Fundamental issues on kappa-distributions in space plasmas

Details Fundamental issues on kappa-distributions in space plasmas Fundamental issues on kappa-distributions in space plasmas

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....5597l&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #5597

Statistics

Scientific paper

Numerous in situ observations indicate clearly the presence of non-thermal electron and ion structures as ubiquitous and persistent feature of most astrophysical plasma environments. In particular, the detected suprathermal particle populations are accurately represented by the family of kappa-distributions, a power-law in particle speed. After clarifying the characteristics of high-energy tail distributions under various space plasma conditions, different generation mechanisms of energetic particles are introduced where numerical simulations of wave-particle interaction based on a Fokker-Planck approach demonstrate how Landau interaction ultimately leads to kappa-like distributions. Contrary, because of lack of theoretical justification, the use of kappa-distributions was frequently criticized. We show that these distributions turn out as consequence of an entropy generalization favored by nonextensive thermo-statistics, thus providing the missing link for power-law models of suprathermal tails from fundamental physics. Moreover, with regard to the full nonextensive formalism, compatible also with negative values of the structure parameter kappa, we demonstrate from first principle statistical physics that core-halo distribution configurations, as observed for instance under typical solar wind conditions, arise naturally within the framework of pseudo-additive entropy. We illuminate by a number of examples the significance of the complete kappa-distribution family in view of observed multi-component electron and ion velocity space structures as well as the effect of high-energy populations on wave particle interactions and instability thresholds.

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