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The role of agglomeration and magnetic interparticle interactions in heat generation of magnetic ferrofluids in an ac magnetic field is still unclear, with apparent discrepancy between the results presented in the literature. In this work, we measured the heat generating capability of agglomerated ferrite nanoparticles in a non-invasive ac magnetic field with f = 100 kHz and H0 = 13 kAm-1. The nanoparticles were morphologically and magnetically characterized, and the specific absorption rate (SAR) for our ac magnetic field presents a clear dependence on the diameter of the nanoparticles, with a maximum SAR = 48Wg-1 for 15 nm. Our agglomerated nanoparticles have large hydrodynamic diameters, thus the mechanical relaxation can be neglected as a heat generation mechanism. Therefore, we present a model that simulates the SAR dependence of the agglomerated samples on the diameter of the nanoparticles based on the hysteresis losses that is valid for the non-linear region (with H0 comparable to the anisotropy field). Our model takes into account the magnetic interactions among the nanoparticles in the agglomerate. For comparison, we also measured the SAR of non-agglomerated nanoparticles in a similar diameter range, in which Néel and Brown relaxations dominate the heat generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial diffusion of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields can, in the most general case, be fully anisotropic, i.e., one has to distinguish three diffusion axes in a local, field-aligned frame. We reexamine the transformation for the diffusion tensor from this local to a global frame, in which the Parker transport equation for energetic particles is usually formulated and solved. Particularly, we generalize the transformation formulae to allow for an explicit choice of two principal local perpendicular diffusion axes. This generalization includes the "traditional" diffusion tensor in the special case of isotropic perpendicular diffusion. For the local frame, we describe the motivation for the choice of the Frenet--Serret trihedron, which is related to the intrinsic magnetic field geometry. We directly compare the old and the new tensor elements for two heliospheric magnetic field configurations, namely the hybrid Fisk and Parker fields. Subsequently, we examine the significance of the different formulations for the diffusion tensor in a standard three-dimensional model for the modulation of galactic protons. For this, we utilize a numerical code to evaluate a system of stochastic differential equations equivalent to the Parker transport equation and present the resulting modulated spectra. The computed differential fluxes based on the new tensor formulation deviate from those obtained with the "traditional" one (only valid for isotropic perpendicular diffusion) by up to 60% for energies below a few hundred MeV depending on heliocentric distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In astrophysics, one significant challenge lies in understanding the acceleration of cosmic rays, which leads to the occurrence of a power law. In this article, momentum transport generated by the combined effects of pitch-angle diffusion and background flow velocity inhomogeneities is proposed to obtain a cosmic rays acceleration mechanism, starting from the well-known focused transport equation describing particle diffusion and acceleration. The inhomogeneities of background flow velocity are ubiquitous in the astrophysical environment. The equation for the isotropic part of the distribution function of charged energetic particles is derived, and its solution is obtained, demonstrating the form of momentum power laws of cosmic rays. In addition, if it is assumed that cosmic rays penetrate compressive MHD waves or turbulence, for quasi-steady states, the spectral index δ of the momentum power law spectrum of cosmic rays is found to be in the range [−5, −3], which includes the observed power law indices of galactic cosmic rays. The results obtained in this article demonstrate that the mechanism proposed in this article, along with shock acceleration, may also contribute to the acceleration of galactic cosmic rays. Furthermore, when momentum convection effect and higher-order momentum derivative terms are considered, the indices of power laws should be smaller than −5. This may explain the power laws of solar energetic particle events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pitch-angle diffusion coefficient (PADC) quantifies the effect of pitch-angle scattering on charged particles propagating through turbulent magnetic fields and is a key ingredient in understanding the diffusion of these particles along the background magnetic field. Despite its significance, only a limited number of studies have calculated the PADC from test-particle simulations in synthetic magnetic turbulence, employing various, often quite different, techniques for this purpose. In this study, we undertake a comparative analysis of nine different methods for calculating the PADC from full-orbit simulations. Our objective is to find the strengths and limitations of each method and to determine the most reliable approach. Although all nine methods should theoretically yield comparable results, certain methods may be ill-suited for numerical investigations, while others may not be applicable under conditions of strong turbulence. Through this investigation, we aim to provide recommendations for best practices when employing these methods in future numerical studies of pitch-angle scattering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The north–south (NS) anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) is dominated by a diamagnetic drift flow of GCRs in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), allowing us to derive key parameters of cosmic-ray propagation, such as the density gradient and diffusion coefficient. We propose a new method to analyze the rigidity spectrum of GCR anisotropy and reveal a solar cycle variation of the NS anisotropy's spectrum using ground-based muon detectors in Nagoya, Japan, and Hobart, Australia. The physics-based correction method for the atmospheric temperature effect on muons is used to combine the different-site detectors free from local atmospheric effects. NS channel pairs in the multidirectional muon detectors are formed to enhance sensitivity to the NS anisotropy, and in this process, general graph matching in graph theory is introduced to survey optimized pairs. Moreover, Bayesian estimation with the Gaussian process allows us to unfold the rigidity spectrum without supposing any analytical function for the spectral shape. Thanks to these novel approaches, it has been discovered that the rigidity