Effect of different initial conditions on the evolution of the E x B gradient drift instability in ionospheric plasma clouds. Memorandum report

Technical Report · Tue Apr 14 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5912116

Keskinen, M J; Ossakow, S L

Both small and large amplitude monochromatic (one wave) and random (many waves) initial perturbations have been used to seed initially slablike plasma clouds with different magnetic field line integrated Pedersen conductivity gradient scale lengths L = 4, 6, 10 km perpendicular to the magnetic field. Independent of the initial conditions used, all of the models studied become similar in the nonlinear late time regime both in real (x, y) space and in Fourier (k sub x, k sub y) space where x and y define the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field. In the nonlinear regime, evidence is presented for an outer scale turnover in the one-dimensional plasma cloud conductivity spatial power spectra computed in a direction (y) perpendicular to the E X B drift (x) of the plasma cloud. In addition, under the different initial conditions used, the spatial power spectra in the nonlinear regime are shown to be anisotropic in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field with most of the spectral power concentrated along and near the linearly most unstable y-direction.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5912116
• Report Number(s): AD-A-098331/2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CROSSED FIELDS
DRIFT INSTABILITY
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA
PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES