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1. High-harmonic generation in spin and charge current pumping at ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic resonance in the presence of spin–orbit coupling

   https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7639/aceaad  

   Varela-Manjarres, Jalil ; Nikolić, Branislav K. ( August 2023 , Journal of Physics: Materials)

   One of the cornerstone effects in spintronics is spin pumping by dynamical magnetization that is steadily precessing (around, for example, thez-axis) with frequencyω₀due to absorption of low-power microwaves of frequencyω₀under the resonance conditions and in the absence of any applied bias voltage. The two-decades-old ‘standard model’ of this effect, based on the scattering theory of adiabatic quantum pumping, predicts that component$I^{S_z}$of spin current vector$(I^{S_x}(t),I^{S_y}(t),I^{S_z})\propto {\omega }_0$is time-independent while$I^{S_x}(t)$and$I^{S_y}(t)$oscillate harmonically in time with a single frequencyω₀whereas pumped charge current is zero$I\equiv 0$in the same adiabatic$\propto {\omega }_0$limit. Here we employ more general approaches than the ‘standard model’, namely the time-dependent nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) and the Floquet NEGF, to predict unforeseen features of spin pumping: namely precessing localized magnetic moments within a ferromagnetic metal (FM) or antiferromagnetic metal (AFM), whose conduction electrons are exposed to spin–orbit coupling (SOC) of either intrinsic or proximity origin, will pump both spin$I^{S_{\alpha }}(t)$and chargeI(t) currents. All four of these functions harmonically oscillate in time at both even and odd integer multiples$N{\omega }_0$of the driving frequencyω₀. The cutoff order of such high harmonics increases with SOC strength, reaching$N_{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{x}}\simeq 11$in the one-dimensional FM or AFM models chosen for demonstration. A higher cutoff$N_{\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{x}}\simeq 25$can be achieved in realistic two-dimensional (2D) FM models defined on a honeycomb lattice, and we provide a prescription of how to realize them using 2D magnets and their heterostructures.

    

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2. Turbulence in the Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac51da  

   Zank, G. P. ; Zhao, L. -L. ; Adhikari, L. ; Telloni, D. ; Kasper, J. C. ; Stevens, M. ; Rahmati, A. ; Bale, S. D. ( February 2022 , The Astrophysical Journal Letters)

   The Parker Solar Probe (PSP) entered a region of sub-Alfvénic solar wind during encounter 8, and we present the first detailed analysis of low-frequency turbulence properties in this novel region. The magnetic field and flow velocity vectors were highly aligned during this interval. By constructing spectrograms of the normalized magnetic helicity, cross-helicity, and residual energy, we find that PSP observed primarily Alfvénic fluctuations, a consequence of the highly field-aligned flow that renders quasi-2D fluctuations unobservable to PSP. We extend Taylor’s hypothesis to sub- and super-Alfvénic flows. Spectra for the fluctuating forward and backward Elsässer variables (z^±, respectively) are presented, showing thatz⁺modes dominatez⁻by an order of magnitude or more, and thez⁺spectrum is a power law in frequency (parallel wavenumber)f^−3/2($k_{\parallel }^{-3/2}$) compared to the convexz⁻spectrum withf^−3/2($k_{\parallel }^{-3/2}$) at low frequencies, flattening around a transition frequency (at which the nonlinear and Alfvén timescales are balanced) tof^−1.25at higher frequencies. The observed spectra are well fitted using a spectral theory for nearly incompressible magnetohydrodynamics assuming a wavenumber anisotropy$k_{\perp }\sim k_{\parallel }^{3/4}$, that thez⁺fluctuations experience primarily nonlinear interactions, and that the minorityz⁻fluctuations experience both nonlinear and Alfvénic interactions withz⁺fluctuations. The density spectrum is a power law that resembles neither thez^±spectra nor the compressible magnetic field spectrum, suggesting that these are advected entropic rather than magnetosonic modes and not due to the parametric decay instability. Spectra in the neighboring modestly super-Alfvénic intervals are similar.

    

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3. Characterization of Turbulent Fluctuations in the Sub-Alfvénic Solar Wind