spectrum of the NS anisotropy is dynamically varying with solar activity every year. It is attributed to a rigidity-dependent variation of the radial density gradient of GCRs based on the nature of the diamagnetic drift in the IMF. The diffusion coefficient and mean free path length of GCRs as functions of the rigidity are also derived from the diffusion–convection flow balance. This analysis expands the estimation limit of the mean free path length into the ≤200 GV rigidity region from the <10 GV region achieved by solar energetic particle observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling of time profiles of solar energetic particle (SEP) observations often considers transport along a large-scale magnetic field with a fixed path length from the source to the observer. Here, we point out that variability in the turbulent field line path length can affect the fits to SEP data and the inferred mean free path and injection profile. To explore such variability, we perform Monte Carlo simulations in representations of homogeneous 2D MHD + slab turbulence adapted to spherical geometry and trace trajectories of field lines and full particle orbits, considering proton injection from a narrow or wide angular region near the Sun, corresponding to an impulsive or gradual solar event, respectively. We analyze our simulation results in terms of field line and particle path length statistics for 1° × 1° pixels in heliolatitude and heliolongitude at 0.35 and 1 au from the Sun, for different values of the turbulence amplitude b / B 0 and turbulence geometry as expressed by the slab fraction f s . Maps of the most probable path lengths of field lines and particles at each pixel exhibit systematic patterns that reflect the fluctuation amplitudes experienced by the field lines, which in turn relate to the local topology of 2D turbulence. We describe the effects of such path length variations on SEP time profiles, both in terms of path length variability at specific locations and the motion of the observer with respect to turbulence topology during the course of the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral double power laws are common in solar high-energy phenomena such as flares and interplanetary energetic-electron events. However, the physical mechanism that produces the changes in power-law index within a single spectrum is unclear. We developed a fully analytical method of forming single power-law spectra from sequential acceleration of particles orbiting inside and hopping between simulated large-scale magnetic islands formed by flare reconnection. Here, we extend the analytical method to the formation of double power-law spectra by assuming sequential acceleration in two successive regions with different acceleration and particle-transport rates. The resulting spectral distribution is continuous and smooth, with a flattening at low energies, two power-law regions at mid-energies, and a steep rollover at high energies. The model provides analytical expressions for the spectral indices, all energy breaks, and normalization constants as functions of just three physical parameters of each acceleration region: (1) the energy gain in each accelerator, (2) the percentage of particles transferred between accelerators, and (3) the number of accelerators visited. One of the most salient predictions of our work is that the spectral index at high (low) energies is determined by the parameters of the first "seed" (second) acceleration region. By constructing the spectral distribution through an iterative analytical process, the evolution toward a double power law is easily characterized and explained. Our analytical model provides tools to interpret space- and ground-based observations from RHESSI, FOXSI, NuSTAR, Solar Orbiter/STIX, EOVSA, and future high-energy missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing observing projects like the James Webb Space Telescope and future missions offer the chance to characterize Earth-like exoplanetary atmospheres. Thereby, M dwarfs are preferred targets for transit observations, for example, due to their favorable planet–star contrast ratio. However, the radiation and particle environment of these cool stars could be far more extreme than what we know from the Sun. Thus, knowing the stellar radiation and particle environment and its possible influence on detectable biosignatures—in particular, signs of life like ozone and methane—is crucial to understanding upcoming transit spectra. In this study, with the help of our unique model suite INCREASE, we investigate the impact of a strong stellar energetic particle event on the atmospheric ionization, neutral and ion chemistry, and atmospheric biosignatures of TRAPPIST-1e. Therefore, transit spectra for six scenarios are simulated. We find that a Carrington-like event drastically increases atmospheric ionization and induces substantial changes in ion chemistry and spectral transmission features: all scenarios show high event-induced amounts of nitrogen dioxide (i.e., at 6.2 μ m), a reduction of the atmospheric transit depth in all water bands (i.e., at 5.5–7.0 μ m), a decrease of the methane bands (i.e., at 3.0–3.5 μ m), and depletion of ozone (i.e., at ∼9.6 μ m). Therefore, it is essential to include high-energy particle effects to correctly assign biosignature signals from, e.g., ozone and methane. We further show that the nitric acid feature at 11.0–12.0 μ m, discussed as a proxy for stellar particle contamination, is absent in wet-dead atmospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar flare electron acceleration is an efficient process, but its properties (mechanism, location) are not well constrained. Via hard X-ray (HXR) emission, we routinely observe energetic electrons at the Sun, and sometimes we detect energetic electrons in interplanetary space. We examine if the plasma properties of an acceleration region (size, temperature, density) can be constrained from in situ observations, helping to locate the acceleration region in the corona, and infer the relationship between electrons observed in situ and at the Sun. We model the transport of energetic electrons, accounting for collisional and non-collisional effects, from the corona into the heliosphere (to 1.0 au). In the corona, electrons are transported through a hot, over-dense region. We test if the properties of this region can be extracted from electron spectra (fluence and peak flux) at different heliospheric locations. We find that cold, dense coronal regions significantly reduce the energy at which we see the peak flux and fluence for distributions measured out to 1.0 au, the degree of which correlates with the temperature and density of plasma in the region. Where instrument energy resolution is insufficient to differentiate the