arXiv subjects

E. S. Uchava

Publications and source records attributed to E. S. Uchava.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A conserved thermo-mechanic invariant in extended fluid description of collisionless plasmas

We investigate linear perturbations of an incompressible, weakly collisional, anisotropic plasma in the low frequency limit using an extended 16-moment fluid description that retains parallel and perpendicular heat fluxes. We identify a new class of linear perturbations associated with a conserved thermo-mechanic invariant, a time independent, aperiodic structure involving coupled perturbations of heat fluxes, velocity, and magnetic field. In the standard CGL limit, where heat fluxes are neglected, no direct analogue of this invariant exists. Retaining heat flux dynamics alters the linear structure of the system promoting third order velocity moments to autonomous variables and gives rise to a thermo-mechanic mode with coupled thermal, kinetic, and magnetic components. The associated perturbations are inherently localized, favoring compact, filamentary aperiodic structures. The thermo-mechanic invariant reveals a previously unexplored stationary sector of collisionless anisotropic plasma dynamics, characterized by a fixed algebraic polarization that enforces time independent relations among the relevant perturbation fields.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Fire-hose instability of inhomogeneous plasma flows with heat fluxes

We study the effects of heat flows and velocity shear on the parallel firehose instability in weakly collisional plasma flow. For this purpose we apply an anisotropic 16-moments MHD fluid closure model that takes into account the pressure and temperature anisotropy, as well as the effect of anisotropic heat flux. The linear stability analysis of the firehose modes is carried out in the incompressible limit, where the MHD flow is parallel to the background magnetic field, while the velocity is sheared in the direction transverse to the flow direction. It seems that an increase of the velocity shear parameter leads to higher growth rates of the firehose instability. The increase of the instability growth rate is most profound for perturbations with oblique wave-numbers $k_{\perp}/k_{\parallel} < 1$. The heat flux parameter introduces an asymmetry of the instability growth in the shear plane: perturbations with wave-vectors with a component in the direction of the velocity shear grow significantly stronger as compared to those with components in the opposite direction. We discuss the implications of the presented study on the observable features of the solar wind and possible measurements of local parameters of the solar wind based on the stability constraints set by the firehose instability.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2015

Overstability of acoustic waves in strongly magnetized anisotropic MHD shear flows

We present a linear stability analysis of the perturbation modes in anisotropic MHD flows with velocity shear and strong magnetic field. Collisionless or weakly collisional plasma is described within the 16-momentum MHD fluid closure model, that takes into account not only the effect of pressure anisotropy, but also the effect of anisotropic heat fluxes. In this model the low frequency acoustic wave is revealed into a standard acoustic mode and higher frequency fast thermo-acoustic and lower frequency slow thermo-acoustic waves. It is shown that thermo-acoustic waves become unstable and grow exponentially when the heat flux parameter exceeds some critical value. It seems that velocity shear makes thermo-acoustic waves overstable even at subcritical heat flux parameters. Thus, when the effect of heat fluxes is not profound acoustic waves will grow due to the velocity shear, while at supercritical heat fluxes the flow reveals compressible thermal instability. Anisotropic thermal instability should be also important in astrophysical environments, where it will limit the maximal value of magnetic field that a low density ionized anisotropic flow can sustain.

astro-ph.SR↗