Test Particle Energization by Current Sheets and Nonuniform Fields in Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulence

Abstract

We perform numerical experiments of test particle energization in turbulent magnetic and electric fields obtained from pseudospectral direct numerical solutions of compressible three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations with a strong background magnetic field. The natural tendency of turbulent MHD fields is to form current sheets along the magnetic field direction, as well as strong nonuniform fields in the transverse directions. By associating the MHD dissipation length scale with the ion inertial scale, we found differential energization in parallel and perpendicular directions according to the type of particles considered. Electrons develop large parallel velocities, especially in current sheets. Protons instead show higher perpendicular energization due to the nonuniform perpendicular induced electric field produced by the plasma MHD velocity, which varies on proton length scales. Implications for dissipation mechanisms in a coronal heating model are discussed.