Numerical study of ion-cyclotron resonant interaction via hybrid-Vlasov simulations

Journal Article · Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3420278· OSTI ID:21371097

Valentini, Francesco ^[1]; Iazzolino, Antonio; Veltri, Pierluigi ^[2]

---

1. Dipartimento di Fisica and CNISM, Universita di Pisa, Pisa 56127 (Italy)
2. Dipartimento di Fisica and CNISM, Universita della Calabria, Rende (CS) 87036 (Italy)

Hybrid Vlasov-Maxwell numerical simulations are used to investigate the collisionless resonant interaction of ions with ion-cyclotron waves in parallel propagation with respect to a background magnetic field. In linear regime, analytical results on wave damping, obtained by integrating the linearized Vlasov equation through the well-known characteristics method, are compared with the numerical results. Then, the ion heating process and the consequent generation of temperature anisotropy in the direction perpendicular to the background magnetic field are investigated numerically in detail. In nonlinear regime, the numerical results show that the distribution of particle velocities is strongly distorted due to the resonant ion-cyclotron interaction with the formation of diffusive plateaus in the longitudinal direction (with respect to the ambient field) and significantly departs from the Maxwellian equilibrium. These results are relevant in many plasma physics environments, such as the solar wind, where the process of ion-cyclotron heating and the generation of temperature anisotropy and non-Maxwellian velocity distributions are routinely recovered in many in situ measurements, or the laboratory plasmas, where the resonant interaction of ions with ion-cyclotron waves is the primary source of auxiliary heating in the confining apparatus.

• OSTI ID: 21371097
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3420278; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ICR HEATING
ION PLASMA WAVES
IONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA SIMULATION
SOLAR WIND
CHARGED PARTICLES
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS
HEATING
HIGH-FREQUENCY HEATING
ION WAVES
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA WAVES
SIMULATION
SOLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR WINDS