Open AccessElectron Energization and Energy Dissipation in Microscale Electromagnetic Environments
Author(s) -
Jingao Liu,
Shutao Yao,
Quanqi Shi,
X. G. Wang,
Qiugang Zong,
Yutong Feng,
H. Liu,
Ruilong Guo,
Zhonghua Yao,
I. J. Rae,
A. W. Degeling,
Anmin Tian,
C. T. Russell,
Y. T. Zhang,
Y. X. Wang,
L. D. Woodham,
Z. Y. Pu,
Chijie Xiao,
S. Y. Fu,
B. L. Giles
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the astrophysical journal. letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.639
H-Index - 201
eISSN - 2041-8213
pISSN - 2041-8205
DOI - 10.3847/2041-8213/abab92
Subject(s) - physics , microscale chemistry , dissipation , spacecraft , adiabatic process , electron , computational physics , classical mechanics , plasma , mechanics , astrophysics , astronomy , quantum mechanics , mathematics education , mathematics
Particle energization and energy dissipation in electromagnetic environments are longstanding topics of intensive research in space, laboratory, and astrophysical plasmas. One challenge is to understand these conversion processes at smaller and smaller spatial/temporal scales. In this Letter, with very high cadence measurements of particle distributions from the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft, we report evidence of evolution of an identified microscale (i.e., electron gyro-scale) magnetic cavity structure and reveal within it a unique energization process that does not adhere to prevailing adiabatic invariance theory. Our finding indicates that this process is largely energy dependent, and can accelerate/decelerate charged particles inside the trapping region during their gyromotion, clearly altering the particle distribution.