Spectral Energy Transfer and Dissipation of Magnetic Energy from Fluid to Kinetic Scales
- Plasma Physics (X-1), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
- Theoretical Astrophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
We investigate the magnetic energy transfer from the fluid to kinetic scales and dissipation processes using three-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell plasma simulations. The nonlinear evolution of a sheet pinch is studied where we show that it exhibits both fluid scale global relaxation and kinetic scale collisionless reconnection at multiple resonant surfaces. The interactions among collisionless tearing modes destroy the original flux surfaces and produce stochastic fields, along with generating sheets and filaments of intensified currents. In addition, the magnetic energy is transferred from the original shear length scale both to the large scales due to the global relaxation and to the smaller, kinetic scales for dissipation. The dissipation is dominated by the thermal or pressure effect in the generalized Ohm's law, and electrons are preferentially accelerated.
- OSTI ID:
- 20861622
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 98, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.035002; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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