Magnetic field generation during the collision of narrow plasma clouds

Citation
J. Sakai et al., Magnetic field generation during the collision of narrow plasma clouds, J PHYS JPN, 68(6), 1999, pp. 1793-1796
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Physics
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE PHYSICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN
ISSN journal
00319015 → ACNP
Volume
68
Issue
6
Year of publication
1999
Pages
1793 - 1796
Database
ISI
SICI code
0031-9015(199906)68:6<1793:MFGDTC>2.0.ZU;2-W
Abstract
We investigate the dynamics of the collision of narrow plasma clouds, whose transverse dimension is on the order of the electron skin depth. A 2D3V (t wo dimensions in space and three dimensions in velocity space) particle-in- cell (PIC) collisionless relativistic code is used to show the generation o f a quasi-static magnetic field during the collision of narrow plasma cloud s both in electron-ion and electron-positron (pair) plasmas. The localized strong magnetic fluxes result in the generation of the charge separation wi th complicated structures, which may be sources of electromagnetic as well as Langmuir waves. We also present one application of this process, which o ccurs during coalescence of magnetic islands in a current sheet of pair pla smas.