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Collisionless plasma systems are often studied using fully kinetic simulations, where protons and electrons are treated as particles. Due to their computational expense, it is necessary to reduce the ion-to-electron mass ratio $m_i/m_e$or the ratio between plasma and cyclotron frequencies in simulations of large systems. In this Letter we show that when electron-scale waves are present in larger-scale systems, numerical parameters affect their amplitudes and effects on the larger system. Using lower-hybrid drift waves during magnetic reconnection as an example, we find that the ratio between the wave electric field and the reconnection electric field scales as $\sqrt{m_i/m_e}$, while the phase relationship is also affected. The combination of these effects means that the anomalous drag that contributes to momentum balance in the reconnection region can be underestimated by an order of magnitude. The results are relevant to the coupling of electron-scale waves to ion-scale reconnection regions, and other systems such as collisionless shocks. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

Abstract Numerous structures conducive to magnetic reconnection are frequently observed in the turbulent regions at quasi-parallel shocks. In this work, we use a particle-in-cell simulation to study 3D magnetic reconnection in shock turbulence. We identify and characterize magnetic null points, and focus on reconnection along the separator between them. We identify a reconnection region with strong parallel current, a finite parallel potential, and counterrotating electron flows. Electrons are shown to be accelerated by the parallel electric field before being scattered at the null. 

Abstract Interactions between solar wind ions and neutral hydrogen atoms in Earth's exosphere can lead to the emission of soft X‐rays. Upcoming missions such as SMILE and LEXI aim to use soft X‐ray imaging to study the global structure of the magnetosphere. Although the magnetosheath and dayside magnetopause can often be driven by kinetic physics, it has typically been omitted from fluid simulations used to predict X‐ray emissions. We study the possible results of soft X‐ray imaging using hybrid simulations under quasi‐radial interplanetary magnetic fields, where ion‐ion instabilities drive ultra‐low frequency foreshock waves, leading to turbulence in the magnetosheath, affecting the dynamics of the cusp and magnetopause. We simulate soft X‐ray emission to determine what may be seen by missions such as LEXI, and evaluate the possibility of identifying kinetic structures. While kinetic structures are visible in high‐cadence imaging, current instruments may not have the time resolution to discern kinetic signals. 

We present details on a new measurement of the muon magnetic anomaly, $a_{\mu }=(g_{\mu }-2)/2$. The result is based on positive muon data taken at Fermilab’s Muon Campus during the 2019 and 2020 accelerator runs. The measurement uses $3.1\mathrm{GeV}/c$polarized muons stored in a 7.1-m-radius storage ring with a 1.45 T uniform magnetic field. The value of $a_{\mu }$is determined from the measured difference between the muon spin precession frequency and its cyclotron frequency. This difference is normalized to the strength of the magnetic field, measured using nuclear magnetic resonance. The ratio is then corrected for small contributions from beam motion, beam dispersion, and transient magnetic fields. We measure $a_{\mu }=116592057\left(25\right)\times {10}^{-11}$(0.21 ppm). This is the world’s most precise measurement of this quantity and represents a factor of 2.2 improvement over our previous result based on the 2018 dataset. In combination, the two datasets yield $a_{\mu }\left(\mathrm{FNAL}\right)=116592055\left(24\right)\times {10}^{-11}$(0.20 ppm). Combining this with the measurements from Brookhaven National Laboratory for both positive and negative muons, the new world average is $a_{\mu }\left(\exp \right)=116592059\left(22\right)\times {10}^{-11}$(0.19 ppm). Published by the American Physical Society2024 

We present a new measurement of the positive muon magnetic anomaly, 𝑎𝜇≡(𝑔𝜇−2)/2, from the Fermilab Muon 𝑔−2 Experiment using data collected in 2019 and 2020. We have analyzed more than 4 times the number of positrons from muon decay than in our previous result from 2018 data. The systematic error is reduced by more than a factor of 2 due to better running conditions, a more stable beam, and improved knowledge of the magnetic field weighted by the muon distribution, 𝜔𝑝, and of the anomalous precession frequency corrected for beam dynamics effects, 𝜔𝑎. From the ratio 𝜔𝑎/𝜔𝑝, together with precisely determined external parameters, we determine 𝑎𝜇=116 592 057⁢(25)×10−11 (0.21 ppm). Combining this result with our previous result from the 2018 data, we obtain 𝑎𝜇⁡(FNAL)=116 592 055⁢(24)×10−11 (0.20 ppm). The new experimental world average is 𝑎𝜇⁡(exp)=116 592 059⁢(22)×10−11 (0.19 ppm), which represents a factor of 2 improvement in precision.