Ambient Magnetic Field Strength Research Articles

Acceleration of solar wind particles due to inertial Alfvén waves

Gaining an understanding of the effects and dynamics of the solar wind is crucial for the study of space weather, Earth's magnetosphere, spacecraft protection, the dynamics of the Solar System, and various other subjects. Observations show that Alfvén waves effectively transfer energy to resonant particles. This study demonstrates how inertial Alfvén waves deliver their energy to resonant plasma particles in different solar environments under certain conditions. The analysis shows that inertial Alfvén waves experience more rapid damping with increasing parallel wavenumber, ambient magnetic field strength, and particle number density, coupled with a decrease in temperature. The rate of energy transfer to resonant particles intensifies with higher temperatures and reduced parallel wavenumber and particle number density. Particles with higher initial velocities actively participate in Landau damping, especially in regions with a stronger ambient magnetic field.

Magnetic signatures of lunar impact craters

The Moon almost certainly had an internally generated magnetic field in its past, but the duration of the dynamo, its temporal stability, and the surface field intensity are poorly known. Impact cratering events heat portions of the crust above the Curie temperature, allowing the ambient magnetic field strength to be recorded as the crater cools. We systematically analyzed the magnetic signatures of lunar impact craters with diameters greater than 90 km using recent magnetic field models and crater databases. Craters were classified as having evidence for impact-related central magnetization or demagnetization, and synthetic magnetic field models were used to estimate the number of incorrect identifications. In total, about 15% of craters were found to have impact-related magnetized or demagnetized signatures. The proportion of pre-Nectarian and Nectarian aged craters in the magnetized class is about 2%–3%, and there is little evidence for magnetized craters in the Imbrian and younger periods. The percentage of craters in the demagnetized class is about 0.3%–3% in the pre-Nectarian and Nectarian periods and abruptly increases to 16% in the Imbrian period. Our observations are consistent with the presence of strong dynamo fields during portions of the older pre-Nectarian and Nectarian periods, with a weakening (or cessation) of the dynamo at the beginning of the younger Imbrian period. These results differ from paleomagnetic analyses of lunar samples that imply the existence of strong dynamo field strengths from the pre-Nectarian up until at least the first half of the Imbrian period.

Mars Global Distribution of the External Magnetic Field and Its Variability: MAVEN Observation and MHD Prediction

AbstractWe study the average global distribution of the external magnetic field at Mars, and its variability with the upstream solar wind dynamic pressure and interplanetary magnetic field as well as with the ambient crustal magnetic field strength. Our approach involves excluding the intrinsic planetary field from the total magnetic field by applying a crustal field model previously derived using low altitude measurements. The distribution of the average external field that remains is statistically analyzed using nearly 8 years of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) observations and several global, time‐dependent magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Overall consistent results have been obtained from the data and model, which are complementary to each other and cross validate the findings. It is found that the external field is significantly enhanced from the upstream across the bow shock (BS) and further intensifies closer to the planet in the topside ionosphere. It peaks at ∼170 km altitude near the subsolar point, significantly decreasing with increasing solar zenith angle. There is a strong day‐night asymmetry in the external field, with a typical dayside intensity of ∼15–50 nT and a nightside intensity of ∼5–15 nT. Under high solar wind dynamic pressures and IMFs, the external field may be enhanced by a factor of ∼2 everywhere below the BS, on both the dayside and nightside. In addition, our model results suggest that strong crustal fields, which effectively withstand the penetration of the solar wind, reduce the external field at low altitudes.

Dust ion-acoustic dromions in Saturn’s magnetosphere

ABSTRACTMotivated by observations of localized electrostatic wavepackets by the Cassini – and (earlier) by Voyager 1 and 2 – mission(s) in Saturn’s magnetosphere, we have investigated the existence conditions and the dynamical evolution of localized multidimensional structures in the Saturnian dusty plasma environment. To this effect, we have adopted a plasma-fluid model for dust-ion acoustic excitations, taking into account the presence of a highly energetic (suprathermal, kappa-distributed) electron population in combination with massive dust dust particulates in the background. A multiple scales perturbation method was shown to lead to a Davey--Stewartson (DS) system of evolution equations, if one assumes perpendicular carrier wave propagation across the magnetic field (direction). The system is then shown to possess two regimes mainly, known in the literature as DS-I and DS-II. In the former case, if certain conditions are fulfilled, exponentially localized solutions are obtained, known as dromions. The combined effects of various physical parameters, such as the electron spectral index, the ambient magnetic field (strength), and the dust concentration, have been examined. A numerical investigation reveals that the dromion amplitude increases with higher dust concentration, whereas it decreases for lower κe (i.e. with an increase in the suprathermal electron population component). A stronger magnetic field results in higher amplitude but narrower dromions. Our results provide a comprehensive framework for modeling modulated electrostatic wavepackets, in direct comparison with experimental data in planetary environments, in Saturn’s magnetosphere and elsewhere.

