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Beam-Driven Instabilities and the Formation of Anisotropic Proton Populations in the Young Solar Wind

ORAL

Abstract

Motivated by Parker Solar Probe (PSP) observations of anisotropic proton populations and core–beam structures, we perform an advance analysis of right-hand (RH) proton instabilities using both linear theory and quasilinear modeling. Our linear study reveals a cumulative RH proton (CRHP) instability driven by the interplay between beam drift and temperature anisotropy, significantly enhancing growth rates and lowering instability thresholds. Suprathermal beams, modeled by bi-Kappa distributions, and anisotropic electrons further amplify this effect by increasing wave–particle coupling. A quasilinear approach to young solar wind conditions from PSP measurements demonstrates that the ion-ion resonant (IIR) instability can scatter beam protons and induce strong perpendicular anisotropies consistent with observed proton velocity distributions. The modeled quasilinear (dynamic) paths adjust to PSP events, reproducing both the anisotropy levels and the observed RH wave signatures. These findings establish a compelling link between kinetic instabilities and PSP-observed structures, and motivate future numerical modeling of these cumulative effects in simulations.

Publication: 1. Shaaban, S. M., Lazar, M., López, R. A., & Poedts, S. (2025). Right-handed proton instabilities cumulating various sources of free-energy in the solar wind: PSP data application. To be submitted for publication in Astrophysical Journal.<br>2. Shaaban, S. M., Lazar, M., López, R. A., Yoon, P. H., & Poedts, S. (2024). Decoding the formation of hammerhead ion populations observed by Parker Solar Probe. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 692, L6.

Presenters

  • Shaaban M Shaaban

    Department of Physics and Materials Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar, Qatar University

Authors

  • Shaaban M Shaaban

    Department of Physics and Materials Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, 2713 Doha, Qatar, Qatar University

  • Marian Lazar

    Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Dept. of Mathematics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, 3001 Leuven Belgium

  • Rodrigo A López

    Research Center in the intersection of Plasma Physics, Matter, and Complexity (P 2mc), Comisi´on Chilena de Energ´ıa Nuclear, Casilla5 188-D, Santiago, Chile

  • Peter H Yoon

    University of Maryland College Park

  • Stefaan Poedts

    Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Dept. of Mathematics, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200B, 3001 Leuven Belgium.