Nonlinear stabilization of the current convective instability in the diffuse aurora. Memorandum report

Technical Report · Sun Jan 06 23:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:6925236

Chaturvedi, P K; Ossakow, S L

The current convective instability has recently been proposed as a possible mechanism for generating large scale irregularities in the auroral F region, driven by weak field-aligned currents associated with the diffuse aurora and a plasma density gradient (Ossakow and Chaturvedi, 1979). In this report, we show that this instability can stabilize nonlinearly by generating linearly damped harmonics. An estimate of the saturated amplitudes shows good agreement with the available experimental data. In addition, with a northward plasma density gradient, the dominant nonlinear harmonic is in the northward direction, in agreement with DNA Wideband satellite observations.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6925236
• Report Number(s): AD-A-082300
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAE
CONVECTION
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITIES
DENSITY
DISTURBANCES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
F REGION
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA
PLASMA DRIFT
PLASMA INSTABILITY
SCINTILLATIONS
STABILIZATION