Self-similar solutions in cylindrical magneto-hydrodynamic blast waves with energy injection at the centre

ABSTRACT The evolution of shocks induced by massive stars does not depend only on the ambient magnetic field strength, but also on its orientation. In the present work, the dynamics of a magnetized blast wave is investigated under the influence of both azimuthal and axial ambient magnetic fields. The blast wave is driven by a central source and forms a shell that results from the accumulation of interstellar matter behind the shock front. A similarity form of the ambient magnetic field and a cylindrical geometry of the blast wave are assumed to obtain self-similar solutions. The model is studied separately for both azimuthal and axial magnetic field and applied to stellar wind bubbles and supernova remnants respectively, using 1D numerical simulations. We found that the magnetized blast wave differs from the self-similar case without an ambient magnetic field. The forward shock front goes slower in the azimuthal case and faster in the axial one. For both tangential orientations, the thickness of the shell increases with the magnetic strength. In the azimuthal case, the thermal energy can be converted to magnetic energy near the inner boundary of the shell. Thus, the temperature drops and the magnetic field increases at the tangential discontinuity of the stellar wind bubble. In the axial case of a supernova remnant, the numerical solution always follows a special curve in the parameter space given by the self-similar model.

The Spheromak Tilting and How it Affects Modeling Coronal Mass Ejections

Abstract Spheromak-type flux ropes are increasingly used for modeling coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Many models aim at accurately reconstructing the magnetic field topology of CMEs, considering its importance in assessing their impact on modern technology and human activities in space and on the ground. However, so far there is little discussion about how the details of the magnetic structure of a spheromak affect its evolution through the ambient field in the modeling domain and what impact this has on the accuracy of magnetic field topology predictions. If the spheromak has its axis of symmetry (geometric axis) at an angle with respect to the direction of the ambient field, then the spheromak starts rotating so that its symmetry axis finally aligns with the ambient field. When using the spheromak in space weather forecasting models, this tilting can happen already during insertion and significantly affects the results. In this paper, we highlight this issue previously not examined in the field of space weather and we estimate the angle by which the spheromak rotates under different conditions. To do this, we generated simple purely radial ambient magnetic field topologies (weak/strong, positive/negative) and inserted spheromaks with varying initial speed, tilt, and magnetic helicity sign. We employ different physical and geometric criteria to locate the magnetic center of mass and axis of symmetry of the spheromak. We confirm that spheromaks rotate in all investigated conditions and their direction and angle of rotation depend on the spheromak’s initial properties and ambient magnetic field strength and orientation.

Implications of Flat Optically Thick Microwave Spectra in Solar Flares for Source Size and Morphology

Abstract The study aims to examine the spectral dynamics of the low-frequency, optically thick gyrosynchrotron microwave emission in solar flares to determine the characteristics of the emitting source. We present the high-resolution spectra of a set of microwave bursts observed by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) during its commissioning phase in the 2.5–18 GHz frequency range with 1 second time resolution. Out of the 12 events analyzed in this study, nine bursts exhibit a direct decrease with time in the optically thick spectral index α l , an indicator of source morphology. Particularly, five bursts display a “flat” spectrum (α l ≤ 1.0) compared to that expected for a homogeneous/uniform source (α l ≈ 2.9). These flat spectra at low frequencies (<10 GHz) can be defined as the emission from a spatially inhomogeneous source with a large area and/or with multiple emission components. In a subset of six events with partial cross-correlation data, both the events with flat spectra show a source size of ∼120″ at 2.6–3 GHz. Modeling based on inhomogeneity supports the conclusion that multiple discrete sources can only reproduce a flat spectrum. We report that these flat spectra appear predominantly in the decay phase and typically grow flatter over the duration in most of the bursts, which indicates an increasing inhomogeneity and complexity of the emitting volume as the flare progresses. This large volume of flare emission filled with the trapped energetic particles is often invisible in other wavelengths, like hard X-rays, presumably due to the collisionless conditions in these regions of low ambient density and magnetic field strength.

