Turbulent Alfven boundary layer in the polar ionosphere. 1. Excitation conditions and energetics

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA00376· OSTI ID:5813750

Trakhtengerts, V Y ^[1]; Feldstein, A Ya ^[2]

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1. Inst. of Applied Physics, Gorky (USSR)
2. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow (USSR)

Instability of laminar magnetospheric convection with respect to the strongly anisotropic Alfven waves which are of small scale in the horizontal plane is examined. The waves prove to be trapped in the ionospheric Alfven resonator, bounded from below by the ionospheric E layer and form above by a zone of rapidly increasing Alfven velocity at altitudes of up to {approximately}10{sup 4} km. The finite-amplitude Alfven waves dissipate within a layer of anomalous resistance formed near the upper wall of the resonator. As a result, a high-energy particle source appears in the upper ionosphere. Further evolution results in the transition of laminar convection to turbulent flow conditions and in the formation of a turbulent Alfven boundary layer in the polar ionosphere at altitudes from 10{sup 2} to 10{sup 4} km. The energy status of the turbulent Alfven boundary layer is calculated. It has been shown that the accelerated-electron energy flux density can reach {approximately}100 ergs cm{sup {minus}2} s{sup {minus}1}.

• OSTI ID: 5813750
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 96:A11; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
IONOSPHERE
ALFVEN WAVES
POLAR REGIONS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
CONVECTION
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ENERGY LOSSES
LAMINAR FLOW
TURBULENT FLOW
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENERGY TRANSFER
FLUID FLOW
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
LAYERS
LOSSES
MASS TRANSFER
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
661320* - Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena- (1992-)