Fast Magnetosonic Waves Research Articles

Nonlinear interaction of the fast magnetosonic wave with the extraordinary mode laser and ion-scaled turbulence generation in the magnetized plasma

This study introduces a nonlinear wave-wave coupling model to understand the nature of the turbulence generation at the ion scale observed in the interaction of high-intensity laser with plasma. For this nonlinear coupling of waves, the fast magnetosonic wave and the extraordinary mode laser are taken into account, along with the nonlinear ponderomotive force. The model dynamical equations have been developed for the extraordinary mode laser and the fast magnetosonic wave. Laboratory simulations have been employed to solve the obtained model equations utilizing the finite difference and pseudo-spectral methods. The simulation results show the initiation of the nonlinear progression of the laser beam at an early time and its turbulent nature at a later time. The background density perturbation, along with the cavity and hump caused by the ponderomotive force, has also been studied. The simulation results demonstrate that the propagation angle of the fast magnetosonic wave affects the magnitudes of the localization of the laser beam (pump wave) and the perturbed background density. The turbulent power spectra (ensemble-averaged) have also been studied for the different propagation angles of the fast magnetosonic wave. The turbulent spectra demonstrate that the plasma turbulence is MHD-type at small-scale lengths and ion-dominated at larger-scale lengths. This study also observed that the simulation results have some resemblance with the experimental results reported by Chatterjee et al.12 in the intense laser-plasma interaction experiment at a laboratory astrophysical scale.

Nonlinear Fast Magnetosonic Waves in Solar Prominence Pillars

We investigate the properties of nonlinear fast magnetosonic (NFM) waves in a solar prominence, motivated by recent high-resolution and high-cadence Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) observations of small-scale oscillations in a prominence pillar. As an example, we analyze the details of the 2012 February 14 Hinode/SOT observations of quasi-periodic propagating features consistent with NFM waves, imaged in emission in Ca ii and in the far blue wing of Hα. We perform wavelet analysis and find oscillations in the 1–3 minutes period range. Guided by these observations, we model the NFM waves with a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (3D MHD) model, extending previous 2.5D MHD studies. The new model includes the structure of the high-density, low-temperature material of the prominence pillar embedded in the hot corona, in both potential and non-force-free sheared magnetic field configurations. The nonlinear model demonstrates the effects of mode coupling and the propagating density compressions associated with linear and NFM waves. The guided fast magnetosonic waves, together with density compressions and currents, are reproduced in the 3D pillar structure. We demonstrate for the first time the dynamic effects of the Lorentz force due to the magnetic shear in the non-force-free field on the pillar structure and on the propagation of the waves. The insights gained from the 3D MHD modeling are useful for improving the coronal seismology of prominence structures that exhibit fast MHD wave activity.

Modeling the propagation of fast magnetosonic waves to electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves at low L shells

Modeling the propagation of fast magnetosonic waves to electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves at low L shells

Effects of cold plasma on the mode conversion from fast magnetosonic wave to electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave in the inner plasmasphere

Effects of cold plasma on the mode conversion from fast magnetosonic wave to electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave in the inner plasmasphere

Effects of Background Turbulence on the Relaxation of Ion Temperature Anisotropy Firehose Instability in Space Plasmas

Turbulence in space plasmas usually exhibits an energy cascade in which large-scale magnetic fluctuations are dominated by non-linear MHD wave–wave interactions following a Kolmogorov-like power-law spectrum. In addition, at scales at which kinetic effects take place, the magnetic spectrum follows a steeper power-law k−α shape given by a spectral index α>5/3. In a recent publication, a quasilinear model was used to study the evolution of ion temperatures in a collisionless plasma in which electromagnetic waves propagate along the background magnetic field, and it was found that the interaction between the plasma and a turbulent spectrum of ion-cyclotron waves may lead the plasma to states out of thermal equilibrium characterized by enhanced temperature anisotropies T⊥>T‖ and with a reduction in the parallel proton beta, which is consistent with space observations. Here, we complement such studies by analyzing the quasilinear interaction between plasma and a solar-wind-like turbulent spectrum of fast magnetosonic waves, and study the role of firehose instability (FHI) in the regulation of temperature anisotropy. Our results show that the presence of turbulence significantly modifies the FHI marginal stability threshold, as predicted from linear theory. Moreover, depending on the value of the plasma β, a turbulent magnetosonic spectrum may lead an initially thermally isotropic plasma to develop anisotropic states in which T⊥<T‖.