Nonlinear whistler wave turbulence in pulsar wind nebula: FDTD simulations

ABSTRACT Finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations are applied to study the amplification and decay of nonlinear whistler waves in pulsar wind nebulae. The considered plasma system comprises of streaming, hot positrons and electrons. The main emphasis is on the feedback process between particle beams and excited nonlinear waves. It is found that accelerated and parallel streaming electrons and positrons led to whistler wave amplification. Contrarily, the counter streaming electrons and positrons resulted in diverse and complex phenomena. Whistler waves at smaller propagation angles led to pitch angle decay for positrons and vice versa. It is noticed that pitch angles increased with increase of both plasma concentration and ambient magnetic field strength. Our results may be important for comprehensive understanding of nonlinear turbulence in pulsar wind nebulae.

Statistical Properties of Sub‐Ion Magnetic Holes in the Solar Wind at 1 AU

AbstractSub‐ion magnetic holes are rich in the terrestrial plasma sheet and magnetosheath. Here, we statistically investigate 60 sub‐ion magnetic holes in the solar wind at 1 AU using the high‐resolution data measured by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. We find that they are observed with a duration of 0.1 –0.5 s, and the lengths of their cross‐section are ~0.1 –0.6 ion gyroradius. These structures prefer to occur in the slow solar wind with a weak ambient magnetic field strength. They also prefer to occur in the marginally mirror stable or unstable environments. Electron vortices as well as an enhancement of the electron perpendicular temperature and electron fluxes at ~90° pitch angle tend to be observed inside some magnetic holes with a large ambient magnetic field strength. By contrast, there are no clearly observational electron vortices as well as the electron fluxes at ~90° pitch angle inside some magnetic holes with a weak ambient magnetic strength. The current density with a value of ~10 –50 nA/m2 reveals that the corresponding maximum electron velocity is <10 km/s inside some magnetic holes, lower than the level of the observational electron velocity noise, which prevents the detection of the weak electron vortex. We suggest that electron vortices exist inside all the sub‐ion magnetic holes in the solar wind. The generation of these sub‐ion magnetic holes might be explained by the electron magnetohydrodynamics soliton and the electron vortex magnetic hole.

Similarity solutions using Lie group theoretic method for cylindrical shock wave in self-gravitating perfect gas with axial magnetic field: isothermal flow

Propagation of cylindrical shock wave in a self-gravitating perfect gas under the influence of axial magnetic field using Lie group of transformation method is investigated. The flow is considered to be isothermal. Density and magnetic field are assumed to be varying in the undisturbed medium. Two different cases of solutions are brought out by the arbitrary constants appearing in the expressions of infinitesimals of local Lie group of transformations. One is with a power law shock path and the other one is with an exponential law shock path. Numerical solutions are obtained for both the cases of power law and exponential law shock paths. The effects of variation in Alfven-Mach number, gravitational parameter and ambient density variation index for power law shock path and effects of variation in Alfven-Mach number, gravitational parameter and ambient magnetic field variation index on the flow variables in the case of exponential law shock path are studied. Also the effects of increase in value of gravitational parameter and in the strength of ambient magnetic field on the shock strength are investigated. The increase in value of Alfven-Mach number leads to the increase in the density ratio which infers to the decrease in shock strength.

