Numerical and laboratory simulations of auroral acceleration
- 1Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Avenue Circulaire 3, B-1180 Brussels (Belgium)
- EISCAT Scientific Association, P.O. Box 812, SE-981 28 Kiruna, Sweden and Department of Physics, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå (Sweden)
The existence of parallel electric fields is an essential ingredient of auroral physics, leading to the acceleration of particles that give rise to the auroral displays. An auroral flux tube is modelled using electrostatic Vlasov simulations, and the results are compared to simulations of a proposed laboratory device that is meant for studies of the plasma physical processes that occur on auroral field lines. The hot magnetospheric plasma is represented by a gas discharge plasma source in the laboratory device, and the cold plasma mimicking the ionospheric plasma is generated by a Q-machine source. In both systems, double layers form with plasma density gradients concentrated on their high potential sides. The systems differ regarding the properties of ion acoustic waves that are heavily damped in the magnetosphere, where the ion population is hot, but weakly damped in the laboratory, where the discharge ions are cold. Ion waves are excited by the ion beam that is created by acceleration in the double layer in both systems. The efficiency of this beam-plasma interaction depends on the acceleration voltage. For voltages where the interaction is less efficient, the laboratory experiment is more space-like.
- OSTI ID:
- 22224190
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 20, Issue 10; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ACCELERATION
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
COLD PLASMA
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ION ACOUSTIC WAVES
ION TEMPERATURE
IONOSPHERE
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PLASMA DENSITY
SOUND WAVES