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Magnetic wave perturbations are observed in the solar wind and in the vicinity of Earth's bow shock. For such environments, recent work on magnetic pumping with electrons trapped in the magnetic perturbations has demonstrated the possibility of efficient energization of superthermal electrons. Here we also analyse the energization of such energetic electrons for which the transit time through the system is short compared with time scales associated with the magnetic field evolution. In particular, considering an idealized magnetic configuration we show how trapping/detrapping of energetic magnetized electrons can cause effective parallel velocity ( $$v_{\parallel }$$ -) diffusion. This parallel diffusion, combined with naturally occurring mechanisms known to cause pitch angle scattering, such as whistler waves, produces enhanced heating rates for magnetic pumping. We find that at low pitch angle scattering rates, the combined mechanism enhances the heating beyond the predictions of the recent theory for magnetic pumping with trapped electrons.
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The fast transit-time limit of magnetic pumping with trapped electrons
Recently, the energization of superthermal electrons at the Earth's bow shock was found to be consistent with a new magnetic pumping model derived in the limit where the electron transit time is much shorter than any time scale governing the evolution of the magnetic fields. The new model breaks with the common approach of integrating the kinetic equations along unperturbed orbits. Rather, the fast transit-time limit allows the electron dynamics to be characterized by adiabatic invariants (action variables) accurately capturing the nonlinear effects of electrons becoming trapped in magnetic perturbations. Without trapping, fast parallel streaming along magnetic field lines causes the electron pressure to be isotropized and homogeneous along the magnetic field lines. In contrast, trapping permits spatially varying pressure anisotropy to form along the magnetic field lines, and through a Fermi process this pressure anisotropy in turn becomes the main ingredient that renders magnetic pumping efficient for energizing superthermal electrons. We here present a detailed mathematical derivation of the model.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1949802
- PAR ID:
- 10321298
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Plasma Physics
- Volume:
- 87
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0022-3778
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022377821001173
