Counterstreaming Electron Beams Research Articles

Electron distributions observed with Langmuir waves in the plasma sheet boundary layer

The present paper investigates the Langmuir turbulence driven by counter-streaming electron beams and its plausible association with observed features in the Earth's plasma sheet boundary layer region. A one-dimensional electrostatic particle-in-cell simulation code is employed in order to simulate broadband electrostatic waves with characteristic frequency in the vicinity of the electron plasma frequency ω/ωpe≃1.0. The present simulation confirms that the broadband electrostatic waves may indeed be generated by the counter-streaming electron beams. It is also found that the observed feature associated with low energy electrons, namely quasi-symmetric velocity space plateaus, are replicated according to the present simulation. However, the present investigation only partially succeeds in generating the suprathermal tails such that the origin of observed quasi power-law energetic population formation remains outstanding.

Efficient regime of electromagnetic emission in a plasma with counterstreaming electron beams

Efficiency of electromagnetic emission produced in a magnetized plasma with counterstreaming electron beams was investigated using both the linear kinetic theory and particle-in-cell simulations. We calculated the growth rate of the beam-plasma instability taking into account both kinetic and relativistic effects and showed that there exists a regime in which transversely propagating electromagnetic waves can be generated by the coupling of the most unstable oblique beam-driven modes. It was confirmed by numerical simulations that such a tune-up of system parameters for a specific nonlinear process can lead to a substantial increase in electromagnetic emission efficiency. It was found that electromagnetic radiation emerging from the plasma in such a regime is generated near the harmonics of the pump frequency that is determined by the typical eigenfrequency of the beam-driven modes. It was also shown that the peak emission power can reach 5% of the maximal power lost by beam electrons.

Solar Wind Electron Strahls Associated with a High-Latitude CME: Ulysses Observations

Counterstreaming beams of electrons are ubiquitous in coronal mass ejections (CMEs) - although their existence is not unanimously accepted as a necessary and/or sufficient signature of these events. We continue the investigations of a high-latitude CME registered by the \emph{Ulysses} spacecraft on January 18\,--\,19, 2002 (Dumitrache, Popescu, and Oncica, Solar Phys. {\bf 272}, 137, 2011), by surveying the solar wind electron distributions associated with this event. The temporal-evolution of the pitch-angle distributions reveal populations of electrons distinguishable through their anisotropy, with clear signatures of i) electron strahls, ii) counter-streaming in the magnetic clouds and their precursors, and iii) unidirectional in the fast wind preceding the CME. The analysis of the counter-streams inside the CME allows us to elucidate the complexity of the magnetic-cloud structures embeded in the CME and to refine the borders of the event. Identifying such strahls in CMEs, which preserve properties of the low $\beta < 1$ coronal plasma, gives more support to the hypothesis that these populations are remnants of the hot coronal electrons that escape from the electrostatic potential of the Sun into the heliosphere.

Particle-in-cell simulation of two stream instability in the non-extensive statistics

AbstractWe have performed extensive one dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to explore generation of electrostatic waves driven by two-stream instability (TSI) that arises due to the interaction between two symmetric counterstreaming electron beams. The electron beams are considered to be cold, collisionless and magnetic-field-free in the presence of neutralizing background of static ions. Here, electrons are described by the non-extensive q-distributions of the Tsallis statistics. Results shows that the electron holes structures are different for various q values such that: (i) for q &gt; 1 cavitation of electron holes are more visible and the excited waves were more strong (ii) for q &lt; 1 the degree of cavitation decreases and for q = 0.5 the holes are not distinguishable. Furthermore, time development of the velocity root-mean-square (VRMS) of electrons for different q-values demonstrate that the maximum energy conversion is increased upon increasing the non-extensivity parameter q up to the values q &gt; 1. The normalized total energy history for a arbitrary entropic index q = 1.5, approves the energy conserving in our PIC simulation.

High and low frequency instabilities driven by counter-streaming electron beams in space plasmas

A four-component plasma composed of a drifting (parallel to ambient magnetic field) population of warm electrons, drifting (anti-parallel to ambient magnetic field) cool electrons, stationary hot electrons, and thermal ions is studied in an attempt to further our understanding of the excitation mechanisms of broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) in the Earth's magnetospheric regions such as the magnetosheath, plasmasphere, and plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL). Using kinetic theory, beam-driven electrostatic instabilities such as the ion-acoustic, electron-acoustic instabilities are found to be supported in our multi-component model. The dependence of the instability growth rates and real frequencies on various plasma parameters such as beam speed, number density, temperature, and temperature anisotropy of the counter-streaming (relative to ambient magnetic field) cool electron beam are investigated. It is found that the number density of the anti-field aligned cool electron beam and drift speed play a central role in determining which instability is excited. Using plasma parameters which are closely correlated with the measurements made by the Cluster satellites in the PSBL region, we find that the electron-acoustic and ion-acoustic instabilities could account for the generation of BEN in this region.

