Wave induced energetic particle generation and space plasma modeling

Abstract

An increasing number of high-resolution spacecraft observations provide access to details of energetic electron and ion velocity-space distribution structures. Since resonant wave-particle interaction processes depend considerably on the distribution function details, space plasma modeling is of particular interest for studies of a variety of plasma environments as planetary magnetospheres, the interplanetary medium or solar flares. After summarizing the most popular particle acceleration processes we focus on wave-powered energization mechanisms induced by Landau interaction and demonstrate from a time-evolutionary scenario that power-law distributions, highly favored by observations in recent years, are generated resonantly by an Alfvén wave spectrum and possibly saturate. This process is further stimulated in non-uniform magnetic field configurations where multiple wave packets at different phase velocities provide the energy source for a continuous acceleration process. Moreover, in this conjunction we demonstrate that in particular κ-distributions are a consequence of a generalized entropy concept, favored by nonextensive statistics, which provides the missing link for power-law plasma models from fundamental physics. With regard to in situ space observations examples are provided illuminating that for non-thermal plasma characteristics the particular structure of the velocity-space distribution dominates as regulating mechanism for the wave-particle interaction process over effects related to changes in space plasma parameters.