Broadband electrostatic noise due to field-aligned currents

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL016i008p00899· OSTI ID:5830303

Schriver, D ^[1]; Ashour-Abdalla, M ^[2]

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1. Max-Planck-Institut fuer Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching (West Germany)
2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (USA)

There are observations of broadband electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet boundary layer that are associated with field-aligned currents (electron beams), which often have an upper cutoff frequency above the electron plasma frequency. In this paper, using linear theory and numerical simulations the authors present results from a study of instabilities caused by an electron beam in a thermally mixed plasma. It is shown that two instabilities, the electron acoustic and electron-ion instabilities can combine to form a broadbanded wave spectrum that rapidly destroys the electron beam.

• OSTI ID: 5830303
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA) Vol. 16:8; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAMS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRON BEAMS
INSTABILITY
LANGMUIR FREQUENCY
LAYERS
LEPTON BEAMS
MAGNETOTAIL
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA SHEET
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
SATELLITES
SIMULATION