corresponding peak values, the spectral ratio of [7–10) to [4–7) keV can be more readily identified and demonstrates the same relationship. If flare electrons detected in situ are produced in, and/or transported through, hot, over-dense regions close to HXR-emitting electrons, then this plasma signature should be present in their lower-energy spectra (1–20 keV), observable at varying heliospheric distances with missions such as Solar Orbiter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A "Ribbon" of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions was discovered by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer in 2009, redefining our understanding of the heliosphere boundaries and the physical processes occurring at the interstellar interface. The Ribbon signal is intertwined with that of a globally distributed flux (GDF) that spans the entire sky. To a certain extent, Ribbon separation methods enabled examining its evolution independent of the underlying GDF. Observations over a full solar cycle revealed the Ribbon's evolving nature, with intensity variations closely tracking those of the solar wind (SW) structure after a few years delay, accounting for the SW–ENA recycling process. In this work, we examine the Ribbon structure, namely its ENA fluxes, angular extent, width, and circularity properties for two years, 2009 and 2019, representative of the declining phases of two adjacent solar cycles. We find that, (i) the Ribbon ENA fluxes have recovered in the nose direction and south of it down to ∼25° (for energies below 1.7 keV) and not at mid and high ecliptic latitudes; (ii) the Ribbon width exhibits significant variability as a function of azimuthal angle; (iii) circularity analysis suggests that the 2019 Ribbon exhibits a statistically consistent radius with that in 2009. The Ribbon's partial recovery is aligned with the consensus of a heliosphere with its closest point being southward of the nose region. The large variability of the Ribbon width as a function of azimuth in 2019 compared to 2009 is likely indicative of small-scale processes within the Ribbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processes responsible for the acceleration of solar energetic particles (SEPs) are still not well understood, including whether SEP electrons and protons are accelerated by common or separate processes. Using a numerical particle transport model that includes both pitch-angle and perpendicular spatial diffusion, we simulate, among other quantities, the onset delay for MeV electrons and protons and compare the results to observations of SEPs from widely separated spacecraft. Such observations have previously been interpreted, in a simple scenario assuming no perpendicular diffusion, as evidence for different electron and proton sources. We show that, by assuming a common particle source together with perpendicular diffusion, we are able to simultaneously reproduce the onset delays for both electrons and protons. We argue that this points toward a common accelerator for these particles. Moreover, a relatively broad particle source is required in the model to correctly describe the observations. This is suggestive of diffusive shock acceleration occurring at large shock structures playing a significant role in the acceleration of these SEPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interplanetary shocks are large-scale heliospheric structures often caused by eruptive phenomena at the Sun, and represent one of the main sources of energetic particles. Several interplanetary (IP) shock crossings by spacecraft at 1 au have revealed enhanced energetic-ion fluxes that extend far upstream of the shock. Surprisingly, in some shock events ion fluxes with energies between 100 keV and about 2 MeV acquire similar values (which we refer to as "overlapped" fluxes), corresponding to flat energy spectra in that range. In contrast, closer to the shock the fluxes are observed to depend on energy. In this work, we analyze three IP-shock-related energetic particle events observed by the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft where flat ion energy spectra were observed upstream of the shock. We interpret these observations via a velocity-filter mechanism for particles in a given energy range. In particular, ions with velocity parallel to the local magnetic field larger than the speed of the upstream plasma, in the reference frame of the shock, can easily propagate back upstream, while lower-energy ions tend to be confined to the shock front, thus reducing their fluxes far upstream and giving rise to flat energy spectra. The velocity-filter mechanism has been corroborated from observations of particle flux anisotropy by the Solid-State Telescope of Wind/3DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the turbulence that is associated with solar wind corotating interaction regions (CIRs) on transport of galactic cosmic rays remains an outstanding problem in space science. Observations show that the intensities of the plasma and magnetic fluctuations are enhanced within a CIR. The velocity shear layer between the slow and fast wind embedded in a CIR is thought to be responsible for this enhancement in turbulent energy. We perform physics-based magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the plasma background and turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind dominated by CIRs for radial distances between 0.3 and 5 au. A simple but effective approach is used to incorporate the inner boundary conditions for the solar wind and magnetic field for the periods 2007–2008 and 2017–2018. Legendre coefficients at the source surface obtained from the Wilcox Solar Observatory library are utilized for dynamic reconstructions of the current sheet and the fast and slow streams at the inner boundary. The dynamic inner boundary enables our simulations to generate CIRs that are reasonably comparable with observations near Earth. While the magnetic field structure is reasonably well reproduced, the enhancements in the turbulent energy at the stream interfaces are smaller than observed. A superposed epoch analysis is performed over several CIRs from the simulation and compared to the superposed epoch analysis of the observed CIRs. The results for the turbulent energy and correlation length are used to estimate the diffusion tensor of galactic cosmic rays. The derived diffusion coefficients could be used for more realistic modeling of cosmic rays in a dynamically evolving inner heliosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently an improved nonlinear theory for the transport of energetic particles across a mean magnetic field has been developed. The latter theory is called the field lineâ€"particle decorrelation theory and is the first analytical theory that