Variability of Quasilinear Diffusion Coefficients for Plasmaspheric Hiss

AbstractIn the outer radiation belt, the acceleration and loss of high‐energy electrons is largely controlled by wave‐particle interactions. Quasilinear diffusion coefficients are an efficient way to capture the small‐scale physics of wave‐particle interactions due to magnetospheric wave modes such as plasmaspheric hiss. The strength of quasilinear diffusion coefficients as a function of energy and pitch angle depends on both wave parameters and plasma parameters such as ambient magnetic field strength, plasma number density, and composition. For plasmaspheric hiss in the magnetosphere, observations indicate large variations in the wave intensity and wave normal angle, but less is known about the simultaneous variability of the magnetic field and number density. We use in situ measurements from the Van Allen Probe mission to demonstrate the variability of selected factors that control the size and shape of pitch angle diffusion coefficients: wave intensity, magnetic field strength, and electron number density. We then compare with the variability of diffusion coefficients calculated individually from colocated and simultaneous groups of measurements. We show that the distribution of the plasmaspheric hiss diffusion coefficients is highly non‐Gaussian with large variance and that the distributions themselves vary strongly across the three phase space bins studied. In most bins studied, the plasmaspheric hiss diffusion coefficients tend to increase with geomagnetic activity, but our results indicate that new approaches that include natural variability may yield improved parameterizations. We suggest methods like stochastic parameterization of wave‐particle interactions could use variability information to improve modeling of the outer radiation belt.

Flow behind magnetogasdynamic exponential shock wave in self-gravitating gas

The propagation of a cylindrical (or spherical) shock wave driven out by a piston moving with time according to an exponential law, in a self-gravitating ideal gas with azimuthal magnetic field is investigated. The initial magnetic field is assumed to be varying according to an exponential law. Solutions are obtained for both the cases of isothermal and adiabatic flows. The effects of variation of ambient magnetic field, gravitational parameter and adiabatic exponent are worked out in detail. It is manifested that the increase in strength of ambient magnetic field has decaying effect on the shock wave however increase in the value of gravitational parameter has reverse effect on the shock strength. The compressibility of the medium is increased in the presence of gravitational field. Also, a comparison between the solutions obtained in the case of isothermal and adiabatic flows is done. Density, pressure, velocity and magnetic field increases, however mass decreases as we move inward from the shock front towards the piston.

The Hall-diffusion–driven shear instability of a magnetized collisional dusty plasma

If the relative drift between the charged dust and magnetised electrons and ions which give rise to the Hall diffusion in a dusty plasma dominates the dynamics, the plasma may become diffusively unstable in the presence of shear flow. The growth rate of the diffusive instability is the geometric mean of the whistler and the shear frequencies. The role of the magnetic field is important in destabilising the waves as the growth rate of the instability is dependent on both the ambient magnetic field strength as well as on the dust charge.

Two-photon imaging of a magneto-fluorescent indicator for 3D optical magnetometry.

We developed an optical method to visualize the three-dimensional distribution of magnetic field strength around magnetic microstructures. We show that the two-photon-excited fluorescence of a chained donor-bridge-acceptor compound, phenanthrene-(CH2)12-O-(CH2)2-N,N-dimethylaniline, is sensitive to ambient magnetic field strength. A test structure is immersed in a solution of the magneto-fluorescent indicator and a custom two-photon microscope maps the fluorescence of this compound. The decay kinetics of the electronic excited state provide a measure of magnetic field that is insensitive to photobleaching, indicator concentration, or local variations in optical excitation or collection efficiency.

A RADIO-POLARIZATION AND ROTATION MEASURE STUDY OF THE GUM NEBULA AND ITS ENVIRONMENT

The Gum Nebula is 36 degree wide shell-like emission nebula at a distance of only 450 pc. It has been hypothesised to be an old supernova remnant, fossil HII region, wind-blown bubble, or combination of multiple objects. Here we investigate the magneto-ionic properties of the nebula using data from recent surveys: radio-continuum data from the NRAO VLA and S-band Parkes All Sky Surveys, and H-alpha data from the Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas. We model the upper part of the nebula as a spherical shell of ionised gas expanding into the ambient medium. We perform a maximum-likelihood Markov chain Monte-Carlo fit to the NVSS rotation measure data, using the H-halpha data to constrain average electron density in the shell $n_e$. Assuming a latitudinal background gradient in RM we find $n_e=1.3^{+0.4}_{-0.4} {\rm cm}^{-3}$, angular radius $\phi_{\rm outer}=22.7^{+0.1}_{-0.1} {\rm deg}$, shell thickness $dr=18.5^{+1.5}_{-1.4} {\rm pc}$, ambient magnetic field strength $B_0=3.9^{+4.9}_{-2.2} \mu{\rm G}$ and warm gas filling factor $f=0.3^{+0.3}_{-0.1}$. We constrain the local, small-scale (~260 pc) pitch-angle of the ordered Galactic magnetic field to $+7^{\circ}\lesssim\wp\lesssim+44^{\circ}$, which represents a significant deviation from the median field orientation on kiloparsec scales (~-7.2$^{\circ}$). The moderate compression factor $X=6.0\,^{+5.1}_{-2.5}$ at the edge of the H-alpha shell implies that the 'old supernova remnant' origin is unlikely. Our results support a model of the nebula as a HII region around a wind-blown bubble. Analysis of depolarisation in 2.3 GHz S-PASS data is consistent with this hypothesis and our best-fitting values agree well with previous studies of interstellar bubbles.

