Blog

15.12. 2015

The universe is in shock

Posted by: Václav Bureš
The universe is in shock
Thanks to the international project called SHOCK, we know more about how the Sun affects space weather. We can understand its complex behaviour thanks to a sophisticated model which simulates the interaction between solar wind and planetary magnetospheres. The data is the result of cooperation between Czech, French, Italian, and British scientists; university professors, doctoral students, and the employees of this project’s industrial partner - Sprinx Systems.
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30.11. 2015

Electron energetics in the expanding solar wind

Electron energetics in the expanding solar wind
Detailed statistical analysis of electron energetic properties as measured by HELIOS 1&2 spacecraft indicates that for the non-adiabatic cooling of electrons in the expanding solar wind no significant external heating mechanisms are required.
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26.11. 2015

Data Integration

Data Integration
In the space physics community, progress is constantly being made both with new, more detailed spacecraft observations and statistical investigations of spacecraft data, and in parallel, advances within computer simulations continuously give more detailed insights into the physical processes and the time evolution of various phenomena, which enhance our understanding of the  important physics. Although both of these disciplines play an important part in the scientific progress, comparative studies between observations and simulation are a key component in order to make sense of both the data and the simulations. Such work, in particular studies which concern kinetic effects, are highly relevant for the work conducted within the SHOCK project. Here below is a selection of four recent papers which together highlight the relevance of simulation-observation comparisons, and the scientific gains that may come from such studies.
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05.11. 2015

Turbulence vs kinetic instabilities

Turbulence vs kinetic instabilities
Two dimensional expanding box hybrid simulations clearly demonstrate
that kinetic instabilities may coexist with strong plasma turbulence and bound the plasma parameter space.
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13.10. 2015

Estimating proton heating related with turbulence in the solar wind by means of high-resolution hybrid simulations

Posted by: Luca Franci
Estimating proton heating related with turbulence in the solar wind by means of high-resolution hybrid simulations
A very high accuracy - i.e., a very high spatial resolution, a large number of particles and a fine-tuned choice of the main numerical parameters - is mandatory when trying to obtain a quantitative estimate for the perpendicular proton temperature by means of hybrid simulations, and to draw any firm conclusion about the development of a preferential proton heating. 
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12.10. 2015

Recovering features of the observed solar wind spectra by means of high-resolution hybrid simulations

Recovering features of the observed solar wind spectra by means of high-resolution hybrid simulations
High-resolution two-dimensional hybrid simulations of turbulence with an out-of-plane ambient magnetic field are able to simultaneously reproduce several aspects of observed solar wind spectra over a large range of scales, from the MHD to the sub-ion kinetic range.
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18.08. 2015

Sodium gyro-resonance with Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at Mercury.

Local hybrid simulations of shear layers in Mercury's magnetotail reproduces spectral signatures of a hot sodium ion population in Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) vortices. The gyro-resonance mechanism enhances dawn-dusk asymmetry in the growth of the K-H instability.
 
 
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14.01. 2015

The imprints of expansion on solar wind turbulence

The imprints of expansion on solar wind turbulence
Numerical simulations show that solar wind expansion affects the evolution of turbulence in the heliosphere, causing the emergence of strong transverse magnetic fields and of radial velocity jets.
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15.12. 2014

Electron heat flux in the solar wind: Data vs. Simulations

Electron heat flux in the solar wind: Data vs. Simulations
Numerical simulations, which include the effects of binary collisions, are able to reproduce qualitatively and quantitatively the electron heat flux in the solar wind observed at 1 AU.
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30.09. 2014

LET’S EMBRACE SPACE

LET’S EMBRACE SPACE
The European Commission organised two international high-level space research events, LET’S EMBRACE SPACE, from 15th to 17th September in Rome, Italy.
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  • CORDIS
  • 7
  • ERA
  • ESA
  • Queen Mary
  • CNRS
  • ASU
  • Sprinx systems
  • University of St. Andrews
  • UNIFI
SHOCK