Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Partially ionized plasmas universally exist in various astrophysical environments, such as the solar atmosphere and the E region of the ionosphere. In these contexts, the existence and propagation of waves in plasmas could be significantly influenced by effects of weakly ionized plasma (e.g., ion–neutral collisions). In this work, we investigate electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves in partially ionized plasmas based on the multifluid model with adiabatic electrons. Two distinct branches of EIC waves coexist in partially ionized plasmas: one branch is the conventional EIC waves; the other branch propagates around the “effective ion cyclotron frequency” which originates from self-consistent ion–neutral collisions. Furthermore, theoretical predictions in the new branch of EIC waves are qualitatively consistent with laboratory observations. In addition, a comparison between our theory and the previous work is also performed. This work can aid in understanding the acceleration and transverse heating of ions in partially ionized astrophysical plasmas where the ion–neutral collisions are frequent.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: Wenlong Huang, Yu Liu, Pengcheng Yu, Jiuhou Lei
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
OpenAlex ID: W4403948398