Additively manufactured plastic plasma spectrometer.

We report results in the development and testing of a low resource tophat electrostatic analyzer (ESA) for space plasma measurements. This device has been additively manufactured (3D-printed) using fused deposition modeling. The classic tophat design is composed of four plastic pieces, without any surface coatings.

Identification of Coupled Landau and Anomalous Resonances in Space Plasmas.

Wave-particle resonance, a ubiquitous process in the plasma universe, occurs when resonant particles observe a constant wave phase to enable sustained energy transfer. Here, we present spacecraft observations of simultaneous Landau and anomalous resonances between oblique whistler waves and the same group of protons, which are evidenced, respectively, by phase-space rings in parallel-velocity spectra and phase-bunched distributions in gyrophase spectra. Our results indicate the coupling between Landau and anomalous resonances via the overlapping of the resonance islands.

Electron scale coherent structure as micro accelerator in the Earth's magnetosheath.

Turbulent energy dissipation is a fundamental process in plasma physics that has not been settled. It is generally believed that the turbulent energy is dissipated at electron scales leading to electron energization in magnetized plasmas. Here, we propose a micro accelerator which could transform electrons from isotropic distribution to trapped, and then to stream (Strahl) distribution.

Downstream high-speed plasma jet generation as a direct consequence of shock reformation.

Shocks are one of nature's most powerful particle accelerators and have been connected to relativistic electron acceleration and cosmic rays. Upstream shock observations include wave generation, wave-particle interactions and magnetic compressive structures, while at the shock and downstream, particle acceleration, magnetic reconnection and plasma jets can be observed. Here, using Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) we show in-situ evidence of high-speed downstream flows (jets) generated at the Earth's bow shock as a direct consequence of shock reformation.

Statistics of Kinetic Dissipation in the Earth's Magnetosheath: MMS Observations.

A familiar problem in space and astrophysical plasmas is to understand how dissipation and heating occurs. These effects are often attributed to the cascade of broadband turbulence which transports energy from large scale reservoirs to small scale kinetic degrees of freedom. When collisions are infrequent, local thermodynamic equilibrium is not established.

Energy partitioning constraints at kinetic scales in low- turbulence.

Turbulence is a fundamental physical process through which energy injected into a system at large scales cascades to smaller scales. In collisionless plasmas, turbulence provides a critical mechanism for dissipating electromagnetic energy. Here we present observations of plasma fluctuations in low- turbulence using data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in Earth's magnetosheath.

Extending the dynamic range of microchannel plate detectors using charge-integration-based counting.

Microchannel plate (MCP) detectors provide a mechanism to produce a measureable current pulse (∼0.1 mA over several nanoseconds) when stimulated by a single incident particle or photon. Reductions of the device's amplification factor (i.

Wave-particle energy exchange directly observed in a kinetic Alfvén-branch wave.

Alfvén waves are fundamental plasma wave modes that permeate the universe. At small kinetic scales, they provide a critical mechanism for the transfer of energy between electromagnetic fields and charged particles. These waves are important not only in planetary magnetospheres, heliospheres and astrophysical systems but also in laboratory plasma experiments and fusion reactors.