Giant overreflection of magnetohydrodynamic waves from inhomogeneous plasmas with nonuniform shear flows

We theoretically study mode conversion and resonant overreflection of magnetohydrodynamic waves in an inhomogeneous plane-stratified plasma in the presence of a nonuniform shear flow using precise numerical calculations of the reflection and transmission coefficients and the field distributions based on the invariant imbedding method. Cases where the flow velocity and the external magnetic field are directed perpendicularly to the inhomogeneity direction and both the flow velocity and the plasma density vary arbitrarily along it are considered. When there is a shear flow, the wave frequency is modulated locally by the Doppler shift, and resonant amplification and overreflection occur where the modulated frequency is negative and its absolute value matches the local Alfvén or slow frequency. For many different types of the density and flow velocity profiles, we find that, especially when the parameters are such that the incident waves are totally reflected, there arises a giant overreflection where the reflectance is much larger than 10 in a fairly broad range of the incident angles, the frequency, and the plasma β, and its maximum attains values larger than 105. In a finite β plasma, both incident fast and slow magnetosonic waves are found to cause strong overreflection and there appear multiple positions exhibiting both Alfvén and slow resonances inside the plasma. We explain the mechanism of overreflection in terms of the formation of inhomogeneous and open cavities close to the resonances and the strong enhancement of the wave energy due to the occurrence of semi-bound states there. We discuss the observational consequences in magnetized terrestrial and solar plasmas.

Observations of Rapidly Growing Whistler Waves in Front of Space Plasma Shock due to Resonance Interaction between Fluctuating Electron Velocity Distributions and Electromagnetic Fields

The whistler-mode wave extending from the fast-magnetosonic wave branch is a fundamental perturbation of electromagnetic fields and plasmas in various environments including planetary space, laboratory, and astrophysics. The origin and evolution of the waves is a long-standing question due to the limited instrumental capability in resolving highly variable plasma and electromagnetic fields. Here, we analyze observational data with a high time resolution from the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft in front of the terrestrial bow shock (e.g., foreshock). We develop a novel approach to extract the three-dimensional fluctuating electron velocity distributions (δf e( V )) from their background (f e0( V )), and have successfully captured the coherent resonance between fluctuating electrons (δf e( V )) and wavelike electromagnetic fields (δ B , δ E ) at an unprecedentedly high frequency (>1 Hz) for investigating wave–particle interactions. We provide that the unstable whistler wave grows rapidly over a timescale that is much shorter than the proton gyro-period. Regarding the energy origin for the waves, we find the ion distributions consisting of the solar wind ion flows and the ion beams reflected from the shock play crucial roles in providing the free energy and determining the eigenmode disturbances of fields and electrons. The quantification of wave growth rate and the characterization of wave–particle interactions for the instability driver can significantly advance the understandings of wave evolution and energy conversion between multisource multispecies particles and wave electromagnetic fields.

Quadrupole Antenna and Diagnostic Complex for Ion Cyclotron Plasma Heating and Current Drive at the L-2M Stellarator

—A quadrupole antenna has been designed and produced at the L-2M stellarator for experiments on ion cyclotron plasma heating and current drive. Using a power meter of the incident and reflected waves, the first measurements of the radiation resistance of the antenna have been performed in the ohmic heating regime. The radiation resistance of the antenna has been measured as a function of the mean plasma density. It is shown that the fraction of absorbed power ensured by the coaxial modes is 25%. The created quadrupole antenna can also be used for current drive. The proposed method is based on the conversion of fast magnetosonic waves to slow magnetosonic waves with their subsequent absorption by plasma electrons, which is accompanied by current drive processes.

Daytime geomagnetic pulsations accompanying sudden impulse of solar wind

This article describes in detail ultra-low frequency (ULF) burst of oscillations, which was observed on April 23, 2002 immediately after a sudden geomagnetic pulse. The source of the pulse was a sharp inhomogeneity of the solar wind, which was acting on the magnetosphere, accompanied by a jump in dynamic pressure. We used simultaneous measurements of the magnetic and electric fields, as well as plasma parameters from the Polar satellite and data from induction magnetometers at the Mondy and Borok observatories. Polar spacecraft and obs. Mondy were near the noon meridian at the time of the burst recording. Comparing the time regime of dynamic spectra of oscillations on Earth and in space with on-board records of variations in the intensity and anisotropy of charged particles, we assumed that the burst of ion-cyclotron waves was excited as a result of the effect of a sudden impulse on the magnetosphere. The packet of these waves ran along the field line to the conjugate point in the ionosphere, and then propagated along the ionospheric waveguide. These conclusions are compared with another event on June 28, 1999, also associated with a sudden impulse. In this case, the form of the dynamic spectrum of the burst is characteristic not of ion-cyclotron, but of fast magnetosonic waves. Possible burst generation mechanisms of both types are discussed.

