Study of the effects of density and temperature variations on the generation of suprathermal electrons tails due to electrostatic bremsstrahlung
Abstract
We use self-consistent numerical integration to analyze how the time evolution of the Langmuir wave-spectrum and electron velocity distribution function is affected by changes in the electron density and temperature, considering the effects of spontaneous and induced emissions, binary collisions, collisional wave-damping, and a recently described mechanism denominated ``electrostatic bremsstrahlung''. The analysis is made in the context of the weak turbulence theory. Previous results, for constant electron density and temperature, show that the inclusion of the electrostatic bremsstrahlung emission modifies the Langmuir spectrum, which in turn alters the shape of the initial electron velocity distribution, assumed to be Maxwellian. After an extended time-evolution period, the system seems to attain to a new quasi-steady state, in which the electron velocity distribution is composed by a Maxwellian core plus a suprathermal tail. The purpose of this work is to understand how changes in the density and temperature of the electrons affect the generation of the energetic tail. A better comprehension of these features might lead to new theoretical models for the formation of suprathermal tails in space plasmas, more specifically, in the solar transition region and lower solar corona.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMSH21C3306T
- Keywords:
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- 2149 MHD waves and turbulence;
- INTERPLANETARY PHYSICSDE: 4490 Turbulence;
- NONLINEAR GEOPHYSICSDE: 7509 Corona;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMYDE: 7863 Turbulence;
- SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS