Kinetic Simulation of Alfvenic Interactions of Small Transverse Scale

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Alfven waves and the field-aligned electric currents associated with them form the primary basis for the electromagnetic coupling between the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. This project will use a particle-in-cell (PIC) computer code to perform kinetic simulations of the interaction of Alfven waves with gradients and structures in the ionosphere. The topics to be studied include the interaction with pre-existing density cavities, nonlinear reflections from boundaries, modulations produced by double-layers, the generation of high-frequency noise and the effects of cross-field plasma flows.