Turbulence and Waves in the Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind Observed by the Parker Solar Probe during Encounter 10

During its 10th orbit around the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe sampled two intervals where the local Alfvén speed exceeded the solar wind speed, lasting more than 10 hours in total. In this paper, we analyze the turbulence and wave properties during these periods. The turbulence is observed to be Alfvénic and unbalanced, dominated by outward-propagating modes. The power spectrum of the outward-propagating Elsässer z + mode steepens at high frequencies while that of the inward-propagating z − mode flattens. The observed Elsässer spectra can be explained by the nearly incompressible (NI) MHD turbulence model with both 2D and Alfvénic components. The modeling results show that the z + spectra are dominated by the NI/slab component, and the 2D component mainly affects the z − spectra at low frequencies. An MHD wave decomposition based on an isothermal closure suggests that outward-propagating Alfvén and fast magnetosonic wave modes are prevalent in the two sub-Alfvénic intervals, while the slow magnetosonic modes dominate the super-Alfvénic interval in between. The slow modes occur where the wavevector is nearly perpendicular to the local mean magnetic field, corresponding to nonpropagating pressure-balanced structures. The alternating forward and backward slow modes may also be features of magnetic reconnection in the near-Sun heliospheric current sheet.

Shape of spectrum of galactic cosmic ray intensity fluctuations

The impact of solar wind plasma on fluxes of galactic cosmic rays (CR) penetrating from the outside into the heliosphere with energies above ~1 GeV leads to temporal variations in the CR intensity in a wide frequency range. Cosmic rays being charged particles, their modulation occurs mainly under impacts of the interplanetary magnetic field.
 It is well known that the observed spectrum of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) fluctuations in a wide frequency range ν from ~10–7 to ~10 Hz has a pronounced falling character and consists of three sections: energy, inertial, and dissipative. Each of them is described by the power law PIMF(ν)~ν–α, while the IMF spectrum index α increases with increasing frequency. The IMF fluctuations in each of these sections are also characterized by properties that depend on their nature.
 Also known are established links between fluctuation spectra of the interplanetary magnetic field and galactic cosmic rays in the case of modulation of the latter by Alfvén or fast magnetosonic waves. The theory predicts that fluctuation spectra of cosmic rays should also be described by the power law PCR(ν)~ν–γ. However, the results of many years of SHICRA SB RAS research into the nature and properties of cosmic ray intensity fluctuations based on data from neutron monitors at stations with different geomagnetic cut-offs RC from 0.5 to 6.3 GV show that the observed spectrum of fluctuations in galactic cosmic ray intensity in the frequency range above 10–4 Hz becomes flat, i.e. it is similar to white noise. This fact needs to be realized and explained.
 This paper reports the results of research into the shape of the spectrum of galactic cosmic ray intensity fluctuations within a frequency range ν from ~10–6 to ~1 Hz and compares them with model calculations of white noise spectra, using measurement data from the neutron monitor of the Apatity station. A possible physical explanation has been given for the observed shape of the cosmic ray fluctuation spectrum on the basis of the known mechanisms of their modulation in the heliosphere.

