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Plasma Physics (Physics/ECE/NE 922) Seminar
Gyrokinetic Simulations of Solar Wind Turbulence and Dissipation
Date: Monday, December 3rd
Time: 12:00 pm
Place: 1310 Sterling Hall
Speaker: Jason TenBarge, University of Iowa
Abstract: Turbulence plays an important role in space and astrophysical plasmas by mediating the transfer of energy from large-scale motions to the small scales at which the turbulence can be dissipated. Recent advances in solar wind data extending to sub-electron scales have increased the focus on turbulence and dissipation at kinetic scales. Due to the nature of plasma turbulence, gyrokinetics is well suited to study weakly collisional kinetic plasmas, such as the solar wind. We present nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation results in- cluding: (1) energy spectra spanning the entire dissipation range from ion to sub-electron scales that show striking agreement with in situ solar wind data, (2) identification of a dissipation range anisotropic cascade of energy in agreement with predictions of critical balance, and (3) constraints on the physical origin of energy dissipation at kinetic scales.
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