Evolution of the electron velocity distribution under the presence of whistler waves in the solar wind (high-cadence Solar Orbiter observations)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bercic ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Velocity Distribution ◽  
Electron Velocity ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Momentum Exchange ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Electro Magnetic ◽  
Halo Population ◽  
High Cadence

<div> <div> <div> <p>The solar coronal plasma which escapes the Sun’s gravity and expands through our solar system is called the solar wind. It consists mainly of electrons and protons, carries the Sun’s magnetic field and, at most heliocentric distances, remains weakly-collisional. Due to their small mass, the solar wind electrons have much higher thermal velocity than their positively charged counterpart, and play an important role in the solar wind energetics by carrying the heat flux away from the Sun. Their velocity distribution functions (VDFs) are complex, usually modeled by three components. While the majority of electrons belong to the low-energetic thermal Maxwellian core population, some reach higher velocities, forming either the magnetic field aligned strahl population, or an isotropic high-energy halo population. This shape of the electron VDF is a product of the interplay between<br>Coulomb collisions, adiabatic expansion, global and local electro-magnetic fields and turbulence.<br>In this work we focus on the effects of local electro-magnetic wave activity on electron VDF, taking advantage of the early measurements made by the novel heliospheric Solar Orbiter mission. The high- cadence sampling of 2-dimensional electron VDFs by the electrostatic analyser SWA-EAS, together with the EM wave data collected by the seach-coil magnetometers and electric-field antennas, part of</p> </div> </div> </div><div> <div> <div> <p>the RPW instrument suit, allow a direct investigation of the wave-particle energy and momentum exchange. We present the evolution of the electron VDF in the presence of quasi-parallel and oblique whistler waves, believed to be responsible for scattering the strahl and creating the halo population (Verscharen et al. 2019; Micera et al. 2020).</p> </div> </div> </div>

Particle-In-Cell simulations of resonant interactions between whistler waves and electrons in the near-Sun solar wind: scattering of the strahl into the halo and heat flux regulation.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfredo Micera ◽  
Andrei Zhukov ◽  
Rodrigo A. López ◽  
Maria Elena Innocenti ◽  
Marian Lazar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Velocity Distribution ◽  
Pitch Angle ◽  
Electron Velocity ◽  
Magnetic Field Direction ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Electron Velocity Distribution ◽  
Particle In Cell

<p>Electron velocity distribution functions, initially composed of core and strahl populations as typically encountered in the near-Sun solar wind and as recently observed by Parker Solar Probe, have been modeled via fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell simulations. It has been demonstrated that, as a consequence of the evolution of the electron velocity distribution function, two branches of the whistler heat flux instability can be excited, which can drive whistler waves propagating in the direction parallel or oblique to the background magnetic field. First, the strahl undergoes pitch-angle scattering with oblique whistler waves, which provokes the reduction of the strahl drift velocity and the simultaneous broadening of its pitch angle distribution. Moreover, the interaction with the oblique whistler waves results in the scattering towards higher perpendicular velocities of resonant strahl electrons and in the appearance of a suprathermal halo population which, at higher energies, deviates from the Maxwellian distribution. Later on, the excited whistler waves shift towards smaller angles of propagation and secondary scattering processes with quasi-parallel whistler waves lead to a redistribution of the scattered particles into a more symmetric halo. All processes are accompanied by a significant decrease of the heat flux carried by the strahl population along the magnetic field direction, although the strongest heat flux rate decrease is simultaneous with the propagation of the oblique whistler waves.</p>

scholarly journals Whistler waves observed by Solar Orbiter during its first orbit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Kretschmar ◽  
Thomas Chust ◽  
Daniel Graham ◽  
Volodya Krasnosekskikh ◽  
Lucas Colomban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Heliocentric Distance ◽  
Plasma Waves ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Velocity Distribution Functions ◽  
The Waves

