Strongly nonlinear magnetosonic waves and ion acceleration

Bernhard Rau,Toshi Tajima

doi:10.1063/1.873076

Abstract

The electromagnetic fields associated with a nonlinear compressional Alfvén wave propagating perpendicular to an arbitrarily strong external magnetic field are derived. While recovering the known properties of nonlinear Alfvén waves in the weakly magnetized regime, new scaling laws are found for the strongly magnetized case. It is shown that the electric field increases only with the first power of the external magnetic field strength for the strongly magnetized and high phase velocity case relevant for ion acceleration to high energies. An experimental setup suitable for the pickup and acceleration of background plasma ions that is not subjected to detrapping of ions due to a v×B acceleration is sketched.

Highlights

(4- an angle 8, 5 8 5 7r/2, where 8, = arctan with Mi and me being the ion and electron mass, respectively) to the external magnetic field can cause some of the ions to become trapped inside the electrostatic potential generated by the charge separation of the plasma ahead of the shock and become accelerated perpendicular to the shock front as well as parallel to it
For magnetosonic wave structures with V A / C
In this letter we report on the properties of highly nonlinear compressional Alfv6n waves in plasmas of arbitrary magnetization

Summary

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