On rotational discontinuities in both two-fluid and hybrid models

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/90JA02567· OSTI ID:5268176

Wu, C C ^[1]; Hada, T ^[2]

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1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (USA)
2. Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan)

Rotational discontinuities are studied in a two-fluid model that includes finite ion inertia dispersion and in a hybrid model in which the full ion dynamics is retained while the electrons are treated as a massless fluid. The authors shoe that as in previous dissipative MHD studies, a rotational discontinuity is unstable in both models and evolves to a 2 {yields} 3 intermediate shock, a slow rarefaction wave, and other waves. (However, due to the limitation in computational resources, the hybrid calculations are limited to low-to-medium ion beta.) In addition, they show that the so-called Walen relation, which holds exactly for rotational discontinuities, can also be well satisfied by tran-Alfvenic intermediate shocks. Thus intermediate shocks can be candidates for those observed structures that satisfy the Walen relation.

• OSTI ID: 5268176
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 96:A3; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALFVEN WAVES
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
EQUATIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PLASMA
RANKINE-HUGONIOT EQUATIONS
SHOCK WAVES
SIMULATION