<p>Plasma waves can play an important role in the evolution of the solar wind and the particle velocity distribution functions in particular. We analyzed the electromagnetic waves observed above a few Hz by the Radio Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument suite onboard Solar Orbiter, during its first orbit, which covered a distance from the Sun between 1 AU and 0.5 AU.  We identified the majority of the detected waves as whistler waves with frequency around  0.1 f_ce and right handed circular polarisation. We found these waves to be mostly aligned or anti aligned with the ambient magnetic field, and rarely oblique. We also present and discuss their direction of propagation and the variation of the waves' properties with heliocentric distance.</p>

scholarly journals Interaction of suprathermal solar wind electron fluxes with sheared whistler waves: fan instability

2003 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1393-1403 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Krafft ◽  
A. Volokitin
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Energetic Electron ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Electron Velocity ◽  
Lower Hybrid ◽  
Whistler Waves ◽  
Electron Velocity Distribution ◽  
Radio Science ◽  
Ambient Magnetic Field

Abstract. Several in situ measurements performed in the solar wind evidenced that solar type III radio bursts were some-times associated with locally excited Langmuir waves, high-energy electron fluxes and low-frequency electrostatic and electromagnetic waves; moreover, in some cases, the simultaneous identification of energetic electron fluxes, Langmuir and whistler waves was performed. This paper shows how whistlers can be excited in the disturbed solar wind through the so-called "fan instability" by interacting with energetic electrons at the anomalous Doppler resonance. This instability process, which is driven by the anisotropy in the energetic electron velocity distribution along the ambient magnetic field, does not require any positive slope in the suprathermal electron tail and thus can account for physical situations where plateaued reduced electron velocity distributions were observed in solar wind plasmas in association with Langmuir and whistler waves. Owing to linear calculations of growth rates, we show that for disturbed solar wind conditions (that is, when suprathermal particle fluxes propagate along the ambient magnetic field), the fan instability can excite VLF waves (whistlers and lower hybrid waves) with characteristics close to those observed in space experiments.Key words. Space plasma physics (waves and instabilities) – Radio Science (waves in plasma) – Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy (radio emissions)

MHD and Ion Kinetic Waves in Field-aligned Flows Observed by Parker Solar Probe

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (2) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
L.-L. Zhao ◽  
G. P. Zank ◽  
J. S. He ◽  
D. Telloni ◽  
L. Adhikari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Whistler Wave ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Fast Mode ◽  
Magnetic Fluctuations ◽  
Background Magnetic Field ◽  
Ion Cyclotron

Abstract Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed predominately Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind near the Sun where the magnetic field tends to be radially aligned. In this paper, two magnetic-field-aligned solar wind flow intervals during PSP’s first two orbits are analyzed. Observations of these intervals indicate strong signatures of parallel/antiparallel-propagating waves. We utilize multiple analysis techniques to extract the properties of the observed waves in both magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic scales. At the MHD scale, outward-propagating Alfvén waves dominate both intervals, and outward-propagating fast magnetosonic waves present the second-largest contribution in the spectral energy density. At kinetic scales, we identify the circularly polarized plasma waves propagating near the proton gyrofrequency in both intervals. However, the sense of magnetic polarization in the spacecraft frame is observed to be opposite in the two intervals, although they both possess a sunward background magnetic field. The ion-scale plasma wave observed in the first interval can be either an inward-propagating ion cyclotron wave (ICW) or an outward-propagating fast-mode/whistler wave in the plasma frame, while in the second interval it can be explained as an outward ICW or inward fast-mode/whistler wave. The identification of the exact kinetic wave mode is more difficult to confirm owing to the limited plasma data resolution. The presence of ion-scale waves near the Sun suggests that ion cyclotron resonance may be one of the ubiquitous kinetic physical processes associated with small-scale magnetic fluctuations and kinetic instabilities in the inner heliosphere.

The Sun

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna D. Haigh ◽  
Peter Cargill
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar Atmosphere ◽  
Space Weather ◽  
Extreme Ultraviolet ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Earth’S Climate ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Terrestrial Magnetic Field

This chapter discusses how there are four general factors that contribute to the Sun's potential role in variations in the Earth's climate. First, the fusion processes in the solar core determine the solar luminosity and hence the base level of radiation impinging on the Earth. Second, the presence of the solar magnetic field leads to radiation at ultraviolet (UV), extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and X-ray wavelengths which can affect certain layers of the atmosphere. Third, the variability of the magnetic field over a 22-year cycle leads to significant changes in the radiative output at some wavelengths. Finally, the interplanetary manifestation of the outer solar atmosphere (the solar wind) interacts with the terrestrial magnetic field, leading to effects commonly called space weather.

