Fully kinetic simulations of 2D MRI-induced turbulence in an electron-ion plasma

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) is a crucial mechanism of angular momentum transport in a variety of astrophysical scenarios, as accretion disks near black holes. The MRI has been widely studied using MHD models and simulations, in order to understand the behavior of astrophysical fluids in a state of differential rotation. In radiatively inefficient accretion flow models for accretion onto compact objects, the accretion proceeds via a hot, low-density plasma with the proton temperature larger than the electron temperature. In order to maintain such a two-temperature flow, the typical collision rate must be much smaller than the accretion rate. This suggests that the standard MHD approach may be insufficient, and a kinetic description is required instead.Leveraging on our recent results obtained in 2D pair plasma configuration, we present our recent results on collisionless MRI in electron-ion plasma. Increasing the mass ratio of our simulations, we show the differences between electron-ion plasma and pair plasma in 2D turbulence induced consistently during the saturation regime of the MRI. In particular, we will explore the mechanism responsible for the temperature difference between the two species