Related papers: Nonlinear evolution of electron shear flow instabi…
We examine the effect of an external guide field and current sheet thickness on the growth rates and nature of three dimensional unstable modes of an electron current sheet driven by electron shear flow. The growth rate of the fastest…
The Electron Cyclotron Drift Instability (ECDI) driven by the electron $E\times B$ drift in partially magnetized plasmas is investigated with highly resolved particle-in-cell simulations. The emphasis is on two-dimensional effects involving…
We present results of one-dimensional collisionless simulations of plasma turbulence and related anomalous electron current of the Electron Cyclotron Drift Instability (ECDI). Our highly resolved, long-term simulations of xenon plasma in…
Electron plasmas confined by an external magnetic field exhibit variations in a two-dimensional plane orthogonal to the confining magnetic field. A nonlinear fluid simulation code to investigate the properties of 2-D electron plasma wave…
Electron-scale Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities (ESKHI) are found in several astrophysical scenarios. Naturally ESKHI is subject to a background magnetic field, but an analytical dispersion relation and an accurate growth rate of ESKHI under…
We investigate magnetic-energy dissipation, current-sheet dynamics, and nonthermal particle acceleration in three-dimensional relativistic reconnection in an electron--ion plasma with a realistic mass ratio. Using particle-in-cell…
The effect of magnetic shear and shear flow on local gravitationally induced instabilities is investigated. A simple model is constructed allowing for an arbitrary entropy gradient and a shear plasma flow in the Boussinesq approximation. A…
In thin ($\Delta<$ few $\lambda_i$) collisionless current sheets in a space plasma like the magnetospheric tail or magnetopause current layer, magnetic fields can grow {from thermal fluctuation level by the action of the non-magnetic Weibel…
The nonlinear development of streaming instabilities in the current layers formed during magnetic reconnection with a guide field is explored. Theory and 3-D particle-in-cell simulations reveal two distinct phases. First, the parallel…
We revisit the analysis of the Non-linear Thin Shell Instability (NTSI) numerically, including magnetic fields. The magnetic tension force is expected to work against the main driver of the NTSI -- namely transverse momentum transport.…
A self-consistent particle-in-cell simulation study is performed to investigate the effect of driving frequency on the electric field non-linearity, electron heating mechanism and electron energy distribution function (EEDF) in a low…
We have extended our study of the competition between the drive and stabilization of plasma microinstabilities by sheared flow to include electromagnetic effects at low plasma $\beta$ (the ratio of plasma to magnetic pressure). The extended…
We present numerical simulations of the growth and saturation of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a compressible fluid layer with and without a weak magnetic field. In the absence of a magnetic field, the instability generates a single…
Two dimensional free surface flows in Hele-Shaw configurations are a fertile ground for exploring nonlinear physics. Since Saffman and Taylor's work on linear instability of fluid--fluid interfaces, significant effort has been expended to…
The electron-cyclotron drift instability (ECDI) has been proposed as one of the main actors behind the anomalous transport of electrons in Hall plasmas. In this work, we revisit the classical theory of this instability [Forslund et al.,…
We study the long term evolution of magnetic fields generated by a collisionless relativistic $e^+e^-$ shock which is initially unmagnetized. Our 2D particle-in-cell numerical simulations show that downstream of such a Weibel-mediated…
The mathematics and physics of each of the three aspects of magnetic field evolution -- topology, energy, and helicity -- is remarkably simple and clear. When the resistivity $\eta$ is small compared to an imposed evolution, $a/v$,…
In the presence of a strong electric field perpendicular to the magnetic field, the electron cross-field (E$\times$B) flow relative to the unmagnetized ions can cause the Electron Cyclotron Drift Instability (ECDI) due to resonances of the…
The emergent electric field (EEF) is a fictitious electric field acting on conduction electrons through the Berry phase mechanism. The EEF is generated by the dynamics of noncollinear spin configurations and becomes nonzero even in one…
Plasmoid-driven magnetic reconnection in elongated current sheets is suspected to be an ubiquitous phenomenon in space and astrophysical plasmas, but the mechanisms driving its onset and dynamics are still debated. Deciphering the physical…