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- e.g. high energy particles in low density plasma where collisions are infrequent
The task is to solve the eq. of motion of a charged particle:
non-electromagnetic forces
acting on the particle (usually
Lorentz Force
gravitation)
macroscopic field:
sum of the externally applied field
and the fields generated by the
plasma particles collectively
1) E = const and B = 0
Eq. of motion
2) E = 0 and B = const
Eq. of motion:
cyclotron frequency
4.2 0 c t gyro frequency
Larmor frequency
helical motion
1) linear motion along the field lines at constant speed (v|| = vz = constant)
90 v v
0 v v ||
• non-uniform magnetic field: changes as the ratio between v and v|| changes
rL
~W
Magnetic moment vector always opposite to the ambient field (rL ~ sign of q)
dv||
m qE|| 0
dt
E B drift 4.2
+q slows when moving opposite to E
(v increases rL deccreases)
rL ~ m
1
rL ~ W c ~m
Co-rotational electric field
E vE B ( r) B
: Earth’s angular velocity
E ( 2 1 )/L
4) A force capable of accelerating/decelerating particles gyrating about B
drifts to both B and the force
Note: F charge independent drift opposite direction for electrons and ions
separates charges currents B
F B
Inserting F = qE into v D ExB-drift
qB 2
F = mg gives the gravitational drift
ExB drift
5) Slow time variations in E
Exercise!
polarization drift
mv 1
recall: rL ~
|q|B B
Particle orbit is
nearly a circle,
but it no longer B
closes on itself
r
A.) static but inhomogeneous magnetic field.
- field is only weakly inhomogenous, changes are small during one Larmor gyration
|B|
small rL
large rL
F B W
vG B B B B gradient drift
qB 2 qB 2 qB 3
vG ~ q-1 gradient drift associated with a current
ion
electron
- GC drift arises from the centrifugal force felt by the particles as they move along
the field lines:
exercise
E B drift Combined gradient and
curvature drifts: 4.3
W
vGC 1 cos 2 n t
qBRC
• independent of the sign of the charge • depends on the sign of the charge
no current give rise to a current
E
B, R
Summary of guiding center drifts
E B
• ExB-drift vE
B2
+ ion
mg B electron
vg
• gravitation drift qB 2
B
1 dE
• polarization drift vp
c B dt
W
vG B B
• gradient drift qB 3
mv||2
• curvature drift vC B B B
qB 4
periodic motion conserved quantity
Hamiltonian formulation:
Let q & p be canonical variables, H T U qi pi L
generalized momentum and coordinate i
1 2
L T U mv qA v q
2
H H
pi qi
qi pi
B constant, irrespective whether the change is due to time variation or the motion
in an inhomogeneous magnetic field.
• conservation can be shown by direct calculation in the case of static B and E=0
4.5
What if the magnetic field varies slowly in time?
(slowly compared with the cyclotron period)
W E
4.6 … must again remain constant
B
B
E
t
also the flux enclosed by the gyro orbit
is constant
Electric field
induced by
slowly varying B
charges gain
Energy when
moving along E
Recall:
W m v 2 s in 2
B 2B
90 v v
both W and conserved 0 v v ||
B
when B changes, only can change.
v
magnetic mirror
The strength of mirror field Bm depends on particle’s in some reference field B0.
= 90°
v
trapped
particles
two magnetic mirrors facing each other loss cone
v|| = 0°
What happens if a particle drifts across the field lines from a region with a magnetic
field strength B1 into a region of increasing field strength B2?
Conservation of
BUT
If field does not change much in one bounce period, the motion is
nearly periodic
b
J p || d s second adabatic invariant
a
W|| 1 l12
W|| 2 l22
Fermi acceleration
Cosmic rays striking the Earth’s
atmosphere and causing a high
proposed by Enrico Fermi to energy particle shower
explain acceleration of galactic
cosmic rays.
• associated with azimuthal drift motion
• exists only for fields with a well defined axial symmetry
Earth’s dipole
moment points
southward (–z)!
components of B: magnitude of B:
(azimuthal symmetry)
line elements dr dreˆ r rd eˆ r sin d eˆ
dr rd r sin d
Br B B
r r0 cos 2
-(constant) longitude 0
- distance r0 where the line crosses the equator
r0 L-parameter
L
RE
RE : radius of Earth
Field lines of different L-values
For given L, at what latitude the field line crosses the surface?
1
E arccos
L
Lat. where field line crosses the
Earth surface: e=arccosL-1/2
What is the minimum pitch angle that a particle can have at the equator (at given L
value) and still be trapped?
4.8
loss cone
Insert now m= e
4.9
cos3 m
0 arcsin 1/ 4
1 3sin 2 m
For pitch-angles
W
vGC ( ) 1 cos 2 ( ) (now B = 0)
qB ( ) RC ( )
2
k0 1 3sin 2
B ( ) RC ( )
3r0 cos5 2 cos 2
vGC vGC
r cos r0 cos 3
rcos
What we are interested is the average over the bouncing period <vgc>
b /4 m
4 4 ds d
dt Recall:
b 0
v b 0
d cos
4r0
b f( 0 )
v
2 1/ 2
1 m
vGC ( ) 1 3sin
2
d
r0 f ( 0 ) 0
cos cos ( )
1 m
cos3 (1 sin 2 )(1 cos 2 )
where g( 0 ) 2 3/ 2
d
f ( 0) 0
(1 3sin ) cos
For
g( 0)=f( 0)=1
In case of the Earth: positive ions drift to the west, electrons to the east
westward net current (ring current)
Recall:
mp = 938 MeV/c2
me = 511 keV/c2
E.g. 1 keV particle, starts at L1 = 8 with pitch angle 90° (W=W ) doubles its
energy drifting inward less than 3 RE and inside L=3 reaches energy of 10 keV
inward drift
L decreases
Adiabatic heating creates the 10-100 keV ring current ions from the 1-10 keV
plasma sheet ions
Current sheets are important in plasma physics
- separate different plasma domains
- sites of the most important energy release process, magnetic reconnection
z
E.g. magnetotail
x
y
B 1 Bx
J eˆ y
0 0 z
Current flowing along positive y-axis in the region where Bx changes sign
The Harris current sheet: (e.g. Earth’s magnetotail)
Jy
1-D Bn =0 2-D
Motion in the current sheet