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The solar wind plasma is characterized by unequal effective kinetic temperatures defined in perpendicular and parallel directions with respect to the ambient magnetic field. For electrons, the excessive perpendicular temperature anisotropy leads to quasi-parallel electromagnetic electron cyclotron (or whistler) instability and aperiodic electron-mirror instability with oblique wave vectors. The present paper carries out a direct side-by-side comparison of quasi-linear (QL) theory and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of combined mirror and cyclotron instabilities acting upon the initially anisotropic electron temperatures, and find that the QL theory satisfactorily encapsulates the non-linear aspect of the combined instability effects. However, a discrepancy between the present study and a previous PIC simulation result is also found, which points to the need for further investigation to resolve such an issue.

This paper formulates a velocity moment-based quasi-linear theory that combines the impacts of weakly unstable proton–cyclotron- (or, equivalently, electromagnetic ion cyclotron) and proton-mirror instabilities on the solar wind plasma initially characterized by an excessive perpendicular proton temperature anisotropy. The present formalism is an alternative to the existing model in that the weakly unstable modes are characterized by analytical formalism that involves the assumption of weak growth rate and/or fluid-theoretical dispersion relation, in place of numerical root-finding method based on the transcendental plasma dispersion function. This results in an efficient numerical platform for analyzing the quasi-linear development of the said instabilities. Such a formalism may be useful in the larger context of global solar wind modelling effort where an efficient calculation of self-consistent wave–particle interaction process is called for. A direct comparison with spacecraft observations of solar wind proton data distribution shows that the present weak growth rate formalism of quasi-linear calculation produces results that are consistent with the observation.

Ion holes refer to the phase-space structures where the trapped ion density is lower at the center than at the rim. These structures are commonly observed in collisionless plasmas, such as the Earth’s magnetosphere. This paper investigates the role of multiple parameters in the generation and structure of ion holes. We find that the ion-to-electron temperature ratio and the background plasma distribution function of the species play a pivotal role in determining the physical plausibility of ion holes. It is found that the range of width and amplitude that defines the existence of ion holes splits into two separate domains as the ion temperature exceeds that of the electrons. Additionally, the present study reveals that the ion holes formed in a plasma with ion temperature higher than that of the electrons have a hump at its center.

In a recent paper [P. H. Yoon and G. Choe, Phys. Plasmas 28, 082306 (2021)], the weak turbulence theory for incompressible magnetohydrodynamics is formulated by employing the method customarily applied in the context of kinetic weak plasma turbulence theory. Such an approach simplified certain mathematical procedures including achieving the closure relationship. The formulation in the above-cited paper starts from the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory expressed via Elsasser variables. The derivation of nonlinear wave kinetic equation therein is obtained via a truncated solution at the second-order of iteration following the standard practice. In the present paper, the weak MHD turbulence theory is alternatively formulated by employing the pristine form of incompressible MHD equation rather than that expressed in terms of Elsasser fields. The perturbative expansion of the nonlinear momentum equation is carried out up to the third-order iteration rather than imposing the truncation at the second order. It is found that while the resulting wave kinetic equation is identical to that obtained in the previous paper cited above, the third-order nonlinear correction plays an essential role for properly calculating derived quantities such as the total and residual energies.

Various plasma waves and instabilities are abundantly present in the solar wind plasma, as evidenced by spacecraft observations. Among these, propagating modes and instabilities driven by temperature anisotropies are known to play a significant role in the solar wind dynamics. In situ measurements reveal that the threshold conditions for these instabilities adequately explain the solar wind conditions at large heliocentric distances. This paper pays attention to the combined effects of electron firehose instability driven by excessive parallel electron temperature anisotropy (T⊥e < T∥e) at high beta conditions, and electromagnetic ion cyclotron instability driven by excessive perpendicular proton temperature anisotropy (T⊥i > T∥i). By employing quasilinear kinetic theory based upon the assumption of bi-Maxwellian velocity distribution functions for protons and electrons, the dynamical evolution of the combined instabilities and their mutual interactions mediated by the particles is explored in depth. It is found that while in some cases, the two unstable modes are excited and saturated at distinct spatial and temporal scales, in other cases, the two unstable modes are intermingled such that a straightforward interpretation is not so easy. This shows that when the dynamics of protons and electrons are mutually coupled and when multiple unstable modes are excited in the system, the dynamical consequences can be quite complex.

The ability of space plasmas to self-regulate through mechanisms involving self-generated fluctuations is a topic of high interest . This paper presents the results of a new advanced quasilinear (QL) approach for the instability of electromagnetic ion-cyclotron modes driven by the relative alpha-proton drift observed in solar wind. For an extended parametric analysis, the present QL approach includes also the effects of intrinsic anisotropic temperatures of these populations. The enhanced fluctuations contribute to an exchange of energy between proton and alpha particles, leading to important variations of the anisotropies, the proton-alpha drift and the temperature contrast. The results presented here can help understand the observational data, in particular, those revealing the properties of protons and alpha particles, the particles local variations, as well as the spatial profiles in the expanding solar wind. ispartof: Physics vol:3 issue:4 pages:1175-1189 status: published

Boltzmann-Gibbs (BG) entropy has additive and extensive properties, but for certain physical systems, such as those governed by long-range interactions – plasma or fully ionized gas being an example – it is speculated that the entropy must be non-additive and non-extensive. Because of the fact that Tsallis entropy possesses such characteristics, many spacecraft observations of charged particle distributions in space are interpreted with the conceptual framework based upon Tsallis statistical principles. This paper formulates the non-equilibrium statistical theory of space plasma, and it is shown that the steady state electrostatic turbulence in plasma coincides with the formation of non-Maxwellian electron distribution function known as the kappa distribution. The kappa distribution is equivalent to the q-Gaussian distribution in the Tsallis statistical theory, which represents the most probable state subject to Tsallis entropy. This finding represents an independent confirmation that the space plasma may indeed be governed by the Tsallis statistical principle.

The geomagnetic space environment is a natural laboratory for rich nonlinear plasma physics. The auroral zone ionosphere and magnetosphere of the Earth are replete with plasma waves and radiations. The energetic electrons precipitating to the auroral zone naturally excite various waves in the magnetosphere as well as in the ionosphere, which can be detected on the ground or by in situ spacecraft. Energetic electrons trapped in the dipolar field of the magnetosphere also excite naturally occurring plasma waves. One may use these radio emissions as an effective tool for diagnosing complicated plasma processes occurring in the natural environment. Among the most well-known electromagnetic radio emission processes in the tens to hundreds kHz frequency range is the terrestrial kilometric radiation (also known as the Auroral Kilometric Radiation or AKR for short) [1] , [2] . Terrestrial continuum radiation is also a well-known example [3] , [4] . Other types of naturally occurring auroral radio waves in the medium frequency range have also been identified. The hiss is a broadband emission below 1 MHz, medium frequency (MF) burst is a broadband emission at 1.5-4.5 MHz, and auroral roar, which is a narrowband emission near cyclotron harmonics [5] . Besides these nonlinear emission mechanisms may also be operating. For instance, recently it was proposed that a radiation emission mechanism similar to the plasma emission process, which is relevant for solar radio bursts, may be operative near the reconnection region [6] . The present paper will discuss kinetic theories of these radio emission processes that may be relevant to the naturally occurring radio emission phenomena in space plasma environment.

Some Ciona neurons show transcriptional similarities to the mouse hypothalamus, suggesting that it predates vertebrates., The hypothalamus coordinates neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates. To explore its evolutionary origin, we describe integrated transcriptome/connectome brain maps for swimming tadpoles of Ciona, which serves as an approximation of the ancestral proto-vertebrate. This map features several cell types related to different regions of the vertebrate hypothalamus, including the mammillary nucleus, the arcuate nucleus, and magnocellular neurons. Coronet cells express melanopsin and share additional properties with the saccus vasculosus, a specialized region of the hypothalamus that mediates photoperiodism in nontropical fishes. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified orthologous cell types for mechanosensory switch neurons, and VP+ and VPR+ relay neurons in different regions of the mouse hypothalamus. These observations provide evidence that the hypothalamus predates the evolution of the vertebrate brain. We discuss the possibility that switch neurons, coronet cells, and FoxP+/VPR+ relay neurons comprise a behavioral circuit that helps trigger metamorphosis of Ciona larvae in response to twilight.

Twenty high-inclination ring-grazing orbits occurred in the final period of the Cassini mission. These orbits intercepted a region of intense Z-mode and narrowband (NB) emission (Ye et al., 2010, ) along with isolated, intense upper hybrid resonance (UHR) emissions that are often associated with NB source regions. We have singled out such UHR emission seen on earlier Cassini orbits that also lie near the region crossed by the ring-grazing orbits. These previous orbits are important because Cassini electron phase-space distributions are available and dispersion analysis can be performed to better understand the free energy source and instability of the UHR emission. We present an example of UHR emission on a previous orbit that is similar to that observed during the ring-grazing orbits. Analysis of the observed plasma distribution of the previous orbit leads us to conclude that episodes of UHR emission and NB radiation observed during the ring-grazing orbits are likely due to plasma distributions containing loss cones, temperature anisotropies, and strong density gradients near the ring plane. Z-mode emissions associated with UHR and NB emission can be in Landau resonance with electrons to produce scattering or acceleration (Woodfield et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07549-4).

The recent Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations of type III radio bursts show that the effects of finite background magnetic field can be an important factor in the interpretation of data. In the present paper, the effects of background magnetic field on the plasma emission process, which is believed to be the main emission mechanism for solar coronal and interplanetary type III radio bursts, are investigated by means of the particle-in-cell simulation method. The effects of ambient magnetic field are systematically surveyed by varying the ratio of plasma frequency to electron gyro-frequency. The present study shows that for a sufficiently strong ambient magnetic field, the wave-particle interaction processes lead to a highly field-aligned longitudinal mode excitation and anisotropic electron velocity distribution function, accompanied by a significantly enhanced plasma emission at the second harmonic plasma frequency. For such a case, the polarization of the harmonic emission is almost entirely in the sense of extraordinary mode. On the other hand, for moderate strengths of the ambient magnetic field, the interpretation of the simulation result is less than clear. The underlying nonlinear mode coupling processes indicate that to properly understand and interpret the simulation results require sophisticated analyses involving interactions among magnetized plasma normal modes including the two transverse modes of the magneto-active plasma, namely, extraordinary and ordinary modes, as well as electron-cyclotron-whistler, plasma oscillation, and upper-hybrid modes. At present, a nonlinear theory suitable for quantitatively analyzing such complex mode-coupling processes in magnetized plasmas is incomplete, which calls for further theoretical research, but the present simulation results could provide a guide for future theoretical efforts., Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. This paper will be submitted to Astrophysical Journal(ApJ)

The recently launched NASA’s Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) mission enables investigations of multi-scale phenomena in the reconnection process. Especially, the MMS spacecraft revealed that high-frequency waves of electron time scales exist near the electron diffusion region (EDR) due to complex electron distributions. As such waves are generated near the EDR, they could significantly affect the environment of the EDR via wave-particle interactions. We investigated the September 19, 2015 event when the MMS spacecraft crossed the reconnection exhaust region. The MMS spacecraft observed a parallel electron crescent, which is known to be generated by the cyclotron turning due to the normal magnetic field in the reconnection exhaust region. At the same time, highly discrete waves were observed in the power spectrum of the electric field. The wave frequency ranged between 6 ~ 14 Fce (Fce: electron cyclotron frequency), and the power of perpendicular components was larger than the parallel component. Therefore, they featured electron Bernstein waves. By modeling the parallel electron crescent as a sum of 18 ring-shaped electron distributions, we calculate the linear dispersion relation using a numerical solver. The linear growth rates agreed with the power spectrum of the electric field, which means that the parallel electron crescent locally drove the electron Bernstein waves. Together with previous studies of high-frequency waves, our work could provide a diagram of high-frequency wave distributions in the reconnection geometry.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Magnetosphere Multiscale mission reveals that agyrotropic electrons and intense waves are prevalently present in the electron diffusion region. Prompted by two distinct Magnetosphere Multiscale observations, this letter investigates by theoretical means and the properties of agyrotropic electron beam‐plasma instability and explains the origin of different structures in the wave spectra. The difference is owing to the fact that in one instance, a continuous beam mode is excited, while in the other, discrete Bernstein modes are excited, and the excitation of one mode versus the other depends on physical input parameters, which are consistent with observations. Analyses of dispersion relations show that the growing mode becomes discrete when the maximum growth rate is lower than the electron cyclotron frequency. Making use of particle‐in‐cell simulations, we found that the broadening angle Δ in the gyroangle space is also an important factor controlling the growth rate. Ramifications of the present finding are also discussed., Key Points MMS observed two different types of waves near the electron diffusion region (discrete electron Bernstein waves and continuous beam modes)A unified kinetic theory that can explain both types of wave generation is derivedThe condition that the maximum growth rate of instability equals the electron cyclotron frequency is the threshold of transitions

Relative drifts between different species or particle populations are characteristic to solar plasma outflows, e.g., in the fast streams of the solar winds, coronal mass ejections and interplanetary shocks. This paper characterizes the dispersion and stability of the low-beta alpha/proton drifts in the absence of any intrinsic thermal anisotropies, which are usually invoked in order to stimulate various instabilities. The dispersion relations derived here describe the full spectrum of instabilities and their variations with the angle of propagation and plasma parameters. The results unveil a potential competition between instabilities of the electromagnetic proton cyclotron and alpha cyclotron modes. For conditions specific to a low-beta solar wind, e.g., at low heliocentric distances in the outer corona, the instability operates on the alpha cyclotron branch. The growth rates of the alpha cyclotron mode are systematically stimulated by the (parallel) plasma beta and/or the alpha-proton temperature ratio. One can therefore expect that this instability develops even in the absence of temperature anisotropies, with potential to contribute to a self-consistent regulation of the observed drift of alpha particles., Comment: Accepted for publication at Astrophysics and Space Science

Using a two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulation, we investigate the effects and roles of upper‐hybrid waves (UHW) near the electron diffusion region (EDR). The energy dissipation via the wave‐particle interaction in our simulation agrees with J · E′ measured by magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) spacecraft. It means that UHW contributes to the local energy dissipation. As a result of wave‐particle interactions, plasma parameters which determine the larger‐scale energy dissipation in the EDR are changed. The y‐directional current decreases while the pressure tensor Pyz increases/decreases when the agyrotropic beam density is low/high, where (x, y, z)‐coordinates correspond the (L, M, N)‐boundary coordinates. Because the reconnection electric field comes from −∂Pyz/∂z, our result implies that UHW plays an additional role in affecting larger‐scale energy dissipation in the EDR by changing plasma parameters. We provide a simple diagram that shows how the UHW activities change the profiles of plasma parameters near the EDR comparing cases with and without UHW., Key Points Upper‐hybrid waves locally contribute to the energy dissipation in the electron diffusion region via wave‐particle interactionPressure tensors, electric field, and current in the EDR can be changed as a result of upper‐hybrid wave activitiesChanges in the profiles of the plasma parameters can affect larger‐scale energy conversion in the EDR

Reliable models of the solar wind in the near-Earth space environment may constrain conditions close to the Sun. This is relevant to NASA's contemporary innerheliospheric mission Parker Solar Probe. Among the outstanding issues is how to explain the solar wind temperature isotropy. Perpendicular and parallel proton and electron temperatures near 1 AU are theoretically predicted to be unequal, but in situ observations show quasi-isotropy sufficiently below the instability threshold condition. This has not been satisfactorily explained. The present Letter shows that the dynamical coupling of electrons and protons via collisional processes and instabilities may contribute toward the resolution of this problem.

In collision-poor plasmas from space, e.g., solar wind or stellar outflows, the heat-flux carried by the strahl or beaming electrons is expected to be regulated by the self-generated instabilities. Recently, simultaneous field and particle observations have indeed revealed enhanced whistler-like fluctuations in the presence of counter-beaming populations of electrons, connecting these fluctuations to the whistler heat-flux instability (WHFI). This instability is predicted only for limited conditions of electron beam-plasmas, and was not captured in numerical simulations yet. In this letter we report the first simulations of WHFI in particle-in-cell (PIC) setups, realistic for the solar wind conditions, and without temperature gradients or anisotropies to trigger the instability in the initiation phase. The velocity distributions have a complex reaction to the enhanced whistler fluctuations conditioning the instability saturation by a decrease of the relative drifts combined with induced (effective) temperature anisotropies (heating the core electrons and pitch-angle and energy scattering the strahl). These results are in good agreement with a recent quasilinear approach, and support therefore a largely accepted belief that WHFI saturates at moderate amplitudes. In anti-sunward direction the strahl becomes skewed with a pitch-angle distribution decreasing in width as electron energy increases, that seems to be characteristic to self-generated whistlers and not to small-scale turbulence., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL