No Arabic abstract
We present a linear stability analysis of the perturbation modes in anisotropic MHD flows with velocity shear and strong magnetic field. Collisionless or weakly collisional plasma is described within the 16-momentum MHD fluid closure model, that takes into account not only the effect of pressure anisotropy, but also the effect of anisotropic heat fluxes. In this model the low frequency acoustic wave is revealed into a standard acoustic mode and higher frequency fast thermo-acoustic and lower frequency slow thermo-acoustic waves. It is shown that thermo-acoustic waves become unstable and grow exponentially when the heat flux parameter exceeds some critical value. It seems that velocity shear makes thermo-acoustic waves overstable even at subcritical heat flux parameters. Thus, when the effect of heat fluxes is not profound acoustic waves will grow due to the velocity shear, while at supercritical heat fluxes the flow reveals compressible thermal instability. Anisotropic thermal instability should be also important in astrophysical environments, where it will limit the maximal value of magnetic field that a low density ionized anisotropic flow can sustain.
Particle energization in shear flows is invoked to explain non-thermal emission from the boundaries of relativistic astrophysical jets. Yet, the physics of particle injection, i.e., the mechanism that allows thermal particles to participate in shear-driven acceleration, remains unknown. With particle-in-cell simulations, we study the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instabilities seeded by the velocity shear between a relativistic magnetically-dominated electron-positron jet and a weakly magnetized electron-ion ambient plasma. We show that, in their nonlinear stages, KH vortices generate kinetic-scale reconnection layers, which efficiently energize the jet particles, thus providing a first-principles mechanism for particle injection into shear-driven acceleration. Our work lends support to spine-sheath models of jet emission - with a fast core/spine surrounded by a slower sheath - and can explain the origin of radio-emitting electrons at the boundaries of relativistic jets.
Observations of powerful radio waves from neutron star magnetospheres raise the question of how strong waves interact with particles in a strong background magnetic field $B_{bg}$. This problem is examined by solving the particle motion in the wave. Remarkably, waves with amplitudes $E_0>B_{bg}$ pump particle energy via repeating resonance events, quickly reaching the radiation reaction limit. As a result, the wave is scattered with a huge cross section. This fact has great implications for models of fast radio bursts and magnetars. Particles accelerated in the wave emit gamma-rays, which can trigger an $e^pm$ avalanche and, instead of silent escape, the wave will produce X-ray fireworks.
The effect of magnetic shear and shear flow on local gravitationally induced instabilities is investigated. A simple model is constructed allowing for an arbitrary entropy gradient and a shear plasma flow in the Boussinesq approximation. A transformation to shearing magnetic coordinates achieves a model with plasma flow along the magnetic field lines where the coordinate lines are coincident with the field lines. The solution for the normal modes of the system depends on two parameters: the Alfven Mach number of the plasma flow and the entropy gradient. The behavior of the unstable normal modes of this system is summarized by a stability diagram. Important characteristics of this stability diagram are the following: magnetic shear is stabilizing and the entropy gradient must exceed a threshold value for unstable mode growth to occur; flow acts to suppress mode growth in a substantially unstable regime as expected, yet near marginal stability it can lessen the stabilizing effect of magnetic shear and enhance the growth rates of the instability; and, as the Alfven Mach number approaches one, the instability is completely stabilized. Analytical work is presented supporting the characteristics of the stability diagram and illuminating the physical mechanisms controlling the behavior of the model. The implications of this work for astrophysical and fusion applications and the potential for future research extending the results to include compressibility are discussed.
Transverse MHD waves permeate the solar atmosphere and are a candidate for coronal heating. However, the origin of these waves is still unclear. In this work, we analyse coordinated observations from textit{Hinode}/SOT and textit{IRIS} of a prominence/coronal rain loop-like structure at the limb of the Sun. Cool and dense downflows and upflows are observed along the structure. A collision between a downward and an upward flow with an estimated energy flux of $10^{7}-10^{8}$~erg~cm$^{-2}$~s$^{-1}$ is observed to generate oscillatory transverse perturbations of the strands with an estimated $approx40~$km~s$^{-1}$ total amplitude, and a short-lived brightening event with the plasma temperature increasing to at least $10^{5}~$K. We interpret this response as sausage and kink transverse MHD waves based on 2D MHD simulations of plasma flow collision. The lengths, density and velocity differences between the colliding clumps and the strength of the magnetic field are major parameters defining the response to the collision. The presence of asymmetry between the clumps (angle of impact surface and/or offset of flowing axis) is crucial to generate a kink mode. Using the observed values we successfully reproduce the observed transverse perturbations and brightening, and show adiabatic heating to coronal temperatures. The numerical modelling indicates that the plasma $beta$ in this loop-like structure is confined between $0.09$ and $0.36$. These results suggest that such collisions from counter-streaming flows can be a source of in-situ transverse MHD waves, and that for cool and dense prominence conditions such waves could have significant amplitudes.
The review addresses the spatial frequency morphology of sources of sunspot oscillations and waves, including their localization, size, oscillation periods, height localization with the mechanism of cut-off frequency that forms the observed emission variability. Dynamic of sunspot wave processes, provides the information about the structure of wave fronts and their time variations, investigates the oscillation frequency transformation depending on the wave energy is shown. The initializing solar flares caused by trigger agents like magnetoacoustic waves, accelerated particle beams, and shocks are discussed. Special attention is paid to the relation between the flare reconnection periodic initialization and the dynamics of sunspot slow magnetoacoustic waves. A short review of theoretical models of sunspot oscillations is provided.