Numerical Simulations of Kinetic Turbulence in the Low Beta Regime: Predictions for Observations by Parker Solar Probe
Abstract
We present numerical results from high-resolution two- and three-dimensional hybrid kinetic simulations of plasma turbulence, following the development of the energy cascade from large magnetohydrodynamic scales down to electron characteristic scales. We investigate two physical processes that are believed to be responsible for the cascade at kinetic scales and for energy dissipation in space and astrophysical plasmas, i.e., the nonlinear interaction of dispersive wave modes and magnetic reconnection. In particular, we explore a regime of plasma turbulence - low electron plasma beta - where recent studies suggest that the dynamics of both processes is expected to present features different from what typically observed in the solar wind (e.g., polarization characteristic of inertial kinetic Alfvén waves). Our numerical simulations employing a low electron beta, typical of the solar corona, provide predictions for observations by NASA's Parker Solar Probe mission. Moreover, by exploring different plasma conditions, we investigate the scale of the spectral break, the spectral anisotropy, the magnetic compressibility, and the nature of fluctuations at kinetic scales by employing a new kind of analysis, which takes into account the local plasma properties. Our simulations also provide useful numerical results for interpreting present observations from other spacecraft missions, e.g., NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMSH51E2896C
- Keywords:
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- 2164 Solar wind plasma;
- INTERPLANETARY PHYSICSDE: 2169 Solar wind sources;
- INTERPLANETARY PHYSICSDE: 7509 Corona;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMYDE: 7524 Magnetic fields;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY