Bi-Directional Energy Cascades and the Origin of Kinetic Alfvénic and Whistler Turbulence in the Solar Wind

Abstract

The observed sub-proton scale turbulence spectrum in the solar wind raises the question of how that turbulence originates. Observations of keV energetic electrons during solar quite-time suggest them as possible source of free energy to drive the turbulence. Using particle-in-cell simulations, we explore how free energy in energetic electrons, released by an electron two-stream instability drives Weibel-like electromagnetic waves that excite wave-wave interactions. Consequently, both kinetic Alfvénic and whistler waves are excited that evolve through inverse and forward magnetic energy cascades.

12 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to Physical Review Letters

References in corpus (3)

• Kinetic Simulations of Magnetized Turbulence in Astrophysical Plasmas
• Solar wind turbulent spectrum at plasma kinetic scales
• Parallel Electric Field Spectrum of Solar Wind Turbulence

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• Electron Strahl and Halo Formation in the Solar Wind
• The Inherently Three-Dimensional Nature of Magnetized Plasma Turbulence
• Energy Dissipation and Landau Damping in Two- and Three-Dimensional Plasma Turbulence
• How Electron Two-Stream Instability Drives Cyclic Langmuir Collapse and Continuous Coherent Emission
• How Anomalous Resistivity Accelerates Magnetic Reconnection
• Electron Two-stream Instability and Its Application in Solar and Heliophysics
• A New Look at Type III Bursts and their Use as Coronal Diagnostics
• Wave-Particle-Interaction in Kinetic Plasmas
• Parker Solar Probe Observations of Suprathermal Electron Flux Enhancements Originating from Coronal Hole Boundaries
• Tests for coronal electron temperature signatures in suprathermal electron populations at 1 AU
• How Nanoflares Produce Kinetic Waves, Nano-Type III Radio Bursts, and Non-Thermal Electrons in the Solar Wind
• Common Origin of Kinetic Scale Turbulence and the Electron Halo in the Solar Wind -- Connection to Nanoflares
• Diffusion and Radiation in Magnetized Collisionless Plasmas with High-Frequency Small-Scale Turbulence
• Helicity dynamics, inverse and bi-directional cascades in fluid and MHD turbulence: A brief review
• Observation of an Extraordinary Type V Solar Radio Burst: Nonlinear Evolution of the Electron Two-Stream Instability