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Phase‐steepened Alfvén waves, proton perpendicular energization and the creation of magnetic holes and magnetic decreases: The ponderomotive force
Author(s) -
Tsurutani B. T.,
Dasgupta B.,
Galvan C.,
Neugebauer M.,
Lakhina G. S.,
Arballo J. K.,
Winterhalter D.,
Goldstein B. E.,
Buti B.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl015652
Subject(s) - physics , diamagnetism , ponderomotive force , proton , cyclotron , phase (matter) , alfvén wave , plasma , solar wind , computational physics , atomic physics , magnetic field , magnetohydrodynamics , nuclear physics , quantum mechanics
Solar wind protons detected within Magnetic Holes (MHs) and Magnetic Decreases (MDs) are found to be preferentially heated perpendicular to 0 . The MHs/MDs are associated with the phase‐steepened edges of nonlinear Alfvén waves. The proton anisotropies can lead to the proton cyclotron and mirror mode plasma instabilities. We examine the Ponderomotive Force (PF), a phenomenon due to wave pressure gradients, and show that for this plasma regime and for phase‐steepened Alfvén waves, the PF proton acceleration/energization will primarily be orthogonal to B 0 . It is suggested that accelerated ions create the MHs/MDs by a diamagnetic effect.