Issue |
A&A
Volume 591, July 2016
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A125 | |
Number of page(s) | 7 | |
Section | Astrophysical processes | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201628391 | |
Published online | 24 June 2016 |
Ergodicity of perpendicular cosmic ray transport
Zentrum für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Technische Universität
Berlin,
Hardenbergstraße 36,
10623
Berlin,
Germany
e-mail:
robert.c.tautz@gmail.com
Received: 26 February 2016
Accepted: 30 April 2016
Aims. The random walk of energetic charged particles in turbulent magnetic fields is investigated. Special focus is placed on transport across the mean magnetic field, which had been found to be subdiffusive on many occasions. Therefore, a characterization using the concept of ergodicity is attempted by noting the connection to the time evolution of the mean-square displacement.
Methods. Based on the test-particle approach, a numerical Monte Carlo simulation code is used to integrate the equation of motion for particles that are scattered by magnetic turbulence. The turbulent fields are generated by superposing plane waves with a Kolmogorov-type power spectrum. The individual particle trajectories are then used to calculate a variety of statistical quantities.
Results. The simulation results clearly demonstrate how the heterogeneity of the particle ensemble causes the system to be weakly non-ergodic. In addition, it is shown how the step length distribution varies with the particle energy. In conclusion, cross-field transport is non-Gaussian but still almost diffusive.
Key words: diffusion / turbulence / magnetic fields / cosmic rays / methods: numerical
© ESO, 2016
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