Physics of Circularly Polarized Ion-scale Waves in Hybrid Simulations of Alfvénic Fluctuations
Ion cyclotron waves (ICWs) and fast magnetosonic/whistler waves (FMWs) are fundamental electromagnetic modes at ion kinetic scales, yet their generation mechanisms and roles in plasma evolution remain poorly understood. We analyze a 2.5D hybrid simulation of broadband Alfvénic fluctuations, where the proton velocity di...