Kinetic magnetohydrodynamics and astrophysical collisionless plasmas

• Grant number: 10/50298-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: February 28, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy
• Principal Investigator: Elisabete Maria de Gouveia Dal Pino
• Grantee: Maria Soledad Nakwacki
• Host Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 06/50654-3 - Investigation of high energy and plasma astrophysics phenomena: theory, observation, and numerical simulations, AP.TEM

Abstract

Kinetic theory has become an important tool to model the evolution of collisionless plasmas, in particular to deal with the development of turbulence. In recent years, there has been sustained progress in this field, such as the development of numerical codes including the drift kinetic equation obtained from the Vlasov equation, and the derived set of kinetic magnetohydrodynamic equations, in which the anisotropy of pressure is considered. However, there are certain phenomena being currently observed in this kinetic regime which require a deeper numerical and theoretical investigation. In this kinetic MHD regime there are instabilities that give rise to fast growing magnetic fluctuations in the smallest scales. The low density plasma that fills the intergalactic and intracluster media suffers turbulent amplification of the magnetic field due to these instabilities. Other examples of such phenomena are the development of instabilities which may change the energy spectrum in its inertial range, the inhibition of dynamo action by the pressure anisotropy, and the generation of pressure anisotropy via magnetorotational instabilities in collisionless astrophysical objects. The purpose of this project is to study these effects theoretically and numerically using a kinetic MHD approach and to investigate other theoretical approaches that take into account the low collisionality of the intergalactic medium and intracluster medium. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NAKWACKI, M. S.; KOWAL, G.; SANTOS-LIMA, R.; DE GOUVEIA DAL PINO, E. M.; FALCETA-GONCALVES, D. A.. Features of collisionless turbulence in the intracluster medium from simulated Faraday Rotation maps. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, v. 455, n. 4, p. 3702-3723, FEB 1 2016. (13/10559-5, 13/18815-0, 13/15115-8, 13/04073-2, 10/50298-8, 09/50053-8)

SANTOS-LIMA, R.; DE GOUVEIA DAL PINO, E. M.; KOWAL, G.; FALCETA-GONCALVES, D.; LAZARIAN, A.; NAKWACKI, M. S.. MAGNETIC FIELD AMPLIFICATION AND EVOLUTION IN TURBULENT COLLISIONLESS MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS: AN APPLICATION TO THE INTRACLUSTER MEDIUM. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 781, n. 2, FEB 1 2014. (13/18815-0, 09/54006-4, 13/15115-8, 11/12909-8, 13/04073-2, 06/50654-3, 10/50298-8, 09/50053-8)