О форме спектра флуктуаций интенсивности галактических космических лучей

The impact of solar wind plasma on fluxes of galactic cosmic rays (CR) penetrating from the outside into the heliosphere with energies above ~1 GeV leads to temporal variations in the CR intensity in a wide frequency range. Cosmic rays being charged particles, their modulation occurs mainly under impacts of the interplanetary magnetic field.
 It is well known that the observed spectrum of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) fluctuations in a wide frequency range ν from ~10–7 to ~10 Hz has a pronounced falling character and consists of three sections: energy, inertial, and dissipative. Each of them is described by the power law PIMF(ν)~ν–α, while the IMF spectrum index α increases with increasing frequency. The IMF fluctuations in each of these sections are also characterized by properties that depend on their nature.
 Also known are established links between fluctuation spectra of the interplanetary magnetic field and galactic cosmic rays in the case of modulation of the latter by Alfvén or fast magnetosonic waves. The theory predicts that fluctuation spectra of cosmic rays should also be described by the power law PCR(ν)~ν–γ. However, the results of many years of SHICRA SB RAS research into the nature and properties of cosmic ray intensity fluctuations based on data from neutron monitors at stations with different geomagnetic cut-offs RC from 0.5 to 6.3 GV show that the observed spectrum of fluctuations in galactic cosmic ray intensity in the frequency range above 10–4 Hz becomes flat, i.e. it is similar to white noise. This fact needs to be realized and explained.
 This paper reports the results of research into the shape of the spectrum of galactic cosmic ray intensity fluctuations within a frequency range ν from ~10–6 to ~1 Hz and compares them with model calculations of white noise spectra, using measurement data from the neutron monitor of the Apatity station. A possible physical explanation has been given for the observed shape of the cosmic ray fluctuation spectrum on the basis of the known mechanisms of their modulation in the heliosphere.

Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind

One scenario for the generation of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is magnetic reconnection in a current sheet of the magnetar wind. Compressed by a strong magnetic pulse induced by a magnetar flare, the current sheet fragments into a self-similar chain of magnetic islands. Time-dependent plasma currents at their interfaces produce coherent radiation during their hierarchical coalescence. We investigate this scenario using 2D radiative relativistic particle-in-cell simulations to compute the efficiency of the coherent emission and to obtain frequency scalings. Consistent with expectations, a fraction of the reconnected magnetic field energy, f ∼ 0.002, is converted to packets of high-frequency fast magnetosonic waves, which can escape from the magnetar wind as radio emission. In agreement with analytical estimates, we find that magnetic pulses of 1047 erg s−1 can trigger relatively narrowband GHz emission with luminosities of approximately 1042 erg s−1, sufficient to explain bright extragalactic FRBs. The mechanism provides a natural explanation for a downward frequency drift of burst signals, as well as the ∼100 ns substructure recently detected in FRB 20200120E .

Fast magnetosonic solitonic structures in a quasi-neutral collision-free finite-beta plasma

The equations of the model of two fluids of a two component collision-free, isotropic and fully ionized plasma in thermal equilibrium consisting of singly-ionized ions and electrons in a uniform magnetic field with heated ions and electrons are treated. We focus our attention on determining the global hydromagnetic fast magnetosonic traveling solitonic waves for plane wave equations. Ordinary solitary waves, bifurcating from the zero wave number, exist for the angles of inclination θ of the magnetic field vector to the direction x of the wave propagation, located in some left neighborhood of π/2. A global family of solitary waves containing solitary waves of all possible amplitudes is numerically determined. The dynamic stability of these solitary waves is investigated by numerical methods: the problem of the evolution of solitary waves via the time dependent field equations of the quasi-neutral collision-free finite beta-plasma is analyzed. We also concern the domains in parameter space where traveling generalized and envelope solitary waves exist and compute the possible forms of these waves and of so-called multi-soliton waves with several humps. The evolution of a localized perturbation is also treated numerically.

Charged space debris induced nonlinear magnetosonic waves using inertial magnetohydrodynamics

The excitations of nonlinear magnetosonic waves in the presence of charged space debris objects in the low Earth orbital (LEO) plasma region are investigated by taking into account the effects of electron inertia in the framework of classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD); which is also referred to as inertial magnetohydrodynamics. The magnetosonic waves are found to be governed by a forced Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation with the forcing term representing the effects of space debris objects. The dynamical behaviours of both slow and fast magnetosonic solitary waves are explored in detail. Exact pinned accelerated magnetosonic lump wave solutions are shown to be stable for the entire region in the parameter space of slow waves and a large region in the parameter space of fast waves. In a similar way, exact pinned curved magnetosonic solitary wave solutions become stable for a small region in the parameter space of fast waves. These exact solutions with special properties are derived for some specific choices of the forcing debris functions. These novel results can have potential applications in the scientific and technological aspects of the space debris detection and mitigation in the near-Earth space.

Fast Magnetosonic Waves in a Dipolarizing Flux Bundle Inside the Geosynchronous Orbit

AbstractAlthough commonly observed in the inner magnetosphere, fast magnetosonic (MS) waves are often owe to be excited by those proton rings resulting from the so‐called energy‐dependent drift path of ring current protons. In this letter, we report an interesting MS wave event in a dipolarizing flux bundle (DFB) observed by the Van Allen Probe A. In the DFB, perpendicular proton fluxes are found depleted at low and intermediate energies, while enhanced at high energies, which should be attributed to proton accelerations by DFB. As a result, proton ring could be locally formed. Using the observed plasma environment parameters and the modeled proton distributions, we have calculated the linear growth rates for MS waves and found that these MS waves might be locally excited. Our results provide insight into the generation of MS waves in a DFB, and provide a new channel to excite MS waves in the inner magnetosphere.

