scholarly journals Nonlinear Damping of Fast Waves and Plasma Heating in the Solar Corona

2001 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 517-519
Author(s):  
Y. Voitenko ◽  
M. Goossens
Keyword(s):  
Solar Corona ◽  
Plasma Heating ◽  
Transport Coefficients ◽  
Nonlinear Damping ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Nonlinear Coupling ◽  
Magnetoacoustic Wave ◽  
Nonlinear Mechanism ◽  
Fast Waves

A nonlinear mechanism for the damping of fast magnetoacoustic wave in the solar corona is studied. It is shown that the nonlinear coupling of finite-amplitude fast waves to small-scale Alfven waves can be much faster than damping mechanisms involving classic transport coefficients.

Exploring Coronal Structures with SOHO

2000 ◽  
Vol 179 ◽  
pp. 403-406
Author(s):  
M. Karovska ◽  
B. Wood ◽  
J. Chen ◽  
J. Cook ◽  
R. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Solar Corona ◽  
Image Enhancement ◽  
Coronal Mass Ejections ◽  
Dynamical Evolution ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Contrast ◽  
Contrast Structures ◽  
Scale Structures ◽  
Small Scale Structures ◽  
Coronal Structures

AbstractWe applied advanced image enhancement techniques to explore in detail the characteristics of the small-scale structures and/or the low contrast structures in several Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) observed by SOHO. We highlight here the results from our studies of the morphology and dynamical evolution of CME structures in the solar corona using two instruments on board SOHO: LASCO and EIT.

Production of plasma vortices by lower-hybrid waves

1981 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Y. Yu ◽  
P. K. Shukla ◽  
H. U. Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Heating ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Current Drive ◽  
Lower Hybrid ◽  
Magnetic Fluctuations ◽  
Field Diffusion ◽  
Modulational Instabilities ◽  
Hybrid Waves ◽  
Plasma Vortices ◽  
Lower Hybrid Waves

Nonlinear excitation of electrostatic and magnetostatic zero-frequency modes by finite-amplitude lower-hybrid waves is considered. It is found that modulational instabilities can give rise to enhanced plasma vortices. Dispersion relations, as well as analytical expressions for the growth rates, are obtained. The enhanced vortices may cause anomalous cross-field diffusion which can affect plasma confinement in tokamak devices when lower-hybrid waves are used for plasma heating or current drive. We found that magnetic fluctuations associated with the parametrically driven magnetostatic mode are of particular importance in tokamak plasmas.

Nonlinear evolution of the elliptical instability: an example of inertial wave breakdown

1999 ◽  
Vol 396 ◽  
pp. 73-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. MASON ◽  
R. R. KERSWELL
Keyword(s):  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Complex Conjugate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Conjugate Pair ◽  
Weakly Nonlinear ◽  
Elliptical Instability ◽  
Elliptical Flow ◽  
Complex Conjugate Pair ◽  
Generic Instability ◽  
Secondary Instabilities

A direct numerical simulation is presented of an elliptical instability observed in the laboratory within an elliptically distorted, rapidly rotating, fluid-filled cylinder (Malkus 1989). Generically, the instability manifests itself as the pairwise resonance of two different inertial modes with the underlying elliptical flow. We study in detail the simplest ‘subharmonic’ form of the instability where the waves are a complex conjugate pair and which at weakly supercritical elliptical distortion should ultimately saturate at some finite amplitude (Waleffe 1989; Kerswell 1992). Such states have yet to be experimentally identified since the flow invariably breaks down to small-scale disorder. Evidence is presented here to support the argument that such weakly nonlinear states are never seen because they are either unstable to secondary instabilities at observable amplitudes or neighbouring competitor elliptical instabilities grow to ultimately disrupt them. The former scenario confirms earlier work (Kerswell 1999) which highlights the generic instability of inertial waves even at very small amplitudes. The latter represents a first numerical demonstration of two competing elliptical instabilities co-existing in a bounded system.

Solitary Filaments of Coupled Electromagnetic Wave and Finite Amplitude Ion Fluctuations

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 1517-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Shukla ◽  
M. Y. Yu ◽  
S. G. Tagare
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Wave ◽  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Plasma Density ◽  
Large Amplitude ◽  
Small Amplitude ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Nonlinear Coupling ◽  
Incoming Radiation

Abstract We show analytically that the nonlinear coupling of a large amplitude electromagnetic wave with finite amplitude ion fluctuations leads to filamentation. The latter consists of striations of the electromagnetic radiation trapped in depressions of the plasma density. The filamentation is found to be either standing or moving normal to the direction of the incoming radiation. Criteria for the existence of localized filaments are obtained. Small amplitude results are discussed.

