Current-driven instabilities in a laminar perpendicular shock

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA083iA04p01625· OSTI ID:6930512

Lemons, D S; Gary, S P

The linear theory of fully electromagnetic plasma instabilities driven by currents flowing across a magnetic field is investigated, with applications to the laminar perpendicular bow shock. The theory utilizes the local approximation, assumes unmagnetized ions and magnetized electrons, and includes the effects of gradients in the magnetic field magnitude and density. Oblique propagation is considered, and wave numbers may be of the order of or larger than the reciprocal electron Larmor radius. An increase in the electron beta does not significantly affect the ion acoustic instability but does reduce the growth rates of the Buneman and the modified two-stream instabilities. If T/sub e/>>T/sub i/ within the shock, results indicate that the ion acoustic instability is the most important growing mode, for any reasonable beta. If T/sub e/

• Research Organization: Physics Department, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
• OSTI ID: 6930512
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 83:A4; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
FLUID FLOW
INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY GROWTH RATES
ION TEMPERATURE
ION WAVE INSTABILITY
LAMINAR FLOW
LARMOR RADIUS
MAGNETOSPHERE
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES
SHOCK WAVES
TWO-STREAM INSTABILITY