scholarly journals The evolution of inverted magnetic fields through the inner heliosphere

2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (3) ◽  
pp. 3642-3655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan R Macneil ◽  
Mathew J Owens ◽  
Robert T Wicks ◽  
Mike Lockwood ◽  
Sarah N Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Radial Distance ◽  
Occurrence Rate ◽  
Slow Solar Wind ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Radial Evolution ◽  
In Transit ◽  
The Magnetic Field ◽  
Inner Heliosphere

ABSTRACT Local inversions are often observed in the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF), but their origins and evolution are not yet fully understood. Parker Solar Probe has recently observed rapid, Alfvénic, HMF inversions in the inner heliosphere, known as ‘switchbacks’, which have been interpreted as the possible remnants of coronal jets. It has also been suggested that inverted HMF may be produced by near-Sun interchange reconnection; a key process in mechanisms proposed for slow solar wind release. These cases suggest that the source of inverted HMF is near the Sun, and it follows that these inversions would gradually decay and straighten as they propagate out through the heliosphere. Alternatively, HMF inversions could form during solar wind transit, through phenomena such velocity shears, draping over ejecta, or waves and turbulence. Such processes are expected to lead to a qualitatively radial evolution of inverted HMF structures. Using Helios measurements spanning 0.3–1 au, we examine the occurrence rate of inverted HMF, as well as other magnetic field morphologies, as a function of radial distance r, and find that it continually increases. This trend may be explained by inverted HMF observed between 0.3 and 1 au being primarily driven by one or more of the above in-transit processes, rather than created at the Sun. We make suggestions as to the relative importance of these different processes based on the evolution of the magnetic field properties associated with inverted HMF. We also explore alternative explanations outside of our suggested driving processes which may lead to the observed trend.

The Magnetosphere of Uranus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Cao ◽  
Carol Paty
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Hubble Space Telescope ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Rotational Axis ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
The North ◽  
Voyager 2

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Please check back later for the full article. A magnetosphere is formed by the interaction between the magnetic field of a planet and the high-speed solar wind. Those planets with a magnetosphere have an intrinsic magnetic field such as Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. Mars, especially, has no global magnetosphere, but evidence shows that a paleo-magnetosphere existed billions of years ago and was dampened then due to some reasons such as the change of internal activity. A magnetosphere is very important for the habitable environment of a planet because it provides the foremost and only protection for the planet from the energetic solar wind radiation. The majority of planets with a magnetosphere in our solar system have been studied for decades except for Uranus and Neptune, which are known as ice giant planets. This is because they are too far away from us (about 19 AU from the Sun), which means they are very difficult to directly detect. Compared to many other space detections to other planets, for example, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and some of their moons, the only single fly-by measurement was made by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in the 1980s. The data it sent back to us showed that Uranus has a very unusual magnetosphere, which indicated that Uranus has a very large obliquity, which means its rotational axis is about 97.9° away from the north direction, with a relative rapid (17.24 hours) daily rotation. Besides, the magnetic axis is tilted 59° away from its rotational axis, and the magnetic dipole of the planet is off center, shifting 1/3 radii of Uranus toward its geometric south pole. Due to these special geometric and magnetic structures, Uranus has an extremely dynamic and asymmetric magnetosphere. Some remote observations revealed that the aurora emission from the surface of Uranus distributed at low latitude locations, which has rarely happened on other planets. Meanwhile, it indicated that solar wind plays a significant impact on the surface of Uranus even if the distance from the Sun is much farther than that of many other planets. A recent study, using numerical simulation, showed that Uranus has a “Switch-like” magnetosphere that allows its global magnetosphere to open and close periodically with the planetary rotation. In this article, we will review the historic studies of Uranus’s magnetosphere and then summarize the current progress in this field. Specifically, we will discuss the Voyager 2 spacecraft measurement, the ground-based and space-based observations such as Hubble Space Telescope, and the cutting-edge numerical simulations on it. We believe that the current progress provides important scientific context to boost future ice giant detection.

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