developed and shows good agreement with the measured NO and NO2 gas phase concentrations. In the model a fraction of the surface is considered to be covered with chemisorption sites where atoms and molecules can be adsorbed, whereas they can be removed only by recombination (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (10.1002/ctpp.201000068)
DOI : 10.1002/ctpp.201000068
Compressible Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in supermagnetosonic regimes
- Palermo F.
- Faganello M.
- Califano F.
- Pegoraro F.
- Le Contel Olivier
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.4223. We investigate the transition from submagnetosonic to supermagnetosonic regimes in the presence of a sheared flow and density variations typically observed between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere. In particular, we show the possibility of generating quasi-perpendicular magnetosonic shock structures under typical conditions that can be realized at the magnetosphere flanks. Here the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability generates rolled-up, large- scale vortices that propagate along the flanks of the magnetosphere. The shocks are generated by those vortices for which the magnetosonic Mach number turns out to be of the order of unity or larger. (10.1029/2010JA016400)
DOI : 10.1029/2010JA016400
Ion acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic and fluid aspects
- Aunai Nicolas
- Belmont Gérard
- Smets Roch
Comptes Rendus. Physique, Académie des sciences (Paris), 2011, 12, pp.141-150. Not Available (10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.004)
DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.004
A mechanism for heating electrons in the magnetopause current layer and adjacent regions
- Roux A.
- Robert Patrick
- Le Contel Olivier
- Angelopoulos V.
- Auster U.
- Bonnell J. W.
- Cully C. M.
- Ergun R. E.
- Mcfadden J. P.
Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.2305-2316. Taking advantage of the string-of-pearls configuration of the five THEMIS spacecraft during the early phase of their mission, we analyze observations taken simultaneously in the magnetosheath, the magnetopause current layer and the magnetosphere. We find that electron heating coincides with ultra low frequency waves. It seems unlikely that electrons are heated by these waves because the electron thermal velocity is much larger than the Alfvén velocity (Va). In the short transverse scale (k\botrhoi >> 1) regime, however, short scale Alfvén waves (SSAWs) have parallel phase velocities much larger than Va and are shown to interact, via Landau damping, with electrons thereby heating them. The origin of these waves is also addressed. THEMIS data give evidence for sharp spatial gradients in the magnetopause current layer where the highest amplitude waves have a large component deltaB perpendicular to the magnetopause and k azimuthal. We suggest that SSAWs are drift waves generated by temperature gradients in a high beta, large Ti/Te magnetopause current layer. Therefore these waves are called SSDAWs, where D stands for drift. SSDAWs have large k\bot and therefore a large Doppler shift that can exceed their frequencies in the plasma frame. Because they have a small but finite parallel electric field and a magnetic component perpendicular to the magnetopause, they could play a key role at reconnecting magnetic field lines. The growth rate depends strongly on the scale of the gradients; it becomes very large when the scale of the electron temperature gradient gets below 400 km. Therefore SSDAW's are expected to limit the sharpness of the gradients, which might explain why Berchem and Russell (1982) found that the average magnetopause current sheet thickness to be ~400-1000 km (~500 km in the near equatorial region). (10.5194/angeo-29-2305-2011)
DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-2305-2011
Vibrational relaxation of N2 studied by IR titration with time-resolved Qantum Cascade Laser diagnostics
- Marinov Daniil
- Lopatik D.
- Guaitella Olivier
- Roepcke J.
- Rousseau Antoine
, 2011.
Wavenumber spectrum of micro-turbulence in tokamak plasmas / Spectre en nombre d'onde de la micro-turbulence dans les plasmas de tokamak
- Vermare Laure
- Gürcan Özgür D.
- Hennequin Pascale
- Honoré Cyrille
- Garbet X.
- Giacalone J-C.
- Sabot R.
- Clairet F.
- Tore Supra Team
Comptes Rendus. Physique, Académie des sciences (Paris), 2011, 12 (2), pp.115 - 122. A better understanding of turbulent transport in a tokamak plasma requires precise comparisons between experimental observation and theoretical prediction of micro-turbulence characteristics. The repartition of fluctuation energy over different spatial scales, which contains detailed information about the character of underlying instabilities and the mechanisms involved in energy transfer between different scales, is one of the few quantities allowing a high detail comparison. The present article reports the investigation performed on the Tore Supra tokamak on the wavenumber spectrum of micro-turbulence using Doppler backscattering. The theoretical approach consists of the derivation of spectral models that include interactions between fluctuations and large scale flow structures. Une meilleure compréhension du transport turbulent dans les plasmas de tokamak exige des comparaisons précises entre les observations expérimentales et les prédictions théoriques des caractéristiques de la micro-turbulence. La répartition de lʼénergie des fluctuations sur les différentes échelles spatiales, qui contient des informations sur le type instabilités sous-jacentes et sur les mécanismes de transfert dʼénergie entre échelles spatiales, est lʼune des rares quantités permettant une comparaison de niveau élevé. Cet article présente le travail mené sur le tokamak Tore Supra sur lʼétude du spectre en nombre dʼonde de la micro-turbulence mesuré par rétro-diffusion Doppler. Lʼapproche théorique consiste en la dérivation de modéles spectraux qui inclut les interactions entre les fluctuations et les structures dʼécoulement de grandes échelles. (10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.003)
DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2010.11.003
Predator prey oscillations in a simple cascade model of drift wave turbulence
- Berionni Vincent
- Gürcan Özgür D.
Physics of Plasmas, American Institute of Physics, 2011, 18, pp.112301. A reduced three shell limit of a simple cascade model of drift wave turbulence, which emphasizes nonlocal interactions with a large scale mode, is considered. It is shown to describe both the well known predator prey dynamics between the drift waves and zonal flows and to reduce to the standard three wave interaction equations. Here, this model is considered as a dynamical system whose characteristics are investigated. The analytical solutions for the purely nonlinear limit are given in terms of the Jacobi elliptic functions. An approximate analytical solution involving Jacobi elliptic functions and exponential growth is computed using scale separation for the case of unstable solutions that are observed when the energy injection rate is high. The fixed points of the system are determined, and the behavior around these fixed points is studied. The system is shown to display periodic solutions corresponding to limit cycle oscillations, apparently chaotic phase space orbits, as well as unstable solutions that grow slowly while oscillating rapidly. The period doubling route to transition to chaos is examined. (10.1063/1.3656953)
DOI : 10.1063/1.3656953
Collisionality scaling in Tore Supra: detailed energy confinement analysis, turbulence measurements and gyrokinetic modelling
- Bourdelle C.
- Gerbaud T.
- Vermare Laure
- Casati A.
- Aniel Thierry
- Artaud J.F.
- Basiuk Vincent
- Bucalossi J.
- Clairet F.
- Corre Y.
- Devynck P.
- Falchetto G.
- Fenzi C.
- Garbet X.
- Guirlet R.
- Gürcan Özgür D.
- Heuraux S.
- Hennequin Pascale
- Hoang G.T.
- Imbeaux Frédéric
- Manenc L.
- Monier-Garbet P.
- Moreau P.
- Sabot R.
- Segui J.-L.
- Sirinelli A.
- Villegas D.
- Tore Supra Team
Nuclear Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 51, pp.063037. This paper presents the first observation of geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) on Tore Supra plasmas. Using the Doppler backscattering system, the oscillations of the plasma flow velocity, localized between r/a = 0.85 and r/a = 0.95, and with a frequency, typically around 10 kHz, have been observed at the plasma edge in numerous discharges. When the additional heating power is varied, the frequency is found to scale with Cs/R. The MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is employed to access the temporal evolution of the perpendicular velocity of density fluctuations. The method is presented in some detail, and is validated and compared against standard methods, such as the conventional fast Fourier transform method, using a synthetic signal. It stands out as a powerful data analysis method to follow the Doppler frequency with a high temporal resolution, which is important in order to extract the dynamics of GAMs. (10.1088/0029-5515/51/6/063037)
DOI : 10.1088/0029-5515/51/6/063037
Proton acceleration in antiparallel collisionless magnetic reconnection: Kinetic mechanisms behind the fluid dynamics
- Aunai Nicolas
- Belmont Gérard
- Smets Roch
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116, pp.9232. This 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. (10.1029/2011JA016688)
DOI : 10.1029/2011JA016688
Whistler eigenmodes of magnetic flux tubes in a magnetoplasma
- Kudrin A. V.
- Bakharev P. V.