agrees with test-particle simulations without the need of a correction parameter, nor does the theory contain any other free parameter. In the current paper we derive analytical forms for the ratio of perpendicular and parallel spatial diffusion coefficients Îş ⊥/ Îş ∥ of low-energy particles. In the considered limit the latter ratio is constant meaning that it does not depend on particle energy or rigidity. It is shown that the ratio always has the form Îş ⊥ / Îş ∥ = a 2 δ B x 2 / B 0 2 if a two-dimensional turbulence model is employed. Furthermore, the parameter a 2 depends only on the shape of the turbulence spectrum but not on the magnetic fields. The obtained results can be important for a variety of applications such as studies of solar modulation and diffusive shock acceleration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral hardening has been identified in solar flare hard X-ray observations for several decades and remains a puzzle. We examine spectral hardening under the diffusive shock acceleration mechanism using numerical simulations. The hardening is related to the finite width of the shock and is controlled by the shock PĂ©clet number. We implement two different types of Monte Carlo simulations. The first is based on the backward stochastic differential equation method, where the Parker transport equation is solved by casting it to a set of stochastic different equations, and by following the trajectories of individual quasiparticles. In the second approach, we follow real particles and particles are assumed to move freely between scatterings from magnetic turbulence in the plasma. The scattering is modeled as either large-angle hard-sphere elastic collision, or small-angle pitch-angle scattering. We show that the results from these two approaches agree well with each other and agree with analytical results. We also use a Pan-spectrum form to fit the resulting spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ad hoc analytical calculation is presented to infer the duration of injection of 20 MeV protons in 21 selected western solar energetic particle (SEP) events. We convolve the solution of diffusion equation with a “triangle” source to model the time-intensity profiles over the onset and the peaking phase. The effects of “corotating” flux tubes and of solar wind convection are neglected. To accommodate these simplifications, only western events whose associated flares erupted between W15 and W90 are selected. The time-intensity profiles of these events are reconstructed from the timescales presented in Kahler (2005) and Kahler (2013) using the modified Weibull function. From the linear relation between the logarithm of the peak intensity and the logarithm of the fluence of 27â€"37 MeV protons presented in Kahler & Ling, we derive an optimal radial mean free path (λ mfp) of 0.08 au and adopt this value to fit all selected events. The inferred duration of injection for the selected events, which in general increases with the initial speed of the associated coronal mass ejection (CME) (V cme), is less than 1 hr for V cme < 1000 km sâˆ'1 and varies from a few to ∼10 hr for 1000 km sâˆ'1 < V cme < 2000 km sâˆ'1. We then estimate the distance that the associated CMEs have traveled over the duration of injection. Most CMEs in selected events have traveled to less than 60 solar radii by the time the majority of accelerated particles have been injected into the interplanetary space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel insights into the behavior of the diffusion coefficients of charged particles in the inner heliosphere are of great importance to any study of the transport of these particles and are especially relevant with regard to the transport of low-energy electrons. The present study undertakes an exhaustive investigation into the diffusion parameters needed to reproduce low-energy electron intensities as observed at Earth, using a state-of-the-art 3D cosmic ray transport code. To this end, the transport of Jovian electrons is considered, as Jupiter represents the predominant source of these particles in the inner heliosphere, and because a careful comparison of model results with observations taken during periods of good and poor magnetic connectivity between Earth and Jupiter allows for conclusions to be drawn as to both parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients. This study then compares these results with the predictions made by various scattering theories. Best-fit parameters for parallel and perpendicular mean free paths at 1 au fall reasonably well within the span of observational values reported by previous studies, but best-fit radial and rigidity dependences vary widely. However, a large number of diffusion parameters lead to reasonable to-good fits to observations, and it is argued that considerable caution must be exercised when comparing theoretical results for diffusion coefficients with diffusion parameters calculated from particle transport studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At scales much larger than the ion inertial scale and the gyroradius of thermal protons, the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory is well equipped to describe the nature of solar wind turbulence. The turbulent spectrum itself is defined by a power law manifesting the energy cascading process. A break in the turbulence spectrum develops near-ion scales, signaling the onset of energy dissipation. The exact mechanism for the spectral break is still a matter of debate. In this work, we use the 20 Hz Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) magnetic field data during four planetary flybys at different heliocentric distances to examine the nature of the spectral break in the solar wind. We relate the spectral break frequencies of the solar wind MHD turbulence, found in the range of 0.3–0.7 Hz, with the well-known characteristic spectral bump at frequencies ∼1 Hz upstream of planetary bow shocks. Spectral breaks and spectral bumps during three planetary flybys are identified from the MESSENGER observations, with heliocentric distances in the range of 0.3–0.7 au. The MESSENGER observations are complemented by one Magnetospheric Multiscale observation made at 1 au. We find that the ratio of the spectral bump frequency to the spectral break frequency appears to be r- and B-independent. From this, we postulate that the wavenumber of the spectral break and the frequency of the spectral bump have the same dependence on the magnetic field strength ∣B∣. The implication of our work on the nature of the break scale is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was recently shown that, owing to the turbulent nature of the solar wind, the interplanetary magnetic field lines can be well described by stochastic Parker