Magnetic-field Line Curvature Observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale
Presentation Type
Talk
Presenter Format
In Person Meeting Talk
Topic
System Science
Start Date
12-5-2022 2:30 PM
Abstract
We examine the probability density function (PDF) of magnetic-field line curvature for a variety of solar wind and magnetosheath intervals of burst data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. Existing theories, based on isotropic magnetic fields, are able to predict the behavior of the curvature distribution for small and large values. We still lack a universal description of curvature in the case in which a mean magnetic field is present, i.e., in the case of anisotropic magnetic fields. Here we examine the effect of magnetic field fluctuations amplitude on the curvature distribution and predict a steeper PDF tail at large curvature value for small magnetic-field fluctuations. While existing theories apply to the case of isotropic magnetic fields, when a mean magnetic field is present, the plane perpendicular can be considered isotropic (i.e., gyrotropic). Therefore, we examine the components of magnetic field curvature in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the mean field. We find that the perpendicular curvature is responsible for the behavior of the PDF in the small curvature limit, whereas the parallel curvature’s contribution depends heavily on the strength of the mean magnetic field. This assessment of magnetic curvature examines the effects of varied parameters that can impact particle energization processes in a turbulence context.
Magnetic-field Line Curvature Observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale
We examine the probability density function (PDF) of magnetic-field line curvature for a variety of solar wind and magnetosheath intervals of burst data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. Existing theories, based on isotropic magnetic fields, are able to predict the behavior of the curvature distribution for small and large values. We still lack a universal description of curvature in the case in which a mean magnetic field is present, i.e., in the case of anisotropic magnetic fields. Here we examine the effect of magnetic field fluctuations amplitude on the curvature distribution and predict a steeper PDF tail at large curvature value for small magnetic-field fluctuations. While existing theories apply to the case of isotropic magnetic fields, when a mean magnetic field is present, the plane perpendicular can be considered isotropic (i.e., gyrotropic). Therefore, we examine the components of magnetic field curvature in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the mean field. We find that the perpendicular curvature is responsible for the behavior of the PDF in the small curvature limit, whereas the parallel curvature’s contribution depends heavily on the strength of the mean magnetic field. This assessment of magnetic curvature examines the effects of varied parameters that can impact particle energization processes in a turbulence context.
