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Tulasi N Parashar

Publications and source records attributed to Tulasi N Parashar.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Sub-ion scale current sheets in kinetic Alfvén wave turbulence

3D kinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are performed using the kinetic Alfvén wave (KAW) eigenvector relations from a two-fluid model as initial conditions, in order to study turbulent fluctuations and intermittent structures at sub-ion and electron scales. Simulations with different ion-to-electron mass ratios are set up to investigate the role of electron scales in the formation of intermittent structures. We analyze the current sheet structures that develop in these simulations. Two algorithms, namely Breadth-First Search (BFS) and Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), are employed to determine the thickness, length, and width of the current sheets, and both methods are found to yield consistent results. The average current sheet thickness scales inversely with the square root of the ion-to-electron mass ratio, with values close to the electron skin depth ($d_e$), indicating the presence of electron-scale current sheets in the simulations. The widths and lengths of the current sheets show a weaker scaling with the mass ratio. The scale-dependent kurtosis reveals enhanced intermittency at electron scales, consistent with magnetosheath observations. Distributions of scale-dependent properties of the current sheets also align with the electron skin depth of the different simulations and they lie within ranges observed in kinetic scale solar wind turbulence. This study reveals the nature of sub-ion-scale current sheets in KAW turbulence and their role in dissipation.

physics.plasm-ph

Propinquity of current and vortex structures: effects on collisionless plasma heating

Intermittency of heating in weakly collisional plasma turbulence is an active subject of research, with significant potential impact on understanding of the solar wind, solar corona and astrophysical plasmas. Recent studies suggest a role of vorticity in plasma heating. In magnetohydrodynamics small scale vorticity is generated near current sheets and this effect persists in kinetic plasma, as demonstrated here with hybrid and fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations. Furthermore, vorticity enhances local kinetic effects, with a generalized resonance condition selecting sign-dependent enhancements or reductions of proton heating and thermal anisotropy. In such plasmas heating is correlated with vorticity and current density, but more strongly with vorticity. These results help explain several prior results that find kinetic effects and energization near to, but not centered on, current sheets. Evidently intermittency in kinetic plasma involves multiple physical quantities, and the associated coherent structures and nonthermal effects are closely related.

physics.space-ph

Turbulent Dissipation Challenge -- Problem Description

The goal of this document is to present a detailed description of the goals, simulation setup and diagnostics for the Turbulent Dissipation Challenge (arXiv:1303.0204) as discussed in the Solar Heliospheric and INterplanetary Environment (SHINE) 2013 workshop, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2013 and the accompanying antenna meeting in Berkeley.

physics.plasm-ph