Electromagnetic waves and instabilities from cometary ion velocity shell distributions

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA094iA07p09131· OSTI ID:5556063

Gary, S P ^[1]; Sinha, R ^[2]

---

1. Earth and Space Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (US)
2. Department of Nuclear and Chemical Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

This paper considers the linear theory of electromagnetic waves and instabilities in the solar wind in the presence of cometary ions with complete velocity shell distribution functions. A collisionless, homegeneous plasma, propagation parallel or antiparallel to a uniform magnetic field and frequencies below the proton cyclotron frequency are considered. If there is no relative drift speed between the cometary ions and the solar wind protons, both right- and left-hand polarized modes are stable, with ion cyclotron damping at wavenumbers of the order of the inverse cometary ion gyroradius. If there is a relative drift between the cometary ions and the solar wind protons greater than the Alfven speed, both the ion/ion right-hand and left-hand resonant instabilities grow with maximum growth rates which increase as the shell distributions become narrower in velocity space. {copyright} American Geophysical Union 1989

• OSTI ID: 5556063
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA) Vol. 94:A7; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
COMETS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
FUNCTIONS
INSTABILITY
IONIZATION
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA WAVES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND