Hydromagnetic stability of a compressible plasma with hall-currents

The hydromagnetic stability of an electrically conducting compressible plasma having variable density in the vertical direction has been investigated taking into account the effects of Hallcurrents. The solution is shown to be characterized by a variational principle. Based on the existence of variational principle, the dispersion relation has been obtained for the case of a plasma having exponentially varying density with special reference to stellar atmosphere. It is found that both compressibility of the medium and Hall-currents destabilize the configuration for the disturbances, for which it was stable otherwise. The Hall-currents even suppress the mode of maximum instability for large magnitudes.     

Rayleigh-Taylor instability of magnetized partially-ionized superposed fluids with rotation and surface tension in porous medium

The Rayleigh-Taylor instability of the plane interface separating the two partially-ionized superposed fluids through porous medium is analysed. The effect of variable horizontal magnetic field, surface tension and rotation along the vertical axis are also incorporated. The relevant linearized perturbation equations are taken and using normal mode analysis the general relation is obtained from which the dispersion relation for two superposed fluids of different densities is derived. It is found that the surface tension and horizontal magnetic field have the stabilizing effect on the R-T-instability. The condition of instability remains unaffected by the permeability of porous medium, presence of neutral particles in the fluids and rotation.It is concluded that the system is unstable only for those positive wave numbers which are less than certain critical value in case of an adverse density gradient.     

Instability of a gravitating partially-ionized plasma

The effect of Hall currents and collision with neutrals on the instability of a horizontal layer of a self-gravitating partially-ionized plasma of varying density have been studied. It is assumed that the plasma is permeated by a variable horizontal magnetic field stratified vertically. A variational principle is shown to characterize the problem. By making use of the existence of the variational principle, proper solutions have been obtained for a semi-infinite plasma in which density has a one-dimensional (exponential) vertical stratification. The dispersion relation has been derived and solved numerically. It is found that the collisions with neutrals have a stabilizing influence while Hall currents have a destabilizing influence.     

Kinetic Alfvén waves in preflare plasma

Low‐frequency instabilities of plasma waves in the arch structures in solar active regions have been investigated before a flare. In the framework of mechanism of “direct initiation” of instability by slowly increasing (quasi‐static) large‐scale electric field in a loop the dispersion relation has been studied for the perturbations which propagate almost perpendicularly to the magnetic field of the loop. The case has been considered, when amplitude of weak (“subdreicer”) electric field sharply increases before a flare, low‐frequency instability develops on the background of ion‐acoustic turbulence and thickness of this turbulent plasma layer plays the role of mean characteristic scale of inhomogeneity of plasma density. If the values of the main plasma parameters, i.e. temperature, density, magnetic field amplitude allow to neglect the influence of the shear of magnetic strength lines on the instability development, then two types of the waves can be generated in preflare plasma: the kinetic Alfvén waves and some new kind of the waves from the range of slowly magneto‐acoustic ones. Instability of kinetic Alfvén waves has clearly expressed threshold character with respect to the amplitude of “subdreicer” electric field. This fact seems to be useful for the short‐time prediction of a flare in arch structure. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Magnetic resistivity and Hall currents effects on the stability of a self-gravitating plasma of varying density in variable magnetic field

The effect of Hall currents have been studied on the instability of a stratified layer of a self-gravitating finitely conducting plasma of varying density. It is assumed that the plasma is permeated by a variable horizontal magnetic field stratified vertically. The stability analysis has been carried out for longitudinal mode of wave propagation. The solution has been obtained through integral equation approach. The dispersion relation has been derived and solved numerically. It is found that both the Hall currents and finite conductivity have a destabilizing influence on the growth rate of the unstable mode of disturbance.     

Gravitational instability in isotropic MHD plasma waves

The effect of compressive viscosity, thermal conductivity and radiative heat-loss functions on the gravitational instability of infinitely extended homogeneous MHD plasma has been investigated. By taking in account these parameters we developed the six-order dispersion relation for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves propagating in a homogeneous and isotropic plasma. The general dispersion relation has been developed from set of linearized basic equations and solved analytically to analyse the conditions of instability and instability of self-gravitating plasma embedded in a constant magnetic field. Our result shows that the presence of viscosity and thermal conductivity in a strong magnetic field substantially modifies the fundamental Jeans criterion of gravitational instability.     

