Simulations of double layers in the magnetosphere

Abstract:

A double layer (DL) is a nonlinear electrostatic structure consisting of two layers of opposite charge in the plasma, with a characteristic potential jump and unipolar electric field. Previous observations and simulations of DLs in the auroral region showed that those DLs are closely related to ion acoustic waves and typically propagate at ion sound speed. However, recent observation of DLs in the magnetosphere near the equator shows that some DLs propagate at a speed much greater than ion sound speed, inferring a different type of DL that may be associated with electron acoustic waves. In this study, we investigate the formation of DLs in two scenarios in the magnetosphere using particle-in-cell simulations. First, in a current-carrying uniform plasma, we artificially change the ion to electron mass ratio to study the transition from ion-acoustic DLs to electron-acoustic structures. Second, we study the formation of DLs at the boundary of two electron populations with different temperatures. These results may explain recent observations of different types of nonlinear electrostatic structures by Van Allen Probes.