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Two-fluid and kinetic transport physics of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities in nonuniform low-beta plasmas

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0014489· OSTI ID:1692267

Hall-magnetohydrodynamic (Hall-MHD) theory, two-fluid simulations, and kinetic simulations are used in this work to investigate the cross-field transport properties of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities in nonuniform low-beta collisionless plasmas. Hall-MHD analysis shows how the linear properties of the instability are modified by density gradients and magnetization. High-order accurate two-fluid and kinetic simulations, with complete dynamics of finite-mass electrons and ions, are applied to a suite of parameter cases to systematically assess the effects of diamagnetic drift, magnetization, charge separation, and finite Larmor motion. Initialization of exact two-species kinetic equilibria facilitates the study of isolated physical effects and enables detailed cross-comparisons between two-fluid and kinetic simulations, including for cases where ion gyroradii are comparable to gradient scale lengths. For nonuniform plasmas with significant space charge, the results of two-fluid and kinetic simulations are found to disagree with Hall-MHD predictions. Kelvin–Helmholtz instability growth rates, per unit shear, are shown to be smaller when ion diamagnetic drift and $$E \times B$$ drift are parallel and larger when the two drifts are antiparallel. The effect is attributed to polarization drift in the shear layer, which leads to redistribution of charge, alters the electric field that drives plasma advection, and consequently modifies growth rates. Instability-induced mass transport for different parameters is characterized in terms of the flux across the shear layer and a simplified diffusion model. Distribution functions from kinetic simulations are shown to deviate substantially from Maxwellian reconstructions, indicating the importance of kinetic physics during the nonlinear phase of the instability.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1692267
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1775155
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--810297; 1016739
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 27; ISSN 1070-664X
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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