spirals. These are realizations of Brownian diffusion on a sphere of increasing radius, superimposed on the angular drift due to the solar rotation. In this work, we present a model for the transport of solar energetic particles along stochastic Parker spirals in the inner heliosphere. The transport model is governed by a set of four stochastic differential equations for the heliographic position of the guiding centers and the cosine of the pitch angle between the velocity vector and the Parker field. The model accounts for the role played by the combination of pitch angle scattering and magnetic focusing in the interplanetary medium. The effects of the dynamical evolution of the turbulence are included in the model by taking the field line angular diffusivity to be a function of the radial distance from the Sun. The heliolongitudinal distribution of particles propagating along stochastic Parker spirals is given by the wrapped Gaussian distribution. This angular distribution can also well be represented by the von Mises distribution that interpolates between the Gaussian distribution at small angular spread and the uniform distribution at large distances from the acceleration region of energetic particles in the aftermath of a solar eruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onsets and intensity profiles of six energetic (E > 30 keV) electron events common to STEREO A and B (STA and STB) spacecraft were analyzed by Klassen et al. with the STEREO Solar Electron and Proton Telescopes when the spacecraft were separated by <70° in solar longitude. All six events were characterized by earlier onsets and higher peak intensities for the spacecraft with magnetic footpoints at the solar longitudes of larger source separations. The 2.5 Rs footpoint locations, based on Parker spiral (PS) calculations with spacecraft solar wind (SW) speeds V sw, are compared with 5 Rs footpoint locations calculated by selected realizations of ADAPT-WSA (Air Force Data Assimilative Photospheric flux Transportâ€"Wangâ€"Sheeleyâ€"Arge) solar wind (SW) forecast model runs for each spacecraft. ADAPT-WSA footpoint locations support the Klassen et al. results of azimuthally nonuniform injections from two shock-associated events and confirm locations for the flare source event on 2014 July 17. Substantial footpoint differences of the two methods diminish the disparity of the flare event of 2014 May 2 but exacerbate the case of two flare electron events on 2014 August 1. As limited test cases for a comparison of ADAPT-WSA and PS methods at slightly different source surfaces, the Carrington longitude differences range from several to ∼30°. We review the importance and limitations of methods for determining the solar magnetic footpoints for solar energetic particle studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of energetic particle inner heliospheric spacecraft data increasingly suggests the existence of anomalous diffusion phenomena that should be addressed to achieve a better understanding of energetic particle transport and acceleration in the expanding solar wind medium. Related to this is fast-growing observational evidence supporting the long-standing prediction from magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory and simulations of the presence of an inner heliospheric, dominant quasi-two-dimensional MHD turbulence component that contains coherent contracting and merging (reconnecting) small-scale magnetic flux rope (SMFR) structures. This suggests that energetic particle trapping in SMFRs should play a role in anomalous diffusion in the solar wind that warrants further investigation. However, progress in studying such anomalous energetic particle transport phenomena in the solar wind is hampered by the lack of a fundamental derivation of a general fractional kinetic transport equation linking macroscopic energetic particle fractional transport to the microscopic physics of energetic particle interaction with SMFR structures. Here, we outline details of how one can derive a closed ensemble-averaged focused transport equation in the form of a general kinetic fractional diffusion-advection equation from first principles following the nonlinear Eulerian correlation function closure approach of Sanchez et al. With this equation one can model the anomalous diffusion of energetic particles in ordinary, momentum, and pitch-angle space in response to particle trapping in numerous SMFRs advected with the solar wind flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation of electromagnetic radiation from radio to γ-ray wavelengths has provided a wealth of information about the Universe. However, at PeV (1015 eV) energies and above, most of the Universe is impenetrable to photons. New messengers, namely cosmic neutrinos, are needed to explore the most extreme environments of the Universe where black holes, neutron stars, and stellar explosions transform gravitational energy into non-thermal cosmic rays. These energetic particles have millions of times higher energies than those produced in the most powerful particle accelerators on Earth. As neutrinos can escape from regions otherwise opaque to radiation, they allow an unique view deep into exploding stars and the vicinity of the event horizons of black holes. The discovery of cosmic neutrinos with IceCube has opened this new window on the Universe. IceCube has been successful in finding first evidence for cosmic particle acceleration in the jet of an active galactic nucleus. Yet, ultimately, its sensitivity is too limited to detect even the brightest neutrino sources with high significance, or to detect populations of less luminous sources. In this white paper, we present an overview of a next-generation instrument, IceCube-Gen2, which will sharpen our understanding of the processes and environments that govern the Universe at the highest energies. IceCube-Gen2 is designed to: (a) Resolve the high-energy neutrino sky from TeV to EeV energies (b) Investigate cosmic particle acceleration through multi-messenger observations (c) Reveal the sources and propagation of the highest energy particles in the Universe (d) Probe fundamental physics with high-energy neutrinos IceCube-Gen2 will enhance the existing IceCube detector at the South Pole. It will increase the annual rate of observed cosmic neutrinos by a factor of ten compared to IceCube, and will be able to detect sources five times fainter than its predecessor. Furthermore, through the addition of a radio array, IceCube-Gen2 will extend the energy range by several orders of magnitude compared to IceCube. Construction will take 8 years and cost about $350M. The goal is to have IceCube-Gen2 fully operational by 2033. IceCube-Gen2 will play an essential role in shaping the new era of multi-messenger astronomy, fundamentally advancing our knowledge of the high-energy Universe. This challenging mission can be fully addressed only through the combination of the information from the neutrino, electromagnetic, and gravitational wave emission of high-energy sources, in concert with the new survey instruments across the electromagnetic spectrum and gravitational wave detectors which will be available in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The random walk of magnetic field lines is an important ingredient in understanding how the connectivity of the magnetic field affects the spatial transport and diffusion of charged particles. As solar energetic particles propagate away from near-solar sources, they interact with the fluctuating magnetic field, which modifies their distributions. We develop a formalism in which the differential equation describing the field line random walk contains both effects due to localized magnetic displacements and a non-stochastic contribution from the large-scale expansion. We use this formalism together with a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the inner-heliospheric solar wind, which includes a turbulence transport model, to estimate the diffusive spreading of magnetic field lines that originate in different regions of the solar atmosphere. We first use this model to quantify field line spreading at 1 au, starting from a localized solar source region, and find rms angular spreads of about 20°–60°. In the second instance, we use the model to estimate the size of the source regions from which field lines observed at 1 au may have originated, thus quantifying the uncertainty in calculations of magnetic connectivity; the angular uncertainty is estimated to be about 20°. Finally, we estimate the filamentation distance, i.e., the heliocentric distance up to which field lines originating in magnetic islands can remain strongly trapped in filamentary structures. We emphasize the key role of slab-like fluctuations in the transition from filamentary to more diffusive transport at greater heliocentric distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in the detection of cosmic-ray (CR) antiproton intensities at Earth have the potential to provide valuable new insights in the search for dark matter. As such, a fuller understanding of the modulation of these particles due to the influence of the Sun is of vital importance. Valuable insights can be gained through the study of galactic CR protons, as the transport parameters for these particles are theoretically expected to be the same as those for antiprotons, barring drift effects. As such, the present study develops a data-driven, 3D time-dependent ab initio model for the modulation of galactic CR protons in the region of the heliosphere dominated by the supersonic solar wind, which yields results in good agreement with spacecraft observations over several solar cycles when an observationally motivated expression for the differential intensity spectrum of these particles at the heliospheric termination shock is employed. This model is then applied to the study of solar-cycle-dependent antiproton modulation using two current estimates for the local interstellar differential intensities of these particles. This approach yields estimates of antiproton intensities at the heliospheric termination shock that are considerably lower than the proposed interstellar spectra, with the implication that a significant amount of antiproton modulation is expected to occur in the heliosheath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work it is shown a precise way to optimize the heat generation in high viscosity magnetic colloids, by adjusting the Néel relaxation time in core/shell bimagnetic nanoparticles, for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) applications. To pursue this goal, Fe3O4/ZnxCo1−xFe2O4 core/shell nanoparticles were synthesized with 8.5 nm mean core diameter, encapsulated in a shell of ∼1.1 nm of thickness, where the Zn atomic ratio (Zn/(Zn + Co) at%) changes from 33 to 68 at%. The magnetic measurements are consistent with a rigid interface coupling between the core and shell phases, where the effective magnetic anisotropy systematically decreases when the Zn concentration increases, without a significant change of the saturation magnetization. Experiments of MFH of 0.1 wt% of these particles dispersed in water, in Dulbecco modified Eagles minimal essential medium, and a high viscosity butter oil, result in a large specific loss power (SLP), up to 150 W g−1, when the experiments are performed at 571 kHz and 200 Oe. The SLP was optimized adjusting the shell composition, showing a maximum for intermediate Zn concentration. This study shows a way to maximize the heat generation in viscous media like cytosol, for those biomedical applications that require smaller particle sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a theoretical model for particle superdiffusive transport parallel to the average magnetic field, due to the pitch-angle scattering times having a non-Markovian, power-law probability distribution. We show that a non-Markovian Fokker–Planck equation can be derived, where the traditional time derivative is changed for a fractional time derivative. By solving the fractional Fokker–Planck equation, with the time-dependent part having solutions that are expressed by the Mittag-Leffler functions, it is found that an initial pitch-angle distribution slowly decays toward isotropy. This leads to a parallel velocity autocorrelation function that also has a slow power-law decay in time, thus implying superdiffusive transport in the direction parallel to the background magnetic field. In this framework, we derive for the first time the anomalous diffusion coefficient as a function of physical parameters like the background magnetic field, the resonant turbulence level, and the particle speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current understanding of the characteristics of solar and inner heliospheric electron events is inferred almost entirely from observations made by spacecraft located at 1 astronomical unit (au). Previous observations within 1 au of the Sun, by the Helios spacecraft at ∼0.3–1 au, indicate the presence of electron events that are not detected at 1 au or may have merged during transport from the Sun. Parker Solar Probe's close proximity to the Sun at perihelion provides an opportunity to make the closest measurements yet of energetic electron events. We present an overview of measurements of electrons with energies between ∼17 keV and ∼1 MeV made by the Parker Solar Probe Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) instrument suite during Encounter 2 (2019 March 31–April 10 with perihelion of ∼0.17 au), including several small electron events. We examine these events in the context of the electromagnetic and solar wind environment measured by the FIELDS and SWEAP instruments on Parker Solar Probe. We find most of these electron enhancements to be associated with type III radio emissions that reach the local plasma frequency and one enhancement that appears to be primarily associated with abrupt changes in the local magnetic field. Together, these associations suggest that these are indeed the first measurements of energetic electron events within 0.2 au. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently a heuristic description of collisionless perpendicular diffusion of energetic particles was presented. The latter approach describes the transport of energetic particles across a mean magnetic field based on simple physical arguments. Although this approach was developed with the intention to improve our understanding of perpendicular diffusion, this heuristic approach also provided some interesting quantitative results such as an explanation of the factor a2 used in the past to balance out inaccuracies of systematic analytical theories. However, the aforementioned heuristic approach is based on the assumption that magnetic field lines become diffusive after overcoming the initial free-streaming regime. In the current paper we alter the heuristic approach to make it applicable for turbulence spectra leading to super-diffusive magnetic fields lines. It is argued that particle diffusion is still restored in the late time limit. In the high-energy limit this recovery of diffusion is based on a hybrid model in which particles move half ballistically and half diffusively in the parallel direction. Furthermore, this leads to the relation between perpendicular and parallel mean free paths of the energetic particles. This type of transport was obtained in the past from test-particle simulations as well as systematic analytical theories. In the current paper we present the first time an explanation of this behavior based on simple physical arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend a recently published analytic model for the intensity–time profile of solar energetic particle (SEP) events, in which the dominant physical mechanism is turbulent pitch-angle scattering of a collimated distribution of particles accelerated at the Sun. The present model includes the effect of magnetic focusing in the expanding magnetic field geometry of the inner heliosphere. For a power-law variation of the magnetic field strength with distance (B ∼ s−α) that lacks a characteristic focusing length scale, the fundamental shape of the intensity–time profile (i.e., a Lévy distribution at times up to and just past the time of peak intensity, followed by an exponential decay) is preserved. The effect of magnetic focusing is essentially to produce a rescaling of the stochastic process describing the angular diffusion of the particles, making the typical time that characterizes the SEP time profile quantitatively lower by a factor of (α + 1), 3 for the radial field geometry B ∼ s−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address the effect of particle scattering on the energy spectra of solar energetic electron events using (i) an observational and (ii) a modeling approach. (i) We statistically study observations of the STEREO spacecraft, using directional electron measurements made with the Solar Electron and Proton Telescope in the range of 45–425 keV. We compare the energy spectra of the anti-Sunward propagating beam with that of the backward-scattered population and find that, on average, the backward-scattered population shows a harder spectrum with the effect being stronger at higher energies. (ii) We use a numerical solar energetic particle (SEP) transport model to simulate the effect of particle scattering (both in terms of pitch angle and perpendicular to the mean field) on the spectrum. We find that pitch-angle scattering can lead to spectral changes at higher energies (E > 100 keV) and further away from the Sun (r > 1 au), which are also often observed. At lower energies, and closer to the Sun, the effect of pitch-angle scattering is much more reduced, so that the simulated energy spectra still resemble the injected power-law functions. When examining pitch-angle-dependent spectra, we find, in agreement with the observational results, that the spectra of the backward-propagating electrons are harder than that of the forward (from the Sun) propagating population. We conclude that Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe will be able to observe the unmodulated omnidirectional SEP electron spectrum close to the Sun at higher energies, giving a direct indication of the accelerated spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The X-ray emission of coronal flare sources can be explained by considering the kappa electron distribution. Motivated by this fact, we study the problem of how hot plasma with the kappa distribution of electrons is confined in these sources. For comparison, we analyze the same problem, but with the Maxwellian distribution. We use a 3D particle-in-cell code, which is large in one direction and thus effectively only one-dimensional, but describe all electromagnetic effects. In the case with the Maxwellian distribution, and in agreement with the previous studies, we show a formation of the double layer at the hot–cold transition region that suppresses the flux of hot electrons from hot plasma into the cold one. In the case with the kappa distribution, contrary to the Maxwellian case, we found that there are several fronts with the double layers in the hot–cold transition region. It is caused by a more extended tail in the kappa case than in the Maxwellian one. The electrons from the extended tail freely escape from the hot plasma into a cold one. They form a beam that generates the return current and also Langmuir turbulence, where Langmuir waves accumulated at some locations. At these locations, owing to the ponderomotive force, Langmuir waves generate density depressions, where the double layers with the thermal fronts that suppress the hot electron flux, are formed. We also show how protons accelerate in these processes. Finally, we compare the Kappa and Maxwellian cases and discuss how these processes could be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modulation of cosmic rays by a propagating plasma disturbance, a global merged interaction region (GMIR), in the heliosheath is simulated using a Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equation for the transport of energetic particles with significant anisotropy. The prescribed plasma structure of the GMIR contains a shock front and plasma rarefaction region behind the shock, which propagate through a simplified paramagnetic shielding model of the