Terrestrial and planetary magnetospheric relativistic charged particle dynamics are of great interest because they represent one of the final energetically significant stages of the solar-terrestrial/planetary interaction, and energetic charged particles pose a number of Space Weather risks including to Earth-orbiting satellites.
Ever since the 1960s, a dominant method of modelling charged particle dynamics has been fundamentally based on the quasilinear diffusion theory. In many respects this theory has performed very well, and has enabled scientists worldwide to build a better understanding of this complex radiation environment. However, modern satellite observations, numerical experiments, and analytical theory have demonstrated that nonlinear wave-particle interactions are not only prevalent but that they imply radically different particle dynamics – at least over relatively short timescales. We do not yet have a complete description that can treat both the quasilinear and nonlinear regimes for ELF, VLF and/or ULF waves.
In this Research Topic we invite contributions that probe our understanding of quasilinear and nonlinear wave-particle interactions and their effects, focusing on one or more of; ground-based data, spacecraft data, numerical experiment, or analytical theory. Much is known regarding the theory of statistical modelling of particle dynamics due to interactions with a ‘quasilinear spectrum of waves’, and individual particle orbits due to interactions with a ‘nonlinear spectrum of waves’. However, as a community, we have not yet discovered a unified treatment or understanding that can describe the statistical modelling of particle dynamics due to both quasilinear and nonlinear wave spectra.
In this research topic we invite observational, theoretical and numerical studies that directly tackle this question, aiming to quantify, model, and understand the importance of nonlinear interactions.
• Ground- or space-based instruments that analyze dynamics and interactions of electromagnetic waves and/or charged particles
• Analytical calculations that directly consider theoretical treatments of wave-particle interactions relevant to magnetospheric space plasmas
• Numerical experiments such as test-particle, Fokker-Planck diffusion, particle-in-cell, hybrid, Vlasov, test-particle within global MHD, or others, that simulate fine-scale wave-particle interaction and/or the global modelling approach
• Observational studies, theoretical calculations and numerical experiments that utilize and present results relevant to the quasilinear and/or nonlinear interpretations of wave-particle interactions
• Wave-particle interactions; precipitation, loss and microbursts; pitch-angle scattering, acceleration; radial transport; diffusion and drift/advection.
• Quasilinear diffusion and nonlinear dynamics (phase bunching, trapping, non-diffusive shock driven acceleration, and the statistical description of these)
Terrestrial and planetary magnetospheric relativistic charged particle dynamics are of great interest because they represent one of the final energetically significant stages of the solar-terrestrial/planetary interaction, and energetic charged particles pose a number of Space Weather risks including to Earth-orbiting satellites.
Ever since the 1960s, a dominant method of modelling charged particle dynamics has been fundamentally based on the quasilinear diffusion theory. In many respects this theory has performed very well, and has enabled scientists worldwide to build a better understanding of this complex radiation environment. However, modern satellite observations, numerical experiments, and analytical theory have demonstrated that nonlinear wave-particle interactions are not only prevalent but that they imply radically different particle dynamics – at least over relatively short timescales. We do not yet have a complete description that can treat both the quasilinear and nonlinear regimes for ELF, VLF and/or ULF waves.
In this Research Topic we invite contributions that probe our understanding of quasilinear and nonlinear wave-particle interactions and their effects, focusing on one or more of; ground-based data, spacecraft data, numerical experiment, or analytical theory. Much is known regarding the theory of statistical modelling of particle dynamics due to interactions with a ‘quasilinear spectrum of waves’, and individual particle orbits due to interactions with a ‘nonlinear spectrum of waves’. However, as a community, we have not yet discovered a unified treatment or understanding that can describe the statistical modelling of particle dynamics due to both quasilinear and nonlinear wave spectra.
In this research topic we invite observational, theoretical and numerical studies that directly tackle this question, aiming to quantify, model, and understand the importance of nonlinear interactions.
• Ground- or space-based instruments that analyze dynamics and interactions of electromagnetic waves and/or charged particles
• Analytical calculations that directly consider theoretical treatments of wave-particle interactions relevant to magnetospheric space plasmas
• Numerical experiments such as test-particle, Fokker-Planck diffusion, particle-in-cell, hybrid, Vlasov, test-particle within global MHD, or others, that simulate fine-scale wave-particle interaction and/or the global modelling approach
• Observational studies, theoretical calculations and numerical experiments that utilize and present results relevant to the quasilinear and/or nonlinear interpretations of wave-particle interactions
• Wave-particle interactions; precipitation, loss and microbursts; pitch-angle scattering, acceleration; radial transport; diffusion and drift/advection.
• Quasilinear diffusion and nonlinear dynamics (phase bunching, trapping, non-diffusive shock driven acceleration, and the statistical description of these)