Fundamental and harmonic plasma emission in different plasma environments

Aims: Emission of radio waves from plasmas through plasma emission with fundamental and harmonic frequencies is a familiar process known from solar type II radio bursts. Current models assume the existence of counterstreaming electron beam populations excited at shocks as sources for these emission features, which limits the plasma parameters to reasonable heliospheric shock conditions. However, situations in which counterstreaming electron beams are present can also occur with different plasma parameters, such as higher magnetisation, including but not limited to our Sun. Similar radio emissions might also occur from these situations. Methods: We used particle-in-cell simulations, to compare plasma microphysics of radio emission processes from counterstreaming beams in different plasma environments that differed in density and magnetization. Results: Although large differences in wave populations are evident, the emission process of type II bursts appears to be qualitatively unaffected and shows the same behaviour in all environments.

Stabilization of beam-weibel instability by equilibrium density ripples

In this paper, we present an approach to achieve suppression/complete stabilization of the transverse electromagnetic beam Weibel instability in counter streaming electron beams by modifying the background plasma with an equilibrium density ripple, shorter than the skin depth; this weakening is more pronounced when thermal effects are included. On the basis of a linear two stream fluid model, it is shown that the growth rate of transverse electromagnetic instabilities can be reduced to zero value provided certain threshold values for ripple parameters are exceeded. We point out the relevance of the work to recent experimental investigations on sustained (long length) collimation of fast electron beams and integral beam transport for laser induced fast ignition schemes, where beam divergence is suppressed with the assistance of carbon nano-tubes.

Vlasov simulations of self generated strong magnetic fields in plasmas and laser-plasma interaction

A new formulation based on Hamiltonian reduction technique using the invariance of generalized canonical momentum is introduced for the study of relativistic Weibel-type instability. An example of application is given for the current filamentation instability resulting from the propagation of two counter-streaming electron beams in the relativistic regime of the instability. This model presents a double advantage. From an analytical point of view, the method is exact and standard fluid dispersion relations for Weibel or filamentation instabilies can be recovered. From a numerical point of view, the method allows a drastic reduction of the computational time. A 1D multi-stream Vlasov-Maxwell code is developed using such dynamical invariants in the perpendicular momentum space. Numerical comparison with a full Vlasov-Maxwell system has also been carried out to show the efficiency of this reduction technique.

Simulation of relativistically colliding laser-generated electron flows

The plasma dynamics resulting from the simultaneous impact, of two equal, ultra-intense laser pulses, in two spatially separated spots, onto a dense target is studied via particle-in-cell simulations. The simulations show that electrons accelerated to relativistic speeds cross the target and exit at its rear surface. Most energetic electrons are bound to the rear surface by the ambipolar electric field and expand along it. Their current is closed by a return current in the target, and this current configuration generates strong surface magnetic fields. The two electron sheaths collide at the midplane between the laser impact points. The magnetic repulsion between the counter-streaming electron beams separates them along the surface normal direction, before they can thermalize through other beam instabilities. This magnetic repulsion is also the driving mechanism for the beam-Weibel (filamentation) instability, which is thought to be responsible for magnetic field growth close to the internal shocks of gamma-ray burst jets. The relative strength of this repulsion compared to the competing electrostatic interactions, which is evidenced by the simulations, suggests that the filamentation instability can be examined in an experimental setting.

NONLINEAR WAVE INTERACTIONS AS EMISSION PROCESS OF TYPE II RADIO BURSTS

The emission of fundamental and harmonic frequency radio waves of type II radio bursts are assumed to be products of three-wave interaction processes of beam-excited Langmuir waves. Using a particle-in-cell code, we have performed simulations of the assumed emission region, a CME foreshock with two counterstreaming electron beams. Analysis of wavemodes within the simulation shows self-consistent excitation of beam driven modes, which yield interaction products at both fundamental and harmonic emission frequencies. Through variation of the beam strength, we have investigated the dependence of energy transfer into electrostatic and electromagnetic modes, confirming the quadratic dependence of electromagnetic emission on electron beam strength.

