Proton Beam Abundance Variations and Their Relation to Alpha Particle Properties

Less abundant but still dynamically important solar wind components are the proton beam and alpha particles, which usually contribute similarly to the total ion momentum. The main characteristics of alpha particles are determined by the solar wind source region, but the origin of the proton beam and its properties are still not fully explained. We use the plasma data measured in situ on the path from 0.3 to 1 au (Helios 1 and 2) and focus on the proton beam development with an increasing radial distance as well as on the connection between the proton beam and alpha particle properties. We found that the proton beam relative abundance increases with increasing distance from the Sun in the collisionally young streams. Among the mechanisms suggested for beam creation, we have identified the wave–particle interactions with obliquely propagating Alfvén modes being consistent with observations. As the solar wind streams get collisionally older, the proton beam decay gradually dominates and the beam abundance is reduced. In search for responsible mechanisms, we found that the content of alpha particles is correlated with the proton beam abundance, and this effect is more pronounced in the fast solar wind streams during the solar maximum. We suggest that Coulomb collisions are the main agent leading to merging of the proton beam and core. We are also showing that the variations of the proton beam abundance are correlated with a decrease of the alpha particle velocity in order to maintain the total momentum balance in the solar wind frame.

Large-scale Structure and Turbulence Transport in the Inner Solar Wind: Comparison of Parker Solar Probe’s First Five Orbits with a Global 3D Reynolds-averaged MHD Model

Simulation results from a global magnetohydrodynamic model of the solar corona and solar wind are compared with Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations during its first five orbits. The fully three-dimensional model is based on Reynolds-averaged mean-flow equations coupled with turbulence-transport equations. The model includes the effects of electron heat conduction, Coulomb collisions, turbulent Reynolds stresses, and heating of protons and electrons via a turbulent cascade. Turbulence-transport equations for average turbulence energy, cross helicity, and correlation length are solved concurrently with the mean-flow equations. Boundary conditions at the coronal base are specified using solar synoptic magnetograms. Plasma, magnetic field, and turbulence parameters are calculated along the PSP trajectory. Data from the first five orbits are aggregated to obtain trends as a function of heliocentric distance. Comparison of simulation results with PSP data shows good agreement, especially for mean-flow parameters. Synthetic distributions of magnetic fluctuations are generated, constrained by the local rms turbulence amplitude given by the model. Properties of this computed turbulence are compared with PSP observations.

The Transport and Evolution of MHD Turbulence throughout the Heliosphere: Models and Observations

A detailed study of solar wind turbulence throughout the heliosphere in both the upwind and downwind directions is presented. We use an incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence model that includes the effects of electrons, the separation of turbulence energy into proton and electron heating, the electron heat flux, and Coulomb collisions between protons and electrons. We derive expressions for the turbulence cascade rate corresponding to the energy in forward and backward propagating modes, the fluctuating kinetic and magnetic energy, the normalized cross-helicity, and the normalized residual energy, and calculate the turbulence cascade rate from 0.17 to 75 au in the upwind and downwind directions. Finally, we use the turbulence transport models to derive cosmic ray (CR) parallel and perpendicular mean free paths (mfps) in the upwind and downwind heliocentric directions. We find that turbulence in the upwind and downwind directions is different, in part because of the asymmetric distribution of new born pickup ions in the two directions, which results in the CR mfps being different in the two directions. This is important for models that describe the modulation of cosmic rays by the solar wind.

An energy and momentum conserving collisional bracket for the guiding-centre Vlasov–Maxwell–Landau model

This paper proposes a metric bracket for representing Coulomb collisions in the so-called guiding-centre Vlasov–Maxwell–Landau model. The bracket is manufactured to preserve the same energy and momentum functionals as does the Vlasov–Maxwell part and to simultaneously satisfy a revised version of the H-theorem, where the equilibrium distributions with respect to collisional dynamics are identified as Maxwellians. This is achieved by exploiting the special projective nature of the Landau collision operator and the simple form of the system's momentum functional. A discussion regarding a possible extension of the results to electromagnetic drift-kinetic and gyrokinetic systems is included. We anticipate that energy conservation and entropy dissipation can always be manufactured whereas guaranteeing momentum conservation is a delicate matter yet to be resolved.

Implementation of neutralizing fields for particle–particle simulations using like charges

The particle–particle (PP) model has a growing number of applications in plasma simulations, because of its high accuracy of solving Coulomb collisions. One of the main issues restricting the practical use of the PP model is its large computational cost, which is now becoming acceptable thanks to state-of-art parallel computing techniques. Another issue is the singularity that occurs when two particles are too close. The most effective approach of avoiding the singularity would be to simulate particles with only like charges plus a neutralizing field, such that the short-range collisions are equivalent to those of using unlike charges. In this paper, we introduce a way of adding the neutralizing field by using the analytical solution of the electric field in the domain filled with uniformly distributed charges, for applications with homogeneous and quasi-neutral plasmas under a reflective boundary condition. Two most common Cartesian domain geometries, cubic and spherical, are considered. The model is verified by comparing simulation results with an analytical solution of an electron–ion temperature relaxation problem, and a corresponding simulation using unlike charges. In addition, it is found that a PP simulation using like charges can achieve a significant speed-up of 100 compared with a corresponding simulation using unlike charges, due to the capability of using larger time steps while maintaining the same energy conservation.

Beginnings of Developing Kinetic Scenarios of Plasma Evolution Due to Coulomb Collisions

A new logic of reducing the two-time formalism to a highly informative scenario of redistribution of plasma particles in momentum due to Coulomb collisions is reported. Based on objective plasma evolution equations following from a properly reduced full plasma description, it has a more sound foundation than that presented in the previous report on increasing the informativeness of scenarios of the phenomenon. The possibilities of adapting the approach to the further development of more informative scenarios of plasma collisional relaxation and the modelling of transport phenomena are discussed.

Large-scale Structure and Turbulence Transport in the Young Solar Wind – Comparison of Parker Solar Probe Observations with a Global 3D Reynolds-averaged MHD Model

<div>Simulation results from a global <span>magnetohydrodynamic</span> model of the solar corona and the solar wind are compared with Parker Solar <span>Probe's</span> (<span>PSP</span>) observations during its first several orbits. The fully three-dimensional model (<span>Usmanov</span> <span>et</span> <span>al</span>., 2018, <span>ApJ</span>, 865, 25) is based on Reynolds-averaged mean-flow equations coupled with turbulence transport equations. The model accounts for effects of electron heat conduction, Coulomb collisions, Reynolds stresses, and heating of protons and electrons via nonlinear turbulent cascade. Turbulence transport equations for turbulence energy, cross <span>helicity</span>, and correlation length are solved concurrently with the mean-flow equations. We specify boundary conditions at the coronal base using solar synoptic <span>magnetograms</span> and calculate plasma, magnetic field, and turbulence parameters along the <span>PSP</span> trajectory. We also accumulate data from all orbits considered, to obtain the trends observed as a function of heliocentric distance. Comparison of simulation results with <span>PSP</span> data show general agreement. Finally, we generate synthetic fluctuations constrained by the local rms turbulence amplitude given by the model, and compare properties of this synthetic turbulence with PSP observations.</div>

The formation and evolution of the electron strahl in the inner heliosphere

<p>The electrons in the solar wind exhibit an interesting kinetic substructure with many important implications for the overall energetics of the plasma in the heliosphere. We are especially interested in the formation and evolution of the electron strahl, a field-aligned beam of superthermal electrons, in the heliosphere. We develop a kinetic transport equation for typical heliospheric conditions based on a Parker-spiral geometry of the magnetic field. We present the results of our theoretical model for the radial evolution of the electron velocity distribution function (VDF) in the solar wind. We study the effects of the adiabatic focusing of energetic electrons, wave-particle interactions, and Coulomb collisions through a generalized kinetic equation for the electron VDF. We compare and contrast our results with the observed effects in the electron VDFs from space missions that explore the radial evolution of electrons in the inner heliosphere such as Helios, Parker Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter.</p>