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arXiv · 1507.03692

Observation of particle acceleration in laboratory magnetosphere

Yohei Kawazura·Zensho Yoshida·Masaki Nishiura·Haruhiko Saitoh·Yoshihisa Yano·Tomoaki Nogami·Naoki Sato·Miyuri Yamasaki·Ankur Kashyap·Toshiki Mushiake
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Abstract

The self-organization of magnetospheric plasma is brought about by inward diffusion of magnetized particles. Not only creating a density gradient toward the center of a dipole magnetic field, the inward diffusion also accelerates particles and provides a planetary radiation belt with high energy particles. Here, we report the first experimental observation of a 'laboratory radiation belt' created in the Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) device. By spectroscopic measurement, we found an appreciable anisotropy in the ion temperature, proving the betatron acceleration mechanism which heats particles in the perpendicular direction with respect to the magnetic field when particles move inward. The energy balance model including the heating mechanism explains the observed ion temperature profile.

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Yohei Kawazura, Zensho Yoshida, Masaki Nishiura, Haruhiko Saitoh, Yoshihisa Yano, Tomoaki Nogami, Naoki Sato, Miyuri Yamasaki, Ankur Kashyap, Toshiki Mushiake. 2015-11-19. Observation of particle acceleration in laboratory magnetosphere. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4935894

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