Stability and waves of transonic laboratory and space plasmas

The properties of magnetohydrodynamic waves and instabilities of laboratory and space plasmas are determined by the overall magnetic confinement geometry and by the detailed distributions of the density, pressure, magnetic field, and background velocity of the plasma. Consequently, measurement of the spectrum of MHD waves (MHD spectroscopy) gives direct information on the internal state of the plasma, provided a theoretical model is available to solve the forward as well as the inverse spectral problems. This terminology entails a program, viz. to improve the accuracy of our knowledge of plasmas, both in the laboratory and in space. Here, helioseismology (which could be considered as one of the forms of MHD spectroscopy) may serve as a luminous example. The required study of magnetohydrodynamic waves and instabilities of both laboratory and space plasmas has been conducted for many years starting from the assumption of static equilibrium. Recently, there is a outburst of interest for plasma states where this assumption is violated. In fusion research, this interest is due to the importance of neutral beam heating and pumped divertor action for the extraction of heat and exhaust needed in future tokamak reactors. Both result in rotation of the plasma with speeds that do not permit the assumption of static equilibrium anymore. In astrophysics, observations in the full range of electromagnetic radiation has revealed the primary importance of plasma flows in such diverse situations as coronal flux tubes, stellar winds, rotating accretion disks, and jets emitted from radio galaxies. These flows have speeds which substantially influence the background stationary equilibrium state, if such a state exists at all. Consequently, it is important to study both the stationary states of magnetized plasmas with flow and the waves and instabilities they exhibit. We will present new results along these lines, extending from the discovery of gaps in the continuous spectrum and low-frequency Alfvén waves driven by rotation to the nonlinear flow patterns that occur when the background speed traverses the full range from sub-slow to super-fast. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A statistical analysis of low frequency geomagnetic field pulsations at two Antarctic geomagnetic observatories in the polar cap region

The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics of low frequency (∼0.5–5 mHz) geomagnetic field fluctuations as recorded at two Antarctic stations within the polar cap: the Italian observatory Mario Zucchelli Station (TNB) and the French–Italian observatory Dome C (DMC) in order to investigate the spatial extension and propagation characteristics of the phenomena observed at very high latitude. The stations have approximately the same geographic latitude, but a very different corrected geomagnetic latitude, being DMC close to the geomagnetic pole and TNB closer to the auroral oval.     

非结构网格的高超声速粘性MHD流场数值模拟

应用数值方法在非结构网格上对磁场干扰下的二维高超声速钝头体粘性绕流进行了数值模拟。控制方程为N-S方程耦合Maxwell方程的粘性MHD方程组,空间离散采用有限体积方法,对流项用AUSM格式计算,粘性项用中心格式求解,时间推进用显式5步Runge-Kutta格式,引用双曲型散度清除技术加强▽.B=0的条件。计算模型为二维钝头体,在高超声速来流条件下,分别对有、无均匀磁场干扰下的流动进行了数值模拟。计算结果表明,在均匀磁场干扰下,激波脱体距离显著增加,物体表面压力急剧下降。对比表明文中发展的计算方法可以准确地进行二维粘性MHD流场的数值模拟。     

Excitation of flare-induced waves in coronal loops and the effects of radiative cooling

EUV imaging observations from several space missions (SOHO/EIT, TRACE, and SDO/AIA) have revealed a presence of propagating intensity disturbances in solar coronal loops. These disturbances are typically interpreted as slow magnetoacoustic waves. However, recent spectroscopic observations with Hinode/EIS of active region loops revealed that the propagating intensity disturbances are associated with intermittent plasma upflows (or jets) at the footpoints which are presumably generated by magnetic reconnection. For this reason, whether these disturbances are waves or periodic flows is still being studied. This study is aimed at understanding the physical properties of observed disturbances by investigating the excitation of waves by hot plasma injections from below and the evolution of flows and wave propagation along the loop. We expand our previous studies based on isothermal 3D MHD models of an active region to a more realistic model that includes full energy equation accounting for the effects of radiative losses. Computations are initialized with an equilibrium state of a model active region using potential (dipole) magnetic field, gravitationally stratified density and temperature obtained from the polytropic equation of state. We model an impulsive injection of hot plasma into the steady plasma outflow along the loops of different temperatures, warm (～1 MK) and hot (～6 MK). The simulations show that hot jets launched at the coronal base excite slow magnetoacoustic waves that propagate to high altitudes along the loops, while the injected hot flows decelerate rapidly with heights. Our results support that propagating disturbances observed in EUV are mainly the wave features. We also find that the effect of radiative cooling on the damping of slow-mode waves in 1–6 MK coronal loops is small, in agreement with the previous conclusion based on 1D MHD models.     

Comparison of various cusp models with high- and low-resolution observations

Three major cusp models are systematically compared with low-resolution (large-scale) and high-resolution (fine-scale) low-altitude observations. Those models are (a) global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) models (including MHD+drift models), (b) turbulent/diffusive entry models, and (c) direct flowing entry models. Although low-resolution data are mostly consistent with MHD models, high-resolution data mostly contradicts them. The data instead supports the other models in which the cusp is considered as a local `extra' open region. This is a good lesson to us: past supportive `tests' of MHD cusp models might have essential flaws in the methodology, and high-resolution data is necessary even for large-scale modelings.     

电离层等效电流体系对行星际激波的响应研究

行星际激波是导致地球磁层-电离层系统发生扰动的重要原因之一,其可以通过对磁层-电离层系统电流体系的改变来影响地磁变化.本文采用全球三维磁流体力学数值模拟方法,分析了行星际激波作用下电离层等效电流体系的即时响应.模拟结果表明,在激波作用下伴随着异常场向电流对的产生,电离层在午前午后出现一对反向的等效电流涡.这对涡旋一边向极侧和夜侧运动,一边经历强度增强和减弱直至消失的过程.激波过后等效电流体系图像逐渐演化为激波下游行星际条件控制的典型图像.这个响应过程与行星际激波强度有关,激波强度越强,则反向的等效电流涡旋强度越大,寿命也就越短.     

磁尾等离子片中偶极化锋面的数值模拟研究

利用守恒型TVD格式对8波模型磁流体方程组进行数值模拟, 对磁尾中偶极化锋面的物理和演化特性进行研究. 构建了由BBF类型通量管机制产生的偶极化锋面数值模拟模型, 该模型由磁尾平衡模型、亚暴增长相模型和亚暴触发及BBF形成模型三部分组成. 数值模拟结果很好地再现了磁尾中BBF类型通量管机制产生的偶极化锋面特性. 伴随着高速 流的出现, 磁场B_z分量呈非对称双极变化结构, 即锋面前减小为负值, 在锋面上急剧增大. 当B_z增大到极大值后回落并趋于稳定. 随着偶极化锋面伴随地向高速流向地球运动, 偶极化锋面上B_z的变化越来越小.