ISSN:
1089-7666
Quelle:
AIP Digital Archive
Thema:
Physik
Notizen:
Simulation of the kinetic Alfvén wave is performed using a two-and-one-half-dimensional (2 (1)/(2) -D) macroscale particle [magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) scale kinetic] simulation code. An oscillating antenna current is applied in one of the boundary regions to launch MHD perturbations into an inhomogeneous plasma in which a sheared magnetic field is present. It is shown that the applied perturbation is mode converted into the kinetic Alfvén wave at the Alfvén resonance layers, resulting in resonant heating of both the ions and electrons. When the plasma beta is relatively low, only the electrons are heated along the ambient magnetic field. The electron heating rate is found to be scaled as dTe(parallel)/dt∝β1/2e 〈δB2y〉, where βe is the electron beta and 〈δB2y〉 is the wave magnetic field intensity. In contrast, ion heating occurs when the ion beta is close to unity and the temperature ratio satisfies Te/Ti〉1. Besides plasma heating, it is found that the plasma particles are accelerated along the ambient magnetic field in the direction of the wave propagation through Landau resonance with the kinetic Alfvén wave.
Materialart:
Digitale Medien
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.859145
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