One-dimensional Force-free Numerical Simulations of Alfvén Waves around a Spinning Black String

Abstract We performed one-dimensional force-free magnetodynamic numerical simulations of the propagation of Alfvén waves along magnetic field lines around a spinning black-hole-like object, the Banados–Teitelboim–Zanelli black string, to investigate the dynamic process of wave propagation and energy transport with Alfvén waves. We considered an axisymmetric and stationary magnetosphere and perturbed the background magnetosphere to obtain the linear wave equation for the Alfvén wave mode. The numerical results show that the energy of Alfvén waves monotonically increases as the waves propagate outwardly along the rotating curved magnetic field line around the ergosphere, where energy seems not to be conserved, in the case of energy extraction from the black string by the Blandford–Znajek mechanism. The apparent breakdown of energy conservation suggests the existence of a wave induced by the Alfvén wave. Considering the additional fast magnetosonic wave induced by the Alfvén wave, the energy conservation is confirmed. Similar relativistic phenomena, such as the amplification of Alfvén waves and induction of fast magnetosonic waves, are expected around a spinning black hole.

Neutrino beam driven instability of magnetosonic waves in the presence of oblique magnetic field and ion-neutral collisional effect in plasmas

The neutrino beam driven instability of fast and slow magnetosonic waves with oblique applied magnetic field in multi-component ion, electron and neutrino beam plasma is studied. The dissipation effects of ion-neutral collisions are also included in the model. The neutrino and electron interactions through electro-weak force are included. It is found that the dissipation of ion collisions has significant effect on the phase velocity of the wave propagation and growth rate of the neutrino beam driven instability. The analytical expression of the growth rate of the fast and slow magnetosonic waves instability is found under the weak neutrino beam approximation and in the absence of ions and neutrals (atoms) collision effect. The numerical illustration of growth rates of the fast and slow magnetosonic waves are also presented with variations of magnetic field angle, neutrino beam energy, neutrino beam density, magnetic field intensity. It is found that the growth rate of the fast magnetosonic wave is maximum in case of the perpendicular directed magnetic field to the direction of wave propagation, while growth rate of slow magnetosonic wave is minimum in that case. It is also noticed that growth rate of fast magnetosonic wave comes out to be larger (of the order tens) than the slow magnetosonic wave case, which is quite different from earlier published results of Type II core-collapse supernova.

Cross-Energy Couplings from Magnetosonic Waves to Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves through Cold Ion Heating inside the Plasmasphere.

Using a novel wave-particle interaction analysis, we show observational evidence of energy transfer from fast magnetosonic waves (MSWs) to low-energy protons in the magnetosphere. The analysis clearly indicates that the transferred proton energies are further converted to excite electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Since MSWs are excited by hot ions, cross-energy coupling of ions occurs through MSWs. The result also suggests a new energy transfer path of exciting electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere, and a complex interplay between various wave modes and particle populations.

Electron Acceleration by Magnetosonic Waves in the Deep Inner Belt (L = 1.5–2) Region During Geomagnetic Storm of August 2018

AbstractThe relativistic electron acceleration in the inner radiation belt have received little attention in the past due to sparse measurements. The 90° minimum pitch angle distributions of electrons in extremely low L‐shells during storms are speculated to be preferentially heated by fast magnetosonic waves. The high‐quality measurements of relativistic electrons by instruments onboard Van Allen Probes and ZH–1 provide a great opportunity to investigate the dynamics of relativistic electrons in the inner radiation belt. At extremely low L‐shells (L 2), a weak flux enhancement (increased by 2–3 times) of 100s keV electrons and the corresponding formation of butterfly PADs are observed during the major geomagnetic storm (minimum Dst ≈ −179 nT) occurred in August 2018. Simultaneously the magnetosonic waves, accompanied with weak hiss waves, were observed also in such low L‐shells. Combining with a numerical simulation of wave and particle interaction model, magnetosonic waves are thought to play an important role in electron acceleration and formation of butterfly PADs during this storm, which is the first direct observation in such low L‐shells.