Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes
Abstract
Magnetic flux ropes are commonly observed throughout the heliosphere, and recent studies suggest that interacting flux ropes are associated with some energetic particle events. In this work, we carry out 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to study the coalescence of two magnetic flux ropes (or magnetic islands), and the subsequent plasma energization processes. The simulations are initialized with two magnetic islands embedded in a reconnecting current sheet. The two islands collide and eventually merge into a single island. Particles are accelerated during this process as the magnetic energy is released and converted to the plasma energy, including bulk kinetic energy increase by the ideal electric field, and thermal energy increase by the fluid compression and the nonideal electric field. We find that contributions from these different energization mechanisms are all important and comparable with each other. Fluid shear and a nongyrotropic pressure tensor also contribute to the energy conversion process. For simulations with different box sizes ranging from $$L_x$$ ~ 25–100$$d_i$$ and ion-to-electron mass ratios $$m_i /m_e$$ = 25,100, and 400, we find that the general evolution is qualitatively the same for all runs, and the energization depends only weakly on either the system size or the mass ratio. The results may help us understand plasma energization in solar and heliospheric environments.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville, AL (United States). Dept. of Space Science; New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville, AL (United States). Dept. of Space Science, and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC); Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States); Nmc, Inc.
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1544070
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231; SC0018240
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal (Online)
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal (Online); Journal Volume: 867; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1538-4357
- Publisher:
- Institute of Physics (IOP)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; Astronomy & Astrophysics
Citation Formats
Du, Senbei, Guo, Fan, Zank, Gary P., Li, Xiaocan, and Stanier, Adam. Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aae30e.
Du, Senbei, Guo, Fan, Zank, Gary P., Li, Xiaocan, & Stanier, Adam. Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes. United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aae30e
Du, Senbei, Guo, Fan, Zank, Gary P., Li, Xiaocan, and Stanier, Adam. Thu .
"Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes". United States. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aae30e. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1544070.
@article{osti_1544070,
title = {Plasma Energization in Colliding Magnetic Flux Ropes},
author = {Du, Senbei and Guo, Fan and Zank, Gary P. and Li, Xiaocan and Stanier, Adam},
abstractNote = {Magnetic flux ropes are commonly observed throughout the heliosphere, and recent studies suggest that interacting flux ropes are associated with some energetic particle events. In this work, we carry out 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to study the coalescence of two magnetic flux ropes (or magnetic islands), and the subsequent plasma energization processes. The simulations are initialized with two magnetic islands embedded in a reconnecting current sheet. The two islands collide and eventually merge into a single island. Particles are accelerated during this process as the magnetic energy is released and converted to the plasma energy, including bulk kinetic energy increase by the ideal electric field, and thermal energy increase by the fluid compression and the nonideal electric field. We find that contributions from these different energization mechanisms are all important and comparable with each other. Fluid shear and a nongyrotropic pressure tensor also contribute to the energy conversion process. For simulations with different box sizes ranging from $L_x$ ~ 25–100$d_i$ and ion-to-electron mass ratios $m_i /m_e$ = 25,100, and 400, we find that the general evolution is qualitatively the same for all runs, and the energization depends only weakly on either the system size or the mass ratio. The results may help us understand plasma energization in solar and heliospheric environments.},
doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aae30e},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal (Online)},
number = 1,
volume = 867,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Oct 25 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Thu Oct 25 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:
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Figures / Tables found in this record: