Preliminary report of numerical simulations of intermediate wavelength collisional Rayleigh-Taylor instability in equatorial spread F. Memorandum report

Technical Report · Mon Nov 26 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5002983

Keskinen, M J; Ossakow, S L; Chaturvedi, P K

Computer simulations of the intermediate wavelength (100-1000 m) collisional Rayleigh-Taylor instability have been performed using parameters typical of the post-sunset bottomside (300 km) equatorial F region ionosphere. For ambient electron density gradient scale lengths L = 5, 10, 15 km we find that the linearly unstable modes saturate by nonlinear generation of linearly damped vertical modes with the result that in the nonlinear regime power laws are observed in the horizontal P/sub x/ varies as k sub x to the minus nth power and vertical Pk/sub y/ varies as k/sub y/ to the minus nth power one-dimensional power spectra with n = 2-2.5. These results are consistent both with in situ experimental data and theoretical prediction.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5002983
• Report Number(s): AD-A-079313
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DATA
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
EQUATOR
F REGION
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY
SIMULATION
SPREAD F
THEORETICAL DATA