The adiabatic phase mixing and heating of electrons in Buneman turbulence

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https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/article-abstract/20/6/061205/124452/The-adiabatic-phase-mixing-and-heating-of

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https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811137
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/30842

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UMBC Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI)

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5317-988X

Date

2013-06-14

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journal articles
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Citation of Original Publication

H. Che, J. F. Drake, M. Swisdak, M. L. Goldstein; The adiabatic phase mixing and heating of electrons in Buneman turbulence. Phys. Plasmas 1 June 2013; 20 (6): 061205. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4811137

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This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
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Abstract

The nonlinear development of the strong Buneman instability and the associated fast electron heating in thin current layers with Ωₑ / ωₚₑ < 1 is explored. Phase mixing of the electrons in wave potential troughs and a rapid increase in temperature are observed during the saturation of the instability. We show that the motion of trapped electrons can be described using a Hamiltonian formalism in the adiabatic approximation. The process of separatrix crossing as electrons are trapped and de-trapped is irreversible and guarantees that the resulting electron energy gain is a true heating process.