The macrodynamics of α-effect dynamos in rotating fluids

1975 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. V. R. Maekus ◽  
M. R. E. Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Past Study ◽  
Ohmic Loss ◽  
General Will ◽  
Rotating Systems ◽  
Stellar Magnetic Fields

Past study of the large-scale consequences of forced small-scale motions in electrically conducting fluids has led to the ‘α-effect’ dynamos. Various linear kinematic aspects of these dynamos have been explored, suggesting their value in the interpretation of observed planetary and stellar magnetic fields. However, large-scale magnetic fields with global boundary conditions can not be force free and in general will cause large-scale motions as they grow. I n this paper the finite amplitude behaviour of global magnetic fields and the large-scale flows induced by them in rotating systems is investigated. In general, viscous and ohmic dissipative mechanisms both play a role in determining the amplitude and structure of the flows and magnetic fields which evolve. In circumstances where ohmic loss is the principal dissipation, it is found that determination of a geo- strophic flow is an essential part of the solution of the basic stability problem. Nonlinear aspects of the theory include flow amplitudes which are independent of the rotation and a total magnetic energy which is directly proportional to the rotation. Constant a is the simplest example exhibiting the various dynamic balances of this stabilizing mechanism for planetary dynamos. A detailed analysis is made for this case to determine the initial equilibrium of fields and flows in a rotating sphere.

scholarly journals Excitation of zonal flow by the modulational instability in electron temperature gradient driven turbulence

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu. A. ZALIZNYAK ◽  
A. I. YAKIMENKO ◽  
V. M. LASHKIN
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Gradient ◽  
Electron Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Modulational Instability ◽  
Zonal Flow ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Drift Waves ◽  
Zonal Flows ◽  
Electron Temperature Gradient

AbstractThe generation of large-scale zonal flows by small-scale electrostatic drift waves in electron temperature gradient driven turbulence model is considered. The generation mechanism is based on the modulational instability of a finite amplitude monochromatic drift wave. The threshold and growth rate of the instability as well as the optimal spatial scale of zonal flow are obtained.

scholarly journals Helioseismology from space, the SOHO project

1988 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 545-548
Author(s):  
V. Domingo
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Corona ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Heliospheric Observatory ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Cluster A ◽  
Physics Programme

As a cornerstone of its long term plan for space science research, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing the Solar Terrestrial Physics Programme that consists of two parts: one, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) for the study of the solar internal structure and the physics of the solar corona and the solar wind, and another, CLUSTER, a series of four spacecraft flying in formation to study small scale plasma phenomena in several regions of the magnetosphere and in the near Earth solar wind. The feasibility of the missions was demonstrated in Phase A studies carried out by industrial consortia under the supervision of ESA (1,2). According to the current plans an announcement of opportunity calling for instrument proposals will be issued by ESA during the first quarter of 1987. It is foreseen that the spacecraft will be launched by the end of 1994.

scholarly journals Excitation of kinetic Alfvén turbulence by MHD waves and energization of space plasmas

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 535-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Voitenko ◽  
M. Goossens
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
Plasma Heating ◽  
Alfven Wave ◽  
Mhd Waves ◽  
Space Plasmas ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Dissipation Range

Abstract. There is abundant observational evidence that the energization of plasma particles in space is correlated with an enhanced activity of large-scale MHD waves. Since these waves cannot interact with particles, we need to find ways for these MHD waves to transport energy in the dissipation range formed by small-scale or high-frequency waves, which are able to interact with particles. In this paper we consider the dissipation range formed by the kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) which are very short- wavelengths across the magnetic field irrespectively of their frequency. We study a nonlocal nonlinear mechanism for the excitation of KAWs by MHD waves via resonant decay AW(FW)→KAW1+KAW2, where the MHD wave can be either an Alfvén wave (AW), or a fast magneto-acoustic wave (FW). The resonant decay thus provides a non-local energy transport from large scales directly in the dissipation range. The decay is efficient at low amplitudes of the magnetic field in the MHD waves, B/B0~10-2. In turn, KAWs are very efficient in the energy exchange with plasma particles, providing plasma heating and acceleration in a variety of space plasmas. An anisotropic energy deposition in the field-aligned degree of freedom for the electrons, and in the cross-field degrees of freedom for the ions, is typical for KAWs. A few relevant examples are discussed concerning nonlinear excitation of KAWs by the MHD wave flux and consequent plasma energization in the solar corona and terrestrial magnetosphere.