- Zaboronkova T. M.
- Krafft C.
Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, IOP Publishing, 2011, 53, pp.065005. Guided propagation of whistler waves along cylindrical non-uniformities of a dc magnetic field is studied within the framework of a full-wave approach. Conditions are revealed under which such guiding structures, commonly known as magnetic flux tubes, can support volume and surface eigenmodes in the whistler range. The dispersion properties and field structures of whistler eigenmodes guided by flux tubes with an enhanced magnetic field are calculated and analysed for plasma parameters typical of laboratory experiments. The results obtained are useful in understanding the basic features of whistler wave guidance by magnetic flux tubes and can be applied to interpreting the data of the relevant experiments. (10.1088/0741-3335/53/6/065005)
DOI : 10.1088/0741-3335/53/6/065005
Modeling the superstorm in November 2003
- Fok M.-C. H.
- Moore T. E.
- Slinker Steve P.
- Fedder Joel A.
- Delcourt Dominique C.
- Nosé Masahito
- Chen Sheng-Hsien
Journal of Geophysical Research Space Physics, American Geophysical Union/Wiley, 2011, 116. The superstorm on 20-21 November 2003 was the largest geomagnetic storm in solar cycle 23 as measured by Dst, which attained a minimum value of -422 nT. We have simulated this storm to understand how particles originating from the solar wind and ionosphere get access to the magnetosphere and how the subsequent transport and energization processes contribute to the buildup of the ring current. The global electromagnetic configuration and the solar wind H distribution are specified by the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) magnetohydrodynamics model. The outflow of H and O ions from the ionosphere are also considered. Their trajectories in the magnetosphere are followed by a test-particle code. The particle distributions at the inner plasma sheet established by the LFM model and test-particle calculations are then used as boundary conditions for a ring current model. Our simulations reproduce the rapid decrease of Dst during the storm main phase and the fast initial phase of recovery. Shielding in the inner magnetosphere is established at early main phase. This shielding field lasts several hours and then breaks down at late main phase. At the peak of the storm, strong penetration of ions earthward to L shell of 1.5 is revealed in the simulation. It is surprising that O is significant but not the dominant species in the ring current in our calculation for this major storm. It is very likely that substorm effects are not well represented in the models and O energization is underestimated. Ring current simulation with O energy density at the boundary set comparable to Geotail observations produces excellent agreement with the observed symH. As expected in superstorms, ring current O is the dominant species over H during the main to midrecovery phase of the storm. (10.1029/2010JA015720)
DOI : 10.1029/2010JA015720
Stochastic treatment of finite-N effects in mean-field systems and its application to the lifetimes of coherent structures
- Ettoumi Wahb
- Firpo Marie-Christine
Physical Review E, American Physical Society (APS), 2011, 84, pp.030103(R). A stochastic treatment yielding to the derivation of a general Fokker-Planck equation is presented to model the slow convergence toward equilibrium of mean-field systems due to finite-N effects. The thermalization process involves notably the disintegration of coherent structures that may sustain out-of-equilibrium quasistationary states. The time evolution of the fraction of particles remaining close to a mean-field potential trough is analytically computed. This indicator enables to estimate the lifetime of coherent structures and thermalization time scale in mean-field systems. (10.1103/PhysRevE.84.030103)
DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.84.030103
The proton pressure tensor as a new proxy of the proton decoupling region in collisionless magnetic reconnection
- Aunai Nicolas
- Retinò Alessandro
- Belmont Gérard
- Smets Roch
- Lavraud B.
- Vaivads A.
Annales Geophysicae, European Geosciences Union, 2011, 29, pp.1571-1579. Cluster data is analyzed to test the proton pressure tensor variations as a proxy of the proton decoupling region in collisionless magnetic reconnection. The Hall electric potential well created in the proton decoupling region results in bounce trajectories of the protons which appears as a characteristic variation of one of the in-plane off-diagonal components of the proton pressure tensor in this region. The event studied in this paper is found to be consistent with classical Hall field signatures with a possible 20% guide field. Moreover, correlations between this pressure tensor component, magnetic field and bulk flow are proposed and validated, together with the expected counterstreaming proton distribution functions. (10.5194/angeo-29-1571-2011)
DOI : 10.5194/angeo-29-1571-2011

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