Direct observations of anomalous resistivity and diffusion in collisionless plasma

D. B. Graham (), Yu. V. Khotyaintsev, M. André, A. Vaivads, A. Divin, J. F. Drake, C. Norgren, O. Contel, P.-A. Lindqvist, A. C. Rager, D. J. Gershman, C. T. Russell, J. L. Burch, K.-J. Hwang and K. Dokgo
Additional contact information
D. B. Graham: Swedish Institute of Space Physics
Yu. V. Khotyaintsev: Swedish Institute of Space Physics
M. André: Swedish Institute of Space Physics
A. Vaivads: Space and Plasma Physics, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
A. Divin: Faculty of Physics, Earth Physics Department, Saint Petersburg State University
J. F. Drake: IREAP, University of Maryland
C. Norgren: University of Bergen
O. Contel: CNRS/Ecole Polytechnique/Sorbonne Université/Univ. Paris Sud/Observatoire de Paris
P.-A. Lindqvist: Space and Plasma Physics, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
A. C. Rager: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
D. J. Gershman: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
C. T. Russell: University of California
J. L. Burch: Southwest Research Institute
K.-J. Hwang: Southwest Research Institute
K. Dokgo: Southwest Research Institute

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Coulomb collisions provide plasma resistivity and diffusion but in many low-density astrophysical plasmas such collisions between particles are extremely rare. Scattering of particles by electromagnetic waves can lower the plasma conductivity. Such anomalous resistivity due to wave-particle interactions could be crucial to many processes, including magnetic reconnection. It has been suggested that waves provide both diffusion and resistivity, which can support the reconnection electric field, but this requires direct observation to confirm. Here, we directly quantify anomalous resistivity, viscosity, and cross-field electron diffusion associated with lower hybrid waves using measurements from the four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft. We show that anomalous resistivity is approximately balanced by anomalous viscosity, and thus the waves do not contribute to the reconnection electric field. However, the waves do produce an anomalous electron drift and diffusion across the current layer associated with magnetic reconnection. This leads to relaxation of density gradients at timescales of order the ion cyclotron period, and hence modifies the reconnection process.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30561-8

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