Collisionless magnetic reconnection in a plasmoid chain

Abstract. The kinetic features of plasmoid chain formation and evolution are investigated by two dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations. Magnetic reconnection is initiated in multiple X points by the tearing instability. Plasmoids form and grow in size by continuously coalescing. Each chain plasmoid exhibits a strong out-of plane core magnetic field and an out-of-plane electron current that drives the coalescing process. The disappearance of the X points in the coalescence process are due to anti-reconnection, a magnetic reconnection where the plasma inflow and outflow are reversed with respect to the original reconnection flow pattern. Anti-reconnection is characterized by the Hall magnetic field quadrupole signature. Two new kinetic features, not reported by previous studies of plasmoid chain evolution, are here revealed. First, intense electric fields develop in-plane normally to the separatrices and drive the ion dynamics in the plasmoids. Second, several bipolar electric field structures are localized in proximity of the plasmoid chain. The analysis of the electron distribution function and phase space reveals the presence of counter-streaming electron beams, unstable to the two stream instability, and phase space electron holes along the reconnection separatrices.

Field-aligned beams and reconnection in the jovian magnetotail

The release of plasma in the jovian magnetotail is observed in the form of plasmoids, travelling compression regions, field-aligned particle beams and flux-rope like events. We demonstrate that electrons propagate along the magnetic field lines in the plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL), while close to the current sheet center the electron distribution is isotropic. The evidences of the counterstreaming electron beams in the PSBLs are also presented. Most of the field-aligned energetic ion beams are associated with the field-aligned electron beams and about half of them have the bipolar fluctuation of the meridional magnetic field component. Moreover they often show a normal velocity dispersion for the different species which fits well in the scenario of particle propagation from a single source. All features above are observed during jovian reconfiguration events which are typically bonded with plasma flow reversals. From all these characteristics, which are based on energetic particle and magnetic field measurements, we believe that the reconfiguration processes in the jovian magnetotail are associated with reconnection.

Generation of electrostatic solitary waves in the plasma sheet boundary layer

[1] Generation of electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) in the plasma sheet boundary layer in terms of electron-acoustic solitons and double layers is proposed. The plasma sheet boundary layer is treated as a multicomponent magnetized plasma consisting of background electrons, counter-streaming electron beams and ions. The model is based on the multifluid equations and the Poisson equation, and uses the Sagdeev pseudo-potential technique. For the plasma parameters at the time of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet boundary layer observed by Cluster on 22 September 2004, the model predicts solitons/double layer with electric field ∼(0.01–30) mV/m with time durations ∼(0.1–4.5) ms. Such short electric field pulses, when Fourier transformed to the frequency domain, can appear as broadband electrostatic noise in the frequency range of ∼220 Hz to 10 kHz. It is proposed that the model can be a good candidate for explaining the generation of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet boundary layer.

Observation of a Sharp Negative Dipolarization Front in the Reconnection Outflow Region

A sharp dipolarization front (DF) has recently been detected in the Earth's magnetotail and is associated with complex kinetic effects. We present one event where a tailward propagating negative DF (with Bz decreasing sharply to negative value) was observed near a reconnection region. The thickness of the negative DF is comparable with the local ion gyro-radius/inertial length. There is a strong field-aligned current at the front. Electromagnetic whistler wave enhancements are observed around the front, associated with counter-streaming electron beams. We further compare the features of the observed negative DF with the recent kinetic simulation results, as well as the Earthward propagating DFs observed by the THEMIS spacecraft.

Ion-acoustic enhancements generated by beam-plasma instability in an auroral cavity

[1] This article demonstrates the generation of enhanced ion-acoustic waves by beam-plasma instability in a density cavity. The self-consistent equations of weak turbulence theory that include quasi-linear, decay, and scattering processes as well as convective and dispersive effects are numerically solved for a one-dimensional density cavity. It is shown that significant enhancements of ion-acoustic waves occur in the presence of counterstreaming electron beams and that the enhanced ion-acoustic waves are initially localized near the center of the density cavity at large wavelengths. Later in the evolution, the enhancement in the spectrum of ion-acoustic waves spreads out toward the edges of the cavity, with a shift to smaller wavelengths, while the enhancement near the center of the cavity tends to decrease in magnitude. The significance of the present findings is discussed.

