Related papers: Ion pickup and velocity space thermalization at ou…
Pickup ions are created when interstellar neutral atoms resonantly exchange charge with the solar wind (SW) ions, especially in the supersonic part of the wind, where they carry most of the plasma pressure. Here we present numerical…
The acceleration of interstellar pick-up ions as well as solar wind species has been observed at a multitude of interplanetary (IP) shocks by different spacecraft. The efficiency of injection of the pick-up ion component differs from that…
Two scenarios of possible ion heating due to finite amplitude parallel propagating Alfv\'en waves in the solar atmosphere are investigated using a 1D test particle approach. 1. An finite amplitude Alfv\'en wave is instantly introduced into…
The onset of the acceleration of ions during magnetic reconnection is explored via particle-in-cell simulations in the limit of a strong ambient guide field that self-consistently and simultaneously follow the motions of protons and…
The complex interplay between the Solar Wind and the lunar surface serves as a quintessential example of space weathering. However, uncertainties persist regarding the influence of plasma originating from Earth's ionosphere, necessitating a…
Pickup ion distributions vary substantially on a variety of time scales, although their sources may be relatively steady. This complicates their use as probes of the heliospheric and local interstellar particle populations. Interstellar He+…
Bodies that lack a significant atmosphere and internal magnetic fields, such as the Moon and asteroids, can to a first approximation be considered passive absorbers of the solar wind. The solar wind ions and electrons directly impact the…
We report optical absorption imaging of ultracold neutral plasmas.Images are used to measure the ion absorption spectrum, which is Doppler-broadened. Through the spectral width, we monitor ion equilibration in the first 250ns after plasma…
Injection process of pickup ion acceleration at a heliospheric termination shock is investigated. Using two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulation, accelerated pickup ions are self-consistently reproduced by tracking long…
Magnetic reconnection and associated heating of ions and electrons in strongly magnetised, weakly collisional plasmas are studied by means of gyrokinetic simulations. It is shown that an appreciable amount of the released magnetic energy is…
We use a laboratory facility to study the sputtering properties of centimeter-thick porous water ice subjected to the bombardment of ions and electrons to better understand the formation of exospheres of the icy moons of Jupiter. Our ice…
Turbulence is often invoked to explain the origin of nonthermal particles in space and astrophysical plasmas. By means of 3D fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate that turbulence in low-$\beta$ plasmas ($\beta$ is the…
A scenario is proposed to explain the preferential heating of minor ions and differential streaming velocity between minor ions and protons observed in the solar corona and in the solar wind. It is demonstrated by test particle simulations…
We study some of the effects that magnetic turbulent fluctuations have on the dynamics of pickup O+ ions in the magnetic polar regions of the Mars ionosheath. In particular we study their effect on the bulk velocity profiles of ions as a…
We argue that stochastic and resonant ion heating, often viewed as distinct processes in low-$\beta$ collisionless plasmas, are the far limits of a continuum controlled by nonlinear broadening of turbulent fluctuations, and thus by the…
The solar wind wake behind the moon is studied with 1D electrostatic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations using a physical ion to electron mass ratio (unlike prior investigations); the simulations also apply more generally to supersonic flow…
We study ionization and transport processes in partially ionized multicomponent plasmas. The plasma composition is calculated via a system of coupled mass action laws. The electronic transport properties are determined by the electron-ion…
In-situ observations of the solar wind (SW) plasma from 0.29 to 1AU show that the protons and alpha particles are often non-Maxwellian, with evidence of kinetic instabilities, temperature anisotropies, differential ion streaming, and…
It is argued and demonstrated by particle-in-cell simulations that the synchrotron maser instability could develop at the front of a relativistic, magnetized shock. The instability generates strong low-frequency electromagnetic waves…
Low-energy ions of ionospheric origin constitute a significant contributor to the magnetospheric plasma population. Measuring cold ions is difficult though. Observations have to be done at sufficiently high altitudes and typically in…