Magnetohydrodynamic Cylindrical Shock in a Rotational Axisymmetric Non-Ideal Gas Under the Action of Monochromatic Radiation

A self-similar MHD cylindrical shock wave is investigated in a non-uniform rotating non-ideal gas under the action of monochro- matic radiation. The fluid velocities and the initial magnetic field of the ambient medium are assumed to be varying and obeying power laws. The gas is assumed to be non-ideal having infinite electrical conductivity and as the distance from the axis in- creases the angular velocity of the ambient medium decreases. Also, when the surrounding medium is of constant density then only similarity solutions exist. It is investigated that increase in the non-idealness of the gas, the adiabatic exponent of the gas and the strength of ambient magnetic field have decaying effect on the shock wave. Also, it is observed that an increase in the non-idealness of the gas and adiabatic exponent of the gas has same effect on the flow variables except the radial component of fluid velocity, the pressure and the magnetic field.

Parametric studies of cosmic ray acceleration in supernova remnants

We present a library of numerical models of cosmic-ray accelerating supernova remnants (SNRs) evolving through a homogeneous ambient medium. We analyse distributions of the different energy components and diffusive shock acceleration time-scales for the models in various conditions. The library comprises a variety of SNR evolutionary scenarios and is used to map remnants with sufficiently known properties. This mapping constrains the respective ambient medium properties and the acceleration efficiency. Employing the library, we derive the ambient medium density, ambient magnetic field strength and the cosmic-ray acceleration efficiency for models of Tycho and SN 1006 remnants and refine the ages of SNR 0509-67.5 and SNR 0519-69.0.

Phase-mixing of electrostatic modes in a cold magnetized electron-positron plasma

In a fluid description, we study space-time evolution of electrostatic oscillations in a cold magnetized electron-positron plasma. Nonlinear results up to third order, obtained by employing a simple perturbation technique, indicate phase-mixing and thus breaking of excited oscillations, and provide an expression for the phase-mixing time. It is shown that an increase in the strength of ambient magnetic field results in an increase in the phase-mixing time. The results of our investigation will be of relevance to astrophysical environments as well as laboratory experiments.

Shear instability in magnetized, collisional dusty plasmas

The shear instability of magnetized, collisional dusty plasma is investigated in the present work. It is demonstrated that the relative drift between the charged dust and magnetised electrons and ions which give rise to the Hall effect is crucial to this instability. Although the nature of present shear instability is similar to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, the role of magnetic field in the present case is important in destabilising waves. The maximum growth rate of the instability is proportional only to the shear gradient and is independent of the ambient magnetic field strength. Most unstable wavenumber is a function of ambient dust parameters.

Study of high frequency parallel propagating modes in a weakly magnetized relativistic degenerate electron plasma

Using the Vlasov-Maxwell’s model, the generalized dispersion relations for parallel propagating electromagnetic modes (R- and L-waves) and electrostatic mode (Langmuir wave) for weakly magnetized relativistic degenerate plasma are derived. The propagation characteristics of these modes are analyzed both analytically and graphically in order to highlight the relativistic and the ambient magnetic field effects in different degenerate plasma environments. Furthermore, the analytical expressions of these modes are extracted for the limiting cases, i.e., non-relativistic (pF/moc≪1) and ultra-relativistic (pF/moc≫1). It is noted that the relativistic effects shift the cut-off point towards the lower value of frequency and resultantly broaden the propagation domain. Moreover, the cut-off point of R-wave/L-wave move towards the higher/lower frequency as the strength of ambient magnetic field is increased. The shifting of frequency due to the ambient magnetic field becomes more prominent in the non-relativistic regime than in the highly relativistic one because the relativistic effect suppresses the contribution of the ambient magnetic field.