Kinetic Simulations of the Dissipation Range of Solar Wind Turbulence from Ion to Electron Scales

The first nonlinear kinetic simulation of the dissipation range of plasma turbulence resolving both the characteristic ion and electron scales with a realistic mass ratio is presented. The resulting energy spectra are qualitatively consistent with nearly power-law spectra observed in recent satellite measurements of the solar wind dissipation range. This result demonstrates that a kinetic Alfven wave cascade can reach the electron scales and disproves a recent claim to the contrary. A weakened cascade model for the kinetic turbulent cascade is presented that explains the spectra by accounting for nonlocal contributions to the energy cascade rate.