Direct observation of ion cyclotron damping of turbulence in Earth's magnetosheath plasma

This paper uses spacecraft measurements from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to directly observe ion cyclotron damping of turbulence in Earth's magnetosheath plasma. The study identifies ion cyclotron damping through velocity-space signatures generated from electromagnetic field and ion velocity distribution measurements, consistent with analytical modeling. The rate of ion energization is quantified, and combined with previous electron energization analysis, to determine the dominant channels of turbulent dissipation and energy partitioning between ions and electrons.

A. S. Afshari, G. G. Howes, J. R. Shuster, K. G. Klein, D. McGinnis, M. M. Martinović, S. A. Boardsen, C. R. Brown, R. Huang, D. P. Hartley, C. A. Kletzing