Larmor radius effects on the instability of a rotating layer of a self-gravitating plasma

The instability of a stratified layer of a self-gravitating plasma has been studied to include jointly the effects of viscosity, Coriolis forces and the finite Larmor radius (FLR). For a plasma permeated by a uniform horizontal magnetic field, the stability analysis has been carried out for a transverse mode of wave propagation. The solution has been obtained through variational methods for the case when the direction of axis of rotation is along the magnetic field. The analysis for the case when the direction of rotation is transverse to the magnetic field has also been considered and the solutions for this case have been obtained through integral approach. The dispersion relations have been derived in both the cases and solved numerically. It is found that both the viscous and FLR effects have a stabilizing influence on the growth rate of the unstable mode of disturbance. Coriolis forces are found to have stabilizing influence for small wave numbers and destabilizing for large wave numbers.     

The electron-ion streaming instabilities driven by drift velocities of the order of electron thermal velocity in a nonmagnetized plasma

The kinetic Alfven waves are investigated using Maxwell-Boltzmann-Vlasov equation to evaluate the kinetic dispersion relation and growth/damping rate with magnetic field gradient, density gradient, temperature gradient and velocity gradient with inhomogeneous plasma. The effect of gradient terms is included in the analysis for both the regions k _⊥ ρ _i <1 and k _⊥ ρ _i >1, where k _⊥ is the perpendicular wave number and ρ _i is the ion gyroradius. This study elucidates a possible scenario to account for the particle acceleration and the wave dissipation in inhomogeneous plasmas. This model is able to explain many features observed in plasma sheet boundary layer as well as to evaluate the dispersion relation, growth rate, growth length and damping rate of kinetic Alfven wave. The applicability of this model is assumed for auroral acceleration region, plasma sheet boundary layer and cusp region.     

Gravitational Instability of Cylindrical Viscoelastic Medium Permeated with Non Uniform Magnetic Field and Rotation

The self-gravitating instability of an infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder of viscoelastic medium permeated with non uniform magnetic field and rotation is studied for both the strongly coupled plasma (SCP) and weakly coupled plasma (WCP). The non uniform magnetic field and rotation are considered to act along the axial direction of the cylinder. The normal mode method of perturbations is applied to obtain the dispersion relation. The condition for the onset of gravitational instability has been derived from the dispersion relation under both strongly and weakly coupling limits. It is found that the Jeans criterion for gravitational collapse gets modified due to the presence of shear and bulk viscosities for the SCP, however, the magnetic field and rotation whether uniform or non uniform has no effect on the Jeans criterion of an infinitely extending axisymmetric cylinder of a self-gravitating viscoelastic medium.     

Relativistic anisotropic pair plasmas

The properties of waves able to propagate in a relativistic pair plasma are at the basis of the interpretation of several astrophysical observations. For instance, they are invoked in relation to radio emission processes in pulsar magnetospheres and to radiation mechanisms for relativistic radio jets. In such physical environments, pair plasma particles probably have relativistic, or even ultrarelativistic, temperatures. Besides, the presence of an extremely strong magnetic field in the emission region constrains the particles to one-dimensional motion: all the charged particles strictly move along magnetic field lines.
We take anisotropic effects and relativistic effects into account by choosing one-dimensional relativistic Jűttner–Synge distribution functions to characterize the distribution of electrons and/or positrons in a relativistic, anisotropic pair plasma. The dielectric tensor, from which the dispersion relation associated with plane wave perturbations of such a pair plasma is derived, involves specific coefficients that depend on the distribution function of particles. A precise determination of these coefficients, using the relativistic one-dimensional Jűttner–Synge distribution function, allows us to obtain the appropriate dispersion relation. The properties of waves able to propagate in anisotropic relativistic pair plasmas are deduced from this dispersion relation. The conditions in which a beam and a plasma, both ultrarelativistic, may interact and trigger off a two-stream instability are obtained from this same dispersion relation. Two astrophysical applications are discussed.     

