학술논문
Particle-sounding of the spatial structure of kinetic Alfvén waves.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Liu ZY; Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Zong QG; Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China. qgzong@pku.edu.cn.; Key laboratory of solar activity and space weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. qgzong@pku.edu.cn.; Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai, China. qgzong@pku.edu.cn.; Rankin R; Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.; Zhang H; Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA.; Hao YX; Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.; He JS; Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Fu SY; Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Wu HH; School of Electronic Information, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.; Yue C; Institute of Space Physics and Applied Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China.; Pollock CJ; Denali Scientific, Fairbanks, AK, USA.; Le G; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
Source
Publisher: Nature Pub. Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101528555 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2041-1723 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20411723 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Nat Commun Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE; MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) are ubiquitous throughout the plasma universe. Although they are broadly believed to provide a potential approach for energy exchange between electromagnetic fields and plasma particles, neither the detail nor the efficiency of the interactions has been well-determined yet. The primary difficulty has been the paucity of knowledge of KAWs' spatial structure in observation. Here, we apply a particle-sounding technique to Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data to quantitatively determine the perpendicular wavelength of KAWs from ion gyrophase-distribution observations. Our results show that KAWs' perpendicular wavelength is statistically 2.4[Formula: see text] times proton thermal gyro-radius. This observation yields an upper bound of the energy the majority proton population can reach in coherent interactions with KAWs, that is, roughly 5.76 times proton perpendicular thermal energy. Therefore, the method and results shown here provide a basis for unraveling the effects of KAWs in dissipating energy and accelerating particles in a number of astrophysical systems, e.g., planetary magnetosphere, astrophysical shocks, stellar corona and wind, and the interstellar medium.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
(© 2023. The Author(s).)