Interplay between the non-resonant streaming instability and self-generated pressure anisotropies

TL;DR

This paper investigates how non-resonant streaming instabilities interact with pressure anisotropies in plasmas, showing that Coulomb collisions can enhance magnetic field growth by reducing anisotropies, with implications for cosmic ray acceleration.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the complex interplay between streaming instabilities and pressure anisotropies, highlighting the role of collisions in magnetic field amplification in collisionless shocks.

Findings

Coulomb collisions mitigate pressure anisotropies and promote magnetic field growth.

Neutral collisions suppress magnetic field amplification.

Anisotropies can trigger secondary micro-instabilities.

Abstract

The non-thermal particles escaping from collisionless shocks into the surrounding medium can trigger a non-resonant streaming instability that converts parts of their drift kinetic energy into large amplitude magnetic field perturbations, and promote the confinement and acceleration of high energy cosmic rays. We present simulations of the instability using an hybrid-Particle-in-Cell approach including Monte Carlo collisions, and demonstrate that the development of the non-resonant mode is associated with important ion pressure anisotropies in the background plasma. Depending on the initial conditions, the anisotropies may act on the instability by lowering its growth and trigger secondary micro-instabilities. Introducing collisions with neutrals yield a strong reduction of the magnetic field amplification as predicted by linear fluid theory. In contrast, Coulomb collisions in fully ionized plasmas are found to mitigate the self-generated pressure anisotropies and promote the growth of the magnetic field.