Isolation and Phase-Space Energization Analysis of the Instabilities in Collisionless Shocks

TL;DR

This paper investigates the kinetic instabilities and ion energization mechanisms in collisionless shocks using advanced simulation and analysis techniques, revealing detailed phase-space energy transfer processes.

Contribution

It introduces a new instability isolation method and applies the field-particle correlation technique to analyze ion energization in collisionless shocks.

Findings

Identification of unstable modes causing shock rippling.

Detailed phase-space energy transfer signatures.

Characterization of ion populations' dynamics in shocks.

Abstract

We analyze the generation of kinetic instabilities and their effect on the energization of ions in non-relativistic, oblique collisionless shocks using a 3D-3V simulation by $\texttt{dHybridR}$, a hybrid particle-in-cell code. At sufficiently high Mach number, quasi-perpendicular and oblique shocks can experience rippling of the shock surface caused by kinetic instabilities arising from free energy in the ion velocity distribution due to the combination of the incoming ion beam and the population of ions reflected at the shock front. To understand the role of the ripple on particle energization, we devise the new instability isolation method to identify the unstable modes underlying the ripple and interpret the results in terms of the governing kinetic instability. We generate velocity-space signatures using the field-particle correlation technique to look at energy transfer in phase space from the isolated instability driving the shock ripple, providing a viewpoint on the different dynamics of distinct populations of ions in phase space. We generate velocity-space signatures of the energy transfer in phase space of the isolated instability driving the shock ripple using the field-particle correlation technique. Together, the field-particle correlation technique and our new instability isolation method provide a unique viewpoint on the different dynamics of distinct populations of ions in phase space and allow us to completely characterize the energetics of the collisionless shock under investigation.