Erratum: Collisionless Heating of the Solar-Wind Plasma. I. Theory of the Heating of Collisionless Plasma by Hydromagnetic Waves

<p>Plasma turbulence is ubiquitous in space and astrophysical environments and believed to play important role in a variety of space and astrophysical phenomena ranging from the entry of &#160;energetic particles in Earth's magnetic environment and non-adiabatic heating of the solar wind plasma to star formation in inter stellar medium. Space and astrophysical plasmas are usually magnetized and collisionless. An unsolved problem in turbulent collisionless plasmas, e.g., the solar wind, is the mechanism of dissipation of macroscopic energy into heat without collisional dissipation. A number of observational and simulation studies show that kinetic sale current sheets formed self-consistently in collisionless plasma turbulence are the sites of the dissipation. Mechanisms of dissipation in current sheets are, however,&#160; not well understood. Free energy sources in and equilibrium structure of current sheets are important factors in the determination of the dissipation mechanism. Recent PIC hybrid simulations (with mass-less electrons) of collisionless plasma turbulence show that current sheets thin down to below ion inertial length with current carried mainly by electrons. This can lead &#160;to embedded current sheet structure which was recently studied analytically. &#160;We carry out 2-D PIC-hybrid simulations (with finite-mass electrons) using a recently developed code CHIEF to study the free energy sources and structure of current sheets formed in turbulence. In this paper, we focus on &#160;the spatial gradient driven free energy sources and embedded structure of current sheets. &#160;The results are compared to the results obtained from hybrid simulations with mass-less electrons.&#160;</p>

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A review of the SCOSTEP’s 5-year scientific program VarSITI—Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact

Progress in Earth and Planetary Science ◽

10.1186/s40645-021-00410-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kazuo Shiokawa ◽

Katya Georgieva

Keyword(s):

Solar Wind ◽

Interplanetary Space ◽

Solar Wind Plasma ◽

The Sun ◽

Scientific Program ◽

Solar Cycles ◽

Grand Minimum ◽

The Earth ◽

Earth Connection ◽

Near Future

AbstractThe Sun is a variable active-dynamo star, emitting radiation in all wavelengths and solar-wind plasma to the interplanetary space. The Earth is immersed in this radiation and solar wind, showing various responses in geospace and atmosphere. This Sun–Earth connection variates in time scales from milli-seconds to millennia and beyond. The solar activity, which has a ~11-year periodicity, is gradually declining in recent three solar cycles, suggesting a possibility of a grand minimum in near future. VarSITI—variability of the Sun and its terrestrial impact—was the 5-year program of the scientific committee on solar-terrestrial physics (SCOSTEP) in 2014–2018, focusing on this variability of the Sun and its consequences on the Earth. This paper reviews some background of SCOSTEP and its past programs, achievements of the 5-year VarSITI program, and remaining outstanding questions after VarSITI.

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