Turbulent anomalous transport and anisotropic electron heating in a return current system

Anisotropic electron heating due to self-generated electromagnetic turbulences is observed in collisionless return current plasmas. The corresponding energy conversion, electron heating, and associated anomalous momentum transport are investigated by means of a two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation code. The return current model consists of two counterstreaming electron beams with different temperatures and a stationary ion background. First, a general multifluid dispersion analyzer is presented in a clear matrix form that allows to study electron streaming instabilities. The numerical simulation confirms the predicted electrostatic electron-electron acoustic instability. Generating electromagnetic waves, the system evolves into a nonlinear stage. As a result, the electron drifts are slowed down due to turbulence-induced anomalous momentum exchange. Localized electric and magnetic field fluctuations play major roles in the energy conversion. Perpendicular electron heating follows the growth of magnetic field perturbations and the slowing of the electron drifts. Parallel and perpendicular electron heating occurs at different time scales. It is shown that the longer lasting perpendicular electron heating is caused by preheated parallel electron flows. The deflection of the preheated parallel electron flows in the localized turbulences, which is essentially a two-dimensional effect, leads to perpendicular electron heating even after the saturation of parallel electron heating. We conclude that the self-generated magnetic turbulence dominates the anomalous transport process in the late stage of return current system evolution.

First Results from ARTEMIS, a New Two-Spacecraft Lunar Mission: Counter-Streaming Plasma Populations in the Lunar Wake

We present observations from the first passage through the lunar plasma wake by one of two spacecraft comprising ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun), a new lunar mission that re-tasks two of five probes from the THEMIS magnetospheric mission. On Feb 13, 2010, ARTEMIS probe P1 passed through the wake at ∼3.5 lunar radii downstream from the Moon, in a region between those explored by Wind and the Lunar Prospector, Kaguya, Chandrayaan, and Chang’E missions. ARTEMIS observed interpenetrating proton, alpha particle, and electron populations refilling the wake along magnetic field lines from both flanks. The characteristics of these distributions match expectations from self-similar models of plasma expansion into vacuum, with an asymmetric character likely driven by a combination of a tilted interplanetary magnetic field and an anisotropic incident solar wind electron population. On this flyby, ARTEMIS provided unprecedented measurements of the interpenetrating beams of both electrons and ions naturally produced by the filtration and acceleration effects of electric fields set up during the refilling process. ARTEMIS also measured electrostatic oscillations closely correlated with counter-streaming electron beams in the wake, as previously hypothesized but never before directly measured. These observations demonstrate the capability of the comprehensively instrumented ARTEMIS spacecraft and the potential for new lunar science from this unique two spacecraft constellation.

Modeling nonlinear development of Buneman instability with linear dispersion theory

In this paper, spectra in the nonlinear phases of the Buneman instability are described by instantaneous linear dispersion theory. One-dimensional Vlasov simulation of the Buneman instability shows that nonlinear development is characterized by particle trapping in large-amplitude waves. Trapped particles form counter-streaming beam distribution function in velocity space. In addition to the low-frequency Buneman mode, the simulation also shows excitations of high-frequency electron plasma waves as well as wave modes propagating in the direction opposite to the original electron beam. The actual physics of the wave dynamics is very complicated to analyze. However, by employing linear dispersion theory on the basis of instantaneous electron distributions it is possible to relate the generation of waves to the particle distribution. Specifically, it is shown that excitations of various waves are intimately related to the counter-streaming electron beam distribution. The present approach can be a useful diagnostic tool based upon which an intuitive understanding of the complicated nonlinear physics can be attained.

Ion- and electron-acoustic solitons and double layers in multi-component space plasmas

A general model for the ion- and electron-acoustic solitons and double layers in a multi-component unmagnetized plasma consisting of background electrons, counter-streaming electron beams and ions is discussed. The model is based on the multi-fluid equations and the Poisson equation, and uses the Sagdeev pseudo-potential techniques. For identical counter-streaming electron beams and depending upon the plasma parameters, three types of solutions, namely, ion-acoustic, slow and fast electron-acoustic soliton/double layer, are possible. Generally, the ion acoustic solitons have positive potentials, slow-electron acoustic solitons have negative potentials and fast electron-acoustic solitons and double layers can have either positive or negative potentials depending on the core electron density. As beam speed is increased, first ion-acoustic and then slow electron-acoustic solitons disappear. At large beam speed, only fast electron-acoustic solitons/double layers survive. The results may be relevant to the observations of the electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) observed in the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Kinetic Simulations of Type II Radio Burst Emission Processes

AbstractUsing a fully relativistic, 3D particle in cell code we have studied Langmuir- and electromagnetic wave processes in a CME foreshock plasma with counterstreaming electron beams. Langmuir wave excitation in resonance with the plasma frequency is observed, with timescales in accordance with theoretical predictions. However, no three wave interaction leading to emission of electromagnetic waves were detectable within the timeframe of our simulations.