Numerical simulations of energy transfer in counter-streaming plasmas

Collisionless shock formation is investigated with large scale fully electromagnetic two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell numerical simulations. Two plasmas are colliding in the center of mass reference frame at sub-relativistic velocities. Their interaction leads to collisionless stochastic electron heating, ion slowing down and formation of a shock front. We focus here on the initial stage of evolution where electron heating is due to the Weibel-like micro-instability driven by the high-speed ion flow. A two stage process is described in the detailed analysis of our simulation results. Filament generation, followed by turbulent mixing, constitute the dominant mechanism for energy repartition. The global properties are illustrated by examination of single filament evolution in terms of energy/particle density and fields. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.