Electrostatic instability excited by an electron beam trapped in the magnetic mirror of the magnetosphere

A dispersion relation which takes into account the nonuniformity of the magnetic field as well as the plasma density along the field lines is obtained for an electrostatic wave propagating parallel to the magnetic field. This dispersion relation is solved for a particular case in which a group of electrons with a monochromatic distribution in magnetic moment is mixed with a low energy plasma. Such electrons are shown to excite ion acoustic waves carried by the low-energy plasma component near multiples of the bounce frequency of these electrons. The theoretical results are applied to explain electrostatic oscillations with a period of approximately fifty seconds observed in the high energy electron fluxes at synchronous altitude.     

Waves and instabilities in a differentially rotating disc containing a poloidal magnetic field

The theory of waves and instabilities in a differentially rotating disc containing a poloidal magnetic field is developed within the framework of ideal magnetohydrodynamics. A continuous spectrum, for which the eigenfunctions are localized on individual magnetic surfaces, is identified but is found not to contain any instabilities associated with differential rotation. The normal modes of a weakly magnetized thin disc are studied by extending the asymptotic methods used previously to describe the equilibria. Waves propagate radially in the disc according to a dispersion relation which is determined by solving an eigenvalue problem at each radius. The dispersion relation for a hydrodynamic disc is re-examined and the modes are classified according to their behaviour in the limit of large wavenumber. The addition of a magnetic field introduces new, potentially unstable, modes and also breaks up the dispersion diagram by causing avoided crossings. The stability boundary to the magnetorotational instability in the parameter space of polytropic equilibria is located by solving directly for marginally stable equilibria. For a given vertical magnetic field in the disc, bending of the field lines has a stabilizing effect and it is shown that stable equilibria exist which are capable of launching a predominantly centrifugally driven wind.     

Effects of Hall currents and Coriolis forces on the instability of a self-gravitating plasma of variable density

The hydromagnetic instability of a self-gravitating, incompressible rotating plasma of variable density has been examined in the presence of Hall currents. The system is assumed to be permeated by a variable horizontal magnetic field. The solution of the relevant linearized perturbation equations has been obtained by the normal mode technique through a variational principle which is shown to characterize the problem. Proper solutions have been obtained for a semi-infinite plasma having exponential density stratification along the vertical. The dispersion relation has been derived and solved numerically for different values of the physical parameters involved. It is found that Hall currents and Coriolis forces have both destabilizing influence as the growth rate of the unstable modes is found to increase with the increase of both Hall currents and Coriolis forces.     

On the effect of oblique disturbances on Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at magnetospheric boundary layers and in solar wind

This paper is concerned with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the indissipative plasma with an external magnetic field. A detailed analysis is made of the results known from the approximation of a tangential discontinuity. The finiteness of the interface thickness effect is considered numerically at the arbitrary distribution of the density, velocity and magnetic field vectors inside this shear layer. The influence of plasma compressibility with an arbitrarily varying magnetic field is investigated. The main role of oblique disturbances with respect to the flow rate direction is shown under conditions of a large plasma compressibility. As such perturbations move away from the interface, their amplitude is damped much more slowly than in the case of weak compressibility. However, their wavelength remains, approximately, the same as that of longitudinal waves in the case of incompressibility. The linear approximation suggests the importance of oblique waves in the energetics of the interaction between the shear layer and the outward medium. A comparison is made of the instability period on discontinuities in the solar wind, and at magnetospheric and plasmaspheric boundaries, with the range of geomagnetic pulsations.     

Magnetogravitational instability of an infinite homogeneous rotating plasma through a porous medium with finite electrical and thermal conductivities

The gravitational instability of an infinite homogenous rotating plasma through a porous medium in the presence of a uniform magnetic field with finite electrical and thermal conductivities has been studied. With the help of relevant linearized perturbation equations of the problem, a general dispersion relation is obtained, which is further reduced for the special cases of rotation, parallel and perpendicular to the megnetic field acting in the vertical direction. Longitudinal and transverse modes of propagation are discussed separately. It is found that the joint effect of various parameters is simply to modify the Jeans's condition of instability. The effect of finite electrical conductivity is to remove the effect of magnetic field where as the effect of thermal conductivity is to replace the adiabatic velocity of sound by the isothermal one. Rotation has its effect only along the magnetic field in the transverse mode of propagation for an inviscid plasma, thereby stabilizing the system. Porosity reduces the effect of both, the magnetic field and the rotation, in the transverse mode of propagation in both the cases of rotation. The effect of viscosity is to remove the rotational effects parallel to the magnetic field in the transverse mode of propagation.     

