Super-elastic collision of large-scale magnetized plasmoids in the heliosphere

C Shen, Y Wang, S Wang, Y Liu, R Liu, A Vourlidas… - Nature Physics, 2012 - nature.com
C Shen, Y Wang, S Wang, Y Liu, R Liu, A Vourlidas, B Miao, P Ye, J Liu, Z Zhou
Nature Physics, 2012nature.com
A super-elastic collision is an unusual process in which some mechanism causes the kinetic
energy of the system to increase. Most studies have focused on solid-like objects, and have
rarely considered gases or liquids, as the collision of these is primarily a mixing process.
However, magnetized plasmoids are different from ordinary gases—as cross-field diffusion
is effectively prohibited—but it remains unclear how they behave during a collision. Here we
present a comprehensive picture of a unique collision between two coronal mass ejections …
Abstract
A super-elastic collision is an unusual process in which some mechanism causes the kinetic energy of the system to increase. Most studies have focused on solid-like objects, and have rarely considered gases or liquids, as the collision of these is primarily a mixing process. However, magnetized plasmoids are different from ordinary gases—as cross-field diffusion is effectively prohibited—but it remains unclear how they behave during a collision. Here we present a comprehensive picture of a unique collision between two coronal mass ejections in the heliosphere, which are the largest magnetized plasmoids erupting from the Sun. Our analysis reveals that these two magnetized plasmoids collided as if they were solid-like objects, with a likelihood of 73% that the collision was super-elastic. The total kinetic energy of the plasmoid system increased by about 6.6% through the collision, significantly influencing its dynamics.
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