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad34ab  

   Zank, G. P. ; Zhao, L. -L. ; Adhikari, L. ; Telloni, D. ; Baruwal, Prashant ; Baruwal, Prashrit ; Zhu, Xingyu ; Nakanotani, M. ; Pitňa, A. ; Kasper, J. C. ; et al ( April 2024 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observed sub-Alfvénic solar wind intervals during encounters 8–14, and low-frequency magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in these regions may differ from that in super-Alfvénic wind. We apply a new mode decomposition analysis to the sub-Alfvénic flow observed by PSP on 2021 April 28, identifying and characterizing entropy, magnetic islands, forward and backward Alfvén waves, including weakly/nonpropagating Alfvén vortices, forward and backward fast and slow magnetosonic (MS) modes. Density fluctuations are primarily and almost equally entropy- and backward-propagating slow MS modes. The mode decomposition provides phase information (frequency and wavenumberk) for each mode. Entropy density fluctuations have a wavenumber anisotropy ofk_∥≫k_⊥, whereas slow-mode density fluctuations havek_⊥>k_∥. Magnetic field fluctuations are primarily magnetic island modes (δBⁱ) with anO(1) smaller contribution from unidirectionally propagating Alfvén waves (δB^A+) giving a variance anisotropy of$〈{\delta B^i}^2〉/〈{\delta B^A}^2〉=4.1$. Incompressible magnetic fluctuations dominate compressible contributions from fast and slow MS modes. The magnetic island spectrum is Kolmogorov-like$k_{\perp }^{-1.6}$in perpendicular wavenumber, and the unidirectional Alfvén wave spectra are$k_{\parallel }^{-1.6}$and$k_{\perp }^{-1.5}$. Fast MS modes propagate at essentially the Alfvén speed with anticorrelated transverse velocity and magnetic field fluctuations and are almost exclusively magnetic due toβ_p≪ 1. Transverse velocity fluctuations are the dominant velocity component in fast MS modes, and longitudinal fluctuations dominate in slow modes. Mode decomposition is an effective tool in identifying the basic building blocks of MHD turbulence and provides detailed phase information about each of the modes.

    

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4. Electron Heating in 2D Particle-in-cell Simulations of Quasi-perpendicular Low-beta Shocks

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1f69  

   Tran, Aaron ; Sironi, Lorenzo ( April 2024 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   We measure the thermal electron energization in 1D and 2D particle-in-cell simulations of quasi-perpendicular, low-beta (β_p= 0.25) collisionless ion–electron shocks with mass ratiom_i/m_e= 200, fast Mach number${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{ms}}=1$–4, and upstream magnetic field angleθ_Bn= 55°–85° from the shock normal$\hat{\mathit{n}}$. It is known that shock electron heating is described by an ambipolar,B-parallel electric potential jump, Δϕ_∥, that scales roughly linearly with the electron temperature jump. Our simulations have$\mathrm{\Delta }{\varphi }_{\parallel }/(0.5m_{\mathrm{i}}{u_{\mathrm{sh}}}^2)\sim 0.1$–0.2 in units of the pre-shock ions’ bulk kinetic energy, in agreement with prior measurements and simulations. Different ways to measureϕ_∥, including the use of de Hoffmann–Teller frame fields, agree to tens-of-percent accuracy. Neglecting off-diagonal electron pressure tensor terms can lead to a systematic underestimate ofϕ_∥in our low-β_pshocks. We further focus on twoθ_Bn= 65° shocks: a${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{s}}=4$(${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{A}}=1.8$) case with a long, 30d_iprecursor of whistler waves along$\hat{\mathit{n}}$, and a${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{s}}=7$(${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{A}}=3.2$) case with a shorter, 5d_iprecursor of whistlers oblique to both$\hat{\mathit{n}}$andB;d_iis the ion skin depth. Within the precursors,ϕ_∥has a secular rise toward the shock along multiple whistler wavelengths and also has localized spikes within magnetic troughs. In a 1D simulation of the${\mathcal{M}}_{\mathrm{s}}=4$,θ_Bn= 65° case,ϕ_∥shows a weak dependence on the electron plasma-to-cyclotron frequency ratioω_pe/Ω_ce, andϕ_∥decreases by a factor of 2 asm_i/m_eis raised to the true proton–electron value of 1836.

    

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5. Cosmic-Ray Drag and Damping of Compressive Turbulence

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aceef9  

   Bustard, Chad ; Oh, S. Peng ( September 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal)

   While it is well known that cosmic rays (CRs) can gain energy from turbulence via second-order Fermi acceleration, how this energy transfer affects the turbulent cascade remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that damping and steepening of the compressive turbulent power spectrum are expected once the damping time$t_{\mathrm{damp}}\sim \rho v^2/{\dot{E}}_{\mathrm{CR}}\propto E_{\mathrm{CR}}^{-1}$becomes comparable to the turbulent cascade time. Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of stirred compressive turbulence in a gas-CR fluid with diffusive CR transport show clear imprints of CR-induced damping, saturating at${\dot{E}}_{\mathrm{CR}}\sim \widetilde{ϵ}$, where$\widetilde{ϵ}$is the turbulent energy input rate. In that case, almost all of the energy in large-scale motions is absorbed by CRs and does not cascade down to grid scale. Through a Hodge–Helmholtz decomposition, we confirm that purely compressive forcing can generate significant solenoidal motions, and we find preferential CR damping of the compressive component in simulations with diffusion and streaming, rendering small-scale turbulence largely solenoidal, with implications for thermal instability and proposed resonant scattering ofE≳ 300 GeV CRs by fast modes. When CR transport is streaming dominated, CRs also damp large-scale motions, with kinetic energy reduced by up to 1 order of magnitude in realisticE_CR∼E_gscenarios, but turbulence (with a reduced amplitude) still cascades down to small scales with the same power spectrum. Such large-scale damping implies that turbulent velocities obtained from the observed velocity dispersion may significantly underestimate turbulent forcing rates, i.e.,$\widetilde{ϵ}\gg \rho v^3/L$.

    

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