Drag-driven instability of a dust layer in a magnetized protoplanetary disc

We study drag-driven instability in a protoplanetary disc consisting of a layer of single-sized dust particles which are coupled to the magnetized gas aerodynamically and the particle-to-gas feedback is included. We find a dispersion relation for axisymmetric linear disturbances and growth rate of the unstable modes are calculated numerically. While the secular gravitational instability in the absence of particle-togas feedback predicts the dust layer is unstable, magnetic fields significantly amplify the instability if the Toomre parameter for the gas component is fixed. We also show that even a weak magnetic field is able to amplify the instability more or less irrespective of the dust-gas coupling.     

Kinetic Alfven waves in plasma sheet boundary layer—particle aspect analysis

The particle aspect approach is adopted to investigate the trajectories of charged particles in the electromagnetic field of kinetic Alfven wave. Expressions are found for the dispersion relation, damping rate and associated currents in homogenous plasma. Kinetic effects of electrons and ions are included to study kinetic Alfven wave because both are important in the transition region. It is found that the ratio β of electron thermal energy density to magnetic field energy density and the ratio of ion to electron thermal temperature (T_i/T_e) affect the dispersion relation, damping-rate and associated currents in both cases (warm and cold electron limits). The treatment of kinetic Alfven wave instability is based on the assumption that the plasma consists of resonant and non-resonant particles. The resonant particles participate in an energy exchange process, whereas the non-resonant particles support the oscillatory motion of the wave.     

Wave propagation in two-fluids self-gravitating plasma

Wave propagation is considered in self-gravitating collisionless magnetized plasma, when the Larmor frequency exceeds the plasma frequency. The external magnetic field is assumed to be strong and a modified two-fluids theory is used to describe the plasma. We find that there are three modes of wave propagation parallel to the magnetic field. The condition of hose instability is affected. The change in the dispersion relation due to the two-fluids theory is also discussed.     

Study of gradient effects on inertial Alfvén waves in plasma sheet boundary layer region—kinetic approach

Inertial Alfvén waves are investigated using Maxwell-Boltzmann-Vlasov equation to evaluate the dispersion relation and growth/damping rate in inhomogeneous plasma. Expressions for the dispersion relation and growth/damping rate are evaluated in inhomogeneous plasma. The effects of density, temperature and velocity gradient are included in the analysis. The results are interpreted for the space plasma parameters appropriate to the plasma sheet boundary layer. It is found that the inhomogeneities of plasma contribute significantly to enhance the growth rate of inertial Alfvén wave. The applicability of this model is assumed for auroral acceleration region and plasma sheet boundary layer.     

Effect of thermal conductivity on the gravitational instability of a magnetized rotating plasma through a porous medium in the presence of suspended particles

The self-gravitational instability of an ionized, thermally-conducting, magnetized, rotating plasma flow through a porous medium has been studied in the presence of suspended particles. The ionized gas-particle medium has been considered rotating along and perpendicular to the vertical magnetic field. Propagation of the plasma waves has been studied for the longitudinal and the transverse modes for both the cases of rotation. A general dispersion relation has been derived with the help of relevant perturbation equations, using the method of normal mode analysis. The Jeans criterion determines the condition of gravitational instability in all the cases with some modifications introduced by the various parameters considered. Thermal conductivity replaces the adiabatic sonic speed by the isothermal one. Considering the longitudinal mode of propagation with perpendicular rotational axis, for an inviscid plasma with adiabatic behaviour the effect of both, the rotation and the suspended particles has been removed by the magnetic field. For the transverse mode of propagation with the axis of rotation parallel to the magnetic field, the viscosity removes the effect of both, the rotation and the suspended particles. Porosity reduces the effect of both, the rotation and the magnetic field, whereas the concentration of the suspended particles reduces the rotational effect.