Self-consistent description of the tangential-discontinuity-type current sheet, using the particle trajectory method and angular variables

The description of the dynamics of charged-particles in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is a fundamental problem in space plasma physics. Since, this dynamics has a character of a nonlinear oscillator, the traditionally used approaches involve certain limiting conditions regarding the scales of magn...

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Veröffentlicht in:Physics of plasmas 2018-09, Vol.25 (9)
Hauptverfasser: Sasunov, Yu. L., Khodachenko, M. L., Alexeev, I. I., Belenkaya, E. S., Gubchenko, V. M., Dwivedi, N., Hanslmeier, A.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The description of the dynamics of charged-particles in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is a fundamental problem in space plasma physics. Since, this dynamics has a character of a nonlinear oscillator, the traditionally used approaches involve certain limiting conditions regarding the scales of magnetic field, particle motion, and the assumptions about conservation of specific invariants (e.g., the magnetic momentum, integrals of action, etc.). Such approaches naturally restrict the detailization the considered particle dynamics which is described in terms of the integral characteristics and averaged parameters of motion. However, in some regions the precise account of the particle trajectory details and the motion features (e.g., the phase of gyration) are of crucial importance. In this paper, we present a method for the description of particle dynamics, based on a new system of differential equations for the particle pitch-angle θ and phase of rotation ϕ, which are derived from the analysis of the particle trajectory in a given magnetic field. It enables an easy and comprehensive description of a number of elementary problems, which form the basis for more complex natural cases in space physics. The developed method admits generalization to the case of the particle ensemble, which makes it possible to find a set of the self-consistent solutions for tangential current sheets within the frame of the kinetic approach.
ISSN:1070-664X
1089-7674
DOI:10.1063/1.5044720