Numerical study of explosive tearing mode instability in one-component plasmas

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1981 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA086iA11p09007· OSTI ID:5948373

Terasawa, T

A numerical simulation is performed to investigate the nonlinear phase of the collisionless tearing mode instability. The results are found consistent with the expectation from the theory by Galeev, Coroniti, and Ashour-Abdalla, who predicted the existence of an explosive phase of the instability caused by the magnetization of particles by the perturbed component of the magnetic field normal to the neutral sheet. Since electrostatic effects on the evolution of the instability are neglected a priori in the present numerical simulation, we do not obtain the final answer. But there seems to be a good possibility of the explosive evolution of the tearing mode instability in its nonlinear stage. It is argued that for a sufficiently long-wavelength perturbation the nonlinear explosive evolution can become faster than the nonlinear coalescence mode. It is further noted that the particles are heated adiabatically within the magnetic islands by the one-dimensional compression process.

• Research Organization: The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153, Japan
• OSTI ID: 5948373
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 86:A11
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
TEARING INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
ADIABATIC COMPRESSION HEATING
EXPLOSIVE INSTABILITY
MAGNETOTAIL
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PLASMA ACCELERATION
PLASMA SHEET
ACCELERATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
HEATING
INSTABILITY
MAGNETOSPHERE
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
700107* - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Instabilities