Advancing our understanding of collisionless plasma turbulence with the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission
Presentation Type
Talk
Presenter Format
Virtual Meeting Talk
Topic
Fundamental Processes in Comparative Magnetospheres
Start Date
13-5-2022 1:00 PM
Abstract
Many plasmas throughout the Universe undergo complex turbulent dynamics, which transfer energy from large- to small-scale fluctuations, facilitating plasma heating and particle energization and generating a multitude of different plasma structures. However, the relative absence of collisions in many space plasmas means that the fluid approximation breaks down before collisional effects such as resistivity or viscosity can dissipate the fluctuation energy into thermal energy. The breakdown of the fluid behavior of the plasma introduces additional nonlinear dynamics, as well as a variety of pathways for the energization and heating of particles, which has prompted longstanding questions about the nature on the nonlinear interactions and dominant energy dissipation mechanisms in collisionless plasma turbulence. The high-resolution, multi-point measurements from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission have provided a unique opportunity to directly probe the turbulent dynamics down to scales approaching those of the electrons across a variety of different plasmas in near-Earth space. In this talk, we will provide a brief overview of unique analyses of plasma turbulence that have been enabled by MMS, in particular highlighting the key findings that have come out of the MMS mission, how those findings fit into our overall understanding of collisionless plasma turbulence, and what remains to be done.
Advancing our understanding of collisionless plasma turbulence with the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission
Many plasmas throughout the Universe undergo complex turbulent dynamics, which transfer energy from large- to small-scale fluctuations, facilitating plasma heating and particle energization and generating a multitude of different plasma structures. However, the relative absence of collisions in many space plasmas means that the fluid approximation breaks down before collisional effects such as resistivity or viscosity can dissipate the fluctuation energy into thermal energy. The breakdown of the fluid behavior of the plasma introduces additional nonlinear dynamics, as well as a variety of pathways for the energization and heating of particles, which has prompted longstanding questions about the nature on the nonlinear interactions and dominant energy dissipation mechanisms in collisionless plasma turbulence. The high-resolution, multi-point measurements from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission have provided a unique opportunity to directly probe the turbulent dynamics down to scales approaching those of the electrons across a variety of different plasmas in near-Earth space. In this talk, we will provide a brief overview of unique analyses of plasma turbulence that have been enabled by MMS, in particular highlighting the key findings that have come out of the MMS mission, how those findings fit into our overall understanding of collisionless plasma turbulence, and what remains to be done.
