Phase space transport in the interaction between shocks and plasma turbulence

Area of Science:

• Plasma physics
• Astrophysics
• Computational physics

Background:

• Collisionless shocks are fundamental in space and astrophysical plasmas.
• Plasma turbulence plays a critical role in particle dynamics and energy transport.
• Understanding shock-turbulence interaction is key to explaining energetic particle phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the interaction between collisionless shocks and fully developed plasma turbulence.
• To determine the influence of upstream turbulence characteristics on plasma transport processes.
• To propose a method for analyzing particle transport in turbulent plasmas.

Main Methods:

• Hybrid kinetic simulations were used to model a turbulent jet impacting an oblique shock.
• Coarse-graining of the Vlasov equation was employed to analyze particle transport.
• Simulations focused on varying upstream turbulence properties like strength and coherency.

Main Results:

• Particle transport is shown to be strongly dependent on the strength and coherency of upstream turbulence.
• The study quantifies the impact of turbulence on the shock interaction dynamics.
• A novel technique for analyzing particle transport in turbulent Vlasov equation is presented.

Conclusions:

• Upstream plasma turbulence significantly modulates particle transport at collisionless shocks.
• The findings provide insights into particle acceleration and heating mechanisms in space plasmas.
• The developed coarse-graining technique offers a new tool for studying turbulent plasma phenomena.