Whistler turbulence at the magnetopause: 1. Reduced equations and linear theory

Vetoulis, G.; Drake, J. F.

doi:10.1029/1998ja900112

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…This same KH event also contained large‐amplitude, parallel, electrostatic waves (Wilder et al., 2016). The reconnection process is closely associated with the development of kinetic‐scale fluctuations (Chaston et al., 2005, 2009; Drake et al., 1994; Gershman et al., 2017; Vetoulis & Drake, 1999). Whistler modes and KAWs can be produced by current‐driven instabilities and may play a role in magnetic reconnection and plasma transport (Chaston et al., 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MMS Observations of the Multiscale Wave Structures and Parallel Electron Heating in the Vicinity of the Southern Exterior Cusp

Nykyri

Burkholder

et al. 2021

JGR Space Physics

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Understanding the physical mechanisms responsible for the cross-scale energy transport and plasma heating from solar wind into the Earth's magnetosphere is of fundamental importance for magnetospheric physics and for understanding these processes in other places in the universe with comparable plasma parameter ranges. This paper presents observations from the Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) mission at the dawn-side high-latitude dayside boundary layer on February 25, 2016 between 18:55 and 20:05 UT. During this interval, MMS encountered both the inner and outer boundary layers with quasiperiodic low frequency fluctuations in all plasma and field parameters. The frequency analysis and growth rate calculations are consistent with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). The intervals within the low frequency wave structures contained several counter-streaming, low-(0-200 eV) and mid-energy (200 eV-2 keV) electrons in the loss cone and trapped energetic (70-600 keV) electrons in alternate intervals. The counter-streaming electron intervals were associated with large-magnitude field-aligned Poynting fluxes. Burst mode data at the large Alfvén velocity gradient revealed a strong correlation between counter streaming electrons, enhanced parallel electron temperatures, strong antifield aligned wave Poynting fluxes, and wave activity from sub-proton cyclotron frequencies extending to electron cyclotron frequency. Waves were identified as Kinetic Alfvén waves but their contribution to parallel electron heating was not sufficient to explain the >100 eV electrons, and rapid nonadiabatic heating of the boundary layer as determined by the characteristic heating frequency, derived here for the first time. Plain Language Summary Electrons, The Riders of the Space Hurricane: Earth's magnetic field forms a barrier in the solar wind, called the magnetosphere, which provides some shielding against solar radiation and galactic cosmic rays. However, this shield can be penetrated by process called magnetic reconnection, and secondary processes created by giant "fluid-scale" space hurricanes (typically 20,000-36,000 km in wave length) aka Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) waves that are whipped along the magnetic barrier by solar wind flow. One of the puzzling problems of the Earth's magnetosphere is that it is so hot: both electrons and ions are heated to tens of millions of degrees when they get transported from solar wind through the Earth's magnetic barrier. This article shows observations of multiscale wave structures, spanning the fluid-scales, ion scales and electron scales detected by the NASA's magnetosphere multiscale mission consisting of four satellites. We show how these large-scale waves contain ion and electron scale waves that are able to produce some of the observed electron heating and acceleration. We "fingerprint" the exact plasma wave modes (tornadoes) inside the space hurricane that are responsible for resonantly whipping and transferring the wave energy to the electrons surfing the wave. NYKYRI ET AL.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MMS Observations of the Multiscale Wave Structures and Parallel Electron Heating in the Vicinity of the Southern Exterior Cusp

Nykyri

Burkholder

et al. 2021

JGR Space Physics

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“…Whistler-mode and compressional ULF turbulences could accelerate electrons in the magnetospheric plasmas close to the Earth's synchronous orbit [31]. The magnetopause and the bow-shock zones have also been explored for whistler turbulence [32,33]. A unique research setting for investigating compressible plasma turbulence is provided by Jupiter's magnetosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Jovian Magnetosheath Turbulence Driven by Whistler

Dwivedi,

Singh,

Khodachenko

et al. 2024

Phys. Scr.

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Jupiter's magnetosheath is a natural yet complex laboratory for analyzing compressible plasma turbulence. Recent observations by the Juno mission provide a promising opportunity for the first time to reckon the energy cascade rate in the magnetohydrodynamic scales in the vicinity of Jupiter's space. In the present work, a two-dimensional model is constructed for a whistler wave that is nonlinearly coupled with a wave magnetic field via ion density perturbation. The dynamics of whistler wave propagating in the direction of the magnetic field are derived within the limit of the two-fluid modeling approach. The magnetic field localization along with magnetic field spectra and spectral slope variations are estimated to realize the turbulence generation and energy cascade from large to small scales in the Jovian magnetosheath region. The simulated magnetic field spectrum in the wave number (in the unit of ion inertial length ρi) consists of turbulence in the inertial range with a spectral slope of -1.4 and a spectral knee at kρi = 1. Subsequently, the spectral slope increases to -2.6 and the spectrum becomes steeper. The simulated magnetic field spectrum in the wave number is further translated into the frequency domain using the whistler wave dispersion relation and by considering the Taylor frozen-in condition. The analytically estimated magnetic field spectrum slopes, i.e., -1.8 and -4.2 at low and high frequencies are further compared with recent Juno mission observations. The comparison further affirms the existence of Kolmogorov scaling, a spectral knee, and steepening in the spectrum at high frequencies. Furthermore, it is found that the two-fluid model can reasonably simulate the turbulence effects in Jovian magnetosheath in terms of magnetic field spectral distribution in wave number and frequency domains.

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“…The whistler mode turbulence can accelerate substorm injection electrons with several hundreds of keV through wave–particle gyroresonant interaction and hence may play an important role in the electron acceleration during substorms (Li et al 2005). Vetoulis & Drake (1999) describe whistler turbulence at the magnetopause. Whistler mode turbulence can be triggered by electron beams in earth’s bow shock (Tokar, Gurnett & Feldman 1984).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inhomogeneous whistler turbulence in space plasmas

Shaikh¹

2010

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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A non‐linear two‐dimensional fluid model of whistler turbulence is developed that non‐linearly couples wave magnetic field with electron density perturbations. This coupling leads essentially to finite compressibility effects in whistler turbulence model. Interestingly it is found from our simulations that despite strong compressibility effects, the density fluctuations couple only weakly to the wave magnetic field fluctuations. In a characteristic regime where large‐scale whistlers are predominant, the weakly coupled density fluctuations do not modify inertial range energy cascade processes. Consequently, the turbulent energy is dominated by the large‐scale (compared to electron inertial length) eddies and it follows a Kolmogorov‐like k−7/3 spectrum, where k is a characteristic wavenumber. The weak coupling of the density fluctuations is explained on the basis of a whistler wave parameter that quantifies the contribution of density perturbations in the wave magnetic field.

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Whistler turbulence at the magnetopause: 1. Reduced equations and linear theory

Cited by 14 publications

References 18 publications

MMS Observations of the Multiscale Wave Structures and Parallel Electron Heating in the Vicinity of the Southern Exterior Cusp

MMS Observations of the Multiscale Wave Structures and Parallel Electron Heating in the Vicinity of the Southern Exterior Cusp

Jovian Magnetosheath Turbulence Driven by Whistler

Inhomogeneous whistler turbulence in space plasmas

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