Related papers: Nonlinear variational method for predicting fast c…
A 2D particle simulation models the collision of two electron-ion plasma clouds along a quasi-parallel magnetic field. The collision speed is 0.9c and the density ratio 10. A current sheet forms at the front of the dense cloud, in which the…
We derive basic scaling equations for relativistic magnetic reconnection in the general case of asymmetric inflow conditions and obtain predictions for the outflow Lorentz factor and the reconnection rate. Kinetic Particle-in-Cell…
Magnetic reconnection -- a fundamental plasma physics process, where magnetic field lines of opposite polarity annihilate -- is invoked in astrophysical plasmas as a powerful mechanism of nonthermal particle acceleration, able to explain…
Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process that is thought to play a key role in the production of nonthermal particles associated with explosive phenomena in space physics and astrophysics. Experiments at high-energy-density…
We present large scale 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to examine particle energization in magnetic reconnection of relativistic electron-positron (pair) plasmas. The initial configuration is set up as a relativistic Harris…
As a fundamental process converting magnetic to plasma energy in high-energy astrophysical plasmas, relativistic magnetic reconnection is a leading explanation for the acceleration of particles to the ultrarelativistic energies necessary to…
A prediction of the steady-state reconnection electric field in asymmetric reconnection is obtained by maximizing the reconnection rate as a function of the opening angle made by the upstream magnetic field on the weak magnetic field…
The resonant interaction of relativistic electrons and whistler waves is an important mechanism of electron acceleration and scattering in the Earth radiation belts and other space plasma systems. For low amplitude waves, such an…
Using simple kinematics, we propose a general theory of linear wave interactions between the interfacial waves of a two dimensional (2D), inviscid, multi-layered fluid system. The strength of our formalism is that one does not have to…
Understanding plasma dynamics and nonthermal particle acceleration in 3D magnetic reconnection has been a long-standing challenge. In this paper, we explore these problems by performing large-scale fully kinetic simulations of multi-xline…
Models for collisionless magnetic reconnection in near-Earth space are distinctly characterized as 2D or 3D. In 2D kinetic models, the frozen-in law for the electron fluid is usually broken by laminar dynamics involving structures set by…
The non-linear evolution of a magnetic island is studied using the Vlasov gyro-kinetic code GKW. The interaction of electromagnetic turbulence with a self-consistently growing magnetic island, generated by a tearing unstable $\Delta' > 0$…
Small-scale dynamos (SSDs) amplify magnetic fields in turbulent plasmas. Theory predicts nonlinear magnetic energy growth $E_\mathrm{mag} \propto t^{p_\mathrm{nl}}$, but this scaling has not been tested across flow regimes. Using a large…
Reconnection physics at micro-scales is investigated in an electron magnetohydrodynamics frame. A new process of collapse of the neutral current sheet is demonstrated by means of analytical and numerical solutions. It shows how at scales…
Magnetic reconnection is a ubiquitous plasma process in which oppositely directed magnetic field lines break and rejoin, resulting in a change of the magnetic field topology. Reconnection generates magnetic islands: regions enclosed by…
A control oriented, lumped parameter model for the tokamak transformer including the slow flux penetration in the plasma (skin effect transformer model) is presented. The model does not require detailed or explicit information about plasma…
The fluid dynamics community has found success in explaining both the onset and coherent structure formation in wall-bounded turbulence through examining transient growth and pseudoresonance. Whether similar effects are important in plasmas…
We present various techniques that make orbit-following Monte Carlo simulations faster and more reliable when assessing collisionless fast particle losses due to magnetic field perturbations. These techniques are based on identifying…
Linear gyrokinetic simulations covering the collisional -- collisionless transitional regime of the tearing instability are performed. It is shown that the growth rate scaling with collisionality agrees well with that predicted by a…
We use the 3D fully kinetic simulation to study different turbulence modes and turbulence anisotropy of relativistic turbulence in magnetically dominated collisionless plasmas. We extend the method developed by Cho & Lazarian (2002) for…