heliosheath. When a GMIR goes through the heliospheric magnetic field in the inner heliosheath, its modulation effects on cosmic rays are consistent with typical Forbush decreases. When a GMIR goes through the interstellar magnetic field in the outer heliosheath, only cosmic rays with large pitch angles with respect to the magnetic field vector (cosine values close to zero) are modulated by it. The difference is due to the very weak scattering of particles by the interstellar turbulence. Particles trapped in the rarefied magnetic field inside a GMIR suffer a significant amount of adiabatic cooling, which results in a considerable intensity decrease and a bidirectional anisotropy. The simulation result can be used to explain what Voyager 1 observed in the very local interstellar medium. Depending on the strength of plasma compression inside a GMIR, some cosmic rays may be accelerated, but the GMIR effect on the cosmic-ray intensity is much weaker than that due to adiabatic cooling because particles have only a brief interaction with a GMIR without trapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmogenic nuclide records can in principle allow for the estimation of the behavior of the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) in the distant past. This requires careful modeling of cosmic-ray transport in a manner that is as realistic as possible, taking into account as many of the factors affecting the transport of cosmic-rays (CRs) as possible. The present study presents a 3D time-dependent ab initio CR modulation code that utilizes as inputs simple theoretically and observationally motivated temporal profiles to model large-scale (such as the tilt angle) and small-scale (such as the magnetic variance) parameters relevant to CR transport. Galactic CR proton differential intensities computed using this model for the period 1977–2001 are in reasonable to good agreement with spacecraft observations, reproducing the major salient features of the observed CR intensity temporal profile. To investigate pre-space-age cosmic-ray modulation, and to test conclusions previously drawn regarding the relative importance of drift effects on said modulation, historic estimates of the past HMF presented by McCracken & Beer were used as inputs for the model. The resulting CR temporal intensity profile displays clear evidence of drift effects, with a sharp peak in intensities during the Dalton Minimum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffusion approximation to the Fokker-Planck equation is commonly used to model the transport of solar energetic particles in interplanetary space. In this study, we present exact analytical predictions of a higher order telegraph approximation for particle transport and compare them with the corresponding predictions of the diffusion approximation and numerical solutions of the full Fokker-Planck equation. We specifically investigate the role of the adiabatic focusing effect of a spatially varying magnetic field on an evolving particle distribution. Comparison of the analytical and numerical results shows that the telegraph approximation reproduces the particle intensity profiles much more accurately than does the diffusion approximation, especially when the focusing is strong. However, the telegraph approximation appears to offer no significant advantage over the diffusion approximation for calculating the particle anisotropy. The telegraph approximation can be a useful tool for describing both diffusive and wave-like aspects of the cosmic-ray transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full sky maps of energetic neutral atoms (ENA) obtained with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer revealed a bright, arc-like Ribbon. We compare possible, though as yet undetected, He ENA emission in two models of the Ribbon origin. The models were originally developed for hydrogen ENA. In the first one, ENA are produced outside the heliopause from the ionized neutral solar wind in the direction where the local interstellar magnetic field is perpendicular to the line of sight. The second model proposes production at the contact layer between the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC) and the Local Bubble (LB). The models are redesigned to helium using relevant interactions between atoms and ions. Resulting intensities are compared with possible emission of helium ENA from the heliosheath. In the first model, the expected intensity is ∼0.014 (cm2 s sr keV)–1, i.e., of the order of the He emission from the heliosheath, whereas in the second, the LIC/LB contact layer model, the intensity is ∼(2-7) (cm2 s sr keV)–1, i.e., a few hundred times larger. If the IBEX Ribbon needs a source population of He ENA leaving the heliosphere, it should not be visible in He ENA fluxes mainly because of the insufficient supply of the parent He ENA originating from the neutralized solar wind α-particles. We conclude that full-sky measurements of He ENA could give promising prospects for probing the Local Interstellar Medium at the distance of a few thousand AU and create the possibility of distinction between the above mentioned models of Ribbon origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs) were thought to be accelerated at the solar-wind termination shock (TS) by the diffusive shock acceleration process. When Voyager 1 crossed the TS in 2004, the measured ACR spectra did not match the theoretical prediction of a continuous power law, and the source of the high-energy ACRs was not observed. When the Voyager 2 crossed the TS in 2007, it produced similar results. Several possible explanations have since appeared in the literature, but we follow the suggestion that ACRs are still accelerated at the shock, only away from the Voyager crossing points. To investigate this hypothesis closer, we study ACR acceleration using a three-dimensional, non-spherical model of the heliosphere that is axisymmetric with respect to the interstellar flow direction. We then compare the results with those obtained for a spherical TS. A semi-analytic model of the plasma and magnetic field backgrounds is developed to permit an investigation over a wide range of parameters under controlled conditions. The model is applied to helium ACRs, whose phase-space trajectories are stochastically integrated backward in time until a pre-specified, low-energy boundary, taken to be 0.5 MeV n–1 (the so-called injection energy), is reached. Our results show that ACR acceleration is quite efficient on the heliotail-facing part of the TS. For small values of the perpendicular diffusion coefficient, our model yields a positive intensity gradient between the TS and about midway through the heliosheath, in agreement with the Voyager observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]