The anatomy of the mixing transition in homogeneous and stratified free shear layers

2000 ◽  
Vol 413 ◽  
pp. 1-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. CAULFIELD ◽  
W. R. PELTIER
Keyword(s):  
Shear Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Streamwise Vortex ◽  
Shear Layers ◽  
Finite Amplitude ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Streamwise Vortices ◽  
Free Shear Layers ◽  
Nonlinear Amplification

We investigate the detailed nature of the ‘mixing transition’ through which turbulence may develop in both homogeneous and stratified free shear layers. Our focus is upon the fundamental role in transition, and in particular the associated ‘mixing’ (i.e. small-scale motions which lead to an irreversible increase in the total potential energy of the flow) that is played by streamwise vortex streaks, which develop once the primary and typically two-dimensional Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) billow saturates at finite amplitude.Saturated KH billows are susceptible to a family of three-dimensional secondary instabilities. In homogeneous fluid, secondary stability analyses predict that the stream-wise vortex streaks originate through a ‘hyperbolic’ instability that is localized in the vorticity braids that develop between billow cores. In sufficiently strongly stratified fluid, the secondary instability mechanism is fundamentally different, and is associated with convective destabilization of the statically unstable sublayers that are created as the KH billows roll up.We test the validity of these theoretical predictions by performing a sequence of three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of shear layer evolution, with the flow Reynolds number (defined on the basis of shear layer half-depth and half the velocity difference) Re = 750, the Prandtl number of the fluid Pr = 1, and the minimum gradient Richardson number Ri(0) varying between 0 and 0.1. These simulations quantitatively verify the predictions of our stability analysis, both as to the spanwise wavelength and the spatial localization of the streamwise vortex streaks. We track the nonlinear amplification of these secondary coherent structures, and investigate the nature of the process which actually triggers mixing. Both in stratified and unstratified shear layers, the subsequent nonlinear amplification of the initially localized streamwise vortex streaks is driven by the vertical shear in the evolving mean flow. The two-dimensional flow associated with the primary KH billow plays an essentially catalytic role. Vortex stretching causes the streamwise vortices to extend beyond their initially localized regions, and leads eventually to a streamwise-aligned collision between the streamwise vortices that are initially associated with adjacent cores.It is through this collision of neighbouring streamwise vortex streaks that a final and violent finite-amplitude subcritical transition occurs in both stratified and unstratified shear layers, which drives the mixing process. In a stratified flow with appropriate initial characteristics, the irreversible small-scale mixing of the density which is triggered by this transition leads to the development of a third layer within the flow of relatively well-mixed fluid that is of an intermediate density, bounded by narrow regions of strong density gradient.

scholarly journals Joint Discussion 6: Sun and Heliosphere - Challenges for Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Magneto-and Hydrodynamics

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 291-293
Author(s):  
Martin C.E. Huber ◽  
Arne Pedersen ◽  
Claus Fröhlich
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Plasma Heating ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Plasma Boundary ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
Terrestrial Magnetosphere ◽  
Surrounding Space

There is one astrophysical system, where the sites of a star’s mass loss can be localised and observed in detail, and where the behaviour of the resulting stellar wind in the star’s environment and around orbiting obstacles can be investigated in situ: it is the Sun, the heliosphere and the surroundings of planets — among the latter most prominently the terrestrial magnetosphere. Indeed, within a year or so a fleet of satellites equipped with sophisticated remote-sensing and in-situ instruments will make this astronomical paradigm, or more precisely, the solar-terrestrial system accessible to intensive, multi-disciplinary study.Four identical CLUSTER spacecraft, orbiting the Earth within the magnetosphere, the surrounding space and the particularly interesting plasma boundary layers will perform a three-dimensional in-situ study of plasma-heating, particle-acceleration and other small-scale plasma processes (Schmidt and Goldstein,1988). A number of other missions — some of them already in orbit, like GEOTAIL and WIND, some to be launched within one or two years, like INTERBALL and POLAR — will provide information about the Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind on larger spatial scales. These missions are described in a Brochure issued jointly by the European Space Agency, NASA, the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronomical Science and the Rssian Space Agency, which can be obtained from A. Pedersen at the above address.

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