Ion inertia effect on the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA01312· OSTI ID:5152166

Fujimoto, M ^[1]; Terasawa, T ^[2]

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1. Inst. of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara (Japan)
2. Kyoto Univ. (Japan)

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in a thin velocity shear layer is analyzed in a two-fluid plasma. In the system treated here, electrons are treated as a massless, charge neutralizing fluid, and the ion inertia effects appearing through the Hall term and the electron pressure term in the generalized Ohm's law are added to the usual MHD system of equations. Linearized equations are derived and solved numerically for the parallel (V{sub O} {parallel} B{sub O}) and the perpendicular (V{sub O} {perpendicular} B{sub O}) geometries. Although the growth rates are only slightly affected by the ion inertia effect for both configurations, the structures of the eigenmodes become highly different when the modes have spatial dependences along the background magnetic field. The implication of the present results for the magnetopause boundary layer is discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5152166
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 96:A9; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
CHARGED PARTICLES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
IONS
LAYERS
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MECHANICS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
OHM LAW
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
SHEAR